Bryan Books

This book is completely modern, maybe because Wells always seemed to have
one foot in the future and one in the past. He had a good feel for the
scope of history past and history to be made. But it should also be pointed
out what a fine writer and stylist Wells was. The book is beautifully
written. The prose flows. I always loved this about his works of Science
Fiction, the ones most people know about, but it is even more apparent in
this mature work of literature. Read Tono Bungay for the music of his
words, as well as the truth of the emotions, and the intelligence of the
ideas. Like Jules Verne, who also wrote more than his well-known Science
Fiction works, Wells really needs to be re-discovered as a fine general
novelist. Reading Tono Bungay was my first step in that re-discovery.
Now I'm off to read others.

Having read H.G. Wells' classics WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, THE TIME MACHINE, and THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, I looked forward to reading what is often claimed to be his "best" work. TONO-BUNGAY is completely different than any of his Sci-Fi classics. TONO-BUNGAY is more of a study of class structure and class struggle in England during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The story follows the life of a young man, George, and his Uncle Edward. Edward invents an elixir called TONO-BUNGAY and hires his nephew George to help build the company. As the book goes George and Edward become quite wealthy. Throughout the book George makes numerous comments on his varying places on the social ladder. It seems that no matter how wealthy George becomes, he will never be accepted in certain circles because he is newly rich and not "old money." The story is well written and is generally easy to follow. I would, however, recomm! end the World's Classics edition of this book (published by Oxford U. Press and available from Amazon.Com) because there are some instances in which Wells makes comments about European literature, art, languages, colleges and phrases that may be of little meaning to the average reader, but for the six pages of end notes provided in the World's Classics edition. The World's Classics edition also claims to be the most accurate edition of the story, taking into account all of Wells' revisions of the story, many of which were made after the book was initially published in 1909 (TONO-BUNGAY was revised by Wells and re-released in 1925).

"Tono-Bungay" is an alleged tonic with dubious medical benefits; and the story is one of the brief fortunes of someone who manages to turn the worthless substance into a formidable fortune - for a while. By the time Wells wrote this novel he had already written books which might or might not be science fiction (witness "The War in the Air") and, all in all, "Ton-Bungay" probably isn't science fiction. But I should mention a substance called "quup" which is introduced towards the end of the book. (I'm not giving anything important away.) "Quup" is the first mention I know of of what we would now call radioactive waste, except that it's naturally occurring, and ... well, perhaps I should be discrete, but I can say that the scenes involving quup have a peculiar flavour which writers would find impossible to capture nowadays.

So you get an excellent double deal with this book: the best of Wells's social fiction of the 1910s, plus a dollop the fresh science fiction he wrote the previous century.

This amazing novel could have been written today, except for the wonderful Edwardian style and language. The story of a rags-to-riches advertising fraud sounds quite the contemporary tone. Edward Ponderevo runs a chemist's shop in the Victorian equivalent of Vic and Sade's Dismal Seepage, Ohio. The idea strikes him to add coloring and flavor to a bottle of junk and market it as a miracle drug, Tono-Bungay. Before long, other quacks jump onto his bandwagon and he rises in society and prestige. Part of Wells' genius lay in foreseeing the future: he has the narrator, poor, "ruined" George, go out on a leaky sailing vessel to west Africa in search of radioactive "quap," some stuff that will turn the world on its head, as indeed uranium did, later. He even describes this "quap" as deriving from pitchblende, as uranium does! He also plays with aeronautical inventions such as gliders and balloons, and our anti-hero ends up designing destroyers for the Royal Navy. The love interest, Beatrice (pace, Dante), is unattainable, not because of the usual Victorian claptrap about class or modesty, but because she's addicted to "chloral," the hypnotic element of knockout drops, chloral hydrate. Some of the love interest may have arisen from Wells' romance with Rebecca West, quite a looker in her younger days; (their affair produced a son, Anthony West, who became an embittered old man hating both his parents).
Wells wrote some great stories: "The Shape of Things to Come," which predicted air warfare although it appeared in 1899, "The War of the Worlds," and my favorite, "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," filmed in 1935 with Roland Young ("Topper") as the innocent barfly who stops time. "Tono-Bungay" is among his finest.
Wells had no use for "the quality," that is, the idle rich who populated England's country houses in the 19th century. "The great houses stand in their parks still, the cottages cluster respectfully on their borders, touching their eaves with their creepers..." At tea, the great lady "acknowledged your poor tinkle of utterance with a voluminous, scornful 'Haw!' that made you want to burn her alive." She had "a small set of stereotyped remarks that constituted her entire mental range." The narrator sat uneasily on a hard chair "trying to exist, like a feeble seedling amidst great rocks." The house had a "great staircase that has never been properly descended since powder went out of fashion." When later he went to live at the home of young Beatrice and invited to play with her, he was "handed over as if I was some large variety of kitten."
George grew up in the 1880s, the era of "The Good Hard-Working Man." A point of honor "was to rise at or before dawn, and then laboriously muddle about." Religion was dispensed in a dingy chapel, "a little brick-built chapel equipped with a spavined roarer of a harmonium." The larger church, "the great pre-Reformation church, [was] a fine grey shell, like some empty skull from which the life has fled."
Uncle Edward is the finest character in the novel: a little fat, ("he'd look lovely with a stopper," chides his wife, who calls him "Old Sossidge"), breathing with audible "Zzzzzz" sounds, he could be found lying on a small wooden fold-up bed, wearing "an elderly but still cheerful pair of check pajamas." His contribution to the world was to be thinking up slogans and fancy adverts for his fake products. The "proper" shops of his day "had been but lightly touched by the American's profaning hand," and they did not cater to people "who in a once fashionable phrase, do not 'exist.'" He would change all that. He raised capital by going to each source in turn and saying the others had come in. Then he conquered England "province by province. Like sogers." "'You can GO for twenty-four hours,' we declared, 'on Tono-Bungay chocolate.' We didn't say whether you could return on the same commodity." His lovable, eccentric wife, Susan, is plain as salt. "She described the knights of the age of chivalry as 'kavorting about on the off-chance of a dragon.'" She offers her nephew a biscuit: "Have some squashed flies, George."
The narrator believes himself to be a "morally limited cad with a mind beyond his merits." He suffers through a long, horrible marriage and separation, and shares in the Tono-Bungay business. His uncle, meanwhile, discovers creative accounting 19th century style: "you wouldn't find the early figures so much wrong as strained." He also discovers what auditors call "y/e" items, year-end transactions. "Each of these companies ended its financial year solvent by selling great holdings of shares to one or other of its sisters, and paying a dividend out of the proceeds..." Nothing has changed in a century. Wells has his narrator comment, "I had some amazing perceptions of just how modern thought and the supply of fact to the general mind may be controlled by money." At the same time he notices the London unemployed, "a shambling, shameful stream they made, oozing along the street, the gutter waste of competitive civilisation." Unlike his uncle, they had not said "Snap" in the right place, or were too eager, or never said it at all. Uncle Edward develops a rich man's style of behavior, he would "Zzzzz" and fiddle with his glasses, and "rise slowly to his toes as a sentence unwound, jerkily like a clockwork snake, and drop back on his heels at the end." He was no longer a little man. He ends his career, like a Donald Trump, in real estate. "It is curious how many of these modern financiers of chance and bluff have ended their careers by building...try to make their fluid opulence coagulate out as bricks and mortar...Then the whole fabric of confidence and imagination totters--and down they come...."
And then comes the discovery of the great heap of quap in West Africa, "floating fragments of slum" available for the stealing. A nearby station is abandoned "because every man who stayed two months at the station stayed to die, eaten up mysteriously like a leper." "The only word that comes near it is cancerous." The sample produced for the narrator was "wrapped about with lead." What did H. G. Wells know? He studied science before becoming a writer, but the effects of radiation were still a mystery after his death, in the late 1940s, when soldiers were ordered into foxholes only 200 yards away from the site of the Nevada atomic test explosions.
Wells writes splendidly and succinctly. His aristocrats sit about in the summer house and in garden chairs, "very hatty and ruffley and sunshady." Croquet is played "with immense gravity." As the nouveau-riche begin to invade the upper levels of society, "with an immense, astonished zest they begin shopping,...a new life crowded and brilliant with things shopped...they talk, think, and dream possessions." They conceal their daughters (one is found wearing "a large gold cross and other aggressive ecclesiastical symbols.") Their chairs are covered with Union Jacks. The love interest in the novel plays the piano: "'Was that Wagner, Beatrice?' asked Lady Osprey, looking up from her cards. 'It sounded very confused.'" Uncle Edward's doctor is "a young man, plumply rococo, in bicycling dress, with fine waxen features, a little pointed beard, and the long black, frizzy hair and huge tie of a minor poet."
George concludes that the royal robes and ermine of English lords conceal the realities of "greedy trade, base profit-seeking, bold advertisement." Kingship and chivalry are dead and buried.
A spectacular find.

Tht book examins all levels of China's society. From problems in the economy to how problems are dealt with by the government. The author also summarizes the basic structure of the Chinese government. The range of issues dealt with in this book are an excellent beginning to further investigate China's situation.

"Understanding China" ties together China's geography, recent history, its relationship to Taiwan and Hong Kong, its diversified population, and more, in a way which is easily comprehensible to any reader. What's more, it is thoroughly enjoyable.

Mr. Starr does a good job of covering the economics, politics, and geography of China. It is a great introduction to this developing country. Having recently spent a year in China as a teacher, I agree with most of Starr's findings. Starr demonstrates how China's economy is rapidly growing, but perhaps not fast enough to head off future problems such as food production.

This book is considered an introductory overview to China. Well, I have a master's degree in East Asian studies and I still found this book enlightening. The book does an excellent job at explaining China's societal and political structures and how those structures effect the state's decisions and policies. In doing so, the author does not get much into the culture and history of the nation. In this way the book is unusual and, dare I say, unique. To some, the book may seem rather mechanical, but its structural approach serves to reduce bias and prejudice. Too many books purport to explain the entire Chinese nation culturally, but the country is simply too heterogeneous for that approach to be very effective. Other books define China as a slave to its history, but history is just one of many variables. That is why I appreciate the rather mechanical approach this book takes to explaining China's politics and society. That said, however, it might serve the newcomer to Sinology well to read other texts on Chinese culture and history as a primer to this book.

This book, comprising 7 Chapters, is intended (as explicitly stated by the author) for nonscientists, and it indeed offers sound basic knowledge due to the author's scientific background. It, however, still remains immature in organisation and matter. Main reasons are the following.
The first three Chapters, being an INTRODUCTION to basic Chemistry, are too extended. Especially Chapter 3 is unnecessarily heavy (41 full pages) with details a nonscientist would exactly omit (electrons, orbitals etc), and featured with the Periodic Table of Elements, which is the ONLY Table in the book. So, Chapter 3 could be eliminated, and its last 10-12 pages added to Chapter 2.
Then comes Chapter 4, the gravitation centre of the book, describing the primary and secondary plant substances (metabolites) used as medicines, bearing instead the pompous title "A Structural Lexicon of Medicinally Important Chemical Families Found in Plants", and comprising 35 full pages. Short, and without any table showing (in example) which plants possess which active substances. Another shortage at this point is the entire lack of the metabolic pathways leading to these substances in the living plant.
Chapter 5 exhibits inappropriate organisation, as the Isolation and Identification of plant substances constitute a unity, but their antioxidant action (which is the only action described) does not fit here, it rather should be added to the following Chapter 6 which deals with the actions, however also in short.
And finally, Chapter 7 presents Case Studies, but only with two plants, Ayahuasca (a plant mixture) and Ginkgo, along with plants affecting the cell cycle (in cancer). One would expect here a more systematic presentation of plants for the various systems (nervous, peptic, etc) and main diseases (cancer, arthritis, etc), along with an elaborate Table closing the book, with selected plants, their active substances, actions, and diseases cured.
Let's add that the 22 plant drawings scattered in the book (mostly full-paged) are colorless, unlively, and with faint background.
All in all, the book is in the way to become mature, but is not yet. Still, it is recommended to the intended audience, because of the knowledgable and sound tongue of the author, and because such books are rare.

Bryan A Hanson, PhD, hits a homerun with this book. This is one of the most organized books on medicinal plants you will ever find to date. It actually rivals some of the texts on pharmacognosy currently in use today. Sprinkling in inorganic, organic, and medicinal chemistry, he finds methods of explaining modern chemical concepts which can be easily grasped with little effort. The index is an excellent listing of Lewis structures through subjects such as, secondary metalbolism. On whatever level you want to explore and/or enrich your understanding of some quite complex biochemical subjects, Dr. Hanson has it. At first, I thought the text might be a little brief to cover all that he attempts. However, I found that was an error on my part, as he is quite good at bridging subjects and explaining concepts for all those interested in these topics. He covers subjects that can be hard to find in many modern textbooks, especially those used in colleges around the country. The end book glossary is an excellent idea and very complete. However, one of my favorite subjects he entertains is that of chapter 5 where he explains topics such as lipid and ROS-damaged membranes. Few chemist-authors will step up and explain in detail subjects such as these. He does so quite well. Any true medicinal chemist or layman, if given a chance to peruse a copy, will find this a truly knowledgeable book and would have to purchase it. It is that well written. I'm not in the habit of giving scores to books and/or articles, but this is a 10+ on my list for anyone interested in biochem or medicinal chemistry. The research possiblities alone would make this a "must have" for any personal library. Great book by a great author; hope to see more of his work. guyairey CBP studies

The weighty price tag of Understanding Medicinal Plants: Their Chemistry And Therapeutic Action may limit acquisition to college-level specialty collections, but any holding with a solid emphasis on medicine will want this: undergrads in pharmacy, medical students, and more will find in-depth details on the chemistry, biology, plant physiology and pharmacology of medicinal plants, making it an important reference for any chemistry course or study of healing herbs.

A good balance of the folklore of medicinal plants and the chemicals (natural drugs) that make them so useful in traditional and modern herbal medicine.

Jim Christley, a retired US submariner, provides a synopsis of US submarines in the Second World War in Osprey's New Vanguard #118. Given that Osprey provided two volumes on U-Boats in WW2 in the NV series, just as they have for other `big topics' like WW1 artillery, it seems that the author was handicapped from the outset. Trying to discuss the development and operations of over 200 submarines in 14 different classes is a daunting, if not unrealistic task for a mere 37 pages of text. Furthermore, the author's ability to focus on what is important and pack information into this tight format was disappointing. What the reader gets is a "walk-around tour" of the chief's old boat, some notes on development and a series of snapshots about a few sub actions in WW2. Somehow, the author managed to ignore three of the top five US subs in the war (USS Rasher, Barb and Silversides) and barely includes the top-scoring USS Flasher. Even given the space limitations, to omit mentioning skippers like "Mush" Morton and boats like the USS Wahoo would be like writing about U-Boats and omitting Gunther Prien and the U-47.

The author begins with a brief discussion of the development of US submarines in the period from 1916 up to the 1930s. Given the format constraints, spending 5 of 37 pages on several classes that played little or no role in WW2 was a mistake. The section on weapons and equipment is decent, probably the best part of this volume. The "tour of the boat" was a bit tedious and descriptions of "the maneuvering room" provide too little detail to be useful to specialists but too much to interest general readers. The section on operations and tactics is rather uninformative and I wonder why the author chose to describe a `generic' attack instead of a real, historical attack with actual timelines. It seems like USS Archerfish's attack on the Shinano would have been a good one. Furthermore, there is little mention of surface vs. submerged attacks or the effectiveness of Japanese ASW against US subs.

The sections on operations consists primarily of two vignettes, one on the USS Harder's "destroyer-killing-spree" in June 1944 and the actions of the USS Darter and Dace in October 1944. The author also provide brief mention of Richard O'Kane and the USS Tang in one of the color plates, plus brief mention of the early efforts by the Asiatic Fleet boats and life-guard duties. While Sam Dealy's patrols on the USS Harder were impressive, the author presents some wartime claims as fact without mentioning that some were later disputed by the US Navy. Also, the actions depicted were primarily against Japanese warships, while the bulk of US submarine actions were against Japanese merchant shipping. As noted, three of the top five fleet boats are ignored and the only mention of the top-scoring USS Flasher is about its paint scheme. Nowhere in the volume does the author list the tonnages scored by individual boats or top skippers and his brief synopsis of total tonnage sunk does not breakdown Japanese warship losses to US subs (incl. 1 battleship, 8 carriers and 11 cruisers). Failing to mention early stars like "Mush" Morton and the USS Wahoo, as well as superb combat teams like Eugene Fluckey on the USS Barb - Fluckey's excellent book Thunder Below! Is not even mentioned in the bibliography - is devastating for the credibility of this author. On the other hand, the less well-known USS Sterlet, on which the author served in the 1960s, graces both the cover and one full color page. OK chief, you covered your old boat, but what about the rest of the sub force?

The author does provide a table listing the number of boats by class in service each year (good) and a list of subs lost, but there is no mention of what caused the loss of these boats or any real attempt at analysis. Nor is there any effort to discuss squadron organization nor any mention of the US submarine force that served in the Atlantic. One look at the bibliography - no Roscoe, no O'Kane, no Fluckey, etc - should warn the reader what kind of research effort went into this volume. Overall, this volume was a disappointment.

Jim Christley is the recognized expert on U.S. Submarines and his expertise shines in this nice reference book on US fleetboats. A must for every submarine model builder too.

The US submarine fleet is nicknamed "the Silent Service" for good reason--they don't brag about their successes like the Air Force or Marine Corps. Jim Christley's "US Submarines 1941-45" fills in a historical void that is almost as good as a trip to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park at Pearl Harbor--and a whole lot cheaper (unless you already live on Ohau).

I did note some information that was different from what I learned through other sources, but that's history! Besides, even today some of the special submarine operations of World War Two remain classified because they involve relations with foreign governments. The silent service was credited with sinking the majority of the Japanese merchant fleet and a good chunk of the Imperial Japanese Navy--despite starting the war with ineffective torpedoes and risk-adverse skippers. A lot of these sinkings was achieved through the use of sea mines--a post-war problem that took years to undo through dangerous de-mining. Naval mines are deliberately made difficult and dangerous to neutralize. More secret were intelligence missions--whether dropping scouts or spies or coast watchers in enemy waters, photographing shorelines and ports through the periscope, or picking up floating trash or stray radio signals. The Makin Raid was possible only because of two large submarines--surface ships would have been detected. All of this was achieved with a total manpower of less than 17,000 submariners and 230 submarines...

Tony Bryan's full-color cutaway painting of the Balao-class submarine is useful; I wish I had it when I toured the BowFin in 1998. The simplified explaination of submarine tactics and mission profile was illuminating. A sidebar listing submarine classes is a handy guide for us amateur historians. I really liked the detail on weapons, radar, and sonar--it took me much research to get the little information I had, and this book has more. All 52 lost US submarines are listed. I like having a bibliography and index so that I can conduct further research or look up something rapidly. The bibliography in this volume is spare, but then, this is about the silent service! Images include line drawings, vintage photos, and excellent color plates. I think that "US Submarines 1941-45" is a worthwhile addition to my naval and World War Two libraries.

Jim Christley has written a short (48 pg) but masterful history of the submarines of WWII. Not intended as a comprehensive operational history, but rather a thumbnail sketch of the development and anatomy of these warships. After a chapter on the design and development leading up to the Gato class, the equipment section starts off with a review of weapons. Sections on torpedoes and gun outfitting offer succinct summaries of the offensive and defensive systems of the era. I found the section on guns to be particularly informative, stepping through the different deck gun models and the range & weight of the projectiles fired by each. The various periscope, sonar, and radar installations are covered next. Again, these are brief but well-written descriptions of each installation and the improvements made over the war. The next section introduces the Balao class boat as an illustrative example of the fleet submarine. This leads off with a description of paint schemes or measures, and covers Ms 9, 10, and the two variants of Ms 32. Next, the individual compartments and their functions in the boat are explored, followed by a discussion of submarine tactics. This includes informative diagrams of the approach and attack phase. The book ends with a brief operational history summary of submarines during WWII. In the limited space, Christley manages to condense as good deal of the high points of the submarine campaign against Japan.

The book is illustrated with both black & white photos and color plates. Christley spent time selecting the photos at the Submarine Force Museum & Library in Groton CT. The results are pictures that are largely unfamiliar and fresh, which complement the text. Christley wisely has included a photo of a key piece of submarine equipment-the coffee urn. The center section of the book has color plates by Tony Bryan. These include a nice scale comparison of an S-class boat, the large V-boat Argonaut, and a P class (Perch) boat. Another plate illustrates different paint measures, and a two-page plate that has a cut-through diagram of a Balao class boat. Other color plates cover examples of Gato & Balao conning tower fairwater modifications and variants. There are also beautiful color illustrations of Tang attacking on the surface and Sterlet at periscope depth. Overall, this slim volume packs an amazing amount of submarine information. Anyone contemplating building a fleet submarine model will not only learn more about the "hardware" from this book, but also will develop an appreciation of the fleet boat in naval history. This little book is a real gem, and you will want it in your collection, right alongside Alden's book on fleet submarines (The Fleet Submarine in the US Navy- John D. Alden).

You've got to have some experience with tabs before otherwise you'll
find it hard because it's a very detailed book.The techniques described
are not the easiest.

This book is perfect for the beginner to turn into a more advanced guitar player. The tabs are easy to read, the stuff isn't that difficult to play, and the songs are legendary and still heard on the radio today. I say go for it.

Overall a good source, however certain songs have several mistakes. The tapping section of "Eruption" is tabbed on the "G" string! WRONG! Its played in different positions and on the "B" string!! The last part of the solo in "On Fire" is also incorrectly tabbed on the "G" string, Again, should be the "B" string. Many other subtle mistakes are found throughout. So if you are already versed in the Van Halen style, you will KNOW where the mistakes are, if you are not, most assuredly confusion and frustration will ensue. CAVEAT EMPTOR!

If you are into learning rock / hard rock guitar, this book provides the key to exploring some of the most brilliant electric guitar composition to date. Although this music is somewhat dated, the guitar virtuosity of Edward Van Halen is timeless. The book provides excellent guitar tablature of all of Van Halen's fist two releases. Recommended accompaniments to this book are 1) Peavey Wolfgang Electric Guitar, 2) Peavey 5150 Combo Amp, & 3) the CD's of the first two albums.

I discovered this book in a wonderful little shop in Amman, Jordan that sold antique furniture and textiles. They identified a piece I was admiring as coming from a particular country and then showed me a picture of a similar piece in the book. I was intrigued by the book and wanted to purchase it, but they said it was not for sale as they use it to identify textiles they acquire. I came home and purchased one of my own on Amazon and am now able to identify many textiles or embroideried pieces from their country of origin. It's not only a great reference book, it's also a beautiful book to browse.

This is the clearest, most comprehensive guide to the techniques used to produce textiles. The examples are photographed beautifully and make you want to get to work. I'm so glad I spent the money on this first-class book.

I'm using this book as one of two texts for a college course on Ethnic Dress; this is an absolutely fabulous resource!!! As students, we use the book to look for traditional techniques we will research and present in class, including "hands on" practice. I can't recommend this book highly enough!!! Thank you, Mr. Gillow, for putting such a beautiful, historical source together!

World Textiles is an encyclopedia of textile techniques. The text is very accessible (virtually no footnotes or unexplained jargon) and punctuated with beautiful color photographs, artfully arranged on nearly every page of the book. Typically, a picture of a textile is overlaid with someone wearing the garment, which puts the textile, and its description, in context. World Textiles is organized like a book of lists, so techniques are easy to find, but a bit tedious to read from cover to cover. It also has some nontraditional categories (multi-colored knitting is in a category separate from plain knitting and textured knitting) and several categories that seem arbitrary or nonparallel (for example, the only dye that gets its own category is indigo, and indigo is listed with a range of dye techniques as if it were itself a dyeing process). However, each category includes a description of the technique, it uses, and often, some factual tidbits and sketch drawings to show how the textile was made. The book seems to be aimed at the amateur collector or professional textile-maker who wants to know how a particular technique compares and contrasts with other ways to create or embellish cloth. I would recommend it as a good introduction to the world's textiles.

Has much more information than I needed, but the coverage was good.

Author had an axe to grind. This sometimes made me question his conclusions.

As a Lyme Disease sufferer, I found the book useful.

In organizing the 2008 Lyme Disease Annual Report, Bryan Rosner has provided a new and invaluable service to the Lyme and tick-borne disease community. Now that it is written and in my hands, I can see how much we have needed a resource like this for many years.

To my knowledge, no one else has attempted to summarize the most important scientific and political events in the Lyme world as frequently as the "annual report" sets out to do. Moreover, this report bears the hallmarks of Rosner's writing - clear, concise, totally understandable to the lay reader, and keeping the "main things" of 2007-2008 Lyme news front and center.

Rosner has chosen a refreshing variety of contributing authors for this work, reflecting a good balance among both professional and lay Lyme disease researchers and providing late-breaking information on co-infections, too, which must not be overlooked in the Lyme recover process.

Overall, we are so pleased to see a resource like this available on the market and hope that it will begin a new tradition of quality annual updating about this rapidly-changing area of public health threats.

Brian is the #1 voice for both patients and physicians struggling to cope and keep up with the latest important news on Lyme disease. Lyme is the pandemic of the 21st century. Even President Bush was struck with it! All his books are a MUST.

I am excited to share these principles with our young men at Willow Springs Boys Ranch. Character Counts!

My son is 7 and I was not sure what he would think of this book. He loves it. I was very surprised by his reaction to the book. I skimmed the book and felt that it was appropriate for any age boy with good reading skills.

I bought this book to use with my grandsons, ages 11 & 13. I pulled it out one day when they were visiting and read them the introduction. It might have been the phrase "impressing the girls" that first caught their attention! I read to them from the book, starting with "How to behave in a movie theater". The chapters are short instructions followed by "You do" and "You don't" and "Why" sections. The advice is excellent and concise! After reading a few chapters to them, the 13 year old asked to see it and picked a few chapters he wanted me to read to them. Then the 11 year old wanted to pick a few!! We spent over an hour reading and discussing and they never lost interest! The next morning they were still saying things like "I put the toilet seat down, "just like a young gentleman should"! We will read more together the next time they visit. The book is written so you can randomly pick chapters that appeal at the time. Money well spent, time well invested in "my two fine young gentlemen"!!

After I read "Beneath a sapphire sea" I absolutely had to read the others in this unique series. However, This is certainly not up to "Sapphire sea." The story-telling is flat and too informative for a romance. There is definitely not enough character development. Also, Ms. Bryan hasn't learned the basic idea of telling a story in this---Show, don't tell. I want to see the characters actions, not read pages and pages of boring thoughts on the same idea. However, The subject was interesting and unique, and the characters do grow on you.

This is one of the most fascinating and original books I've read in a long, long time. And even though it wasn't heavy on the romance and was more plot than character driven (my usual preference) I literally could not put it down.

Thalassa, born and raised as an Amazon warrior, is happy with her life. It isn't an easy one and her people are constantly at war with men but she is free. Fighting and protecting her sisters is what she lives for - until the day she is abducted by Dorian, King of the Merfolk, who sweeps her away to his world under the sea. She is furious and despises him immediately but tempers her rage when she realizes that her Goddess has ordained their match. Eventually this gentle God-like man with super human powers begins to tear down her defenses with kindness, fairness and patience and allows her to accept her fate and his love. But she never forgets her beloved Amazon sisters. And when she overhears that their lives are in danger she and Dorian risk everything to enter the battle.

Filled with historical and fantasy details that I've never before read about, I learned so many amazing things about the strong but doomed ancient tribe of woman warriors known as the Amazons and the mythical Merfolk who created a peaceful life under the sea. Interspersed with the fantasy elements are rich historical details of daily life and survival in those brutal times where women were little more than slaves. There were several sub-plots and secondary characters that were all equally riveting and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This book is brutal and heartbreaking and filled with three-dimensional characters. It's not light and it's not funny and it's not my typical reading material but if you find it do not pass it by, it is a truly incredible book. An unforgettable one.

Though I found this book in the romance section of the book store, it could easily have been listed as historical fiction. It is apparent from the beginning that the author has thoroughly researched the early Mediterranean cultures. Set in 1260 B.C., it is the story of Thalassa, a young Amazon warrior, and Dorian, King of the Merpeople. Ms. Bryan skillfully weaves historical facts with an imaginative, but convincing story of the Merpeople.

Thalassa, a fiecely independent Amazon warrior, was chosen by the Elders to be the mate for Dorian. Set against the backdrop of the struggle between the Greeks and the Amazons the story tells of Thalassa's struggle to accept the role of mate to Dorian. At first she resists becoming a "slavemate" to Dorian. After spending time with Dorian and the Merpeople, she is able to appreciate the respect they have for all living things. She eventually is faced with the choice of a future with the kind and honorable Dorian or as an Amazon warrior.

Across A Wine-Dark Sea is a well-written historical romance which I find thoroughly enjoyable - every time I read it.

My aunt gave me this book to read and it is amazing! I knew some of the facts (like that FDR suffered from polio and Helen Keller was blind and deaf) but this book had more than just the regular facts. It had more of the STORIES about who these people were and how they got past their problems.

Bruce Jenner and Jim Stovall - Both of these men overcame disabilities to achieve great things. Things most people wouldn¹t have attempted and things others would have never assumed they would achieve. While I do not have a disability, this book has motivated me that no matter what goals I set for myself, with hard work and determination I can achieve great things too.

I found Amazing Achievers to be a book everyone should read. When I started reading it, I couldn¹t put it down. I read the entire book the night I received it. I enjoyed reading about the characters in the book and how they overcame their disabilities.