Brown Books

If you remember the eighties, this book, the first collection from the "Bloom County" syndicated comic strip will be hysterically funny. If you do not remember the eighties, then it will just be funny. I remember the eighties and I laughed when I read these cartoons the first time and I laughed when I read them again. No one captured the moods, social movements and absurdity of their combination as well as Breathed did. His exaggerated characters and references to the anxieties of the moment were a dose of reality encased in the fiction of a cartoon strip. I never missed it and neither should you.

It is very hard not to a like a cute talking penguin, and Breathed presumably realised this when coming up with Opus. The human characters that surround the odd animal are supposed to come off somewhat loopier. This is a fun look at the period and the politics, and highly entertaining. Aack!

This is the first collection of Bloom County cartoons and a great place to start enjoying the fun. Bloom County is a fictional place populated with as eclectic a group of characters as you will find anywhere. Eccentric humans, a talking penguin, and Bill the Cat take on the societal follies of the early eighties with a humorous point of view.
See the Rolling Stones perform for an elementary school dance. Go back to a time when Three Mile Island was in the news and Princess Diana was expecting her first child. Even if the events are distant memories, the humor is timeless.

Bloom County had something special, more than just the jokes. As you read the strip, you cannot help but get involved with the characters.

Bloom County fans don't just laugh at the jokes, they care about Opus and the rest. Even Steve Dallas, the ruthless but inept lawyer, wins sympathy.

The humour tends to the wit and satire end of the cartoon spectrum with only occasional bursts of slapstick. The satire is aimed mainly at lifestyles and steroetypes rather than current events which makes it still sharp as it ages.

It is a very male-centric book. Female characters are introduced in order to give the main players a romantic interlude or to prop up some situation.

Bloom County was one of the best cartoons of its time and Loose Tails is a real gem.

Here you will find the beginning of one of the most inspired comic strips ever put to paper. No other strip made me laugh as hard, or as often, as "Bloom County". In fact, pretty much nothing else in the whole wide world made me laugh as hard as this divine creation of Mr. Berke Breathed. Here we are introduced to the Milo Bloom, Steve Dallas, Cutter John and by far the best-known comic Penguin ever - Opus.

Here we can see that Bloom County was just crackling with creativity and a real desire to "cut loose" from the beginning. Some of the strips covered "current events" and were topical, meaning circa 1980, but if you were around for any of that time it's a nostalgic trip back to the days of Boy George and when Ozzy Osbourne was best known as a singer. But the vast majority of the strips ring very true today as they deal with the absurdities of the human animal.

A word about the format: Bloom County in it's original form included both the standard "3 panel" strips that appear in your every day newspaper in black and white, plus a larger full page color version for the Sunday paper. The other Bloom County volumes (as well as Bloom's sequel "Outland") were in a larger physical book form. (Similar to what you may have seen if you're a collector of, say, Calvin and Hobbes, or Dilbert). This first volume is a smaller book (similar in format to the endless volumes of Garfield which became available). But this is where it all began, and it includes much of the "best stuff".

If you want to know what America was laughing at in 1980, this is it. But you know what? I reread these strips every so often, and they STILL make me laugh that loud, roll on the floor, tears streaming down my face, people coming into the room to see WHAT are you laughing at kind of laugh. We don't get that kind of laugh often enough. Thank you, Mr. Breathed.

John is not an Amazon customer so I've entered his review for him.

The end result is that I have read a good book (thought provoking and an enjoyable read) but can't give it public praise. There should be a copy in all Board rooms--not only for the Directors but anyone who wants to combine accountability and responsibility with that of a trusted position. Bill is at the forefront of combining the ethical with the daily governance of a business. A very refreshing concept!!! Kudos to the author.

An excellent, thought-provoking book written so anyone -- director and investor alike -- can understand its profound messages. Another outstanding work from Dr. Brown.

Scorn and ridicule for Directors of such august institutions as the Red Cross and the Smithsonian warn members of Boards of non-profits that they must exercise the same -- nay, more intensive -- scrutiny as Directors of commercial corporations. Responsible leaders of non-profits should see that this book is studied by every Director: non-profit Boards are too easily led and mis-led, prone to confuse over-seeing with over-looking.

Just perfect for a businessman to carry in his briefcase so he can read it while waiting in the airport lobby or flying off to an important meeting.
And he needs to keep it in that briefcase!

Even directors of nonprofit organizations need to pay attention to the material in this book. With plenty of examples it explains the responsibilities of directors, officers, auditors, and counsel, and predicts how things will evolve.

I first read this book back in 1975. I read the entire series (in order), and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one. It took tremendous fortitude not to read one in hand while searching for the next in line. C. S. Forrester also wrote a book named "The Captan from Conneticutt" which is equally good reading fun. Five stars??? I think not!!! I rate the entire series of Hornblower books seven stars!!!

This is a great book and definately one of the best Hornblower books ever. All the ingredients for a great adventure story. Exotic locations, a mad dictator, romance, hardship, friendhsip and the big ship to ship dual with the Natividad is one of the best action scenes I've ever read (and I read a lot of Action/Adventure).

The whole Hornblower series is brilliant and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys good rattling yarns.

I can't believe that there are not more reviews here for these books, since they are among the best popular novels ever written. I first read them in my dim and far away past, lead to them by my love of historical novels. I believe these three were written in the late 1930s while England was under the shadow of the Nazi march to dominance. Naturally tales of the war against Napoleon would resonate, but the books have lasted because of the quality of the plotting and the characters. Forester excelled at setting up unsolvable problems for Hornblower with clever solutions that keep suspense high and satisfy the intellectual needs of the reader. The interplay of the characters is excellent. When I was reading these books, my father told me that some of the stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and that he remembered people talking about them all over town. These are great books if you like history and a good plot. I doubt they will ever go completely out of fashion. (Note: These books are much better than the video series about Hornblower. While interesting, that series has some laughable period details and has elevated Hornblower to almost superhuman status. It's the Hollywood version. Compare that to the production value and details in the movie Master and Commander and you will see what I mean.)

Captain Horatio Hornblower is a collection of three short novels originally published in 1937 and 1938 as "Beat To Quarters", "Ship of the Line" and "Flying Colours". All are set during the Napoleonic wars roughly between 1807 and 1811. The great success of these stories led Forester to write a number of Hornblower prequels and sequels, all of which are still read widely. It also spawned a long list of successors, some of which are excellent although none fully measure up to Forester in my opinion.

Beat To Quarters introduces Hornblower taking HMS Lydia into the Pacific Ocean to insight a rebellion against the Spanish. The story takes a number of twists including Hornblower finding his ally is a madman, a change in the political situation and the introduction of Lady Barbara Wellesley, the fictional sister of the Duke of Wellington.

Ship of the Line finds Hornblower commanding HMS Sutherland for a cruise in the Mediterranean. Hornblower not only must face the French but he must deal with a superior officer who would like to see him fail.

Flying Colours begins where Ship of the Line ends. Hornblower is a prisoner in France and must find a way to escape.

I thought that I knew these stories fairly well having seen the 1951 film Captain Horatio Hornblower staring Gregory Peck. However the novel is quite different in several areas. Perhaps what surprised me the most was the level of violence, sex and swearing that was included in the novel. I hadn't expected the violence to be as graphic, the sex to be as obvious or the swearing to be present at all. The novel has a gritty realism that was not matched in the genre until the 70s.

Captain Horatio Hornblower was written when Forester was in his thirties and before he had thoroughly polished his craft. While it might have a few rough edges it is a tremendously powerful, action-filled novel. The shy, self-doubting, self-deprecating but outwardly implacable Hornblower is one of the great characters of adventure stories. If one were restricted to reading only one novel of "wooden ships and iron men" then that novel should be Captain Horatio Hornblower.

"Captain Horatio Hormblower" was first published as "The Happy Return" in 1937. It was then renamed "Beat to Quarters." These books, unfortunately, stop on the return to England. But "Beat to Quarters" is available on Amazon.com. There are more reviews there.

Lorca's poems flutter your heart, and Christopher Mauer really knows Lorca, the translations are true to Lorca's magic.

Garcia Lorca's poems are beautiful in Spanish. The translations in English seem a little heavy or awkward. But, in Spanish, they're lovely.

Frederico Garcia Lorca is wonderful as always. This gives my granddaughters who know some Spanish and my friends who do not speak an opportunity to read and enjoy him.

I don't know if this is the best way to work on learning Spanish, but it's certainly one of the least painful. It's great to have the original Spanish and the English translation opposite each other. I can't think of a better way to work on your pronunciation than to read these poems out loud to yourself [or others if they're interested]. The musical sound of the poetry makes you love the language and want to learn it. Maybe someday I finally will. In the meantime just reading and speaking it is it's own reward.

I usually find most modern poetry boring. Not Lorca's. His poems are short but potent and piercing, full of vivid imagery. His Spanish is difficult to translate literally into English while still retaining vibrancy, but this translator did a good job. The Spanish poetry is presented on the left-hand pages and its English version on the right-hand pages for easy comparison. Not a literal translation by any means, but a very effective one. A strong recommend.

Anyone in love with and charmed by the beauty of France (as I am) will love this book. The illustrations are absolutely lovely.

Already in love with Margaret Hall Hoybach's painting style, I should have known that once I opened her book, both the words and the brush strokes would carry me, faster and faster, through to the very last page. Margaret enables the reader to see, hear, smell, taste, and experience her weeks traveling and painting across France.

It's 10:30 P.M. and I just finished Colors of France: A Painting Pilgrimage. I couldn't put it down---the book is a phenomenal experience. The reader journeys with Margaret while Joan's text flows from Margaret's perceptions. Both women are exceptionally talented. This is a wonderful book.

Feasting and fasting, reflection and spontaneity, fellowship and solitude - all the elements of a pilgrimage are contained in this intimate account of Margaret Hall Hoybach's journey to paint Monet's gardens. Her sketches and paintings convey the wonder of her journey. Joan Brown captures the creative spark that propels an artist forward and the moments of conversion that await those willing to embrace their dreams. Colors of France is filled with rich, inviting textures arrayed for any traveler, regardless of destination. Hoybach's willingness to share her experience leads me to examine my own path. A good book to share with a friend.

I very much enjoyed this delightfully personal and emotional journey through the backroads of a France not previously known. The beautiful illustrations by one of my favorite artists gave the reader vivid images of this gorgeous landscape. For a non-artist, it was especially interesting to experience the journey through an artist's eye...an artist very worthy of the invitation to paint Monet's gardens. The book is a wonderful collaboration by a gifted painter and a talented writer.

EXCELENTE LIBRO, FACIL DE LEER Y ENTENDER, ESCRITO CON MUCHA PROFECIONALIDAD, ME ENCANTO LEERLO.
TE HACE ENCONTRAR A TI MISMO, NO PIERDA MAS EL TIEMPO.
TE LO RECOMIENDO. !!

TODOS LOS PAISES DEL MUNDO O DOMINAR MUCHAS CIENCIAS SI NO TE CONOCES A TI MISMO
Y ESTE LIBRO ES LA LLAVE PARA INGRESAR A TU INTERIOR !

Y FACILITO !
Si todos lo leyéramos, te juro que los siquiatras se morían de hambre !
CONOCETE: NO VIVAS CON UN EXTRAÑO EN TU INTERIOR.
Te garantizo que eres super agradable !

DE FREUD...
Porque cualquier psiquiatra te puede analizar, PERO ENCONTRARTE CON ALGUIEN QUE TIENE LA SABIDURIA Y LA PENETRACION PARA ENSEÑARTE A QUE TE ANALICES TU MISMO...SOLO ESTA MUJER EN ESTE LIBRO !

and he was right !
How can you deal with others and take the right decisions if we don't know exactly WHO WE ARE ?

This is a book that grabs the heart, encourages the soul, and strengthens the spirit! The title says it all!

My wife's dear, saintly Mother Gladys Wolf, first inscribed her signature in our well-worn hard-back copy, barely held together from early 1950's. Everyday sometimes, I look into this older copy because both daughters also have copies from 20+ printings!

Ruth Graham has introduced the later editions for new printings!

If we could find devotional books with writings by Jeanne Guyon, St Augustine, Charles Wesley & George MacDonald & Anna Laetitia Waring, Hannah Whitehall Smith, Longfellow, Whittier and unknown writers for today's readers, we may have more deeply commited christians who find daily strength! From one who is an indebted admirer of this collection by Mary Tileston! Retired Chaplain, Fred W Hood, "Barbara377" (Fayetteville GA United States)

Thank you for the fast shipping of The Daily Strength books,they will make great gifts- Thanks, Robert

Early AAs used several different "devotionals" for their morning meditations. Generally, the materials followed the same path as this fine devotional. That is, they cited a Bible verse, then come commentary, and often a prayer and other verses for study. Those who want to get the same results from "meditation" on the Bible that early AAs received would do well to obtain and use a copy of this book. It was studied and circulated by Dr. Bob among AAs and their families. It was in common usage along with The Upper Room, My Utmost for His Highest, Victorious Living, and The Runner's Bible. A well-stocked 12 Step meditation library should include Daily Strength and the others. It will enrich familiarity with the Bible and enhance the day ahead. I discuss all these in my title Dr. Bob and His Library (www.dickb.com/drbob.shtml).

The difference between this book and the devotionals written today is like the difference between a prime rib steak and a bologny sandwhich. A lousy analogy, but point made. "Daily Strength for Daily Needs" is full of reflections that must be read over and over in order to fully grasp the sentiment. Part of this is due to the excellent writing and terminology used from years ago, however it is not a difficult or frustrating book to read. There is a rich and reflective depth brought forth in a verse,a piece of poetry and then a reflection by a Christian from the 16th century to 18th century.This is the main devotional I have used for about 8 years now and it is full of underlined thoughts that have been compelling.Each year when I cycle back through it, I am always challenged afresh.I hope mine will last for 40 more years--it is rich beyond comparison.

In this time of self-help and how-to books it is refreshing to encounter a volume that provides the reader with a story rather than a set of exercises. Rather than "do as I say" instructions, author Brown offers to "show you one man's story." How much more engaging and inspiring this approach is!

More than a parable, Dangerous Undertaking is itself an example that story is a form of human communication that is deeper than descriptive instruction. Story provides a context and a way of connecting with what is important in the world as is what we do in the world. I expect you will, as I did, see yourself in each of the characters in this engaging book and see how to make your work (and your) life more fulfilling and important.

I am a professional Mentor for senior executives in top global organisations. Dangerous Undertakings is a rich resource for me and I have found its content delivers great insight. The senior executives I work with can automatically be measured as "great successes" by surface judgements. However, they live in a time- poor vacuum and don't have enough opportunity to do forensic management on their emotional health. This book is like a canary in a mine tunnel.I do recommend it as avaluable read.
Barbara Cail AM
Professional and Personal Mentoring Services

As a consultant, I'm constantly asking clients to change things. Often, I witness, they elect to go through some change work on themselves as part of the process. This simple, intriguing, and insightful read helped remind me about the hard work that goes into personal change--as well as the value that comes as a result. From James Brown's well developed characters and carefully ordered plot, I became absorbed and truly felt the change Neil (the student) went through. Seeing this afresh from his perspective has helped me, I believe, become a better consultant. I also witnessed how Frank (the teacher) carefully moderated what he taught vs. the topics and challenges he merely introduced. Frank never stole the value of a learning experience from Neil and that was a true gift. Two thumbs up!

I was reading the book in bed when my 13 year old son Ryan came into the bedroom and asked me about the book. Executive-John was compelled to describe the book in terms of how corporate greed and unethical business practices has challenged the new breed of "Innocent Fools" who want to work from within to make positive change. I got into greater detail with my son, describing how the book uses wonderful stories and characters, taking you further and further along the tunnel of insight. Trying harder to explain to my son the "gist" of the book, I saw my wife,Cindy, knowingly smile to my son who was patiently standing there listening. In-John, insightfully realizing what executive-John was doing, said "It's a great book." My son smiled,understood and left.

From the Opera House in Sydney to the streets of Manila (and numerous points in between), Dangerous Undertakings is a fascinating adventure that explores the question of individual purpose within organizations - is it even possible for an individual to make a difference in the world? And if so, who is best positioned to make that difference? Jim Brown expertly delves into the concepts of social responsibility and capitalism and the organization leader and manager roles in ensuring that our generation (and future generations) uses our talents and resources to make the world a better place - and fulfill our individual purposes. Dangerous Undertakings will challenge your thoughts around "being open to possibilities," along with your preconceptions of daily "coincidences" as being merely chance happenings; this book will certainly spur many a spirited dialogue among leaders and students from all walks of life!

Having read this book to three to five-year-olds at Halloween for three years running and having it be a HUGE hit every time, I decided to get my own copy. The children love the repetitiveness of it and the spooky pictures. The tension builds and builds right to the end when everything turns out to be just fine. (Note: That's a total of 180 children with very big eyes and almost no wiggles!)

The artwork is beautiful and detailed. My three year old loves to find the cat in each picture and to find the faces in the windows, walls, and curtains. One can always find something new in the paintings. The story uses repetitious wording, so he can virtually read it to me. We have read this book many times, yet neither of us ever gets bored with it.

This "Dark Dark Tale" by Ruth Brown is simple, short and sports a gothic flair. The illustrations (also by Brown) are nothing short of brilliant. Brown the artist captures the fog, shadows and light of her own dark dark little world. Perfect for preschoolers (my two year old loves it and always anticipates the ending), it holds their attention (there can't be more than 120 words in the entire book) with the repetative prose that children love. Perfect for lovers of children literature and childrens illustrations as well (which is what drew me to the book in the first place). We love it and read it daily.

A wonderful choice for young children at Halloween or any time of year. Reading this aloud is lots of fun -- you can make it seem scary as you go through each page, then watch your child's reaction at the end. My son wanted me to read this over and over. We also have fun looking for all the little critters in the forest: owls, bats, tiny glowing eyes peeking out of the dark places, the cat, even a badger!

What a surprise--and disappointment--to see the cover of this book in green instead of brown as my copy is!! Green makes the book look like spring and fun. Back to my brown picture with a castle in the background in fog and mist and browns! A real invitation to a scary experience just as Ruth Brown, the author/illustrator intends!

Even the title page has cobwebs and mushrooms and spiders and a tiny, little mouse caught up in the browns of the book. So we begin: "Once upon a time there was a dark, dark moor." The browns and grays and strip of purples and touch of yellow show a desolate moor. Oh, wait, not so desolate! What do I see in the blowing, dark grasses? Hide, little rabbits and mice, here comes the owl looking for you! Look, in the distance! What is that? A dark dark wood?

"On the moor there was a dark, dark wood." How many creatures can you find hiding there? Way up on the hill is a dark, dark castle. Look carefully, there's the black cat we saw on the cover. He has taken us to a dark, dark door. Inside in the dark, dark hall there are gargoyles and cobwebs and shadows and that black cat.

As the cat takes the reader deeper and deeper into the darkness of the great house, things get scarier and scarier. How the story ends sometimes makes children laugh, sometimes annoyed, but never scared! That's all I will say!

This book is a wonderful Halloween treat because it has such an unexpected ending! A must for all library collections!

This is an accurate, first-order of detail on how computers work. The CD is a nice bonus. I would recommend this text for high schoolers and above.

I am a hobbyist and have found this book invaluable. I have a Computer Science background and so have no problems with the concepts. Even if you do have problems with the concepts, the Labs are a walk-through
and one can then kind of 'get it'.

Very satisfied and having fun!

I'm a university Professor in France and one of my courses is on 8-bit microcontroller programming.

In the past I used to use the 68HC05 as an example but for students who are not familiar with reading datasheets the investment in time was just huge. Although good and free simulators exist, these were hard for the students to find and install.

This book changed my student's life and considerably eased my life. The proposed microprocessor has all the features of a real one without the useless complexity drawbacks and heavy documentation. Students better like it than 68HC05 and there are plenty of examples that they can play with. A collection of slides for educators even avoids to have to compose your ones.

I highly recommend this as standard material for teaching microprocessor programming.

David Naccache

I've been fighting for 3 years to learn assembly programing , this book makes it look like baking a cake . Once you start reading this book and programing ,you'll have a hard time thinking of anything else !! Max is a very nice person who takes time out of his busy day to answer questions from normal people.(and he'll usally throw in a little humor too.) A+++++

Brian , future computer programer

Finally, a fun to read treatise for the those of us on the outside looking in on the digital electronic mysteries. Clive mischievouly pulls back the curtain of the Wizard of Calculating OZ and shows us what is going on inside our computer. And, best of all, for us electronic gadgeteer wanabees, there is a path provided for building our very own calculator!