Caldwell Books

I was thumbing through some books at my local library, when I came across the book Ceremony Of The Innocent by Taylor Caldwell, and I could remember reading that this was Stevie Nicks favorite book, so I decided to give it a try, and I am glad I did, because it turned me on to a wonderful author named Taylor Caldwell. Captain and The Kings is my second book of Taylors to read, and I also enjoyed it as well. I am now on the look out for other Taylor Caldwell books.

I have not received this book at this time. I hope someone will contact me about this. I have e-mailed back I have not received it. Thank you.
Bobby Thompson

Enjoyed this book and bought a copy to send to my mother an avid reader.

One of many wonderful books Taylor Caldwell wrote. This one makes you wonder who's really in charge of things.

If I could recommend only one book, it would be Taylor Caldwell's "Captains and the Kings." Here are three reasons.

Caldwell's fascinating tale is filled with ironic, powerful, and unique insight into human nature and behavior. She will entice you into turning page after page without rest, until you reach the end of her story. Then you'll sit wondering if you really read all that, tempted to go back to read it again. Craftsmanship and story-weaving earns "Captains and the Kings" a place among the world's ten best books.

Caldwell writes historical fiction with intimate knowledge and perception. Her readers often wonder if she actually lived through the times she depicts with her pen. It's been said that she believed that herself; many of her other books tend to encourage this idea. "Captains and the Kings" offers a vivid and unsettling view of an earlier and much different America, in a time that was more free and open than our modern age, but also more dangerous and a great deal more heartless. If you've always wondered what the term "nitty gritty" means, read this novel! So saying, I boost the book into my top-five list!

Finally, this book has defined my experience with personal computers, the Internet, and Reality (tm) itself! After purchasing an Amiga 1000 almost twenty years ago, I found my way onto a BBS that feaured FidoNet forums. I began reading and posting on the "Issues" board. One poster commented cryptically that "Taylor Caldwell's 'Captains and the Kings' exposes how the Council on Foreign Relations rules the world." I was driven (as if by an invisible hand) to the public library, seeking out Taylor Caldwell's book. I found a captivating, often dark story that gripped my interest in sinuous coils as its weaving, bobbing head rose up to mess with my memes. With her right hand, Caldwell uses her suburb writer's skill to dazzle and entertain, but the whole time, her Left hand is busy imparting knowledge and understanding of how things really work in this world. She administers her synergistic potion in just the right strength, proportion, and rhythm to assure that most of us who might never otherwise read about a "Conspiracy" lap this up like mother's milk. During the ensuing decades, I used the 'Net to verify what I'd read; and I learned a whole lot more.

In retrospect, speaking as someone who has "earned a Ph.D. in Conspiracy Theory," it's necessary to add a small disclaimer: Caldwell does not tell all. There are things she could not or would not divulge. But don't fret! If you've had your eyes on the news the past few years - and especially the last few weeks - you'll certainly discern the missing part. The late Sufi, Idries Shah, claimed there are times when long-hidden knowledge suddenly becomes available to one and all. We are living through such a time!

Summarizing, Captains and the Kings is a remarkably well-written and captivating piece of historical fiction that will carry you back to an earlier and intriguing America at the same time it fuels you with subtle insight and knowledge and kick starts your thinking machine, proving once and for all that willful ignorance is the only real sin.

I visited Amazon this evening to buy a used copy of this book for a workplace friend. So I dedicate this review of Taylor Caldwell's "Captains and the Kings" to Ernestine.

As a teenager coming into adulthood this book was very helpful. A basic synopsis of the book basically consists of a teenage girl who gets into a wreck and her life is changed forever. She finds out she will be in a wheel-chair for the rest of her life. Reading something like this as a young girl was very inspiring. To see someone making it through as a teen and never being able to walk again helped me see I had it easy. The author of this book did a wonderful job of putting that into perspective and in a way I feel like that was her point she was trying to make. Lindsay Caldwell, the author of the book, had a great way of putting many situations that arise in a teenager's life into view.
Setting up a book properly, at times, is the number one priority for many writers. DON'T LET ME DIE is a perfect example of that. There are four different parts to this book. With thirty-six chapters in this book having sections is the only way to mark off different and important things in the writing. Caldwell does the best job of doing this. By sectioning things off she doesn't confuse you and helps you understand the concept of the actual story. Within the first few chapters of the book you become hooked. You start to feel as if you are experiencing these things in your life. Knowing that she will never be able to walk feels real to you. The author of a writing is who determines these things. If the book is very boring and straight to the point the reader doesn't get hooked and won't.
Character arrangement is very important in writing also. If you have too many characters in your story this could cause it to not keep the readers attention and confuse them. This story has a maximum of five or six characters. You can follow all of them at the same time with the way the storyline is setup. You become attached to the characters and begin to see their side of the story. You feel there feelings as if they were your own. In a way you are in the story.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a story that pulls you in. If you are interested in a long boring story then this isn't the one to get. Hopefully you read this book and enjoy it.

Hey!
My mom came home from the library with "Don't Let Me Die" for me to read. When I first saw it, I had absolutely no interest! I thought it was just my mom trying to get me to read a long book over the summer. But I was at least willing to give it a try since she had gone out and got it for me. Once I started I could not put it down! It was my favorite book of all time! I was soon glad that it was a 380 page book so it would last longer, I only wish there was a 2nd one. If you haven't read "Don't Let Me Die" by Lindsay Caldwell, you really should, it's an extremely moving book.

-Annie

I have never read a story this good in my life. I never wanted to put this book down.When I was done reading this book I wanted to read more! I think that everyone should read it! It's worth reading 36 chapters! hehe well i hope everyone eles liked it too!

-steph

At first Don't Let Me Die! looks like another semi-good teen book, but once you get past the title, it's really very powerful and moving. When Lucy is involved in a terrible car crash and loses control of her legs, she must make some tough decisions about what she is going to do.

The book covers it all: the accident itself, written very well; Lucy's waking in the hospital; her horror and shock when she finally sees her ruined legs; her stay at a physical therapy hospital. Her friendships with people from home change because of what has happened, not to mention her relationship with her boyfriend Dash. Even after she gets out of the clinic she can't move home with her mother, brother, and sister, so she stays with her grandparents on their isolated farm. There she makes some friends, meets a charming character on the internet, and starts working with a physical therapist - who just happens to start dating her mother. And once she moves back home, things start to look up again, until she finds out that her internet friend isn't quite so charming, and she must use her strength and determination to save herself.

Lucy's emotions are very realistic, and it is easy to identify with her. Most readers haven't been through a trauma that horrifying, but her fear, desperation, deep sorrow, and stubbornness are all excellent qualities. Although she does get better by the end of the book, and can use her legs some, she knows that for the rest of her life she'll have to use her wheelchair as well. That was the best part of the book, to me - the fact that it did not end happily ever after.

Also, the romantic component of the book is not too badly-done, especially for a teen novel. Lucy's relationships with her friends are solid and ring true to life, especially the way they act after her accident. I would recommend this book - look past the title, because it's a very good story of the human spirit, both determination and acceptance.

Interestingly, Lindsay Caldwell is the pen name of Diane Hoh, who is better known in the genre of teen horror books.

I got this book as a gift and at first had no interest in it. When I opened it up I soon realized what a big mistake it would have been to have never read it. It was so real I felt as if I was with Lucy when everything happened to her.It covers how a teenage girl with a seemingly perfect life has everything important taken away from her: her boyfriend, father, and her ability to walk. I cried through the whole book, it was so meaningful. Having gone through a similar situation, it helped me to read about someone who had gone through the worst and came out better and stonger in the end.Everyone should read this book. You have no idea what you're missing if you don't.

This is not only a great period read, but a truly outstanding novel. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Caldwell's research of the time period helps make the novel more believable, and makes the reader feel as if they were in the first century Roman Empire. Caldwell pays fine attention to detail when describing her settings, emotional natures, and physical traits of her characters. An example can be found on page 493; "The earth danced in heat waves; the sea flashed like blue fire." Here Caldwell personifies the earth, and uses simile to provide imagery of Lucanus's searching, and his attempts to record the life of Jesus. Again in the journey narrative, Caldwell uses metaphor to bring an ominous atmosphere to the mind's eye saying, "The moon was a yellow skull in the dark sky." Caldwell is careful not to clutter the work with description; she develops the plot well. I found her writing style easy to follow, which engages the reader and keeps them wanting more. There is no overwhelming theme of the novel; the book follows one man's journey, Lucanus (St. Luke), to come to know God and document the life of Christ. Although the book is religous in nature, Caldwell gives an objective perspective and does not preach to the reader. This is a great novel for people of all walks of life.

This book is to be read and re-read!!! It contains so much wisdom, insight, and all of it written in such a powerful way.
If you are curious about one of history's most fascinating time periods, this book will definetely enthuse you. It is filled with so many visual descriptions capable of transporting you back in time as you read! I could not put it down
Luke's story is inpiring and Caldwell's treatment is sublime.
GET YOUR HANDS ON IT TODAY!

This book is REALLY awesome. I like how Taylor makes St. Luke ( Lucanus) like a real person instead of some holy guy that you can't relate yourself to. It's full of Israelites, Romans, and Lucanus' quest to find who he is and what God calls him to do. It's truely hard to put down and is a beautiful story. I'm 13 and I reccomend this book to kids my age and up. If you want a really good book to read... this book is for you!

I just read this book and found it hard to put down. Ms Caldwell's description of the Roman world along with the portrait of the main character make this novel a must whether you are a religious person or simply a lover of history.

Even though I am agnostic I enjoyed this book a lot. I read it in under a week. It is a wonderful story, not overly religious. A fascinating look at life 2000 years ago.

Dialogues with the Devil is a fantastic voyage into the correspondence between Lucifer and Michael. The characters opinions and perspectives seem so real and tangible. Taylor writes wonderfully and never becomes dull when expressing ideas.

Overall a terrific book!

Taylor Caldwell is a first rate entertainer and while entertaining she manages to massage the imagination --- very enjoyable, thought provoking read. Most books I pass on after reading - few are kept - kept this one.

This book presents the thought that nothing is wholly good or bad. Most people have their own ideas about good and evil, God and the Devil. However strong those feelings are they may blur while reading this book. Reading the 'dialogues' I agree with what's presented then find this is the Devil's dialogue. It brought me to scrutinize my spiritual ideas and beliefs, and to reinforce that even the 'badman' is not wholly bad. Let us look for the good in us all and be honest enough to see the bad in ourselves.

Beautifully written as all the works form Taylor Caldwell an unbelievibly
inspired. Apparently it was dictated to Taylor by Archangel Darios. I don't know but is the kind of dialogue that you cannot miss if you are interested in Religion

This is a grat book for all of those who are seeking for answers about how evil came to be and why God has let it endure through the ages. This book is not intended for a mind that is too sketptical about religious matters. The person who reads this book should read it with and open mind, and be ready not to embrace what is been said, but to think about it, question it, and embrace it or reject it if he/she feels like doing so. Factual or fiction, it is up to reader to decide it. For me, it has helped me spiritually. If someone would like another great book from Taylor Caldwell I would recomend "I, Judas" and "The Romance of Atlantis." You wont regret it, these titles will be in you private library forever.

I first read this book some 30 years ago and I just reread this book for the first time in many years. I remember now why I have often said if I were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book with me, "Testimony of Two Men" would be that book.

I read a LOT by many good and well-known contemporary authors but today's authors write BOOKS.....Ms. Taylor wrote literature.

Taylor Caldwell had a gift of testing the depths of despair that the human soul can endure and in Testimony of Two Men, the story of brilliant physician Jonathan Ferrier, she outdid herself. A brutally honest man, Jon Ferrier is at war with the people he was trained to -- and is still driven to - - heal. In her introduction, Taylor Caldwell said that she wrote the story in testimony to the brilliant physicians who brought us kicking and screaming into the twentieth century, physicians who were seen as prophets by some and madmen by others. Through all of his travails weaves Jonathan's love for the beautiful and tempestuous Jenny, who rescues him from absolute self-destruction. Read it.

I have a few books that I will never part with and which I read over and over again - Testimony of Two Men is one of these books. It is also on my recommended reading list to friends and family. Every few months I check to see if the mini-series has "finally" been released on VHS or preferably on DVD. This is a terrific book and worth the time spent reading it. Enjoy.

There are few books I deem worthy to stand on a place on my LITERARY LIFE LESSONS book shelf in my own personal library in my house, and this is one of them.
I first read this book when I was 15, and have re-visited it ever since. I learn something different each time I read it, and so it remains on my esteemed library shelf.
There are so many lessons one can learn from the words of this author - she was send by God's literary angels to help us who struggle to understand the great mystery of Life with their peek into a smidgeon of The Great Understanding of Life. Throwing in pieces of factual tidbits throughout the story of what life was like for the 20th century medical professional (??) is an added bonus for those interested in history. And, of course, she remains true to the sharing of how difficult it was simply to be born female before and at the first half of the 20th century. I pray all of us women will band together to provide the support and strength of spirit that only those with curves can possibly understand. I'm tired of the "race card" crap being touted by women. We are women. That, to me, is the ultimate way to celebrate (and mourn) this life, as we create life by just being who we are. To me, woman supercedes mere "race." No matter our skin color, type of hair texture, and shape of eyes: we suffer the same on the insides, where we are all the same colors.
For men:
Those who read this novel will gain a valuable key to unlock a deeper understanding of the female entity.
Read and learn.
L.S.

This book and its mini-series (with David Birney, Laurie Prange and Linda Purl) is so richly-textured with mystery, romance, medical crisis, the family dynasty and the behind-the scenes situations of a hospital at the turn of the century (1900+) that it is nothing short of a beautiful and exquisite epic.
PLEASE, whoever owns the rights to the movie, "You would make a fortune selling this movie (VHS/DVD) to a very loyal fan base. And once it was available, more and more would sell!" - This book is a classic and its matching movie DESERVES to see the light of day once more on VHS/DVD!

John Caldwell, a young American who served in the Australian air force and the US merchant marine during WWII, found himself at the end of hostilities stranded in Panama. He had no way to get back to Australia and his new wife Mary.

With more pluck than brains Caldwell, who had not done any small boating, buys a small sailboat (about 29 feet) with the idea of sailing to far off Australia--more than 8500 miles of open Pacific. First he learns how to maneuver his boat in and around the islands off Panama, with many hilarious screw-ups. Finally he sets off across the ocean. He has a tiresome voyage to the Galapagos Islands, again with many screw-ups, some of which almost cost him his life and nearly wreck his sailboat and disable his auxiliary engine. After the Galapagos the sailing goes better as he has wind and current with him and only some 8000 miles left to go. Then about half way there, between the Marquesas Islands and Samoa, Caldwell is hit by a terrible hurricane that destroys his rig, nearly sinks his boat, and forces him to jettison all of his food, water, navigation equipment, and supplies. His prospects for survival, not to speak of getting to Australia, are remote. Fortunately he had an almost indestructible craft, and that was his greatest piece of luck.

Under jury jig and near death from starvation, he eventually fetches up in the Fiji Islands. He is nursed back to health by the kindly natives and soon makes it the rest of the way to Australia by hitching rides on boats and planes, and is reunited with his beloved Mary. They apparently have lived happily ever after (or at least until the late 1990s), even founding and running a resort in the Caribbean.

Desperate Voyage is a wonderful and wonderfully engaging story. Caldwell writes so well and so engagingly that this book is really hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You cannot help liking this plucky screw-up with a penchant for survival. Of course, I feel somewhat guilty enjoying this tale so much--after all it is mostly about screw-ups, disaster, pain, and close brushes with death most of which resulted from Caldwell's rashness and carelessness. Caldwell's voyage is not one to emulate. But as A.J. Mackinnon says in his masterful The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow (another boating story full of screw-ups) "No screw-ups, no story." Certainly if Caldwell had been an accomplished yachtsman and as careful as we boaters are supposed to be, there would have been nothing here to laugh and cry about. Also when reading Caldwell's tale I was reminded of Mackinnon's admission: "Of course, I exaggerate for effect." How much has Caldwell exaggerated to enhance his tale? No one knows, but I sincerely doubt that he really drank his engine oil in order to assuage his hunger when he was starving.

More than thirty years ago when my young family were avid deep water sailors, I read many survival and adventure stories written by those who had had narrow escapes. John Caldwell's vivid tale of his struggle to return to his Australian lady love following his release from the Navy at the end of WWII still stands out in my mind. This year, as I home school my grandson and encourage him to develop innovative thinking, determination and loyalty, "Desperate Voyage" once again comes to mind. One of your other reviewers remarked that Caldwell "had no literary pretentions," but his book is, nevertheless, well worth reading for Caldwell's own humor and durability in the face of disaster. I am happy once again to add it to my library on my grandson's behalf.

This was a very insightfull book of one man's sailing adventure to return to his true love. I was very moved by this book as I have visited both Costa Rica (from where he starts his adventure) and where he finally found his perfect island in the West Indies. Both sailers and non sailers will love his humour and love.

Un relato extraordinario. Te quitará horas de sueño y alimentará tus sueños. (¡Y tus pesadillas!) Aunque no es una lectura recomendable para quien no tenga ya un buen nivel de inglés, la naturalidad y sencillez del relato te atrapa con su ritmo y su fiebre. Desde luego, peca de evidentes y numerosos excesos y fantasías completamente inverosímiles, como pescar y subir a bordo a un tiburón vivo de varios metros que termina destrozando el barco o comer cuero de zapato frito con aceite de motor, lo cual parece un poco excesivo incluso para el proverbial mal gusto culinario que atribuimos a ingleses y sajones. Pero la tensión y la viveza del relato es tal que eclipsa cualquier defecto. Gran viaje y gran libro. Apaga la tele y disfrútalo.

This is a true story that is more engrossing than pretty much any novel you are likely to find. After the end of the Second World War, the author's Australian wife is ten thousand miles away, and it is impossible for him to book passage from the States to Australia, what with the war just having ended and available shipping tied up for years. So he decides to do a solo sail in a small sailboat from Panama to Sydney.

Therein lies a tale of hardship, resourcefulness, courage, and (may I say it) at least one part bad judgment, as the author single-handedly crosses the better part of the Pacific Ocean in a small and primitive, but plucky sailing vessel. I am sure that I am not giving anything away when I tell you that the author stares death and starvation in the face on more than one occasion.

The author knows how to tell a good story, and I was unable to put this one down once I got past about the first chapter. I was up until 3 in the morning trying to finish it, unable to put it down or go to sleep. This is a terrific story with equal parts humor, desperation, and audaciousness.

This is a classic mariner's tale that anyone who loves boats or the ocean will want to read, own, and read repeatedly. Highly recommended.

This is a great book and I recommend EVERYONE should read it. Parents, grandparents, and even teens! Too often adults feel they are too old to learn. Children should be taught from an early age to love learning and that learning doesn't just happen 5 days a week from 8 - 3. This book is awesome and I wish my parents had read and followed it when I was a child.

A book for everyone interested in how children learn. It would be of special interest to unschoolers or natural learners. Very eye-opening regarding the way children perceive the world and how they constantly learn from it, even when we interfere with this learning process.

Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I'm no fan of public school and recently began homeschooling/ unschooling, and I've done a lot of reading on both sides of that coin. Still, something about how John Holt writes about children and how they learn and the little things that can make it or break it... captures my attention, makes me laugh, and continues to enlighten me. I wish there were more passionate people in the world like him.

This is as good as all his other books. Very practical as well. Several other sources are listed in the text, as well as many materials and a wise way of using them.

Once your read this book Holt's ideas will be so obvious and self-evident that you will feel stupid for not realizing them yourself. He truly loves children and has tremendous respect for them and their capacity as human beings.

This book completely changed the way I think about children. It had a domino effect that had me reevaluating my entire worldview.

This book has become a favorite of mine - it's a classic! I plan to recommend it to many of my family & friends - & I highly recommend it to you too!

The chapters in this book are actually categorized as "souls" - each one dealing with 1 person who came to "the Listener" in a broken state, and left healed (in more ways than one).

This book has the potential to really hit home - showing that we ALL have problems (no one is immune), and that we are NEVER really alone - a concept that is so easy to forget these days.

I don't want to spill the beans re: who the listener is, but after you read the first chapter you'll instinctivly know (if not by the first chapter, then definitely by the second). Once your realize who it is, it will serve as a reminder that we all have a "listener" - available any time, day or night.

I am a Hindu believer by birth, The Listener is one of those few rare books that opened up my horizon to the truth and suffering of Christ (and human beings. In fact, this book gives me watery eyes every time I read it, and I read it often. The New Testament was written by The Apostles in The Apostles` words, while The Listener is The New Testament written by and in the laymen`s words.

This book, published in 1960, tells the story of 15 "souls" -- people from many walks of life -- from judges and doctors to a humble, devout cleaning lady. Each person goes into a sanctuary like building to spend time with "The Listener."

I won't tell you who "The Listener" is. You might guess, and you might not. But one thing I can guarantee -- your life won't be the same after you read this book. You can be Catholic, Protestant (with all the variations therein) or even a Hindu, Moslem or Jew, and be challenged by reading this book.

Through these 15 stories, Taylor Caldwell expresses more about the real essence of Christianity than all of the "Doctrinal" books I have read -- and as a PK (preacher's kid) I've read a lot of them. This describes more than a "religion." It is a relationship with the real originator of Christianity.

We have a lot of garbage being promoted in the name of religion today -- and a lot of it is in the name of religion, and trying to be carried out politically. It's easy to forget that Jesus Christ Himself was notoriously apolitical. He was about REAL spirituality -- something that starts in the innermost part of a person and spreads outward.

The message of this beautiful book is as important today as it was when it was written. The fact that circumstances and cultures have changed is irrelevant -- human nature hasn't changed at all.

Read this story. It will be among the most worthwhile time you've spent.

I began reading Taylor Caldwell as a teenager in the 1980s. I thought that she was just another romance writer at the time. However, as I have grown and my literary tastes have evolved, I find myself coming back to Taylor again and again. There is something far more than simply a good story or interesting characters in Taylor's writing. She is a spiritual writer, a woman with great insight and depth who understands the suffering of humanity, and the hope that lives beyond this ephemeral world. At the ripe old age of 40 I am reading The Listener for the very first time. I feel like I have reconnected with a long lost friend. The writer's kind and knowing voice serves as a kind of spiritual guide.
The story is quite simple. People go to a quiet sanctuary to meet with a "listener" in private. At first, the individuals are timid and uncertain of the listener's identity. Is he a psychiatrist, a physician, a clergyman? The troubled individual bears his or her soul to the listener and gradually experiences a sense of peace, grace and forgiveness. At the close of the session, the individual encounters "the listener" beyond the blue curtains and is overwhelmed by what he or she sees. It is a mystical experience, what one imagines to be a vision of Christ.
Taylor's main message is this: we can go through our entire lives, if we will it so, in a virtual fog of ego and delusion. Then, if we are lucky, "blessed" some might say, we will be given a single moment of grace in which the scales fall from our eyes and all at once, we see the truth of who we are and the purpose of our existences as mortals on this earth. That moment is both humbling and painful- and yet it brings us tremendous meaning and joy. Read this book as you would read sacred script of any religion- with reverance and gratitude.

If you never felt like anyone ever really listened to you, then come here and enter The Listener's unique chamber. He doesn't say a word. He listens to all your problems or perceived threats, jealousies, sins, resentments, guilts or whatever devil is hounding you, without judgement or condemnation. You will leave the chamber with deep reflection about your life, maybe relief, at the very least understanding human frailities and man's often vicious and petty nature and how love transcends and lets you feel like you are not alone. I have read his book many times through different stages of my life, passed it on to a few
in times of trouble or fear, or just out of pure joy. You will not regret picking up this loving novella of short stories within the big chapter of life.

I read this book when I was in elementary school (going on 43 here!) and until a year ago, I had this book in my collection to pass on to my kids, but sadly it has disappeared. I used to love this book and I love reading books about animals and believe it or not this book made me cry as did the book Snow Dog and Old Yeller. I even did a report on Yellow Eyes when I read it for school.

Picked this up at a Scholastic bookmobile at school, when I was a but a wee tot -- relatively speaking. STill one of my favorite books, and it held up when I re-read it decades later!

I read this book when I was a kid and remember it as one of my favorites. Recently I found it in a box of old books at my mother's house and brought it out to read to my kids. They where just as spell bound as I was. It is one of the most successful books at seeing life through the eyes of a wild animal without huminizing the animal. It does harken back to a time when the govermant paid people to kill animals rather then preserve them. That is a little confussing to kids but is a valuable history lesson.

"Yellow Eyes" is the first book that I can remember picking out from my school library, back when I was in 2nd grade at Des Moines Christian School. I remember this distinctly--I had to give them my last name in the library and I did not know how to spell it! Like other reviewers here, I can remember feeling for this cougar as it made its way. It imparted in me a deep respect for nature. To this day, the cougar is my "favorite animal", no doubt largely due to the influence of this tale. I bought a copy for my own son to read.

This is a book that I heard about when I was young and never read until just recently. Yellow Eyes is a cougar, and has adventures growing up. I used it as summer reading for my children. We sat together and I read the book to them, chapter by chapter. We then discussed all that we read. Reading this book is truly a moving experience as Yellow Eyes faced many dangers and some unexpected twists and turns. The writing is superb and the story development is excellent. If you are a fan of Avi and Poppy and Rye or Ereth books, this is for you!

This book is great. With its simple approach it's good for beginners, as well as more seasoned artists--Ben Calwell's style is FANTASTIC. For me this book works as an excellent character design book. Love it, five stars.

I very rarely write comments on books, but I had to make an exception for this book because it is far and away so much better than all the other books I own on cartooning. I keep it close by my desk for regular reference. When I teach my children to draw, this is the book we ALWAYS come back to. I'll probably buy a second copy soon because I am wearing my first copy out and I simply can't imagine not having this book around. Unlike other cartooning books that I find to be annoyingly wordy or too simple, this book is PACKED with vital, detailed, HOW-TO instructions on drawing dynamic figures in exciting poses. It gives you a full, easy method on how to draw ANY pose in 3-D, from ANY visual angle. It provides plenty of step-by-step instructions so you can practice this same method over and over until you master it. It provides detailed instructions and examples of important techniques like overlapping and fore-shortening, so your characters have depth, and can appear as if they are jumping off the page right at you. It gives amazing details on basic anatomy - both male and female. It shows how to draw difficult body parts like hands and feet. It also provides valuable information on character design, like explaining facial features that make a character appear young or old; how to make a character look heroic, charming, tough, or mixing these features to suggest hints of various personality traits. For example, you can mix features to create an intelligent looking, tough guy. It explains how to draw various expressions - not from templates - but how you can design your own. Most art books I buy I feel could have been cut down to half their size. But not this book - this book fits everything into only 80 pages, but every page gives you something of real value. It does not discuss color, and I would have like to have seen a section on dealing with hair, but other than that, the book is - far and away - the best value in cartooning that I own. If you want to learn to cartoon action figures - not copy them - but really create your own dynamic and exciting poses from scratch - right out of you own imagination, then buy this book. You won't regret it.

This is a pretty good book for the hobbyist who wants to improve his or her drawing skills, but there's no information beyond that. What do professional cartoonists do once they've finished sketching? We're never told. There's nothing about transitioning from pencil to pen, or what kind of pens to use, no mention of light boards or lettering or laying out panels, not one word about color. Do professional cartoonists use computers for any of this? We're not told. Frankly, I was disappointed. (Not to mention a tad turned off by the "Don't worry, guys!" on the back cover. What is this, the fifties?) I was looking specifically for that information, and would have given this book two stars, but you get what you pay for.

I have several books on drawing the human figure and this is in the top two. Lots of great ideas and examples, and they're all very carefully drawn to avoid throwing the student off. Some books have vague or confusing examples; the examples here are always clear and straightforward and easy to mimic. Great examples of head poses; over the shoulder, tilted, etc., in relationship to the body.

I bought this used for a pittance and boy, did I ever get a bargain.

I stood at the comics and graphic novels section of the bookstore tonight browsing for about an hour looking for an introductory book on drawing characters, looking at guides for everything from how to draw anime to superheroes to fantasy characters before I finally settled on a book.

This was it!

Where the books from other authors and illustrators were noteworthy for each having a couple of really cool moments amidst many many examples, Action! Cartooning basically non-stop coolness. The action starts as soon as you open the cover with neat cartoon sketches and he basically doesn't let up until the book is finished, even when he's sketching right on the index pages at the end of the book!

Ben Caldwell's book is jam packed with cool illustrations and an amazing vibe. It's a happy serendipitous occurence where he not only happens to be talented at what he does, you can also tell he's incredibly enthusiastic about what he does and is also very good at teaching you how to do it.