Burton Books

This a great book. I purchased it because I met Burton Barr in person and wanted to hear his story. The seller of this book sent it very fast and at a cheap price. I would buy from him again.

In this no holds barred narrative Burton Barr bares his soul in hopes that the reader will be spared some of the heart ache he experienced and caused others. He writes in an intimate conversational style that draws the reader into his life as he shares his testimony. For over twenty years Burton struggled with the results of his bad choices.

Like the prodigal son of the scriptures Burton remembered his (heavenly) father's love and the call of God on his life. He again responded to that call. His life has turned around. Instead of pursuing a life of drug abuse and drug dealing he is now heading up a ministry to prisoners.

Hoodlum preacher is the story of Burton Barr's full circle from the call to preach as a child, a period of rebellion, restitution, and reunion. This is a book for the person in the street or in the pew. It warns of the danger of Satan's snares in contrast with the message of God's love, His grace, sufficiency, and peace.

This book was awesome and inspiring. It is 100% real and through it all your just like whoa how many times can one person get locked up!! A wonderful story of how God has to break up down to build us up in his image!

For fellow readers who love a little bit of action and intrigue combined with a spiritual uplifting at the end, this book is for you.
Full of pain and anguish, The Hoodlum Preacher, is a story of a journey of a young man who was able to change his life, his way of thinking, and eventually, his salvation. Rev. Burton essentially became a real-life "Prodigal Son".
I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with anything and who wants to find a better way of life. This book is also good for anyone who just wants to read a good book. :)

Burton Barr, Jr. felt he had been called to preach at the tender age of nine. He preached to a captive audience, his little brother, Ralph. His mother told him he'd have to wait for God's calling but he continued to practice his sermons. As a teenager, he joined the church and actually begins to preach. Then things took a strange turn and he began to drink, smoke marijuana and cigarettes. Not too much later, he began trying cocaine, heroin, PCP, crack and whatever else he could get his hands on. He stole from his employers, wrote bad checks and conned his relatives which resulted in numerous arrests. In an attempt to turn his life around, he joined the Marines but continued his behavior of stealing, conning and drugging. The Marines sent him to the brig and eventually to Leavenworth. On many occasions, he attempted to get clean, get his marriage back on tract and keep a good job but each time he met with failure. At last, on one of his stints in prison, he met a preacher who had that certain "something" that he couldn't put his finger on and as a result Burton Barr, Jr. began to see the light.

THE HOODLUM PREACHER is the amazing story of one man's descent into the hell of the drug world and his ultimate redemption at the hands of God. The lessons he learned are good for all of us. Even if we aren't guilty of Burton's vices, we have all done something that is not right. Barr lets us know God can see good in us and we can be saved from ourselves. Barr does all this without being preachy or overbearing. It is a very good book and so very uplifting. I enjoyed every word, even as I cringed when Barr sank back into his abyss. It is well worth picking up.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

There are so few books out there that give a realistic look at a professional groom's life. If you've ever considered becoming a groom or even going into the pro-horse world, this book is an amazing investment. Nusser gives almost every type of information you could want, including typical pay, benefits, housing, and insights into the personalities and habits of the grooms. It follows three pro grooms: a woman who just wants to learn everything she can, a woman who is wishes she was winning the medals, not grooming the horses, and a man who works for the money. Though it's non-fiction, it's written like a story and you can't help but be draw in. This is one of my top five favorite books - I can't impress on you how much you should buy it.

Follows the grooms in 3 areas of horse sport: eventing (grooms of the O'Connors), show jumping (of Anne Kursinski), and racing (of the breeding stallions at Lane's End). Very interesting, and for the most part not too dumbed down or inaccurate.

The stuff about Parelli got to be very annoying-this was back when the O'Connors were actually fans of him. The author seemed to be a bit too impressed with the man.

Some history of the horse was mixed in, as well as plenty of stuff about each discipline. It was very interesting to see how the horses were treated by each group of grooms. For example, the race horse grooms didn't seem to have a ton of affection for their charges and were very pragmatic. The O'Connor's grooms thought of "their" horses almost as if they were their pets or kids. Also enjoyed seeing the true lives of these people: long days, hard work, little pay, not much time for other people in your life.

Don't recommend this book for young kids: Some bad language, references to drugs and sex. Also some graphic scenes in the breeding shed of Lane's End. But for adults, this is an informative, entertaining read that doesn't make riding and horses out to be glamorous (unlike many horse books today). Nice book for the 99% of horse owners who do their own work, and for those that want to see what goes on in high-caliber equestrian operations. And it really makes you respect these incredibly hard-working people who get relatively little credit for any wins.

This book will certainly give you an appreciation for the hard work grooms put into caring for "their" horses, as well as the difficulty proffessionals have in finding and keeping gooms. Grooming is often a thankless job (more often than not, unfortunately!), with long hours and hard work, as well as little to no time off, but most people are unaware of this fact, even many horse enthusiasts. It's nice to see the grooms get the attention they deserve, as well as being an enlightening look into the world of professional riding.

My only qualm is that the book reads like a 200 page newspaper article, not like a novel. The writing (especially the tense of the writing), distances the reader from getting into the "story". Nonetheless, it's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in horse care or professional riding. Those with only a casual interest in horses or without any real experience in showing or stable management may want to look elsewhere for a book, but those with a working knowlegde of horse care and terminology will find this an interesting read.

This book left me thinking about grooming and a grooms life for days after I read it. Straight forward, with lovely descriptive passages about the things grooms do and are, it reads easily and quickly--and is over too soon. Nice too, that it parallels three types of grooms: racing, jumper, and three day. Well done.

What more can you ask of a book? When first I picked out this book, it was with the intention of learning about the world of a professional horse groom. What I did not count on was learning all about that and so very much more. I would not have given the equine sport called Three Day Eventing a second thought before reading this book. This author describes it so brilliantly & colorfully, I could not wait to turn each page to, as they say, "find out what happens next". It is the true account of this groom's daily life in the professional stables of World Olympic Champions David & Karen O'Conner. Many other well-recognized names at the top of the horse world are featured as well, as this skilled writer takes you on an intimate journey few spectators are ever privey to. This honest & intrigueing portrait of life at the top of the equine world is one that no horse enthusiast should miss. However you feel about the sport of Three Day Eventing, this honest & compassionate portrait will engross you page after page. The sheer strength & beauty of the writing made this book a joy to read.

the product is great. the book came fast, was inexpensive and is in almost perfect condition. what more can you ask for? thank you!

There have been thousands of latter day martyrs, but we have few chances to read their actual writings. This book would be a prize just on that merit, but he was also a preeminent scholar.

A TESTAMENT TO FREEDOM is quite the volume. It is an invaluable resource to people wanting to get a lifelong perspective on Bonhoeffer without purchasing the entire Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werke. There are sections of biography, on his early writings, on his work as a pastor, some sermons, some major sections of Ethics and Discipleship, his best-known works, poetry and some of his letters and papers from prison. I use this resource often, most frequently when looking for quotes or quick reference. I'd highly recommend it to those who wish to know more about this 20th century theologian, pastor and martyr.

Of all the theology books I have read, A Testament to Freedom is the most powerful, most compelling book I have ever read. It is a wonderful collection of sermons and writings throughout his life. Each chapter is brief, but powerful. His sermon titled "On Forgiveness" is especially well-written. If you want a collection of well-written, powerful prose that speaks to spirituality at its best, get this book. Highly recommended.

The great gift of this reader is not just that it provides a diverse sampling of Bonhoeffer's works and sermons, but that the editor's provide an historical context in which to read and therefore, understand the progression of his thoughts.

It is an accesable grouping of his writings. I bought a lot of books to prepare to a conference and found this to be the most helpful review of his work.

It contains, sermons, poetry and correpondence along with all his major and quite a few important minor works with introductions that fit it into the context of history and his personal and theological development.

Ann Burton does a great job of writing the story of the early years of the Israeli Prophetess and Judge Deborah.
A slave girl beaten and tortured by her Hebrew- hating Canaanite master, Ybyon. she saw Ybyon brutally murder her mother when Deborah was two years old.
Visited by prophetic dreams she warns the Hebrew-trader Lappidoth of the plot by Ybyon to murder him, and is severely beaten on Ybyon's orders before being rescued by Lappidoth, and Ybbyon arrested and himself taken into slavery.

She marries Lappidoth and is visited by visions and angles, realizing that it will be her mission to be a great judge of Israel and together with a great general called Barak, to save her people from the armies f the Canaanite commander Sisera who have laid waste Israeli villages and slaughtered the men. women and children.
The book is a pleasurable read which I finished in a night. It deals with subjects such as slavery and prophecy, overcoming doubt and fear, and the great struggle of the
Israelites to hold on their homeland.
It is a story of a great Jewish women of Israel and fiction of both Jewish and
Christian interest.
Burton does a god job of recreating the atmosphere of Biblical Israel.

As with the entire series. I truly loved each book. I loved the stories of the Heroic JEWISH women of the bible. Although they are not true to the bible and some characters are fictional, they do add light to those who know the bible. It makes reading the bible all the more enjoyable because you can view the bible and see what was different and have a mental picture of the characters. Maybe even after reading the bible see the character for their true selves, not what the author wanted to add to his or her story. But couldn't you have at least had a picture of a Jewish woman on the front of the books like the other I have read on women in the bible. The picture almost made me put the book back because I thought it couldn't be about what I was looking for. Please consider that, because I do love your books, but the picture on the front is deceptive.

I love this book and completely recommend it, this was my first time reading a book by this author or series. I bought the book last year through Double Day book club but just picked it up off my shelf to read on a road trip, I finished it in 2 1/2 days (only because I had meetings in between reading). I felt like I was swooped into the story and I became Deborah, this writer has serious talent and the book is highly suggested. Though I do not suggest you buy it for the $62 and change that it listed for as I write this review. If the price stays their I suggest you go to bn.com or doubleday.com to get a better price this book is good but not worth $62. Oh and my book is hard cover I paid $14 through doubleday.com.

I loved reading this book. It was fun and easy to read. I could not put it down I finished it in two days. If you are looking for a enjoyable book that is a fast read this is a great choice.

As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with (Women of the Bible). Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. In a nutshell, the characters are believable and yet a little out of the ordinary and the story line interesting. Give this book a try.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

It has to be courageous to attempt translating the celebrated works of one of the most revered ancient Chinese master philosophers, Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi), 370-319 B.C., whose teachings espouse freedom and spontaneity and who can forget his "Butterfly Dream" - the dream like nature of reality - which is to some extent explored in Mircea Eliade's novella and Francis Ford Coppola's latest and most defining film "Youth Without Youth".

Of course, there's nothing like reading the poetic and beautifully written original Chinese text which is inevitably lost in translation. But if you don't read Chinese, this is the next best thing of the complete thirty-three books inclusive of the inner and outer chapters in the one volume. Professor Burton Watson's translation is thoughtful and readable. Highly recommended.

I have read many different translations of Chuang Tzu. I find many of them either too awkward, wordy, biased or incomprehensible. Admittedly, it is not possible to learn Taoist philosophy without a teacher's explanation. Unfortunately, books do not always answer questions. However, given that limitation, this translation is the clearest I have ever encountered.

Excellent work! I have read on numerous occasions and from numerous sources that Burton Watson's Chuang Tzu is the best one out there and this book is no disappointment! The text is clear and holds well to the original, he includes helpful footnotes at the bottom of the page instead of at the end in a huge appendix. The footnotes themselves are even extraordinary, they include notes on why he translated as he did for those who can read chinese, and can be very helpful with some of the more esoteric passages. His footnotes can even be humerous, making you feel a little better about being totally lost in some of the latter chapters! A wonderful book that I recommend to everyone!

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF CHUANG TZU. Translated by Burton Watson. 397 pp. New York and London: Columbia University Press, 1968 and reprinted.

Anyone who may be coming to Chuang Tzu for the first time is in for a treat. Although Chuang Tzu is sometimes described as the most brilliant of all Chinese philosophers, what we find in him isn't what we normally understand by 'Philosophy' and isn't technical at all.

His appeal is not so much to the intellect as to the imagination, and he chose as a vehicle for his philosophical insights, not tedious and lengthy abstract treatises, but brief and witty anecdotes and dialogues and tales. His humor, sophistication, literary genius, and philosophical insights found their perfect expression in his brilliant fragments, and once having read them you never forget them.

Not much is known about Chuang Tzu, other than that he seems to have lived around the time of King Hui of Liang (370-319 B.C.). The received text of his book, which is sometimes referred to as 'the Chuang Tzu' (CT), is made up of thirty-three Chapters. Most scholars seem to feel that the CT is a composite text, and that only the first seven - the Inner Chapters - plus a few bits from the others are Chuang Tzu's own work, the remainder being by his followers.

Among the better known of his translators, all of them excellent, are Arthur Waley, Lin Yutang, A. C. Graham, and Burton Watson, though only the latter two translated the complete text. An abridged version of Watson's complete translation was later made available for those who only want to read the Inner Chapters.

The present book, 'The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu,' was first published in 1968. After an interesting 28-page Introduction, which includes bibliographical information, Burton Watson's very fine translations follow, all of which have been set out as prose and lightly annotated. The book is rounded out with an Index.

Watson has always struck me as an eminently civilized scholar and as a brilliant translator. His many translations from Ancient Chinese Literature are of uniformly high quality, and are well worth collecting as they are books one often returns to. Enthusiasts will certainly want to add the present gem to their collection.

The Chuang Tzu (rendered Zhuangzi in pinyin, which is becoming the standard transliteration these days) is second only to Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching in its popularity and veneration in the Taoist world. If you've not heard of or read this book before, you're in for a real treat! The first time I read the Inner Chapters of the Chuang Tzu was like a revelation--the thoughts and ideas expressed in these passages still resonate today for their acuity, humor, satire, stabbing profundity, and life-changing potential. Indeed, after better understanding the thought this book expresses, I felt like so many loose ideas and insights I'd gleaned from other philosophy, literature, music, and poetry had been tied up together and formulated into a concise and elegant package that is urgently relevant to every day life--pretty amazing for a text that is well over 2000 years old!

I recently completed reading the last of three complete translations of the Chuang Tzu, and I decided to wait until I read all of them before reviewing any of the three. Since this text is written in ancient Chinese, a language that was reserved for the intellectual and cultural elite two thousand years ago and has been considered effectively "dead" (like Latin) for quite a while, even understanding what the author(s) were trying to say is difficult, let alone translating the words from Chinese to English. So I figured reading a few different translations is probably the best way to get a broad and deep understanding of the text, and the cumulative effect would make up for each translation's weaknesses. This proved a good strategy--the other translations I chose were Victor Mair's Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu and A.C. Graham's The Inner Chapters. All three were rewarding and worthwhile reads (I mean, it IS the Chuang Tzu!), but I still come back to Burton Watson's Complete Works as my favorite. For the rest of this review, I'll try and explain why, and try to be helpful in pointing different types of readers to a translation that suits their individual needs. I won't go into depth about what the Chuang Tzu says, since the writing in the text is so eloquent and vivid that any description won't do it justice, and because I would probably ramble on forever about either the academic issues and questions regarding the text's authorship, historicity, and philosophy, or about how mind-blowingly intellectually stimulating it is!

In a nutshell (I'll be writing complete reviews for both), A.C. Graham's translation of the Chuang Tzu is the most philosophically rigorous translation and commentary of the Chuang Tzu I've read, but more often than not the actual text of the translation is very awkward and difficult to read. Victor Mair's goal in translating was to create the most philologically accurate translation possible (i.e. directly from Chinese to English, with as few alterations or ornamentations as possible), but it occasionally reads a bit flat and can be confusing because it contains no footnotes whatsoever regarding the philosophical nuances of the text. In my opinion, Burton Watson best captures the spirit and feel of Chuang Tzu's thought and character in the actual text of the translation. His translations seem to bring more laughs out of the humorous passages, and more oomph into the hard-hitting and breathtaking wisdom of the most philosophical sections. The predominate attitude of the most famous and moving passages in this text is a mystical one--the author's goal is to attempt to convey the powerful, ineffable feeling of contemplating and experiencing the Tao (that is, the way existence--the universe, life, and the patterns and very fabric of their being--works). Watson doesn't attempt to gut the effortless beauty of the Chuang Tzu by picking apart the ideas piece by piece or getting overtechnical with the terminology. His translation exudes the type of intuitive easy flow that Chuang Tzu is always arguing for in the anecdotes the text relays. Although he doesn't spell it out explicitly, Watson's wording has it all--when you contemplate the ideas to the point that they click, you'll find out just how good of a job Watson did.

Of course, the Chuang Tzu is what it is--a very uneven text composed by different authors and including very different philosophy in some places. Watson offers some helpful footnotes in the Outer and Miscellaneous chapters, which are generally not as sparkling as the Inner chapters, though there are always flashes of brilliance. If you're brand new to the Chuang Tzu, I highly recommend you start with Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings, translated by Burton Watson and including all of the Inner chapters and highlights from the rest of the book. It's the same translations you find here, but packs a more direct punch without the confusion and diluted quality of some of the other chapters. If you're already very familiar with the Chuang Tzu and haven't read it, go for A.C. Graham's translation--his introduction and chapter prefaces are some of the most illuminating commentaries I've read on this text (if only I could get Watson's translation with Graham's commentaries!). I'd only really recommend Mair's translation if you're interested in getting a slightly different perspective on the text and have read it numerous times. By the way, this book is a hearty hardcover with a gorgeous binding (it's more maroon than Amazon's picture lets on). They're selling it for cheaper now than when I bought it, and a good hardcover version of this text is an investment that will last a lifetime--I'm sure I'll still be awed by it for decades to come.

Good "Flashy" Nice Leatherbound book with a Actual if not replica I assume Corvette C-6 Emblem that you can feel. Very Elegant first of its kind that I have seen done for Corvette. Nice pictures. Some already seen Before. Others I have not. Example Astro Corvette/Concepts, Etc. Huge book. weighs, couple Big Two Page Spreads. Book Retails for $ 75. I was lucky enough to get this baby for $12 +s/h shipped through a seller here, Despite it taking 3 weeks.
Thank God It came in Great Condition I struck it out!. Book has tons of pages, only other that I know has a couple more as of now is The Complete Corvette Every Model Since 1953 by Mike Mueller. This book Is done by Jerry Burton, America's Sports Car, Yesterday, Today,Tomorrow. BY HLLA and mbi. Get it.
Its worth it.

My husband read this book cover to cover. Contains many nice photos and is one of the most complete books out there.

This book is a great book for anyone that is a car lover or corvette lover. I bought this book for my boyfriend who owns a corvette and he absoulty loves the book. It is well done and well put together. The cover is neat with the corvette emblem on it and the leather is nice also. Defintly another book I will buy in the future for anyone of my friends.

Just seeing the cover is...ahem...enough to get your engine running!! We bought this book for my brother for his 50th birthday. He taught his kids the Corvette Pledge of Allegiance when they were little, so you have some idea of how much he loves them. He said this book is really cool--and has a LOT of very good photography. A fitting tribute to a devotee!

In Corvette: America's Sports Car-Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Jerry Burton shares the comprehensive story of Chevrolet's longest running model and one of America's all time favorite sports cars. First produced in 1953, this car - as Burton so aptly describes - became a pop culture symbol for freedom, excitement and fun.

I applaud the detailed information listed in the book, especially the interviews with the original Corvette designers who fought hard to produce this car. For the "vette-heads," there is plenty of technical information about the nuts and bolts of the Corvette. For other readers, Burton tells the compelling story of the Corvette as a powerful vehicle with a history woven into that of our country.

I also appreciated the chance to see such a wide variety of quality Chevrolet Corvette photos, most in full color.

Finally, I enjoyed the creative ways in which Burton labeled the eras of the Chevrolet Corvette: the curvaceous years; the sting ray years; the shark era; the triumph of technology; the bold new architecture; and supercar status.

If you want to introduce your children to a prevailing modern paradigm/belief system regarding the origins of life, this isn't a bad book to do it with. It is understandably written with Ms. Burton's charming illustrations. As you will see from my title, I regard it as a fairy tale which I want my children to be familiar with. I shelved it next to D'Aulaires Greek Myths.

I read this book almost 20 years ago in the first grade and was immediately hooked on natural history, dinosaurs, life sciences, and the like, not to mention storytelling itself. The illustrations are entrancing and the format--the history of life as a play in several acts on a world stage--is enthralling. It's highly informative, too, for a young reader (or even an old one), and it was one of the most memorable and entertaining "educational" books I read as a child.

Now out of college, I have recently repurchased it for nostalgia and read it again. It remains a wonderful work. Being from 1961, it is slightly dated in spots. For example, it says that there is no record of life 2 billion years ago, whereas today we have found lifeforms dating back twice that far. Also, the dinosaurs' extinction is attributed to a cooling climate, because at the time the meteor theory was not widely accepted.

But this of course is nitpicking. The ultimate point of the book is that it's an introduction to the history of our planet and everything on it, including us. The central message--that our own life stories fit into the grand tapestry of life's history--remains. This is a remarkable book, and paticularly if you have a young child, I highly recommend picking up a copy.

I am so glad to see that this book is still in print. It is my favorite book from childhood and I still have my battered copy which I hope to share with my own children some day. The book is beautifully illustrated and written. The author conveys the beauty and the grandness of Earth's origins in a paen to natural history. The illustrations are what always captured me though. They are like nesting russian dolls, each layer presents its own story and suggests new meanings. It is a great introduction to the joys of exploring our world and our history.

Why don't the bookstores carry this one? In the tradition of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Katy and the Big Snow, Life Story presents its main tale in VLB's characteristic artwork wrapped with interesting mini drawings. My children and I enjoyed this title, and I am considering buying several more copies to keep on hand as gifts. (This review was titled and written with the assistance of Sal, age 8.)

As a child this was my favorite book as well. I had it checked out of the school library so often I may as well have owned it. I was thrilled to recently find it still in print, and I ordered a copy for my kids -- and one for myself!

The artwork is incredible. There's something about the style of it that almost... psychedelic. There's a swirling flow to it, with orderly ribbons of plants and animals winding into the distance. Yet while highly stylized, the artwork at the same time offers a wonderful sense of realism. The swamps of the Carboniferous seem so dark and mysterious; the verdant forests at the opening of the Cenezoic Era are infused with the essence of life born anew. And the intricate borders around the "program" at the beginning remind one of the lovingly detailed borders one might find along the high ceiling of some Victorian-era museum.

Even after 40 years, the science behind the book holds up amazingly well. If you want to inspire a love of natural history in your children, get them this book!

A director named Burton with the first name of Tim
Wrote this tale of a skeleton, tall and slim.

Jack Skeleton is the name of this "hero"
He comes with a ghost dog known as Zero.

As the title implies two holidays meet
Do we say "Merry Christmas" or "trick or treat?"

Jack wants to spread Christmas and help Santa out
But he's a little misguided when he takes the toy route.

The kids are a bit surprised by Jack as S. Claus
Some of his Christmas traditions would make anyone pause.

Before you read this give the movie a look
The film helps the reader make sense of the book.

Illustrated with drawings instead of claymation
This book still creates quite a sensation!

Although this book is aimed toward the younger readers, it is the original poem of the Nightmare Before Christmas, so no matter if you are a Burton fan or study literature, this is an essential item to add to that collectio

Hmm, where do I begin... I LOVE JACK SKELLINGTON first off, and this book is SOO COOL! And yes, you can probably tell I'm a teenage girl so far... but yeah, I read this book when I was really little (same with watching the movie) and at first it scared the crap outta me (hey, I was little). But when I got older, I started to realize that this thing kicked @$$. It made me laugh, made me smile, made me cry a little, everything! Best holiday book ever! It's not really a little kid book, but it's not too scary either. The scariest part about it are the drawings, just cuz they're so abnormal. Also... if you haven't seen the movie, make sure you do. But all in all, this is probably my favorite book. GOOD JOB TIM!

I bought a copy of this book a couple years back, only to find my young nephew (only 5 back then) reaching to look at it often when he visited. I've now decided to buy him his own copy of this book, while it's still in print, because I see this movie's "legend" continuing to grow as an annual Halloween classic. Such is the unique and wonderful world of Tim Burton; his style often does not catch on immediately, but it slowly finds its way beyond "cult" viewing and into the hearts and minds of mainstream audiences. This book features a generous offering of pre-production designs (including many of Burton's own drawings) and behind-the-scenes photos, which are fun to look at again and again. A beautifully illustrated book, and fun to own

I'd like to know more about Nightmare Before Christmas.

This book was so good. I usually read on my way to and from work but this book I could not put down.

Ann Burton clearly researches each story before she writes it. She doesn't gloss over any details of Rahab's life or the fact she was a prostitute but she makes it easy to like and root for Rahab. You can't help but feel sorry for her when she's cast out of her father's home because of her stepmother and has no where else to go. Wonderfully done Ann!

I was really surprised at what a great book this was! It wasn't written to make Rahab look like a sweet church lady. She was a real person in the Bible, a prostitute. There were no soft frilly illistrations to describe her life. The author did a great job describing her profession without being too revealing or leaving out important details. These women lived hard lives. When I read about the walls of Jehrico comming down I will never think of it the same way again. I am fascinated too how God uses not so perfect people to carry out his perfect plans. And Rahab! what can I say? I'm so glad to know that God loved her and used her to bring his plans to fruition.

Ann Burton writes this novel about Rahab, one of the lesser mentioned heroines of the Bible, as it might have happened.
Rahab is the daughter of a rugseller, and her mother was a secret Israelite,Jezere. Rahab secretly cherishes her mother's Judaism, that she taught her, together with her little sister, Tezi.
But Rahab is driven from her home, by the evil stepmother, Helzbah, on false charges.
She must try to survive on the merciless streets of Jericho, and must become a prostitute, in The House of Palms, in order to survive.
Here we learn about the other prostitutes who live here, all of whom have had hard and brutal lives, and we come to understand something of their plight.
Rahab always keeps her faith alive in the G-D of Israel, in a city where the worship of the Death god Moloch, and the cruel mass sacrifice of children is the order of the day.
She must always hide the fact that she is an Israelite, due to the deep hatred of Jews by the Canaanite population.
When she comes across two Jewish spies, for Joshuah, her life is changed, as it were.
Here she must take her role in the destiny of the reclaiming of the Nation of Israel of their ancient land.
Some things clash with different interpretations of the Biblical account, for example here she marries Salme, whereas in some Jewish accounts she marries Joshuah himself.
Also an interesting touch is, how the other prostitutes in the House of Palms, are saved as her family, together with her father and sister.
The essence of the novel remains true however to the basic spirit of the Biblical account.

The discussion guide at the end of the book reveals some interesting points for thought, such as the existence of prostitution, and the fact that many such women or girls are driven into prostitution to survive, or because of other harsh circumstances.
The return of the Israelites to their homeland in Canaan, is also compared to the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland of Israel, after centuries of exile.

An interesting detail involves Rahab's Jewish maternity. History has revealed that Jewish enclaves remained in Canaan, during the centuries of Egyptian enslavement, and these people later rejoined their brethren returning from Egypt.

This is the second Ann Burton Women of the Bible books that I've read and it didn't disappoint. Rahab's story was compelling. The fact that Rahab became a prostitute and yet was able to overcome her adversity made for a wonderful tale. The description of the House of Palms and the women who live there was facinating. It was also interesting to discover that the stigma of protitution was not always general. We come to understand how the women in the House of Palms came to be there, how they have made a home for themselves and how they become a close knit family that helps each other. Through Rahab's integration into the group, we understand and have compassion for these women. They each have their own stories to tell. Rabab's integrity and courage as well as her compassion and understanding for her father who disowned her shines through in Burton's strong narrative voice. Rahab becomes a heroine to admire in this wonderful story. An added bonus to me is the explanation within the story of how the walls of Jericho came down.

I used Mr. Burton's book to study for the Remote Access Exam. The material is very relevant to real world issue I deal within our network day to day. His chapters match close enough to the exam topics to cover what you need and his examples are excellent.
I had first picked up the Cisco Press Book: Building Cisco Remote Access Networks edited by Catherine Paquet. I have endured some boring, painful reading in my time ( I've got a Civil Engineering degree to prove it) but this came close to being the all time worst (ok, groundwater modeling was worse). I was so delighted to read Mr. Burton's material after that and would recommend, at a minimum you pick this book up in addition to the Cisco Press. At least you can get some great working sample configurations out of the book which I consider lacking in the Cisco Press title.
The errors and spelling mistakes were minor. This book is well worth the money. Oh, I passed the Remote Access Exam also.
- Ed Horley, CCNP, CCDA

This book is excellent as a reference and learning the technolgies if you have the equipment in a lab. Very well documented. It walks you through step by step (with out getting very detailed and boring) in configuring and basic troubleshooting. I used the ciscopress BCRAN for the test and this book to actually learn, install, and troubleshoot the stuff.

Incomparable with Cisco press CCNP books on this same topic. I've rated both of those - "Building Cisco Remote Access Networks" and "CCNP Remote Access" with only 2 stars.

This book, unlike Cisco Press books, is very coherent, very clear and goes to the right level of depth to give you proper understanding of the material. What is more important it will give you understanding of how to apply the information on the job.

One tip however, all remote access books I looked at miss one important piece - they do not explain the complete set of interrelationships between serial interfaces, asynchronous interfaces, lines, controllers, vtys, ttys, etc. Therefore you need to read the introduction section from "Cisco IOS 12.0 Dial Solutions". It is a horrible read and you will have to fight through it. Read it five times, if you have to. But, it will give you the mental map and the foundation needed to understand any book on this topic.

I had the good fortune to take Bill Burton's BCRAN class at Chesapeake not long ago. He is an excellent and enthusiastic teacher and that is reflected in his book. It is written in a witty, conversational style, which makes it easy to follow. There are lots of sample configurations for the most common remote access configuration scenarios. He "holds your hand" as you are walked through these, including the 'show' and 'debug' commands you need when things aren't going well.

He notes in the Introduction, that the book is intended more as a practical reference to use in real-life than as an exhaustive BCRAN test preparation guide, which I think is a pretty accurate assessment. I've read some parts in depth, and skimmed most of the rest of the book. I expect it to be a useful and accessible guide in configuring all flavors of remote access. I bought the book because of my classroom experience, and was not disappointed.

I was given this book to read along with the course material for the CCNP v2 BCRAN exam. This book has much more information in it then the course material. Bill Burton does a great job in explaine some very difficult subjects. Good job. Highly recommended as both a study aide as well as a reference aid.