Brian Books

I have long been a collector of poetry, from Blakely and Browning to Rod McKuen (who I enterviewed twice for a literary magazine), but it has been a long time since I was so impressed with a poet. Brian Andreas is a sensitive soul who captures thoughts with humor and truth; he seems to say exactly what you have always thought, but never could quite find the right words yourself. Every page of this book is profound and exquisitely true.

A fun collection of poems, drawings and statements. Many will apply to things going on in all satges of adult life such that I found inspiration for a number of things depending on when I reread it and what was going in my life at the time.

Still Mostly True is the greatest book I have ever had the pleasure of reading- it cheers me up when I am sad, inspires me when I am blocked, and reminds me to look toward the little things in life for happiness. I appreciate Brian Andreas more than he will ever know for helping me, my mother, and my roomates at college through good, bad, happy and sad times. I only wish he had fifteen books like this one. I would never stop smiling!

One of my favorite books from Brian Andreas' StoryPeople series. And just like his others, I constantly find myself drifting between the lines and beyond the pages -- only to discover that they let me reflect upon my own thoughts and feelings.

Much in the way of Dr. Seuss' or Shel Silverstein's books, Still Mostly True epitomizes the simple things in life -- like love and laughter and memories and dreams.

Maybe the best way to sum it up would be like this:

No words can describe this book better than the words YOU use to describe the way life feels. Remember that song that you loved when you were a junior in high school?... It's like that. You bring your life to his stories.

I bought 30 copies for my 7th graders to use year after year. Enough said?

I am impressed with the Stonehenge and Valley of the Kings books for a variety of reasons:
-crisp, clear, appealing layout
-inclusion of maps with modern cities and related sites
-timeline, glossary and index
-photos and drawings have clear informational captions
-interesting aspects of the topic are explained on full-page "asides"
-use of words like "probably" and "one theory" to explore how our understanding of these ancient sites changes as archeologists discover more
-the mixture of the historical and legendary with the technical and physical information
-interviews with the archeologists, which personalizes the subject and makes it real and possible for students

This is the best book on Stonehenge. The text is concise and extremely well written and documented. The photos of the sites, stones and artifacts are beautiful. I especially liked the anciet time-line.
Ms. Bernard answers the Who, Why and When about the constuction of Stonehenge. Anyone interested in archeolgy and problem-solving will devour this book.
I am looking foward to more Digging in the Past Serries.

Stonehenge is a comprehensive and intelligible book that delves into the past explaining facts plus the fallacious legends that have always surrounded this archeological phenomena. It helped me further understand what present day discoveries have been made' and how the legends grew up around Stonehenge. The interview at the end of the book with Ms. Malone was educational and informative. The thorough glossary was also very helpful. I would highly recommend this book to any novice or person already interested in archeology.

What a trip! This book takes you everywhere: the old west, pirate ships, a post-apocalyptic future, Deliverance, and my favorite part - a Viking settlement on the American continent. But this book is all about the characters. They are very well drawn and very funny. I liked it a lot.

A great adventure for all ages! I loved Corky! What a hero! Where do you next from here? Pirates, convertables, space lazers!

Have to read this book. Not only is it funny but it keeps you interested!

This thing had me grinning from the opening page onward and kept me thoroughly entertained. It's got everything: Great Characters. Action. Adventure. Romance. Time Travel. International Intrigue. Pirates. Happy Smileys. Allusions to Wagner. A Wannabe Spy Chick. A Digital Watch. His clever blend of sarcasm, wit and humor had me laughing out loud. NOT to be missed!

Ever since the Beatles "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"-ed themselves onto the world stage, people have dreamed of what it would be like to have the career of a musical superstar. Think of the money! Think of the fame! Think of the romance!

In Swan Song in Puerto Vallerta, Emburgh gives us all of this and more. His hero, Billy Emmerson, awakes one day to find a world where he's a musical demigod. He lives the dream only to find that dreams aren't enough for a real life.

Despondent at his band's demise, he goes to Puerto Vallarta and there discovers what life and music are really all about.

Emburgh uses the backdrop of an enchanting Mexican city to contrast and accentuate the highs and lows of his character's life with the fantasy that came before. He shows, through Billy, how all of us, even the most unlikely, can grow and find our way into love, music, and a real life.

Most startling of all, are the lyric and lyric snatches of pop and rock tunes which contrast and compare with Billy's experiences. Humourously and ingeniously, they give an quick witted insight into the ego of the performers soul. Indeed the song fragments are so convincing that the reader has to pull back and remind himself that these songs only exist in the world of Billy Emmerson.

This is a terrific read for people of all ages who love music, romance, comedy, and who believe in the existance of hope.

Swan Song in Puerto Vallarta is a must read. It's funny, exciting, and an easy read. While I was reading it I couldn't put it down. This creative funny tale is very memorable. I highly reccommend this laugh-out-loud book for you to read and share.

I have recently read Swan Song in Puerto Vallarta by Brian Emburgh and must say that I enjoyed it very much. It was a beautifully written story. I fell in love with all the characters and can't wait to visit Puerto Vallarta. I strongly recommend this wonderful book to everyone.

This book has it all! Comedy, drama, romance, adventure and poetry! I can't rate it any higher. I STRONGLY reccommend it to anyone with a sence of adventure!

Theology of the body is the REASON of abstinences, self respect and plan of God for men and women in the world. It is as if you were blind a now you can see.

The book really makes explain complicated things, easy. Hope every youth group could do this seminar. I only wish they can translate this workbook in Spanish and all other languages.

This book goes step by step through the Theology of the Body for Teens to help the leader guide meaningful discussions. It is easy to understand and well written. There are suggestions for games to play with the teens to help them in groups. This book is a valuable rescource.

This extremely user-friendly book reveals the powerful, mysterious and beautiful biblical teaching of John Paul II in EASY, understandable format. Great for teens, even better for adults!

I haven't gotten too far into the leaders guide, but so far it has been VERY insightful about human sexuality and the dignity we deserve as humans. It's also helpful for people who teach teenagers or work with them. There are great activities in the book, so there is time to work and play!

This a an AWESOME collection of Poems by Brian Lock. My Niece and Nephew throughly enjoy this book and can't put it down until they read through it each time. It is really a fun book for all ages. I highly recommend it for anyone that has Kids.

My daughter is an avid reader, but when I suggest a book, she usually doesn't read it. Not only did she read There's a Hippo in My Bathtub when I gave it to her, she enjoyed it. She didn't even want to put it down. She wants to share the book with her friends, so they can read it too. Since reading the book, she has started to write poems and stories of her own.

What a great book to read to your children at bedtime! The artwork is good too. I plan to buy the book as a gift to my clients with young children.

The following are excerpts from e-mails I have received regarding my book, "There's a Hippo in My Bathtub"...

"...I gave the book to my wife to read a bedtime story to our daughter, Josie. Josie really loved your book and my wife enjoyed reading it to her.
Josie immediately took the book and put it in her little library in her bedroom. The first thing she did this morning was grab the book and climb into our bed and ask my wife to read some more."

"...she loved it. Her eyes sparkled when she talked about it. Her favorites are the three Hippo poems. She was belly laughing as she told me about them. Now it's my turn to read it! Congratulations again. Let Brian know Samantha LOVES the book."

Upon receiving my order today, I was so excited to open this book to see how much my son was going to love it. He will still love it - it is a GREAT book - but after opening it up, there are some pockets on the inside that hold extra items (that are by the way really neat). The pockets however are already coming loose from the back of the book. I think I can fix it with glue or double sided tape, but a little disappointed that it was already falling apart. My 6 year old son with absolutely love this book though!

For anyone that is a Titanic fan, such as is my 10 yr. old daughter, this book is a real treasure! It includes "real" menus, tickets and newspaper clippings... and of course the huge popup ship! She has spent hours poring over all of the information and has set it up as a permanant display in her room. Definately a winner!

As I grow older (61), it takes something like this delightful pop-up book to recall the wonders of child-hood for my child with-in. This is a perfect companion for a cold winter night's exercise of ones imagination and imaginative powers. I put the cats in another room, brew a hot chocolate (carefully put to the side) and open with book with wonder and awe.

This is a great pop up book. Our son who is Titanic obsessed and has many many books on the subject absolutely loved this book with the detail and perspective that it has. A unique find!

Very nicely designed book and ideal to bring on a trip to Tokyo (I would have preferred it in soft cover though, like a lonely planet pocket).

If you love Tokyo and love toy culture this is a great resource. Old favourites like Tokyu Hands, Parco and Kiddy Land are in here, along with a whole bunch of lesser known beauties. Nice pics of shoppers and merchandise, as well as additional info explaining some of the strange mascots you encounter. Upfront basic information and clean maps means I'll definately be taking this with me next time I go exploring in Tokyo.

amazing book. as someone who lives in tokyo and guides dozens of visitors, both personally and professionally, through this city every year, i promise you that this is one of the best guides i've ever come across. for anyone interested in the design, toy and misc subcultures in and around tokyo, this is a must-have.

This is a MUST have if you are a toy nut and/or visiting Tokyo. I can not begin to relate how difficult this city is to navigate. T-Under cuts throught the language and concrete barriers. Bravo!

Ed

This is an excellent appraisal of Tolkien's work and its reverberance throughout contemporary culture. Just as remarkably, it is very distinct from the growing body of Tolkien scholarship, offering an original perspective and context for the evaluation Tolkien's complex and beloved works. That said, there are only two points I can add to the reviews already here, and they both might easily be worthless.

First, Rosebury expends a good deal of thought and energy articulating the manner in which the literary establishment categorizes, accepts or rejects "The Lord of the Rings". As in a similar attempt by Marjorie Burns, this opening chapter is excellent in its linearity, breadth of information and depth of context. But in the end it shapes up as either preaching to the choir or another apologia to the critics who refuse to apply their own attention to the work. I'm happy that Rosebury seems unable to admit that the only threshold to cross in accepting or rejecting Tolkien is, right or wrong, simply one of taste -- even though such acknowledgment does nothing to diminish Tolkien's accomplishment. And to be fair to those critics who do not grasp what a singular accomplishment The Lord of the Rings is, I have to confess that despite the esteem I have for that work it is possible to see the opposition's point. The analogy might be this: while much of 20th Century literature is safely viewed as the work of artists, Tolkien's work -- implicated as it is with his professorial status in language -- can be seen from that vantage as the accomplishment of a highly gifted engineer.

Just as some self-taught painters are categorized as "outsider artists" there is no shame in leaving Tolkien --to his credit -- an outsider. Take into account his late-in-life doubts about "creativity" (not to mention his willful addition of the prefix "sub") and we see a very Catholic doubt that was most recently repackaged and forcibly dragged into the 21st Century by no less a figure than Pope Ratzinger in his 2006 screed against this innately human pursuit. And I doubt the distinction would mean much to Tolkien personally -- we owe at least as much to the brilliance and creativity of engineers as we do artists and often the distinction can be artificial.

Second, Rosebury is manifestly at his best in evaluating the Jackson film version of the book. But there is another nagging nit here, and that is Rosebury's willingness to chime in with the conventional wisdom claiming dramatic necessity concerning some of Jackson's less questionable indiscretions with the text. Perhaps we all need to understand that the more questionable indiscretions were decided purely for reasons of commerce, not for drama. The amount of money involved in the production of Jackson's three films -- and the volumes of profit they were designed to generate -- is all you need to know about what shaped such decisions in making the film version of the book. There is certainly no legitimate cinematic reason for the distortions: you need look no further than the films which comprise the art house canon to see that cinematic form is more pliable than Hollywoodland would have you think. Resorting as Jackson's films do to overt and routine cliff-hangerism, the only explanation remains this: neither cinematic nor dramatic concerns but Popular Cinema and Commercial concerns were the guideposts. A book as eccentric and disdainful of contemporary forms as "The Lord of the Rings" does not demand to be made into a film of such nakedly conventional form. Place that in the context of Tolkien's own views on matters of either commerce or form and you can reasonably conclude that the only "Return" of importance here was good ol' ROI -- "Return on Investment" safely remains King.

Don't get me wrong: I love the books and I appreciate and enjoy the films. Rosebury makes a good argument in support of the idea that the film versions will not ultimately subsume the text, as has been the outcome in other cases where movies dumb down their sources. In the end, "Tolkien: A Cultural Phenomenon", is one of the clearest and most contemporary assessments of the works and their influence: highly recommended to anyone wishing to delve into the text and the cultural interactions with it.

Tolkein: A Cultural Phenomenon is a unique offering of literary criticism of Tolkein in that it includes and integrates recent cinematic and other media related criticism in its analysis.Even more intriguing to the game oriented youth set of Tolkein enthusiasts, Tolkein: A Cultural Phenomenon contains an exhaustive sampling and review of many Tolkein based computer and video games, as well as card and role playing games. These he categorizes under relabeling assimilation, imitation, and adaptation, and his reduction and analysis of the game phenomena is riveting, insightful, and direct. Rosebury's view at times seems almost hyperfocussed, not that this is a bad thing. Of very great interest to me and many other readers is his review of the Peter Jackson "Lord of The Rings" award-winning movie series. I would say his criticism is not all positive, but also not unjustified. He tends to give full credit for the work presented in the media itself, rather than only seeing it as a pale or incomplete version of the much richer literature upon which it is based.

However, I was also very interested in Rosebury's section on Tolkein in the History of Ideas (chapter 5, pp.158-192). In it he compares many other Tolkein critics' views, muses about his own previous analyses, and draws a pervasive conclusion that is only partially summarized by the following quotation:

'"Through all the crannies of the world we filled with elves and goblins, though we dared to build gods and their houses out of dark and light, and sowed the seed of dragons, 'twas our right (used or misused). The right has not decayed. We make still by the law in which we're made (from Tolkein's 'Mythopoeia')."'

'For Tolkein the fundamental derived human right is the right to create. The idea, with its romantic exaltation of the creative artist, its implied rejection of the classical notion of art as imitation, has its immediate roots in Coleridge, whose celebrated but cumbrous jargon of Fancy and Imagination Tolkein makes a bold attempt to improve upon in 'On Fairy Stories.'58 But Tolkein saw perhaps more clearly than Coleridge that creative power was as capable of corrupting its owner as any other gift. his view of artistic 'subcreation', both as a self-conscious artist himself and as a depictor of artists in his work, is at once a continuation of the romantic tradition and a critique of it. (page 191)." Rosebury then goes on to state he had changed his earlier view on Tokein's 'anarchist' element and was somewhat more sympathetic, understanding that Tolkein's "anti-political stance, like Tolstoy's, rests on a considered and consistent metaphysic, and is more than just the indulgence of a pious wish that everyone would act rightly without any need of politics (pages 191-192)"

There is obviously much more, the prose of Rosebury is challenging and relentlessly dense, but quite rewarding to take the effort to understand. Although Tolkein: A Cultural Phenomenon is definitely a scholarly work, it will translate well and appeal to a wider audience than purist Tolkein scholars and graduate students. Clearly it has its deserved place among these, but in this era of self educated internet students or non-students alike, works such as Tolkein: A Cultural Phenomenon have doubly lasting impact and educational value. Perhaps parallel to the impact of Peter Jackson's movie adaptation, Rosebury's work will send the serious reader to other possibly original sources and experiences for further education.

I read this book in its previous incarnation (from the early 90's) and was put off by its sneering attitude toward the legions of fans who had embraced all things Middle-earth, assuming somehow that their devotion was lowering the standards by which Tolkien would or should be judged by those with higher taste and academic credentials. Anyway, some of that attitude is gone in this edition.

What I thought was a strength of Rosebury's study is still there and in some places elaborated on, namely, an actual study of Tolkien's writing style (as opposed to a study of his sources). Rosebury's discussion of the "high style" found in The Silmarillion and some passage of The Lord of the Rings is thought-provoking. I agree with his assessment of the writing in the story "The Fall of Gondolin" from The Book of Lost Tales, that Tolkien writes with "ruthless energy" and a strength that evokes "panic and disorder while maintaining narrative coherence."

I also found his chapter on the films interesting. I have to totally agree with his assessment of Galadriel's temptation scene - her transformation resembles a "roaring seagreen hellhag." Exactly my feeling about that not-so-special effect!

This new edition improves an already worthwhile book, but could have used one final proofing polish. You expect to find a few typos in any book on Tolkien because of the complicated spellings and names, but this edition seemes to have a bit more than its share.

Anyway, I do recommend this edition of Rosebury's book.

A lucid, insightful, sympathetic discussion of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" as a 20th-century novel with the values appropriate to canonical 20th-century novels. To Rosebury, Tolkien has flaws but is a significant, though not great, literary figure with much to offer. His other work is also discussed, as is his place in literature.

Most of his argument is that there is no excuse for critics to dismiss "Lord of the Rings" as a bestseller and therefore bad: it has the literary qualities in conception and narrative that these critics should be looking for and appreciating.

Tom Shippey says much the same in "J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century." But the books differ: Shippey is more concerned with broad cultural context, while Rosebury focuses more narrowly on the text as an object of literary art. He writes a cool analysis with only occasional touches of exasperation at wrong-headed criticism, where Shippey is a polemicist.

Rosebury is equipped to tell critics why they should be reading Tolkien. Ane he does his telling in plain English, so we may all follow him and learn a great deal.

The book takes you from basic economics concepts to advanced issues of trade impact on the environment. Maybe the approach is too much ''macro''.

This book develops important tools for studying the interactions
between trade and the environment. The theoretical methodology is coherent and the empirical results are surprising. Based on my own teaching experience, it makes an excellent supplementary textbook for graduate courses in international trade or environmental economics. It is also a great choice for a primary textbook for a course of special topics in international economics.

This book develops important tools for studying the interactions
between trade and the environment. The theoretical methodology is coherent and the empirical results are surprising. Based on my own teaching experience, it makes an excellent supplementary textbook for graduate courses in international trade or environmental economics. It is also a great choice for a primary textbook for a course of special topics in international economics.

This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the economics of trade and environment interactions. Copeland and Taylor have long since established themselves as leaders in this field; this book cements their reputation and will be the standard text for anyone teaching a graduate or senior level course on the subject of Trade and the Environment. I have already used this book in my own teaching. This clearly written text is fun both to read and teach from. Moreover, prior knowledge of trade theory is unnecessary for either instructors or students to take full advantage of this book.

Chapter 2 lays out the analytical framework, which fuses a general model of competitive trade with a tractable treatment of industrial pollution. This comprehensive chapter does such a good job at covering the underlying competitive trade theory that I will probably also use it to teach such models in my graduate International Trade classes in the future.

The following chapters utilize the analytical model to address pressing debates within international environmental economics. Chapter 3 examines the theoretical assumptions that would be necessary for "Environmental Kuznet's Curves" (EKCs) to exist. This chapter alone is enough to recommend this book, as a decade of prior research on EKCs has failed to provide a systematic theoretical treatment of the subject.

In chapters 4, 5 and 6, Copeland and Taylor examine the impacts of trade liberalization on environmental quality. In preparation for their empirical chapter, the authors provide a systematic analysis of two competing hypotheses: the Pollution Havens hypothesis, and the Factor Endowments hypothesis. The Pollution Havens hypothesis argues that trade liberalization will drive polluting industry to poor countries that have weak environmental regulations. Yet little of the previous empirical work has found support for this hypothesis. Copeland and Taylor show that a long-accepted relationship from trade theory---the Factor Endowments hypothesis, which argues that trade liberalization will shift capital intensive industry to capital intensive (rich) countries---has an offsetting effect on the location of dirty industry, and provides a likely explanation for the non-results of previous empirical work. This is an argument the authors have made elsewhere, and I am glad that they allocate the space in their book to fleshing out the details.

In chapter 7 Copeland and Taylor draw together the theoretical predictions of their previous chapters to test empirically how free trade affects sulphur-dioxide concentrations in countries around the globe. They reveal that openness per se has little impact on pollution concentrations; instead, what matters is the combination of openness and country attributes. They conclude with a compelling `1% rule': "if openness to international markets raises both output and income by 1%, [sulfur-dioxide] concentrations fall by approximately 1%" (p.272). That is, freer trade may be good for the environment.

My only complaint with the book is that it isn't longer. The authors focus on the problem of industrial pollution in competitive, open economies. Additional chapters covering cases in which firms exert market power, or in which pollution is generated by consumers directly, would also be useful for students and practitioners alike. I suppose this means they'll just have to be encouraged to write a second volume.