Butler Books

This is the life story of Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler - the Ladies if Llangollen, who eloped together from their Irish homes in 1778, and settled in Llangollen, where they set up a household which was famous in their day, and ever since, as the `Ladies of Llangollen'. Mavor's work - originally published in 1971 - remains the definitive work on the subject, largely in the absence of any competitor. Mavor gives a detailed description the circumstances of the Ladies elopement, and their living arrangements at Plas Newydd in Llangollen. She situates the Ladies in the `society' of their day, to the extent that I wondered whether Mavor fancies - or wished - herself in similar circles. There are interesting questions about Sarah and Elizabeth's backgrounds (both Irish, on Protestant, one impoverished Catholic), and how far their backgrounds account for their choice of such and unconventional lifestyle, which might be better addressed by a contemporary author, with an understanding of the operation of `oppression'. On the question of whether the Ladies were lesbians, Mavor is straightforward in supporting their denial of such an accusation, and her presentation of the evidence is rather stronger than some more recent attempts to claim Sarah and Eleanor to the cause, without really considering the circumstances of their lives. However, there is room for an investigation of the subject which is more aware of recent work on the subject. The Ladies remain a fascinating and under-researched subject, and Plas Newydd is a delightful place to visit; in the absence of a new account, Mavor's work remains definative.

This is a short biography of Samuel Butler, written by Henry Festing Jones, a personal friend of his. This book covers all of his life, from his wasted youth, through his loss of religion, his authorship of Erewhon and The Way of All Flesh, and on to his death. Being written by a friend, this book contains no surprises and very little analysis. However, if you want a quick introduction to Samuel Butler, then this book is for you.

First and most notably, the contributors to this book are all extremely well qualified; most of them are professors from prestigious universities whose fields of expertise include sociology, urban and regional planning, and political sciences. Each angle of the Los Angeles riots is discussed objectively with in-depth analysis. The book covers issues before that caused the riots, during the event, and after the dust has cleared. The authors present lessons to be learned from the Rodney King tape, the proceeding trial and the social reasons why each neighborhood in LA is unstable. The book also presents hard evidence about the Rodney King incident, including recordings of the policemen involved and how non-chalant they were about the beating. Most of the points raised in the book are accompanied by charts and figures that illustrate each idea. All of the arguments made are followed by solid precedents and findings from independent researchers. This book is not light reading, but it will be the best source possible for writing a paper or learning all there is to be learned on the topic.

My husband's family was displaced by the TVA and is listed in this book. It is a great piece of history documenting a community before it is wiped off the map. It is helpful in working on the family tree. One caveat - (which they mention in the front of the book) - this book is from handwritten notes made by workers interviewing families in the area. We know one relative who is listed in a household as Judy, when she is in fact Lucy (we can see how trying to read someone else's handwriting how this is possible). None-the-less, we have had numerous compliments on the book and have bought additional books as gifts.

As a beginning reader of the better and more difficult books, this was a great start and I'm glad Ms. butler gave me the chance to expand my horizon of knowlegde, by reading her book.It showed me not to take my life for granted, even though at certain times I should.

Maybe this is one of the lesser known books on the Western Mystery Tradition; I was lucky find a reprint in a discount bookstore over a decade ago. Published some time ago, before the New Age 'explosion', its presentation isn't showy, and it doesn't pretend to provide all the 'secrets'. What it does do, however, is provide a serious introduction Western Magical thought outlining the psychological and philosophical foundations of the movement - as Butler notes in the endnote, sometimes with a tantalising lack of specific detail - but you can be sure that what you read here is written for the right reasons. Read in conjunction with The Magician: His Training and Work, by the same author.

Bought this book for a grad level class I am taking. Very easy to read. Preface in each chapter to historical documents and separate preface to modern writings. Gives a look at both sides of the story; not just the party line. Would recommend to both student and lay reader alike.

I read this book and I felt that it really nailed a lot of things on the head. I believe that parents really do have a lot to do with teaching their child to become smarter. A lot of parents these days want to blame the school system and the educators for thier children not learning the educational material, when really a lot of the learning comes from the parents. I, for one, have implemented some of the techniques that Portes says to do with children. I have a 12 year old nephew who was not doing so well in school and his mother wanted to blame his lack of success in school on the child and the educators. Since I have read this book it has opened my eyes to ways that he could learn the material in an engaging way. Just by simply watching an interesting educational movie on television or taking him to a football field to measure how long it is in feet, yards, etc. All of these things can really make a difference if people just learn to be more creative in how they teach things. Children learn a lot by modeling adults behaviors, so adults should set a good example for the chilren. Overall, I felt that this was a really good book and would recommend it to anyone who would like to make thier child smarter.

June 16,2008 As an author, I attended Book Expo America in Los Angeles. I live part time in Las Vegas and Valentino Crespo's unique book intersted me so I got a copy of it and just finished reading it. While the title indicates inside secrets will be shared, I found a few bonus sections.

ONE. I think it is a great story about what can be created through positive thinking...the power of your own mind mixed with ability. When he first came to Las Vegas, he knew he had a dream...but it hadn't reached full definition. He believed in himself and made his ambitions come true. It is a lesson in self-confidence and doing WHAT IT TAKES to make things happen.

TWO. There are some chapters about the history of Las Vegas where he spins tales about Las Vegas of the past. I had never heard most of those stories and as an author found them extremely interesting. In fact, the next Silver Sisters Mystery book in the funny, award-winning series I write with my sister is "Vanishing Act in Vegas." After reading Valentino's accounts of little-known history, I must say "thank you" for rounding out the history for me.

I did have some questions about some of the butler protocol he discusses in the book, and intend to e-mail him with my questions. It is a world I knew nothing about. He also manages to stay discrete when he tells some amusing stories without divulging the identity of, as he calls them, his kings and queens.

THREE. You will also find some of his recipes in the book.

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Maxine is a young and eager dalmatian. She lives at a fire house and wants to ride in the engine with the fire fighters but she's too jumpy to ride along.

Maxine finds mentorship in the ghost of a previous fire house dog who probably died in the line of service. Through a series of lessons, Maxine learns how to harness her enthusiasm to be a trustworthy fire dog.

I liked the ghost story and how it incorporated the history and techniques of fire fighting. As to be expected with this sort of story, Maxine gets to prove herself in dramatic fashion at the close of the book. Although predictable, it is rewarding.