Brandt Books

good storyline, good and creative writing, good dialogue, good and likable hero and heroin. nothing cliched or formatted. finish this one just in one sitting. hope mr. brandt would keep writing for us with more good stories. tks.

I own three of the four books in this series and have found all of them to be full of useful information. I use them with my second grade daughter as well as with my preschool class of three and four year old children. The artwork by Margaret Brandt is accurate and detailed. The factual information is presented simply yet thoroughly. Throughout the book the author, Toni Albert, shares some of her personal journal and encourages the reader to do the same. No project requires unusual materials, everything can be found or easily obtained at little or no cost. I will be buying the final book in this series soon.

I thought this was a wonderfully stimulating book. Rather than merely rehashing the history of the mingei movement, Brandt shows how mingei as a collection of ideas -- a cultural language, if you will -- was adopted by different groups in Japan and applied to diverse situations both inside the country and elsewhere in Japan's pre-war empire.

It is difficult to summarize this subtle book, but for me the most successful chapter was "Mingei and the Wartime State." I had read Yanagi Soetsu's "The Unknown Craftsman," and had wondered how that author's aphoristic and somewhat woolly thoughts on aesthetics might be made to serve the ends of ultra-nationalism. Brandt's treatment of this subject was fascinating, and seemed, to me at least, highly persuasive. Brandt is basically respectful of the stated aims of the mingei movement and its adherents, but she does not pull punches in her conclusions about the actions of Japan's fascist state, especially in China.

Two small criticisms. First, given that Yanagi plays such a large role in the book, it would have been nice to have a bit more information about his background and education. I realize she wasn't trying to write a potted biography of Yanagi, but we never really get a sense of what makes him tick as a person. Second, I was a bit surprised that Brandt paid relatively little attention to ethnicity as a driving force in the articulation of mingei. This is not a simple topic, but I wonder whether she has perhaps discounted the importance of "Japaneseness" as part of mingei in her effort to focus on other consumer and cultural trends.

Highly recommended!

If you (like me) have to do a report on Marquis de Lafayette get this book! It's at a good price and it ships very quickly!

For anyone who is interested in facts and figures about the world we live, this is an incredible book. As a learning tool for kids (using interesting lists to find these places on a map of the world) this would also be valuable.

In general, there is everything you wanted to know and more about the world: find out the antipodes (where you end up if you drill through the center of the earth) of places around the world; discover the earliest or latest sunrises and sunsets; all the cities mentioned in songs that hit the Billboard Top 40. In other words, its hard to believe this data exists, let alone that someone was able to think of all the interesting ways to use it.

Looking through this book you'll learn more about our world and the people in it in a short time than you'll find anywhere. Some of the lists are particularly poignant: want to know the 7 countries that apply the deat penalty for crimes that happen when a person is under 18? CONGO, IRAN, NIGERIA, PAKISTAN, SAUDI ARABIA, YEMEN and, of course, THE UNITED STATES. Makes you think...

Wow any New Orleans native will appreciate this book!!! The tourists will enjoy it too, it is so New Orleans & really captures the spirit of my hometown!

This book is about the epic battle between the brave Spaniards commanded by the fearless Hernan Cortes and the powerful Mexica Empire under Moctezuma's domain, that resulted in the conquest of Mexico. This was such an incredible event in history that one forgets it actually happened. The author tells the story from the point of view of the main character (the beautiful Cempoallan "Malinche"), and from the point of view of a young Spanish soldier, as they must have lived these events. The story turns incredible realistic. It makes you see what they saw and feel what they felt. Reading this book was like traveling back in time... In short, an excellent book!

i had the easy biography series as a young child in the 80's and can still to this day, recount most of it's characters' life histories and accomplishments. my husband coincidentally read the same series as a child and remembers them as well. these books are timeless and will undoubtedly influence children today as they did in the 1980's.

This book is so simple, so fundamental to improving your life, both in your marriage and your parental roles. I would recommend it to any couple who seeks God's guidance in their life.

Nat Brandt has written a book about a group of missionaries in China at the end of the nineteenth century. The book is written on three levels and works well on each level. First, is the biographical story of the various missionaries --who they were, where they came from, and how they ended their lives in China in 1900. Their individual personalities including strengths and foibles are sketched indelibly. We learn of their struggles together and with each other as they attempted to spread the Gospel and ultimately became martyrs for their beliefs and activities. The second level is that of Christian missionary work as a whole in China and elsewhere. The difficulties encountered when one is a representative of a foreign culture with an alien appearance, language, and ideas are portrayed vividly. The author shows clearly how the missionaries' convictions that Western ways were best undermined their success at evangelism and acceptance by most of their contemporary Chinese neighbors. Finally, the author discusses 19th century Chinese society and history, the events leading up to the Boxer uprising, the Boxer Rebellion itself and the resultant events as the Rebellion was put down by the Western Powers and includes an appraisal of how 20th century Chinese history was affected by the Rebellion and aftermath. In contrast to most accounts of the Boxer Rebellion which concentrate solely on events transpiring in Peking(Beijing) and Tientsin(Tianjin), the author presents us with a case study of activities away from the capital and coastal areas where missionary activities were the only opportunities for the native Chinese to encounter Western faces and ideas.