Buck Books

This is one of the finest place names books I've ever seen. It includes all natural features (streams, creeks, hills, etc.) and all villages, towns, hamlets, etc. known to have existed in the county. The book is especially strong on this latter feature, with detailed information (sometimes going on for pages) of each locale. I can only find one place that was somehow missed - a location known as Benjamin, which was someplace near Perkasie and had a post office from 1887-1917. (Anyone know where this might have been?) This is one of the few place names books that can be read for sheer pleasure as well as for specific information. Bucks County residents can be proud that such a book exists that so well describes and details their homeland. First published in 1942 and reissued in 1955, the BCHS should consider seriously reissuing it again: it's a masterwork of its kind.

This is an easy to understand cook book with plenty of great recipes. It is also a guide to decorative painting. In both cases, the 'instructions' are easy to understand. The Author makes it fun.

This is a very good textbook. I am currently a Doctor of Physical Therapy student and this was a recommended book by my professor to help us learn PNF techniques. There are excellent descriptions and great diagrams. The only thing that would have made this a better book is if the diagrams were in color. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the benefits and techniques of PNF as well as most health care proffessionals. Being a student, this was also a very easy book to comprehend due to the great descriptions.

This 1932 Pulitzer Prize winning novel is still a standout today. Deceptive in its simplicity, it is a story built around a flawed human being and a teetering socio-economic system, as well as one that is layered with profound themes. The cadence of the author's writing is also of note, as it rhythmically lends itself to the telling of the story, giving it a very distinct voice. No doubt the author's writing style was influenced by her own immersion in Chinese culture, as she grew up and lived in China, the daughter of missionaries.

This is the story of the cyclical nature of life, of the passions and desires that motivate a human being, of good and evil, and of the desire to survive and thrive against great odds. It begins with the story of an illiterate, poor, peasant farmer, Wang Lung, who ventures from the rural countryside and goes to town to the great house of Hwang to obtain a bride from those among the rank of slave. There, he is given the slave O-lan as his bride.

Selfless, hardworking, and a bearer of sons, the plain-faced O-lan supports Wang Lung's veneration of the land and his desire to acquire more land. She stays with him through thick and thin, through famine and very lean times, working alongside him on the land, making great sacrifices, and raising his children. As a family, they weather the tumultuousness of pre-revolutionary China in the 1920s, only to find themselves the recipient of riches beyond their dreams. At the first opportunity, they buy land from the great house of Hwang, whose expenses appear to be exceeding their income.

With the passing of time, Wang Lung buys more and more land from the house of Hwang, until he owns it all, as his veneration of the land is always paramount. With O-lan at this side, his family continues to prosper. His life becomes more complicated, however, the richer he gets. Wang Lung then commits a life-changing act that pierces O-lan's heart in the most profoundly heartbreaking way.

As the years pass, his sons become educated and literate, and the family continues to prosper. With the great house of Hwang on the skids, an opportunity to buy their house, the very same house from where he had fetched O-lan many years ago, becomes available. Pressed upon to buy that house by his sons, who do not share Wang Lung's veneration for the land and rural life, he buys the house. The country mice now have become city mice.

This is a potent, thematically complex story, brimming with irony, yet simply told against a framework of mounting social change. It is a story that stands as a parable in many ways and is one that certainly should be read. It illustrates the timeless dichotomy between the young and the old, the old and the new, and the rich and the poor. It is no wonder that this beautifully written book won a Pulitzer Prize and is considered a classic masterpiece. Bravo!

This book is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about the Provincetown area. It includes a wide variety of information, is well-organized and a pleasure to read. Fascinating articles and amazing artwork! A great resource for tourists and natives alike. I'm so glad that these Pocket Books are available (and that there'll be a new edition every year). It's an excellent book to keep in your pocket to have handy for information or just to read the stories and look at the pictures. An awesome publication!

The book had wonderfully simple, step by step directions on how to raise a lot of money through events, including how to create a budget, how to recruit participants,and how to make your cause compelling. The information in the book could apply to almost any event. Very practical, yet powerful information. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone interested in raising a lot of money...from a small school to a large nonprofit.

I live in Jeffersonville, PA (Norristown) just 15 miles or so outside of Philly. I have lived in Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties for over 5 years so I know the areas represented in this guide fairly well.

I must say I am impressed with how detailed Rand McNally is in this volume. The book has over 150 pages including an extensive index and zip codes displayed on each page. It seems even the smallest of roads is included. I live in an apartment complex on a street only in the complex itself and it is still listed in this book.

I enjoy riding my bike on nearby Schuylkill River Trail and even that trail (as well as Perkiomen) are shown on successive pages. Sometimes, when following a long road (or trail) you must switch to another page, but the page you have to turn to is easily identified. The colors used are vivid and coded for each map item (water bodies, interstates, cities, townships, etc).

The pages are 8.5x11 like regular book pages, but the thickness of the guide does not encourage carrying it around except in a car-type vehicle (I wouldn't carry it while riding my bike despite its usefulness for the trails I frequent). One inch equals 2000 feet acording to the legend, but that size, while good for viewing details, is bad for measuring long roads. I usually have to keep measuring page after page if I want distance between two points. (I advise using on-line mapping sites to gauge distances and using the book strictly for its easier viewing.)

The back also has an extensive list of "communities", which is basically all of the cities/towns in the book. I have yet to find one missing. Their zip codes are also displayed. This list also shows the county the city belongs to. There is a SEPTA map in the front of the book and the maps display all kinds of landmarks like post offices, libraries, train/bus stations, court houses, police/fire stations, museums, and schools, among other things.

I highly recommend this guide. The only downside I've found so far is its size. I have yet to use the CD because I find the book itself (with its wonderful visuals) to be easy to use and more handy than having to look at the maps on my laptop. For the price, it really can't be beat.

This volume of 76 poems is profusly filled with charming and reflective poetry. It is such a volume as will find numerous purchasers and such a one that book buyers and poetry lovers will add to their collection to enjoy for all time. The poems are filled with amusement, as well as wit, sassy situations, comical moments and events endearing to ones heart. This is definetly the best book of poems I have ever read.

The Reiki Sangha Reiki Share Attunement (Reiki Sangha)
Stephen has written a piece that is much needed in the Reiki Community as it is more open and unbiased than most material available. His presentation is clear and well executed so those who are new to Reiki can gain some insight and understanding with out all the secrecy and confusion that is often generated. His efforts to bring Reiki to everyone is to be commended and greatly appreciated.
William R. Coryer, RMT

A fantastic collection of essays and insight that really gets at the meat of how we balance individual belief systems and subsequent faith with holisitic world views.. Are these 2 items diametrically opposed at core? Or is there a Harmony in how we can find tolerance amidst seemingly opposite faiths?

Get the book while you can. Today, more than ever, do we need to consider these issues as we struggle for inclusivity both within and between faiths.