Butler Books

Let's face it, Mr Butler is a delight to look at, and while I have seen better photos of him, these are all perfectly lovely, if rather similar to each other. Still, a very nice way to pass the year!

I am such a fan of Gerard Butler that this calendar is great. My only complaint if there is one is that the photos are not really current ones (he still is gorgeous though!) and his birthday and other significant days in regards to Gerry have not been included. Love the large size photos. How about a page-a-day calendar? That way there are way more pictures of the man himself!

The calendar is nice to look at. I had hoped to have Newer photos of Gerry though. The calendar arrived not too long after I ordered it.

I was amazed and impressed of the service Amazon.com gave me when I ordered my calendar of Gerard Butler. My calendar is everything I thought it would be. I am counting the days until the January 1, 2009 when I can start using my new calendar. The images chosen for the different months are excellent. If you are a Gerard Butler fan, this is the calendar to have so you can see him each day.

Oh. My. Gosh. It came in the mail today and frankly, I am all a-swoon!

I'm telling you--someone was thinking of a way to make money. Make Gerry the subject of a calendar and you've got instant riches. In addition, be creative and give the ladies what they want--all Gerry! Who really wants a month with blocked out days in a Gerry calendar--a waste of space! Way down at the bottom in two lines, provide single letters for the days of the week and put the appropriate dates under the days. That way, the entire page, minus two lines at the bottom, can focus on the manly beauty of that Scotsman, Gerald Butler, also half-Irish. Oh, I do go on, but I am one of his biggest fans.

It's a large calendar: 17 inches high and 12 inches wide with just one of those inches going to calendar dating business. PLUS!!! On the back are 3 x 2 inch stickers of each calendar picture. Wow, I can paste these in my photo album and tell friends they are from Gerry. Just kidding. Not. Stating now, my two faves are January and February, the smiling Gerry.

My day was special today.

I'm sure the Royal Family would not apporve of Paul Burrell's "cashing in" on his relationship with Princess Diana. Having said that, people in the USA love this kind of thing. We can hold our noses in the air if we read this book, we feel priviliged. We are special. Burrell, however, may be a nicer version of Martha Stewart. She wins the prize for cold psycho-perfection. Paul Burrell, like Martha, has now gone on to merchandize furniture, wine, rugs, and just about anything else in this world. I am waiting for him to open a "royal theme park" in Florida. I must add a post-script to this review as I just recently purchased a copy of this book from E-bay that was signed by Paul Burrell. I too am now guilty of joining the curiosity seekers who want to have an inside look at the so-called "royal life". So hit me with a large blancmange and call me snobby.

This lovely little book discusses the many aspects of elegant entertaining -- from perfect table setting, to eye-catching flower arrangements. Burrell's passages on entertaining and party planning are peppered with touching stories about his employment as former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Burrell demonstrates his knowledge and class on each beautifully photographed page. No wonder he was held in such high regard by the royals!

A Few Notes:
- I would not call this an "Etiquette" book, as it deals much more with proper table setting and party planning. As such, I think it would be better labeled as an "Entertaining" book.

- The range of party/theme ideas is impressive. Some of Burrell's examples include a sit-down dinner, afternoon tea, and childrens' party.

- For those interested in the life of Princess Diana, this gives you a tasteful and telling behind-the-scenes look. Frankly, some of Burrell's Diana anecdotes were some of the best parts of the book...

Enjoy!

If you recognize the name, then you know this was the butler who almost went to jail for supposedly stealing personal items belonging to the late Diana. He was saved by a timely intervention from the Queen, who suddenly recalled being told that he was intended to have the stash. Speculation on why she waited until he was on trial abounds; especially since he immediately walked off the stand and over to the tabloids and sold his story there.

But if you can overlook that blatant act - it's simply Not Done to expose your employer, even if she is dead - this book is a pleasent and colorful glimpse into serving royalty. But it is just a glimpse - nothing very substantial, nothing complete. The pictures of food served at a few different social occasions are delicious by themselves, but any coffee table cookbook will offer more of the same with more recipies as well. This one might be a good second hand purchase, if you like this sort of thing.

Move over, Miss Manners and Emily Post! Mr. Burrell's devotion to his princess and her reliance on him are well known, which only adds to his credibility as a new author of etiquette and entertaining! Mr. Burrell tells we commoners how to set a table with style and entertain our guests with elegance and ease. He also includes tasty recipes, some of which were favored by the late Princess of Wales. Highly recommend to any hostess or anyone wanting to learn more about real etiquette.

I have to say that at the beginning I didn't want to get the book but now I think that is one of the best books about etiquette I've ever bought, and I have lots of them.
The recipes are incredible and very easy to prepare.
The elegance and the exquisite taste is really unique, and the flower's centrepieces awesome, is something that anybody can do without a professional training.
I think is a MUST TO HAVE BOOK.

This book is excellent for helping people to destress themselves quickly. It is easy to read and understand.

I recommed this book to any teacher who is having difficulty with focusing student's attention at the beginning of class. Carrots on page 66 would be excellent for pre-writing focus. Really Seeing, on page 6 is also excellent.
As a teacher of drama, I often tried to convince young actors the importance of focusing their minds on their characters while acting. Sixty second meditations are perfect pieces for students to use as practice, either at the beginning of each class, or as homework assignments. I start with the "Pink Elephant" duo as they are particularily effective.
I recommed this book to any teacher who is having difficulty with focusing student's attention at the beginning of class. Carrots on page 66 would be excellent for pre-writing focus. Really Seeing, on page 6 is also excellent.
The quotes are useful for writing on the blackboard at the beginning of the day and often evoke laughter (always a good way to start a class)and discussion.
This book could use the quote on page 75 to describe itself. "Come quickly, I am tasting stars," as it is a STAR choice for teachers.

This book is not a introduction to meditation. It contains some seperate ideas that could be used to meditate upon, but I found the title "Meditation Express" misleading.
This is a book for meditating people who like to have some more ideas to meditate upon. I suggest you look in the excerpts of the book, this is all the book contains for the rest of the pages.

With the stressful happenings of the last few weeks, Meditation express by Nancy Butler-Ross and Michael Suib could be just what the doctor ordered.
Whether you're having anxiety attacks, or can't eat or sleep, or find yourself crying whenever you see the tv or hear a song on the radio... you might be ready to have Nancy and Michael show you how to just take nine deep breaths.
These co-authors have taken their different approaches to mediating and pared them down to their essence. It doesn't take a special class or equipment to mediate, nor do you have to set aside hours to sit in funny positions. They show you it's as simple as just concentrating on your breathing while you stand in line at the bank, grocery store, or traffic light. You can do it lying down, while waiting on the phone, or in the shower.
Nancy and Michael use meditation for different reasons. Nancy uses it to start her day, to center herself and keep in touch with herself. Michael uses it to keep calm when he feels himself pressurizing or getting stressed.
You might wonder how just a minute meditation can do either of these things, but one of the first things they have you do in their book (and at one of their book readings) is to sit quietly and be aware of your breathing for one whole minute! They quote Albert Einstein, "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours you think it's only a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think its two hours. That's relativity."
Whether you're wanting to center yourself or calm down before you say something you'll wish you hadn't, a minute can make all the difference. Besides calming you down, meditation can rejuvenate you and get you charged up in the right direction.
They break each chapter into a number of short sections, starting with a quote. They then give you some insight as well as a meditation exercise. After reading the first couple of chapters to get an understanding of what mediation is all about, you can open the book at random to take moments to read and de-stress.
So if the doctor is threatening to put you on medicine to calm you down..why don't you pick up "Meditation express". Believe me, it's a lot cheaper than a doctor's visit and you can enjoy reading it many times!

Meditation Express is a great resource for novice and experienced meditators alike. The authors have many creative ideas that teach meditation techniques for people who really want to meditate but always somehow find a way to not have the time. The book is great because you can pick it up when you have only a few minutes and get a useful exercise in just a short time, and even have time leftover to do the meditation. I gave copies to several of my friends and family who I know are stressed out with too much to do, and need ways to decompress. It makes a sweet gift!!
Nancy and Michael have a great career ahead of them as teachers and writers. Thanks for the book!

This book gave me a good look at the process (in short) that many of these individuals had to go through in order to achieve their goals. There were some key similarities among many. One, they did what they loved to do, or what they could do well. Two, they seriously worked HARD at it. Three, there were no short cuts. These three aspects will ring true again and again when you read about successful businesspeople. This book just focuses on those that have done it and are African Americans.

I give it a gold star (4 of them).

I have been looking for a book like this. It was an excellent choice of subject matter. However, unlike the magazine articles that tell the story of success, these stories lack flavor.

Absolutely outstanding piece of literary work. It is rare, even with the likes of Black Enterprise Magazine, that we get to see the wealthy Black Americans that exist in this country. Besides being an eye opening book, I also found it to be motivational for one who might contemplate starting ones own business one day. Some of the person's profiled in this book started with very little capital in some very non-traditional fields with the odds against them. Through perserverance and determination they became successful. I strongly recommend this book as one you must have in your library. Hopefully, this will inspire Mr. Graves to document the 400 wealthiest Black Americans.

The book writes about a Mr. Alvin Rice as a "Young Black Millionaire" but he is definetly NOT one. Unfortunately, this gentlemen has pretty much "charmed" the author into believing what ever he can come up with. D&R Recovery (his supposed fortune in the making) is now under and owes back taxes from what I read.

I really think the author should have verified her sources before publishing the book and making the rest us look bad! It's hard enough to find an uplifting book about our people, then to have the information be tarnished.

AWESOME! Thank you Ms. Niki Butler Mitchell for showcasing people of color. I know they exist in my environment, but there are others in the world that are not surrounded by such images of success.

The theme throughout this book is faith, perseverance, hard work, family, helping others, not MONEY! I could not put this book down. It lead to my insomnia!

Why should you purchase this book? Parents to encourage your child; multicultural professionals to show there are a multitude of successful people of color that are not in the entertainment industry or playing supports that encounter racism; entrepenuers to refer to as a source of encouragement.

Bottomline this is not just a book for people of color, but for people who have persevered. These individuals have definitely reinforced my motto, "all you can tell me is no, but if I don't ask the answer is already N-O!"

Thanks to the individuals represented in the pages of 'The New Color Of Success' I have been encouraged to continue focusing on my passion.

So, Ms. Mitchell when are you planning on writing the next one?

Marie Curate

This collection of five P G Wodehouse novels is positively teeming with butlers, old butlers, young butlers, fat ones, thin ones, rich ones, poor ones, even some with shady pasts! The collection includes:
THE RETURN OF JEEVES: Bertie Wooster loaned Jeeves out the Earl of Towcester while Bertie was otherwise engaged. Lucky for the Earl and his family that Jeeves was there to sort out the various star crossed lovers and shady dealings that were taking place in this stately English country home.
BERTIE WOOSTER SEES IT THROUGH: Bertie returns and manages to once again need Jeeves to extract him from the clutches of Florence.
SPRING FEVER: A delightfully eccentric British peer competes with his devious butler to romance the cook.
THE BUTLER DID IT: A long ago tontine causes strange romantic entanglements.
THE OLD RELIABLE: The usual Wodehouse madness transported to the glamor days of old Hollywood.

I was more disappointed with the reviews of this book on Amazon.com than with the book itself! O.K., maybe it is "post-war angst", maybe it's the Long Island malaise, these stories are a bit darker than the "classics" of Blandings Castle or the Drones Club.

But, dash it, they are Wodehouse and show an important part of his personality and the personality of his wonderful characters. Imagine a Jeeves-on-loan! Brilliant! It proves that Jeeves isn't only Jeeves at Bertie's side.

By the way, isn't "Bill" Shannon (aka, "The Old Reliable") an lovely example of the modern, liberated woman! "The Butler Did It" also takes a deserved, but painless, whack at modern art.

Don't let preconceptions tarnish what could well be "five of the best" from the master.

I enjoyed them immensely.

It is a wonderful book with great humor.

but I wouldn't want anyone basing his/her opinion of the large and largely breathtakingly wit of Wodehouse's collected work based merely on this budget anthology.

The novels are set in post-World War II England, and as such they reflect those dispiriting times. The great mansions are in ruin from confiscatory taxation, TV distracts the intellect, Hollywood (not the London theater) dominates popular entertainment, and a loyal butler like Jeeves is clearly a holdover from a different era in which his employers were not, relatively speaking, impoverished.

Wodehouse's fans (of which there are many, both in the UK and the USA) will probably want to read these novels anyway. But if you are contemplating your first exposure to Wodehouse, I'd recommend instead any of his "classic" Bertie-and-Jeeves novels from the 1920s, when social class, punctilio, pith, dry wit and a plenitude of household help for the rich were integral elements of this type of humor. CARRY ON, JEEVES! happens to be my favorite, but there are plenty of other wonderful reads from this era.

Fans of P.G. Wodehouse often refer to Jeeves as a butler, but as Bertie Wooster reminds us, Jeeves is actually a gentleman's gentleman, a valet. But on occasion, Jeeves is pressed into service as a butler, and performs quite well.

Imagine the surprise that many P.G. Wodehouse fans have when they open The Butler Did It and find that the butler in question is a Mr. Augustus Keggs, the English butler for one J.J. Bunyan, an American multimillionaire. But this Keggs is a worthy character who fans of Jeeves will find to be very rewarding.

The book has one of the most intriguing plots in all of the Wodehouse novels. As the story opens, it is the night of September tenth, 1929, just before the collapse of the American stock market. Bunyan is entertaining a group of bored millionaires who are having a hard time deciding how to spend the money they are raking in. Among his guests is Mortimer Bayliss, his art curator, who cannot help but want to stir up the philistines. Bayliss proposes that the men each put up $50,000 with the proceeds of the tontine to go to the last of their sons to marry. Naturally, they have to keep the whole matter a secret or deny themselves the possibility of ever having grandchildren.

The book then glides forward in time to the mid 1950s in England as the end game of the tontine arrives. Mr. Keggs is a fellow tenant with Lord Uffenham (who has fallen on hard times), whom he formerly served as a butler, and his niece, Jane Benedick. Mr. Kegg's own niece, Emma, is engaged to marry Roscoe Bunyan, son of the late J.J. Bunyan, of the tontine. Like the wise and omniscient butler he is, Mr. Keggs had recorded the conversation that night and knows all about the tontine. The tontine is down to Roscoe and one other. Mr. Keggs decides that the time has come to intercede.

Jane is engaged to one Stanhope Twine, a hopeless sculptor, but the two cannot marry because Twine hasn't the funds. Mr. Keggs suggests to Roscoe that Twine is the other member of the tontine, and that Twine will marry in a heartbeat if he can get hold of some money. Keggs suggests that Roscoe buy a percentage of Twine's future earnings in exchange for a payment now. Keggs naturally hopes to be well paid for his advice, and is thoroughly annoyed when Roscoe only gives him fifty pounds for information about a tontine payment of over a million dollars.

Here's where the plot begins to unravel. Twine takes the money and jilts Jane. Roscoe jilts Emma, and Cupid is not exactly being served.

But Keggs has been playing a game. Twine isn't really in on the tontine.

Next, Keggs sells the information to Roscoe for $100,000. Roscoe doesn't want to pay and hires a detective to get back the agreement as well as Roscoe's letters to Emma.

In the meantime, Bill Hollister falls head over heels for Jane and she for him . . . having known each other as children. Bill Hollister's name really is in the tontine, and Mr. Keggs has to try to sort out all of the romances and the money. Ultimately, he succeeds . . . but in a way that no reader could hope to anticipate. It's a marvelously funny story with great plot complications.

To my way of thinking, The Butler Did It is one of the five best P.G. Wodehouse books I have read.

Capital! Capital! Capital!

Towards the end of his career, P.G. Wodehouse found himself charmed by the idea of reprising the characters who and plot lines that provided the greatest triumphs in his earlier books. Bertie Wooster Sees It Through is a worthy sequel of that sort.

In the earlier book, you may remember that Stilton Cheesewright and Bertie Wooster had been schoolmates in preparatory school, at Eton and at Oxford. Stilton chose to become a policeman and his career led him to become very serious and strict in his outlook, so that Bertie thinks of him as "that blighter Stilton." Love transformed his life when he fell for the writer, Florence Craye. But Florence is also apt to respond well to Bertie, and Stilton takes that personally. When we last saw them, Florence and Stilton were engaged.

In this story, Bertie's Aunt Dahlia enlists him to come to her country home, Brinkley Court, to help her entertain a family by the name of Trotter. The assignment seems to be off to a rocky start, however, when the Trotters' stepson, Percy Gorringe, calls Bertie to hit him up for 1,000 pounds. That seems like too much entertaining and Bertie declines.

In the meantime, Bertie has started growing a mustache and Jeeves doesn't approve. In fact, no one else does either . . . except Florence Craye. That enrages an already touchy Stilton, who fears that Bertie is trying to steal Florence. Soon, Stilton is also sporting the hairy stuff on his upper lip. To make matters worse, Stilton has a large stake on Bertie in the Drones Club dart championship and decides that Bertie should starting keeping regular hours and keep off the sauce. And that's just why Bertie doesn't want to have anything to do with Florence, she's not only brainy . . . she also likes to improve her men. And Bertie likes himself just the way he is.

Stilton is also the jealous type and quickly turns suspicious when Bertie is picked up after a raid on a late-night bistro where Bertie had taken Florence at her request to do some research on local color.

But Aunt Dahlia has an even more serious problem. She has pawned her new necklace to buy the serial rights to a new story, and her husband, Uncle Tom, is about to have it appraised. She has been hiding the fact by wearing cultured pearls instead, but is about to be caught. Naturally, she decides to have Bertie steal the cultured pearls. And equally naturally, that proves to be more difficult than anyone can imagine and with unexpected consequences. And so the country farce begins!

Bertie Wooster Sees It Through has that nice combination of serious pending threats, irrational fears and hopes, and muddle-headedness that makes for such good social comedy. Like all of the best P.G. Wodehouse books, the language sparkles with original similes, metaphors and allusions.

Jolly good show!

The service from AMAZON was very fast and easy, with no hassles. The book was a great help to me, and was in perfect condition.

Forensic DNA typing its an awesome book. Its very useful for the forensics. No regrets go for it.

@Amazon Service.

Its a complete mess and an ordeal experience ! They wont care about the customers. They care about there payment not about the quality.
I had tough time with the customer service of the amazon. They are very arrogant,rude and irksome. They will rip off you easily. And pretends like generous people with courtesy (when u complains)! but they are'nt they are Douche ..

If you want this book go for another service. I order this book for the 1st day of my class. But i received the book after many annoying hurdles with the amazon at the last week of the classes.

I am currently using this book for a Forensic Biology class and have, so far, found it to be very informative and easy to understand.

I would not recommend this book to someone who was completely new to the use of genetics as a tool for forensics. I did an undergraduate degree in biotechnoloy in 2000 and wanted to review and learn more about specifically how most DNA in crime labs was being processed today. This book was recommended to me by the head of a prominent DNA crime lab. It is written at a higher level than most texts but offers a wealth of detailed information, particularly if you are interested in contrasting advantages and disadvantages of different kits and equipment.

This book is a great book for teaching DNA. It breaks down the information pretty good in some areas but not as well in others. Overall I would say it is a good book.

Sounds like the opening line to some kind of horror movie trailer? To Bertie Wooster it is. Now only does he have to deal with the bloody thing again, but he has to deal with the redheaded and evil Miss Wickham and the formidable schoolmaster Aubrey Upjohn. The same schoolmaster he had to deal with as a school boy. How will Jeeves get him out of this mess? Jeeves can do anything, for he eats a lot of fish and is infallible. But Jeeves is also not available. How will Bertie handle the problems all his own? We all know he will handle it with the wit and cool exterior that has always made up the stern stuff of the Wooster blood line. In other words, he'll cock it up.
One point was taken away for the very fact that Jeeves was NOT in most of the book.

Bertie Wooster is one of P.G. Wodehouse's greatest comic characters. He is normally balanced by the quick wit, aplomb and shimmering progress of Jeeves, his butler. But even butlers need a vacation. So Bertie bids good-bye to Jeeves for the year . . . and promptly faces all sorts of unexpected problems.

The troubles begin a most distraught telephone call to Bertie from Lady Wickham. She sobs between words as she demands to know if "this awful news is true." The awful news is in this morning's Times. When Bertie opens the Times, he finds an announcement of his engagement to Lady Wickham's daughter, Bobbie, a woman to whom he has tried to become engaged to in the past. Darned if Bertie can figure out what it's all about. Bobbie, although beautiful, is one of those women who want to improve their men, and Bertie isn't up for such improvements. The path to solving the challenge leads him to his aunt Dahlia's country home, Brinkley Court, to help her entertain Homer Cream, an American tycoon who is doing a deal with her husband, Tom, where Bobbie is also staying. Bertie's old headmaster is also in residence, which leaves Bertie quaking. But the lure of Anatole's delightful cooking draws Bertie to Brinkley.

Once there, events become ever wackier. Sir Roderick Glossop, who thinks Bertie is dotty, is posing as the butler to evaluate a fiancé.

As usual, romance, plots to gain funds, weird collections and mistaken identities quickly twist the story into unexpected complications and directions.

The pages are filled with original similes and metaphors that will delight any student of the English language. This story has great fun with the fish theme. Bertie's great friend Reginald Herring has the nickname of "Kipper." At one point, Bertie says coldly that "I have every right to goggle like a dead halibut . . . ." Elsewhere, Bobbie's motives are described as, "She wanted you to see the big fish . . . you must have been surprised to see Kipper . . . ." Cream and cream pitchers are also done well in this story.

But the best schemes of Bertie and Kipper come a cropper, and Jeeves has to be called back to make a miraculous recovery for the causes of love and the old feudal spirit.

Right ho!

Although a prolific writer, PG Wodehouse was most remembered for his characters Betram Wooster (or just Bertie), and his unflappable butler Jeeves (who seems to be a constant fountain of wisdom, and is usually extricating Bertie from the latest mess he's found himself in.

The plot is somewhat complicated to explain. When Jeeves goes on vacation, Bertie is invited to his aunt's country estate. However, he is not the only guest. One guest is pretending to be the butler, while he is actually an eminent psychiatrist who is spying incognito on another guest, Mr. Willie Cream (I'm guessing the innuendo was intentional!). Mr. Cream is paying court to another guest, whom Bertie's aunt does not wish to see married to. I could go on, but I've probably confused you enough. It's easier just to read it, as it's both brilliant and funny. Bertie finds himself being called upon to doing all manner of things, such as being a spy, trying to steal back stolen items, getting involved in a plot to win someone over by pushing them into a lake, etc, etc.

Bertie is a rather clumsy fellow, who claims to have nerves of steel, yet by dint of always helping out a friend often finds himself in impossible (yet very funny for us) situations.

The copy I had was from my local library, written in 1962, I believe, but I doubt much has changed.

The style of Wodehouse is unusual at first, often abbreviating common phrases or expressions, not to mention throwing in occasional spatterings of latin, but you get used to the abbreviations, and sometimes work out the latin. In short, it's a very unique style. Combine that with the ability to write funny, yet very convoluted plots and scenes, dialogue that will have you chuckling right along with it, and two main characters who are memorable and very complimentary, and you end up with a book that is very difficult to put down, and well worth the time to read.

I highly recommend this book.

Bertie Wooster is one of P.G. Wodehouse's greatest comic characters. He is normally balanced by the quick wit, aplomb and shimmering progress of Jeeves, his butler. But even butlers need a vacation. So Bertie bids good-bye to Jeeves for the year . . . and promptly faces all sorts of unexpected problems.

The troubles begin a most distraught telephone call to Bertie from Lady Wickham. She sobs between words as she demands to know if "this awful news is true." The awful news is in this morning's Times. When Bertie opens the Times, he finds an announcement of his engagement to Lady Wickham's daughter, Bobbie, a woman to whom he has tried to become engaged to in the past. Darned if Bertie can figure out what it's all about. Bobbie, although beautiful, is one of those women who want to improve their men, and Bertie isn't up for such improvements. The path to solving the challenge leads him to his aunt Dahlia's country home, Brinkley Court, to help her entertain Homer Cream, an American tycoon who is doing a deal with her husband, Tom, where Bobbie is also staying. Bertie's old headmaster is also in residence, which leaves Bertie quaking. But the lure of Anatole's delightful cooking draws Bertie to Brinkley.

Once there, events become ever wackier. Sir Roderick Glossop, who thinks Bertie is dotty, is posing as the butler to evaluate a fiancé.

As usual, romance, plots to gain funds, weird collections and mistaken identities quickly twist the story into unexpected complications and directions.

The pages are filled with original similes and metaphors that will delight any student of the English language. This story has great fun with the fish theme. Bertie's great friend Reginald Herring has the nickname of "Kipper." At one point, Bertie says coldly that "I have every right to goggle like a dead halibut . . . ." Elsewhere, Bobbie's motives are described as, "She wanted you to see the big fish . . . you must have been surprised to see Kipper . . . ." Cream and cream pitchers are also done well in this story.

But the best schemes of Bertie and Kipper come a cropper, and Jeeves has to be called back to make a miraculous recovery for the causes of love and the old feudal spirit.

Right ho!

With this play on lines from Robert Burns, Bertie Wooster, the aristocratic and and dithery protagonist of P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" novels, expresses his dismay at the way matters of love and quiet country life have "ganged" since his arrival at his aunt Dahlia's country estate. Shortly after his arrival, he is surprised to read in the newspaper that Roberta "Bobby" Wickham is engaged to marry him. Bobby, upon her arrival, quickly sets him straight--she is in love with his best friend Reginald "Kipper" Herring, and because she knows her parents find Herring unsuitable, has made them believe she will marry Bertie, whom they dislike even more. She believes that their discovery of the truth will be a relief.

At the same time, Aunt Dahlia persuades Bertie to try to break up the budding romance between Phyllis Mills and the American Willie Cream, also staying at the estate. Phyllis's mother, Aunt Dahlia's friend, does not like "Broadway Willie." Tact is necessary in dealing with this matter since Willie's father is a wealthy man negotiating important business deals with others at Aunt Dahlia's country estate. Jeeves is on vacation, and Aunt Dahlia, needing a butler of her own, hires Sir Roderick Glossop, a well known psychiatrist, to act as butler, his real job being to spy, purportedly, on Willie Cream to uncover unsavory details which can be used to break up his romance with Phyllis. During Bertie's stay, a piece of valuable antique silver, a creamer in the shape of a cow, disappears--perhaps a result of Willie Cream's "kleptomania."

As always, Bertie engages in word play and puns, the coining of new words, and quotations from well known works. He sometimes massacres English words, and he delights in misquoting in foreign languages. As always, he must rely on Jeeves, called back from a fishing vacation, to rescue him from the complications which result from his meddling.

The intricacy of the plot, the overlapping relationships of the characters, the use of irony and gentle satire, and the sparkling dialogue keep the reader engaged, despite the predictable outcome of the plot. First published in 1960, this type of mannered novel is now dated, and many readers will expect more from the novel than "just" entertainment. Wodehouse, however, is as good as it gets in providing clever, light entertainment, with delightful wordplay--while poking fun at the English countryhouse life which has now largely disappeared. Mary Whipple

A complete and excellent book explaining the development of the Gestapo from the 1920's to its final destruction with the end of the war.The book shows that the Gestapo was led by anything but powerful and smart characters. Himmler,Heydrich,and other leaders in the Gestapo were low level bureaucrats who had no military training,not skilled in law enforcement or particularly adept in organizational abilities,and would, never have advanced in any military or government organizations during normal times.Thet were pretty much misfits,who happened to be in the right place at the right time. When given a little bit of power ,they rapidly became obsessed with it .They became Megomaniacs when Hither took power and when they found that there were no limits placed on their operations. They operated in a despicable and ruthless manner and destroyed anyone and anything that got in the way of their madness. They had no redeeming values,no guiding principles,nor any characteristics other than suspicion,driven by self promoting power and hate.Their actions show how evil men can become when they have no conscience,no remorse no accountability,and no respect for anything except a despot.
The effect created by these evil characters was awsome and resulted in the murder of millions of innocent men,women and childern.The book even shows how weak these Gestapo leaders were during the final days of WWII. They couldn't even face those who were bringing them to account for their murderous actions. They took the coward's way out and committed suicide.
This book is not only important in that it shows how a organization as evil as the Gestapo can get started and how far it can get out of control and how difficult it is to destroy it.
As we proceed into the 21st Century,we once again see evil forces developing with the same characteristics that spawned the Nazis and their Gestapo ,namely a climate of obedience,conformity and denounciation .All this combined with the hate we see with worldwide Terrorism,should be a clear warning ;that what happened in Europe in the 1920's is happening today in the Middle East.
The pattern is easily recognizable. The question is ,what is going to be done about it?

Another fine book by Rupert Butler, this book will take the reader from the earliest days of the GEheimeSTaatsPOlizie, or Secret State Police, through to the end of the war. Starting from when it was just another professional plain-clothes police department, the Prussian Secret Police, to the rivalry of Göring and Himmler, which saw the control of the Gestapo pass from Göring to Himmler, to accommodate both mens larger agendas. Good clear descriptions of the key personnel involved in the Gestapo and the Reich's other security agencies, such as Himmler's deputy and head of the SD Reinhard 'Hangman' Heydrich, Heinrich 'Gestapo' Müller, Dr Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Arthur Nebe, and others. Also covers the other German security agencies, such as the Kripo, the Orpo, and the SD amongst others, and deals with the rivalry between the Gestapo and the SD, to the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, and the consequences for both the SS and the Gestapo in the aftermath. Easy to read for the layman, and a good read for the dedicated student of WWII German Security Agencies.

A top read!

Todoy GESTAPO is a word for tyranny and terror.

It is seen as synonomouse with the SS yet it was never directly parat of that organization. It is seen as Himmler's creation yet truth is that its origens predate the Nazis.

When it first existed during the days of the Weimar Republic it was just an ordinary branch of plain cloths detectives with a set jurisdiction, and; would have remained so had Hitler not become Chanceller and then dictator of Germany and Herman Goering not taken an interest in its use.

This is the well researched story of this instrument of oppression and a warning to all who see no wrong in giving government unlimited power.

This is one of the most excellent books I have ever read on the Nazi formation of the AMT-IV Geheime Staats Polizei and the Einsatz Gruppen. Being of German descent and having family members who immigrated just prior to this time, I have been very interested in this chapter of world history. This book really delivers in a straight reality type of way! If you want some strong but straightforward reporting of the issues that generated the gestapo and where it went from there, this is the book for you. A must for history students or history buffs. A must for anyone who wants to know just how easy it is to fall into the trap of "anti-terrorism" laws. Intrigued? GET THIS BOOK! Always remember Arbeit DOES NOT Macht Frei.

Throughout recorded history, all totalitarian regimes have needed their secret police to do their dirty work. The Catholic Church had its Inquisition in the Middle Ages, the Russian Communists had their NKVD/KGB during the mid-twentieth century, and the German Nazis had theirs in the Geheime Staatz Poliezi, the Gestapo. In AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE GESTAPO, Rupert Butler provides both text and visuals to trace the evolution of a state sanctioned thuggery that was supposed to safeguard the existence of a thousand year Reich, that mercifully went out of business after only 12 years.

After the end of the Great War in 1918,Germany was a beaten nation that nevertheless did not learn that brute aggression must one day cause a bitter price to be paid. Butler suggests that an organization like the Nazi party could never have been allowed to exist were it not for both the political myopia of the victors who insisted on crushing a fragile post-war German economy with heavy reparations and a widespread tendency for an entire nation of Germans to rally around a flag that placed anti-semitism as its motivating force in re-establishing itself as a conquering world power.

To those not familiar with the overlapping structures of the Nazi party, Butler delineates how the Gestapo, the SA, the SS, the SD, and the many branches of the police all interwove to keep a tight lid on the lives of every German and every conquered national. Butler describes the early years of the formation of the Gestapo with Heinrich Himmler at the center. Then he analyzes how the other security organs like the SS and SD sometimes co-operated, sometimes competed for dominance. The infamous names of the leaders are, of course, well-documented both in this book, and in others: Goering, Heydrich, Kaltenbrunner, Borman, Goebbels. What stands out in Butler's mind is the ordinariness of most of the top echelon of the Nazi hierarchy. Most of them, before they became power players, had quite ordinary lives. Himmler himself looked like the pale shopkeeper that he was before he entered the SS. Heydrich was a womanizer who entered the SS only to avoid a scandal. The destruction that the various organs of the Nazi security apparatus were to wreak on both Jew and Slav were largely the result of weak, dull, and drab individuals who prefered to give their orders of death and genocide to a set of truly vicious underlings who were only to glad to carry them out. The world rarely gets a chance to put the originators of genocide in a docket of law to be charged as criminals, but in 1946 in Nuremberg, the collective leadership of the Nazi dream of world conquest was called to account. During their trials, their very ordinariness underscored the true nature of evil. The Gestapo, as the epitome of evil and horror, was run at the top by men who saw their lives through the eyes as the miserable low-ranking bureaucrats that they were once, and claimed to be as their defense from that docket. The dough-faced prisoners sitting in that Nuremberg court in 1946 were living reminders that evil can be spectacularly ordinary. Butler's book says that about as well as anyone can.

This book was written 1998 and another reviewer says that it was the first for Nancy Butler. I have just recently discovered her books and read THE KINDNESS OF A ROGUE first. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one but I'm not able to say that about this book. It was O.K. for me, I read it all, but I have no interest in ever reading it again.

Evelynne Marriott has a lot on her plate. She must find a way to keep herself and her three brothers fed and together after they decide to move to London. In order to find work, she decided to dress like a boy/man and found employment at the pin factory down the road from her boardinghouse. All went well until the factory bully decided to take her on and in so doing found out that she was a female. Why was it that from this point on in this book every person who saw Evelynne dressed in men's clothing immediately knew she was a woman? If it was so easy to tell, why had no person ever realized it before?

Evelynne's adventures with the Earl of Monteith just went too far for me. They had one super exciting incident after another and she instantly went from a woman dressed in men's clothing who worked in a pin factory to an accomplished beautiful woman who could converse with members of the ton and even make them teary eyed as she sang and played her rendition of a Scottish lullaby. Right!! And no one questioned her or her right to be at this stylish, exclusive, house party except the mean, nasty woman who just happened to be the Earl's ex-mistress. Right, again!!

No. I'm sorry, it was to pat. She went over too easily. (Just as a slight aside, did the landlady at the boardinghouse who had Evelynne's brothers care thrust upon her during Evelynne's many long absences EVER ask where the heck she had been? She just went haring off without any message to anybody. Wasn't that remarked upon, did no one think that was odd? Were no explanations asked for nor given?) Lord Monteith (Robbie) changed personality so many times my head fairly swam. The estrangement between them went on much too long because of her stubborn attitude (or because the publisher wanted a longer book - your choice!) and at the end all I could think was how glad I was to finally get them together so that they seemed likely to stay together - this time.

By the way, what was Lord Monteith's gift? The apples, the turkey, his love, the horse, his heart? I don't know!

This is the first Nancy Butler romance I have read - and enjoyed the humor and fun of it.

I am continuing to catch up on Nancy Butler's back-list. Lord Monteith's Gift (a cabin/road romance) is an entertaining story with characters who are, in the main, well rounded and satisfactory.

Lord Monteith, a dour Scot and former military man, is now a politician working on reform matters. The heroine, Evelynne Marriott, is a young woman somewhat down on her luck. In a plot which combines intrigue with comedic misunderstanding, the author gives us a satisfying read.

However, I felt somewhat disappointed that the author resorts to allowing the hero behaving in a somewhat incredulous in order to facilitate the climax of the story. I felt she could have found another way rather than allowing him what was, by that point in the relationship with the heroine, caddish behaviour. This, for me, was a weakness in the plotting.

I was enchanted by one of the secondary characters, Arkady, Marquess of Mitford, a half Russian man of mystery and many facets. I can't see evidence that Nancy Butler has given him his own story; shame, that - he was great fun and very attractive!

Although perhaps not a keeper, I do recommend Lord Monteith's gift as a good read, peopled by three dimensional characters and a satisfying love story. I do feel, however, that the plot was perhaps the weakest point here although not overly so.

Nancy Butler's first effort well illustrates just why this talented writer has fast become one of the best-loved authors in Regency Romance today. Robert MacIntyre, the Earl of Monteith is a dour man who follows a straight and narrow path to preserve his reputation and standing in the ton. But then he meets Evelynne Marriott, a charmingly headstrong heroine who is more concerned with keeping her family together than observing the social niceties of a well-bred young gentlewoman. When this unlikely duo meet, Robbie soon finds himself off his narrow path and onto a rocky road of danger, whimsy, and most importantly, love. I couldn't put this story down as I waited for Robbie to truly realize just what a gift he had found in Evelynne.

I seem to be in the minority reviewing this apparently much loved book, but I was vastly disappointed. I have read a few of Ms. Butler's books. My favority is "The Ramshackle Suitor", which introduces the reader to Jason, Arkady's heir. Arkady's is a great character, and I hope to see a book that would include him and Jason. I actually enjoyed "Lord Montheith's Gift" up to page 179, where, for me, the story fell apart and any liking for the book was lost in the dragged out conclusion. It is refreshing to read a regency where the lead female character, in this case, Eveline, actually does have and appreciates her sexual curiosiy and nature. And Robbie, the Earl of Monteith, I found to be a hunky lead. However, he makes the mistake of rejecting Evelynne for marriage since she is from a lower class and the scandal could hurt his political ambitions. Given the time period, this was not something outlandish for him to consider. After all, his political ambitions were strong. But he regrets his choice, and begs (and I mean begs) Evelynne to give him another chance. Evelynne's 50 - 60 pages of refusals were exhausting. Most women, while being very hurt by the rejection, would be at leasing willing to listen and try again if one was actually in love. It takes a better person to admit being wrong and in the end, Robbie was the better man. Evelynne, by being so filled with smug righteousness, was made small and unattractive. I actually wished Robbie gave up on her and went on and met someone else!

Pleyn Delit is the first mediæval cookbook I bought, and it's an excellent one. All recipes are presented in two versions: the exact original (in Middle English, vulgar Latin, Old French or whatever) and a modern redaction. Having the original there enables one to do one's own redaction if the modern one is unsatisfactory, or if one suspects it makes some unwarranted assumptions.

It's a great start for someone interested in historical cuisine.

If there was one book to get on the subject of medieval cooking, it would be this one. It's a selection of recipes from western Europe in the late Middle Ages, mostly French and English (there is a lot of Middle English in this book, and for the most part it's not that hard to read, though much of it is not in the somewhat familiar Chaucer dialect), with a smattering of Italian and even Middle Eastern. For each dish, the original recipe (translated into modern English if not already in middle English) is given along with commentary and a modernized recipe. The authors helpfully point out such things as transcription errors (i.e. a recipe for Sauce Cameline that lacks the critical ingredient of cinnamon) as well as providing an extensive bibliography showing the original sources of each recipe in the book.

It seems that this book is quite popular among Ren Faire and SCA geeks, so if you want some good medieval recipes to start you off, this is the one to buy. It's got a few weaknesses -- despite an extensive bibliography, there is a lack of deep historical background in the book, and there is a heavy emphasis on British recipes that might strike one as a bit odd. It's not the be-all, end-all of medieval cookbooks, but overall, it's a good start, and more than sufficient if you just have to whip up something for the Ren Faire next weekend.

This was my very first medieval-food book. To my amazement, it actually works well as a "mundane" cookbook too. The recipes are presented with the primary source they come from first (translated if the source isn't in at least somewhat-recognizable English), with a redaction following.

Not all the redactions are easy to work with, and sometimes the results are.. well.. uneven (watch out for the sage sauce one that calls for chopped boiled eggs). I suspect that three people making the same recipe would come out with three different dishes. That said, some recipes are just mouthwatering -- a thickened wine sauce for meats went over well at one feast I helped with, and most of the vegetable recipes are tasty and easy to prepare.

A decent bibliography is included with the work, as well as an analysis of period spices and spice mixes. I'd recommend this to anybody interested in medieval cooking -- it dispels a lot of myths and presents a number of dishes that prove that we haven't changed all that much.

`Pleyn Delit' subtitled `Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks' by Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler, all Canadian Ph.D. professional historians, is a scholarly book of very old Western European recipes translated into modern English, modern measurements, and readily available ingredients. Unlike several recent books by Francine Segan on recipes of Shakespeare's time and recipes of ancient Greece and Rome, this is a genuinely scholarly book with much less flash and much more exposition on how recipes were translated from an old English more familiar to Chaucer's pilgrims than 21st century foodies.

One can easily wonder what possible use such a book would be to members of the Food Network generation who do not happen to have any interest in medieval studies. How can one possibly appreciate a cuisine with no tomatoes, potatoes, chilis, corn, or string beans? Well, there are a few things a nonscholar foodie can get from this book.

First, it is an excellent source of recipes for entertaining to a Middle Ages theme. I can easily imagine that after a few years of running through food themes from Provence, Tuscany, Asian Georgia, Lebanon, New Delhi, Saigon, Kyoto, Hong Kong, and Kiev, one can suddenly find themselves at a loss for something new.

Second, for the somewhat more adventurous, who happen to have a green thumb or some nearby friendly greengrocers with an eye to the unusual, there is the opportunity to try unusual herbs and greens, some of which the authors cannot imagine why they have fallen out of favor. In an environment where foodies are searching out nettles and pig's jowls, people will be more than happy to find new scavenger hunt targets such as borage and sorrel.

Third, these recipes are generally very easy, which is not too hard to understand, as the job of collecting the ingredients required a lot more work than a quick trip to the local megamart.

Fourth, these recipes are great for people who are very fond of eggs, nuts, old grains, game meats, and `garbage'. `Garbage' happens to mean odd pieces of flesh that are perfectly edible, but with only a small amount of edible meat such as chicken heads and giblets.

Lastly, the old English vocabulary is really funny to modern eyes. The use of `garbage' is just a sample of the fun one can find in the shifts in word meanings that pop up in these recipe and ingredient names.

All of these delights are available in a very nicely inexpensive paperback from the University of Toronto.

Be aware that the recipe translations are not literal, and the authors make no claim to doing literal translations, as they have clearly proclaimed in their subtitle. They often reverse steps, as when vegetables are diced before being cooked rather than after, as specified in the original recipe. And, recipes are written in a modern style in that prep instructions are given with the ingredients rather than in the procedure.

My only objection to this book is in their technique for citing the sources of their recipes. There is no explanation for the method of citing sources, so I assume it is a commonly accepted English / Canadian scholarly tradition, but, as this is a scholarly book with value to non-scholars, I found the method very annoying. Once I caught onto the method, it was still difficult for me, a person trained in various academic arcana, to track down many of the references. If the authors do a third edition, creating a foodie friendly method of references would be a big improvement.

A very nice and very fresh foodie resource for a very reasonable price. If you are willing to slog through a little old English and some scholarly garnishes, you will enjoy this book.

Finally a decent medieval cookbook I can recommend in addition to internet sources. As a person who announces the date, time and place for monthly medieval feasts and who participates in these feasts, I always try to give participants decent sources and recipes for the food preps used in the Middle Ages. Pleyn Delit provides a wealth of useful recipes, all quite tasty, though our modern palattes might require some re-adjusting. The recipes are easy to follow, and this book makes my life as a medieval feast planner much easier.
I hope the authors will expand on the recipes in the future.

Sandra Jones Ireland (avid SCA participant and an excellent cook/baker, feast planner), Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada