Cameron Books

I've enjoyed two books in this series so far. The writing is crisp, the settings fascinating, and the characters well sketched. As a fan of Amelia Peabody and her Egyptian/London adventures, I'm always looking for similar series.

Jade has lots of potential. She's almost TOO tough at times. I find myself wishing that just once she'd put on a dress, some lipstick and sip a bit of champagne! I also find myself liking Harry, the rather dashing hunter that she mistrusts and abuses, rather than the new heroic Sam, who seems just a little bit too perfect.

A most enjoyable book, and I'm looking forward to further ventures!

This was not the best novel, have read all her others but this one I found to repetative to all the others.

The indomitable Jade del Cameron is back in British East Africa, this time out photographing elephants for the magazine she works for. Jade's best friends, 12-year-old Jelani and Lord Avery and Lady Beverly Dunbury, accompany her to the forest, while another old acquaintance, Harry Hascombe, is camping nearby, leading a safari of his own. It doesn't take long for intrigue to land in Jade's lap when she and her friends discover the carcasses of four slain elephants, and one murdered soldier. They send a runner to report the deaths to the authorities, but Jade isn't about to wait around and do nothing in the interim, especially when she's shot at twice in one day. Still not willing to forgive Harry for attempting to dupe her in the past, she suspects his safari of being involved in the poaching, so she and the Duburys visit his camp and meet his German clients, who are an odd bunch, to say the least.

During her forest wanderings, Jade also stumbles upon the poachers' cache of ivory, along with several crates of rifles. She knows there's more underfoot than just elephant poaching, though the evidence shows that the same individuals are behind all of it. Jade is assisted this time out by an American pilot friend of the Dunburys who joins them on safari, Sam Featherstone. Sam was a pilot in the war, and Jade finds herself attracted to him despite thinking the attraction may be just because he's a pilot, like her dead almost fiancé. Sam proves a valuable ally, though, when her gun bearer is shot, and then when young Jelani is kidnapped by slave traders. Jade keeps fearlessly investigating the poaching and gun running despite her friends' worries, not in the least concerned about her own welfare when elephants are being killed and someone is apparently getting ready to stage a revolution. Then when Jelani disappears, all bets are off.

I liked Jade del Cameron off the bat in her first adventure, Mark of the Lion. This book just made me like her more. She's fearless and very independent, but she is not full of herself or preachy. It is fun to see a woman with her personality in this setting, well in advance of the women's movement. She is not a feminist, just an extremely capable realist. It will be interesting to see where her relationship with Sam goes in future novels. Unfortunately, there has only been one more Jade del Cameron adventure published so far, and once I gobble that up I'll have to wait several months for her next.

American Jade del Cameron has ended up in British East Africa, after working as an ambulance driver in the Great War. She has settled on a career of travel writing and photography in Africa, and travels out to the wild to photograph elephants. Traveling with her are her friends Beverly and Avery Dunbury, her young charge Jelani, and her pet cheetah, Biscuit.

They stumble across elephant carcasses, victims of ivory poachers, as well as her old friend and irritating suitor Harry Hascombe and the party of German tourists he is leading on a safari.

Jade is suspicious of Harry and his Germans, and finds clues linking them to the poachers and to gun smuggling. Young American pilot Sam Featherstone arrives at their camp, hoping to make movies of elephants, complicating the plot and Jade's feelings. Since her fiance, a pilot in the war, was killed she has resolutely avoided romantic entanglements.

Jade tracks the poachers, finds and hides a cache of German guns, sets snares, dismantles a pit trap, and tracks down Jelani when he is kidnapped by slavers. She does get a tiny bit of help from her friends--and an unusual man who appears out of nowhere, an ancient and mysterious native named Boguli, who leads her to safe trails and hiding places when she is stalking the evil leader of the poachers.

Armchair Interviews says: This book follows The Mark of the Lion. Arruda is a zookeeper and biologist, and has researched her wildlife extensively. If you like Isak Dinesen, and Beryl Markham, Jade is a woman in their mold.

Set in British East Africa shortly after the end of World War I, "Stalking Ivory" is the second novel featuring American adventurer turned photojournalist Jade del Cameron. In this story, Jade has travelled to an area of Northern Kenya called Mount Marsabit to take photos of elephants for the magazine "The Traveller". But when Jade and her British friends stumble upon slaughtered elephants with their ivory hacked off, they quickly realize they are on the trail of a group of poachers. Not to mention their discovery of a murdered Kings African Rifle soldier along with the elephants.

This fast-paced, exciting story brings back several characters introduced in the first Jade del Cameron story "The Mark of the Lion". A key figure in the story is Jelani, a young Kikuyu boy whom Jade and her British friends the Averys have adopted. When Jelani is kidnapped from their camp, an enraged Jade sets off through the savannah and desert to find him and bring the kidnappers to justice. This story also introduces a possible romantic interest for Jade, an American film-maker named Sam Featherstone. Readers will have to wait for the next book in this series to see where the relationship between Jade and Sam is headed.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable, full of great African scenery and larger than life characters. I highly recommend this book and its predecessor "The Mark of the Lion."

You are kidding me!!!!! I can not believe that there is actually a book written for those who want to cheat and destroy a family. This is sick. If you are even considering something like this maybe perhaps try one of the few: counceling, divorce, or growing up! Ha...Hanging in there for your children...give me a break. If this is your idea of a "favor" to them then I would hate to hear about your mistakes. Maybe you guys should try looing outside of yourselves for once in your lifetime.

This is an extremely helpful book. I wish I had known this information some time back. I could have avoided a considerable amount of emotional pain by not selecting the "wrong" type of person with which to have a clandestine relationship. Now I have been in a loving affair with a wonderful man for two years. So far we have been able to keep this private. I know I will have a better chance at keeping this relationship going with the information I have read in the book. I would highly recommend this book!

I loved this book! It contains the most open and honest assessment of extra marital affairs I have ever seen in a book. It reveals a fact about which our culture has been in denial: affairs are common and need not mean the end of an otherwise good and practical marriage. Ben Franklin once stated that "as long as there is marriage without love, there will be love without marriage." Many people will not like this book, as its ideas run counter to the prevailing cultural winds, but anyone with an open mind will appreciate it.

This book is interesting, entertaining, and practical. Filled with common sense, this will greatly help those wanting affection from outside their marriage. If an affair is something that a person can not avoid, then this is THE guide to have. I think every detail pertaining to the subject is addressed very well.

Although there are lots of books directed to "hurt" spouses, this book was the first one I found that seriously and compassionately deals with a real problem that people seldom admit: What do you do when you are married and have children with someone who is self-absorbed or self-centered and months or years of marriage counselling haven't changed them? They may be a good parent and, knowing how important it is for your children's well-being, you stay for their sake. I felt that I was stuck in a bad situation that would be going on for years while I grew older. Religion, hobbies, sports and community service can't be everyone's substitute for a loving adult relationship.

This book was a lifesaver for me. It's very well written and full of practical advice. It helped me find and keep my special friend to help me through this until my children are older. My life is so much more bearable, so much happier now. It's not an ideal situation, but it has made it possible for me to stick it out for my kids.

I want to admit right off that I have become rather fond of this series (Once Upon a Time) and Beauty Sleep has just become my second favorite in the series (Before Midnight being my favorite). All the stories in this series are short (this one coming in just over 200 pages) and Beauty Sleep is sweet with a romantic bent (i.e. happily ever after) yet it offers a number of fun, new twists on the classic fairytale we grew up with. The Aurore of this version is not a helpless, spoiled princess; she is an independent, vibrant young person with a passion for life, a genuine curiosity about the world around her and a penchant for getting herself in trouble. Because Dokey's version focuses on Aurore...her personality and her life (how she has to live as a result of the curse) rather than on that of those around her and while the curse hangs thick around her, very little of the story line is given over to the "evil fairy" and almost nothing is given over to her "nap." I also enjoyed the development of the "Charming" character...it was a nice twist on the original storybook character with echoes of traits seen in some recent movies (think Shrek), but which still manages to be original and it was interesting to see his character develop. I have to admit some disappointment with the ease with which I was able to figure out the "twist" at the end, but overall the story was very enjoyable and quite original (based on my reading up to this point). I give it 4 stars and two thumbs up! I'll definitely be picking up a copy of this for my permanent collection! Also, I want to point out that while the stories in this series are short and simple...they can be quite entertaining and enjoyable for adult readers as well...especially if you LOVE fairytale adaptations (as I do).

In the plethora of first person princess narratives (The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, etc.) this one is pleasant, but forgettable. The short length makes the plot fall a little flat, and the case of "mistaken identity" becomes apparent almost the second you meet the character in question. This should not be shelved or categorized as young adult. The simplicity of the storyline makes it more of an intermediate reader's novel.

However, it's a fun, if not mind-blowingly enjoyable, read on a stormy night or in the tub before bed.

You may like the tone of the book, sometimes it got on my nerves-got a bit rambly

This book is an amazing and fresh new telling of Sleeping Beauty. I bought this book before the Once Upon A Time series started and then there was only Beauty Sleep, Storytellers Daughter and Snow. It made me sad when I went to buy the book, again since I lost my first copy, that it was out of print. I stumbled upon it on this website just to find out that they had taken it out of print to put into the Once Upon a Time Series.

This book gives us a great view of Aurora's family and how she grew up. I love how this book is in first person, it gives it a sort of personal feel, like all of Cameron Dokey's Once Upon A time books. This one is probably my favorite, if not my all time favorite, so far in the series. It's the first one I have read and the one I have treasured most. Snow comes in a close second. This book is just amazing, and I have my 23 year old friend addicted to them now so it is not just a book for teenagers, it is a book for everyone.

Retellings of fairy tales are in fashion now, and a lot are mediocre. But "Beauty Sleep" is a surprisingly fresh interpretation of "Sleeping Beauty". The story is original, with very little of the it devoted to Aurore's hundred year nap. Instead it focuses on the events that preceeded it- the princess's childhood and her family, and her worries about the spells that will eventually affect her. When Aurore realizes that her kingdom will suffer if she doesn't fall under the spell, she takes matters into her own hands, and this part is just as interesting. This is short book, which is good because none of it seems to drag. The story is interesting and moves at a good pace, which is one thing I like about the "Once Upon a Time" series in general.

I liked the characters fine, and the romance is good. I also liked the writing, though it can be a little hard to follow at times. It's a little overwrought in places, and at times I had to go back over a sentence to get what it was saying, but the tone is fitting for a fairy tale. The themes the book had were interesting, and I loved Aurore's explantion of the magic in her world.

Overall, this is a quick read, but it has some depth too. The fairy tale ending left me feeling happy and was unexpected at the same time. I enjoyed it very much.

This item is an excellent start point to developers who want to learn how to use Google Maps API within Rails. Helped a lot to increase productivity with the basic skills.

I was a little disappointed. Although there are a few interesting tips, I did not think the book was very well edited. There are several typos. For example, one obvious mistake in chapter two, which for a novice, would make the code unusable. array.size should be array.length. Furthermore in chapter three, the authors abandon the completed code listings altogether leaving the novice totally stranded. In addition, the online code is also incomplete and quite broken. I would not recommend this book unless you are already an expert and can filter through the errors and omissions.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in using Google Maps with Ruby on Rails. My expectations were exceeded and I believe it lives up to its sub-title "From Novice to Professional".

I develop Rails applications and became interested in Google Maps in conjunction with a Real Estate application I was working on. In particular, I was interested using Google Maps for visual analysis of large data sets. Knowing next to nothing about the Google Maps API, I was truly at the Novice level. The book started off at the basics and quickly built on example and technique to the point where there was a working example of a problem similar in scope to mine. Along the way, the trade offs and techniques were well presented and explained in detail. Not only did I gain the knowledge and confidence to tackle my particular problem, but I was also inspired by all the other potential applications of this exciting new technology.

This book was well organized and written. I was obvious that the authors had worked through the examples and I especially appreciated many of the best practices and hints they gave. Chapter 7 "Optimizing and Scaling for Large Data Sets" was particularly interesting for me and my application. It included code and examples for several server-side and client-side techniques and as well as a clear explanation of their uses and trade offs.

If you are a Rails coder and you want to master Google Maps, this is a must have book

A good guide if you are new to google maps. If you are an experienced google maps developer trying to integrate RJS or other cool rails techniques, this book is not very useful. I'm coding rails and google maps applications daily and I haven't picked this book up more than twice since receiving it.

I was worried when I ordered this book that it would just be a reference book of the Google Maps API, but thankfully I was wrong. This book is an excellent reference to anyone wanting to build a Google Maps enabled Rails Application.

The first four chapters take you through building an application, similar to the author's hotspotr application where a user can save Wifi hotspot information. For many people this may be all they are looking for, a way to create maps, save information and geocode addresses.

Chapters 5-8 deal with larger datasets and the example they use is from the FCC Antenna Structure Registration, which has 120k records already geocoded for you. It then takes you through different presentation methods. If you want to see the output, go to book dot earthcode dot com chapter seven, server custom tiles. It's a very impressive result, similar to the pictures of earth at night.

The rest of the book gives other advanced uses and apis, I have not read all the way through that but it looks interesting. The other thing I like about the tone of the book is the conversational style. For example in Chapter 5 where they are using the FCC dataset they talk about the advantages of using a mysql import instead of going through the ActiveRecord layer, resulting in importing the data in less than a minute compared to 1.5 hours with ActiveRecord. This is the type of information that usually only comes from time spent trying different methods, so it's nice for us to be able to leverage their hard work.

In general I have been impressed with the Apress books ( no pun intended) them and Pragmatic Programmers have really started giving O'Reilly a run for their money.

I wanted to enjoy this but confess only sore disappointment. Lots of tiresome filler fleshes out a silly and weak plot. In order to find the individual harassing her new client, the main character, a Private Detective, unrealistically decides to meet with everyone her client interacts. This is an intellectually lazy (or more likely incompetent) way for the author to introduce loads of unnecessary characters (filler) to stretch out a thin plot. Juvenile swearing and exclamations front for witty repartee. The clamping of a hand over one's mouth to suppress laughter or the pining for alcoholic drinks stand in for comic genius. Characters do not have unique voices, all sounding the same. Stereotypically clueless characters (a self-absorbed mother, a ditsy friend) are creatively treated to suppressed laughter and exaggerated eyerolls behind their backs. Sexual tension is attempted by keeping the love interests apart for annoyingly nonsensical and non-believable reasons and their conversations unrealistically brief, stilted, and incomplete - each sentence spoken to each other not more than 10 words long. This is suppose to tantalize the reader, it annoyed me instead. Formulaic ending where good guys are of course harmlessly injured and the solution to the whodunnit literally DICTATED to you by the protagonist. The mystery? A highly improbable and convoluted misunderstanding by a distant ex. After reading this I'm inspired to write my own novel, it doesn't seem that hard.

After reading Lindy Cameron's Blood Guilt (Kit O'Malley Mystery Series), I had been waiting for the next installment of Kit O'Malley Mystery. Turned out hat this book, Bleeding Hearts, was worth waiting.

The story starts weeks after the end of the previous book, when Kit's business seems going well. However, things are more complicate than what they appear above the surface. Here Lindy Cameron presents an intriguing story with twisted plots and interesting characters (including minor ones).

Unlike some series of similar kinds, the author doesn't try to remind you what have happened in the previous story or who is who, nor does she feel obliged to cover all the previous lovely characters in this story or to spice the story more with old/new romance plots. What you have is a standalone solid, yet sometimes funny, mystery story.

Though you don't need to read the first book before this one, as far as the mystery is concern, you will learn more about the characters if you do. Both are very good.

"Bleeding Hearts", is the sequel to the excellent "Blood Guilt", where we were introduced to the former police officer and now private investigator Kit O' Malley. Unlike a lot of characters we find lately in lesbian fiction, who are larger than life, Kit O'Malley strikes us as an everyday person, maybe just more cultured that the average, and that only through her profession gets involved in out of the ordinary situations. Just like in Lindy Cameron's previous book we are once again offered a complex plot, and a panoply of secondary characters that keep us both riveted on the mystery and at the same time laughing out loud at some of the witty remarks and funny situations. This is mostly a mystery book, in that there is nothing in Kit's personal life driving the plot, including the fact that she is a lesbian and has recently fallen in love with Alex. However, it is an excellent mystery and a lot of the writers that write lesbian mysteries should aim at writing books with the quality of Cameron's books. Highly recommended.

Lindy Cameron is emerging as one of the most enjoyable mystery writers in the genre. Her characters are well developed and funny, while her plots are intricate. Though you may have suspicions about "who done it," they won't be confirmed until the end of the book and then you'll probably be wrong. In the meantime you'll have quite a romp with Kit O'Malley and her collection of friends.

In Bleeding Hearts, Kit is surrounded by more mysteries than she almost knows how to deal with. Political scandal, embezzlement, black mail, murder, sleazy politicians, unfulfilled sexual fantasies and romantic matchmaking are just some of the issues that Kit has to wade through to try to solve the various cases. What begins to creep her out though is that somehow these cases might be connected. What keeps her going is the blossoming relationship with Alex that keeps Kit as unsteady on her feet as the people who keep whacking her on the head.

Cameron writes mysteries that are serious in their creation, but spiked with tremendous amounts of humor and wit. Kit has to be one of the clumsiest and, at times, tuned out detectives around. Part of her distraction has to be attributed to the friends she surrounds herself with. Del and Brigit are a solid couple and Kit's best friends. They try to watch out for her when she'll let them and the reader has to develop an appreciation for the stability Del represents when it comes to Kit and her partner. Brigit provides much of the comic relief as she dances, sings and karate chops her way through the situations. Lillian, Kit's zany mother, floats in and out not really understanding anything that is going on in her daughter's life, but loving her nonetheless. Hector, the computer guru, seems to think he's living in a bad 1950's style crime story and Erin is the crusading newspaper reporter who knows the dirt on everyone. Rounding out her life is the beautiful Alex, who turns Kit to mush with just a look, and Thistle, the attack commando cat that speaks a language Kit actually seems to understand.

Bleeding Hearts is a series of engrossing mysteries told with a light tone and plenty of unexpected one-liners. The crimes will challenge your intellect while Kit and her friends keep you chuckling. This is a terrific and entertaining book to read.

Lindy Cameron is a freelance book editor and avid golfer who lives outside of Melbourne, Australia on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula on the southern tip. Lindy writes the newsletter entitled STILETTO for the Sisters in Crime Australia. BLEEDING HEARTS is the follow-up to her first novel, BLOOD GUILT.

TV personality Rebecca Jones hires Kit O'Malley to investigate threats made to her in the way of nasty little packages that are being delivered. Kit is just at the beginning of her relationship with the beautiful and sexy lawyer, Alex Casenove, who has been keeping her distance. It turns out that local politicians have also been receiving threats, and no one knows who may be next. As Kit picks her way through the maze of deception, she discovers an underworld of political sleaze that culminates in abduction; sexual behavior by some high ranking officials that is sordid and evil; and finally, murder:

"Kit rested her chin in her hands and stared at the note. Finally, when even Alex or Hector were about to cut into her deliberation, she said, 'What I'd like to know is, where have all the clever psychopaths gone? In fiction, you know, they're ALWAYS geniuses, with the kind of astonishing intellect that meant they were destined to be great and good, or mad and bad. Nothing in between, no half-measures. They're either a brain surgeon or they EAT brains.'"

BLEEDING HEARTS is a smashing follow-up to BLOOD GUILT. Lindy Cameron weaves plots that are to die for in the world of murder mystery writers. Her books are like onions that the reader has to peel back, layer-by-layer, to find the heart of the mystery. Cameron continues with her hilarious and touching cast of characters, including her sprite of a mother, who can be clueless or trendy; her lady love, Alex Casenove, who is at times elusive but comes through for Kit; her ex-partner on the force Jon Marek; and many others.

The Kit O'Malley mysteries introduce people who are great mates; help each other through thick and thin; and are there for Kit as she takes on an incredible amount of deceit. It's a wonderful read that can't be put down once started. Hooray for Kit!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Knowing how to apply and interpret statistics is more important than ever. This book teaches the basic concepts that lay the foundation for understanding the statistics commonly used in finance, quality control, marketing and science.

The authors employ a "concept-interpretation" approach to learning. For each important statistical concept, there is plain-language definition that uses no complicated mathematical terms. The interpretation fully explains the concept and its importance. It occasionally even goes so far as to explain the misconceptions and errors people make when they attempt to apply the concept.

The book even contains step-by-step instructions for using Microsoft Excel and TI-83/84 calculators to calculate the answers. For those who love exercises, a companion website provides downloadable practice files.

This is the book I needed more than 40 years ago when I took my first statistics course in high school. If you have struggled with attempting to conquer statistics, try this book. The authors have done a masterful job of simplifying what often seems to many as incomprehensible.

This book was my bible throughout the first statistics online class I have ever had. It guided me through the most complex stat problems. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has not ever had statistics before. It explains concepts in a clear, concise manner.

I am currently enrolled in a graduate level program in mathematics. This book was recommended for those of us who were nervous about taking a course in statistics. We used it, abd it worked out as an excellent resource.

This book is a good introduction to the topic and served me well when I needed a refresher on statistical concepts. Without rehashing comments made by other reviewers, the only shortfalls for me was that structural equation modeling and psychological society reporting guidelines for reporting anova, regression, etc was not covered. While some may consider these advanced concepts (beyond a book of basic stats), APA guidelines or at least generic reporting guidelines are explained in other books, some within a similar price range. It would have greatly extended the relevance of this book to psychology students, particularly at the undergraduate level. As it stands, I'd recommend it as more suitable for undergraduate students of business studies than the social sciences.

Even You Can Learn Statistics is as user friendly as a book can possibly be on this subject.

If you cannot bear to look at an equation, you can avoid those with this book.

If you learn best by doing, the book is filled with instructions for how to do practice problems using either Excel or a TI 83 or 84 calculator.

If you like to test your understanding of material, each chapter comes with a quiz to help you see what you grasped and what you missed.

I was particularly impressed by the breadth of coverage in the book. Almost any statistical term you've heard of or could bump into is covered somewhere in the book.

And for those who like math, there are simple sections showing the equations involved. But these sections are optional for those who prefer to avoid math.

In addition, the authors clearly favor the idea of keeping it simple. I cannot imagine conveying these ideas in any simpler or more complete way than here.

The book is also a great value.

Even if your professor or boss insisted you buy a standard text on the subject, get this one to help you really learn to apply statistics. It can make a world of difference!

He will take your money and never deliver the site. His coding and design is 10 years old. Don't waste your money on his book and NEVER wire him money to the UK.

As informative as this book is, I've found that it doesn't cover much in detail. It brushes against the fundamentals, but lacks a more in-depth guide for advanced developers.

I also found the index and appendixes very difficult to utilize when looking for specific functions. It would have been nice to find ALL references to what I needed and not just the appendix 'definition'.

It's a good starting point for beginners, but advanced users might find it a bit frustrating.

The author has done an excellent job of presenting the enormous amount of information contained in this book. It is laid out logically with step by step instructions and plenty of easy to follow examples. It can be read right through or dipped into when needed. I recommend it to advanced Lasso developers and beginners alike.

The Lasso Professional 5 Developer's Guide certainly demonstrates the foundations of exemplary Lasso development: simple, efficient, well documented code, proper security mechanisms, and a well organized project. But, more importantly, it provides a critical perspective: Lasso is not only a tool to throw up some forms or get a database on the web; it is a fully featured development platform which will allow you to build web applications with incomparable efficiency. Users of Lasso since version 1 to those embarking on their first Lasso project will benefit from the perspective and experience clearly articulated in this well organized and thoughtful guide.

This guide is excellent. I've read the thing cover to cover and consequently left my nervous insecure lasso newbie stage for a pretty much know what the heck I'm doing and can get it done pretty dang fast stage. The book is easy to read with excellent and clear examples. The sample code is invaluable and very practical. It's oriented for both the new and experienced Lasso developer with many insights on Lasso 5 that you won't find elsewhere. It's a reference book and a learning guide. The section of regular expressions just might change your life. I don't think you can't go wrong if you get this book.

"Think of yourself as an actor, placed in a theater at the time of your birth. You have been invited to join the millions of other actors around you, to take your place on the stage known as the Phantasmagoric Theater. Every scene has been assembled for your performance. The script has been written and your cures are in order. If nothing goes wrong, you will sail through your performance until the final curtain..." - From the Little White Book

There's something unsettling about the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot, which could very well shake up your reading practice as well as any preconceived (memorized?) notions about what a particular card means.

Zombie-like dolls, gas-masked creatures, question marks, punk/goth kids, random puzzle pieces and numbered dice inhabit a landscape both playful and off-kilter. If you enjoy The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Corpse Bride (or any of Tim Burton's unusual notions of fun), you'll likely feel quite at home with this deck.

For me, traveling circuses have creepy but intriguing undercurrents and the TV show Carnivale did nothing to dispel my misgivings. Like looking into the eyes of a monster, the view is both disturbing and irresistible--just like the cards of the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot.

Yet, in this mystifying world, secret-laden imagery and colorfully rich symbols await decoding by discerning, patient individuals. Deck creator Graham Cameron is obsessed with the number 56 (as well as other repeating motifs) but don't let that dissuade: there is plenty *other* symbols both familiar and bizarre to keep your mind guessing and your intuition on overdrive.

Both sweetness and melancholy emanate from this deck, as if the Phantasmagoric Theater were a world populated by cast-off toy that are heartbroken yet hopeful.

The suit names are traditional--Wands, Cups, Swords and Coins--as are the Courts (Page, Knight, Queen and King). The cards measure approximately 5 ½ x 3 ½ inches and have a reversible diamond-checkered backing with a circular motif featuring the number 56, question mark, puzzle piece and die (I told you the creator was obsessed!).

However, despite the use of common suit names, Cameron offers an unusual description of the elements/suits. He writes in the 42-page Little White Book:

"...the suit of Swords relates to air; here we take a walk through the `Air Sword Labyrinth', the maze of your mind, with its conflicts, intellect, struggles, difficulties, and flexibility. The suit of Wands corresponds to fire; here we step inside the `Fire Wand Circus', a tent full of energy, art, performance, buffoonery, and fantasy. The suit of Cups corresponds to water; here we find ourselves in the `Water Cup Desert', an area of land encompassing love, intuition, affection, harmony, and the subconscious. The suit of Coin links to earth; here we are welcomed into the `Earth Coin Village', a place of craftsmanship, trade, inheritance, business, and cooperation."

The LWB offers card interpretations for both upright and reversed positions, as well as insight into many of the characters living among this odd landscape. For example, the King of Swords is known as Sergeant Winner while Fingerpin the ringmaster makes an appearance in the Six of Wands. In the Eight of Cups, Bertie works at the Soda Pop Factory but has come to realization that it doesn't stimulate him anymore--so he moves on. Mr. Dimp's skillful mastery, devotion to his work and overall indispensability shows up in the Three of Coins, where he fixes clocks for the Earth Coin Village.

I've had a lot of great insights with this deck and, in my opinion, the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot is worth having--if not as a reading deck, then at least as a reference to a realm outside mundane reality for an unusual perspective into the cards.

(To see 15 card images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present

The cards are beautiful, but you'll get a very different impression looking at them than you would reading the artist's descriptions in the provided booklet. The cards are appeallingly ambivalent and complicated; Cameron's descriptions of them are uniformly simple and skewed heavily to the bland positive. ("This card reminds you that challenges are an opportunity for growth", that sort of thing. Not that I think growth is bad!) Even so, the booklet is well worth reading for the names that it gives to all the characters. If you ordinarily find that the suit cards blur together in your mind a little bit, perhaps being introduced to Tate, Fizzy, X, and The Plasticine Junky will help (to name just a few).

I found myself slightly disappointed that the suit cards often had the requisite number of cups/wands/coins/swords just lying around on the floor rather than playing a significant part in the scene. For example, the three of wands depicts a stilt-walker... but while your eye is initially drawn to the imposing stilts that he balances on, those aren't wands. The wands are tiny things sitting in a pile. Still, that choice just puts more emphasis on the characters and other wonders that Cameron has invented himself.

I suspect you can tell whether you'll love this deck or hate it from the sample images Amazon provides. I bought it otherwise unseen based on the samples, and I'm happy about it.

I'm usually not too fond of theme decks, finding that too many of them end up in back of the book case but I was very intrigued by this one. It's a very idiodyncratic expression of the tarot and you will either love it or hate it immediately. Highly surreal, cartoonlike art. It does work as a reading deck.

This over-sized deck has a child-like tone. It is highly personalized. The backs of the cards have the number "56" on them, which the author explains as "my chosen number". The cards themselves are equally idiosyncratic. The figures on the cards are like dolls, or puppets; their surrounds are simple and whimsical. Another unique feature is a jigsaw puzzle piece on various cards to show whether the influence of the card is masculine, feminine, or both. The designer must have had a great time doing these cards, but the statements they make are far too personal for me to make an archetypal tarot-type connection with. People involved with the theatre, or puppetry, might appreciate them more than I do.

The Phantasmagoric Theatre tarot encourages us to think of our lives as a stage play. We are all actors, and the scenes have been carefully designed before we enter, stage left. However, as in real theatre, sometimes things don't go right: we flub our lines, we don't like our costumes, or the lights malfunction. These things very subtly change the play itself and can even change the very outcome. However, as Mr. Cameron suggests, "as a tarot reader, however, you can connect yourself through a psychic process back to the original script, and become informed of deviations you may have made to the performance that is your life, helping you to avoid any unnecessary disasters."

Mr. Cameron has produced an astonishing tarot deck as laden with heavy symbolism as any tarot I've yet worked with. Dice, question marks and puzzle pieces can be found in most (if not all) of his cards, and each has a special significance for him. Dice represent entropy or chance in our lives: we may WANT the roll of the dice to turn out a certain way, but often they don't. Like puzzle pieces, we are all interconnected and interlocked to each other in complicated matters. As far as questions, well, I certainly don't have many of mine answered, tarot cards or not!!

The characters in the deck hover in an odd realm somewhere between childlike and sinister. Many look like dolls with button eyes and happy smiles. Some are glowering in a powerful "I know something you DON'T..." sort of way that is almost eerie. When pressed to describe this deck, I often say it resembles something of a cross between the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Still, this analogy doesn't do the deck justice-there is far, far much more to see.

Many of the cards are modeled after what may be the most well known tarot deck, the Rider-Waite. Since most people start with the Rider-Waite (it's the deck most books use to illustrate the tarot) this will certainly help the reader gain fluency with these cards. However, be aware that the resemblance quickly stops-this is not like any other deck you are likely to run into. Two very short examples of how these cards are different are the card of the Grand Master, a sort of levitating, psychedelic visionary that stands in the place of the card of the Hierophant in most other decks, and the Ace of Cups, which is something of a coffee mug.

The cards themselves are oversized, weighing in at about 5.5" x 3.5". While this makes them easier to see and meditate on their meanings, bear in mind that they're slightly more difficult to shuffle and they won't fit in a standard-sized tarot box. The instruction booklet that accompanies the deck is written in a more poetical fashion than most other decks as well. Each card's astrological alignment is noted, as well as a 1 or 2 word description-- "The Fool (Inner Child)" for example. Quite a few cards' characters actually have names, which, for me, add a more personal dimension to them. As an example, here an excerpt from the Queen of Cups: "Say hello to Fizzy, the Queen of Cups. She represents sensitivity in a woman. Fizzy is happy and content. She represents our ability to enjoy all emotions."

As another reviewer noted, the deck IS very personal, as are all tarot decks, and it may not resonate with everyone. Someone once said that choosing a tarot deck is the same as choosing a lover. While I don't find it to be THAT extreme, I do believe that the cards must speak to a person to be of any use to them. For example, I can appreciate the artwork in the new Vampire Tarot, but the deck has no resonance with me as a person so I don't use those cards. Beginners probably would be best advised to stick to the Rider-Waite, but as you grow more proficient at reading the card's symbols, those with a particular affinity to the surreal or bizarre may wish to add these cards to their collection.

I was instantly attracted by this book. The super-size images are so beautiful and so sharp that they look like a series of windows to the most beautiful scenes in China. All my families are really impressed.
I have been to some places shown in this book. The pictures was taken with such optimum lighting conditions and artistic angles that made the familiar places look grandeur and inviting, yet realistic, to me. As for the pictures about places I have never been, the beautiful scenes make me yearning to travel there.
All in all, this is the best coffee table picture book about China that I have seen.
I have one copy. But when I want to buy another copy as a gift for a friend leaving Boston to be an university professor, I cannot find any in the local bookstores. I only wish there will another printing of this book, or another edition.
I generally like all books in this "spectacular" series. Last month I bought a copy of "America's Spectacular National Parks" to give to a colleague returning to Japan.
I hope the author and publishers keep up with the excellent work!

The photos in this book are beyond spectacular! If you are interested in China, this is the ultimate coffee table photograph collection. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful coffee table book for anyone interested in China. It is a large format with beautiful photography including several 3-page fold-outs. China's natural beauty, architecture & culture are all here.

You see get to see ancient stone sculptures, the majestic Imperial Place & the seemingly endless Great Wall. Breathtaking waterfalls, serene lakes dotted with pagodas & mysterious mountains enveloped in clouds follow.

I was very impressed the many golden Buddhas & a boat made of marble. I also loved the peaceful gardens filled with water, rocks & trees. The native people in traditional dress are fascinating as well.

My favorite of the entire city of Beijing lit with fireworks is nothing short of spectacular. The text and detailed captions provide a thorough background for the photos. This is a book you can get lost in for hours.

The pictures are beautiful but the book is put together very sloppily and is falling apart before it even comes out of the box

This book has the best photos of scenes around China that I have ever seen. I love the photos, but have been very disappointed in the quality of the binding. It is not strong enough to support such large, heavy pages. The first book arrived with the binding already torn away and the second one has to be handled VERY gently to prevent the same thing from happening. As a coffee table book it is meant to be looked at and I don't like having to ask people to be careful with it. I don't know if I got a couple of bad copies or if they're all so delicate. Maybe future editions will be more hardy.

Melvyn Leffler's "The Specter of Communism" is a superb, short, and nuanced history of the origins of the Cold War. It should be assigned reading in any college course on 20th century American foreign policy.

In Leffler's telling, Stalin felt vulnerable after World War II and wanted to preserve good relations with the U.S. The Soviet dictator insisted, however, on moving his borders westward, installing a puppet regime in Poland, and playing a leading role in the occupation of Germany and Japan. These goals didn't necessarily clash with core U.S. interests and might not have resulted in a Cold War if Europe and East Asia hadn't been on the verge of collapse after 1945. Since World War I, Washington had been haunted by the fear that the resources of Europe and Asia might fall under the control of one hostile power -- either Germany or Russia -- that could then threaten the security and political economy of the U.S. Washington policymakers didn't think that Stalin planned to start a new war, but they panicked when communist parties surged in France, Italy and elsewhere. Assuming that communist governments would link their economies to the USSR's, Washington responded by moving to rebuild the German economy and integrating Germany into a U.S.-led European bloc. Stalin, fearing a revival of German power, clamped down on Eastern Europe and blockaded Berlin. The Cold War was soon going at full steam.

One of the high points of Leffler's book is the discussion of the domestic politics of anti-communism. American conservatives didn't give a hoot about Europe or foreign policy, but they did want to exploit anti-Red feeling to discredit New Dealers and crack down on labor unions and civil rights groups. However, having stirred up a lot of paranoia, conservatives were outflanked when the Truman Administration tapped these same sentiments to win support for expensive plans to rearm the U.S. and rebuild Europe! Thus the Great Bipartisan Compromise of the 1950s and '60s was born: an anti-Soviet foreign policy was married to crude Red Baiting at home.

Leffler writes clearly, understands the policy environment of Washington, and doesn't accept the prevailing (and idiotic) myth that U.S. foreign policy is generally well-informed or motivated by moral considerations. On the contrary, the U.S. policymakers of the late 1940s were more-or-less amoral and sometimes poorly informed about foreign countries. (American foreign policy can be Machiavellian and inept at the same time.) "The Specter of Communism" is history at its best.

I was assigned to read this short book for a course on United States foreign policy in the 20th century. Unlike a great many texts on the subject, I found it absolutely enjoyable to read. Things to watch in particular are how Leffler handles the shift of how the United States officially and popularly felt about Communism and the Soviet Union before and after World War II, the formulation of the doctrine of containment, and most especially the interplay between the leadership not only in the United States, but the Soviet Union and Europe as well. This final point, the exploration of the nature of particular leaders and national psyches, is the greatest strength of Leffler's account. FDR, Truman, and Stalin especially come alive in the narrative. Through the course of the narrative, the reader is given a very interesting and now unconventional thesis that to some extent, the Cold War was indeed inevitable in the post-war world as a result of the positions of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the ruin of Europe. Especially pivotal to the coalescence of the Cold War was the United States' declaration of the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. Leffler says: "The American intent was not to threaten the Soviets or divide Europe, but this was the price the Truman administration was willing to pay in order to revitalize Western Europe and harness the resources of western Germany" (pg 67).

Overall, this is an intelligent and accessible account of the origins of the Cold War that anybody interested in the World Wars, the Soviet Union, Communism, and/or contemporary foreign policy would do well to read.

This book is basically an apology for Russian communism. One that proclaims the message: "communism isn't all that bad". "Stalin was a prudent, cautious and reasonable man and the Americans were the knee-jerk irrational reactionists" The book also seems to convey the message that "America made it seem worse than it was and hyped it up".

I mean, why should any country have reservations about the spread of communism? Communism, a form of government that is the privileged few, the Nomenclatura, who rule with absolute power over the lower party members and the general population, the proletariat. Let's not forget, commumism produced leaders such as Lenin, Stalin and Pol Pot. Sure, it's intentions may be good.....but human nature won't let it work. Power is its end.....not its mean, though that's what the original bolshevik revolutionaries proclaimed.

Basically, it's a 'blame america first' type of book. I for one am not going to be swayed just because of this author's talented writing skills, his commumist-friendly opinions and artful ways of persuasion using history. Nope. I blame communism and Stalin ( who murdered millions of his own......MILLIONs )

The 'amoral' U.S.A........never murdered millions of its citizens on the whim of their President. It never negated the existence of people on a list. A list who was cavalierly reviewed by the president, Stalin, and checkmarked with a pen as he decided whose life to end and existence from the records of history to erase. Many others were sent to Gulags never to be heard from again. It was the communist bastion of the USSR and ITS President, Stalin who did this.

Considering these above mentioned historically documented facts regarding the terrors inflicted upon the population by the ruling Red party, not only in the old USSR but other communist regimes (cambodia, Cuba, Vietnam and China for that matter), is it possible that the United States' "fears" or "overreactions" to the spread of communism after WWII were, perhaps, a bit justified? If these communist countries, in the decades following, WWII had turned out to be benevolent, non-tyranical, beneficial to their general populations or 'good' in any sense of the word, then the USA's reactions and maneauverings after the war would have been, as the author puts it, 'an overreaction'. But, because history proved that communism was indeed a monstrous terror upon the peoples of those particular countries, does it not justify our government's sentiments toward communism's spread post WWII? Indeed it does. Thank God for the actions that our government took to jealously protect our way of life.....which, incidentally, is the best way of life on the earth ( why does everyone seek to get into America if it's not the best?)

I side with America and I side AGAINST communism. This goes for any period of history.....from the 1940s until present. Like the WHO songs says......" Won't be fooled again"

This book is good for what it tried to accomplish. Its a introductory survey of the origins of an American mindset against communism. Leffler points out that communism wasn't a concern of the USA population or politicians until after WWII- when the communist began to rival democratic capitalism. Leffler uses historical documents to support the assertion that the sum of world-wide communism never really came close to rivialing the US in terms of economic or military power. However, the fear that maybe communism could gain equal status one day in the future led the US to undertake decisive actions toward securing Hegemony.

Leffler writes a balanced account of the events leading up to and into the the Cold War. He discusses the impact of geopolictics with regard to the First and Second World Wars and how communism impacted American public policy. He points out that it was not so much fear of the physical power of the Soviet Union but fear of the ideologies of communism within our borders that led the anit-communist anti-Soviet movements in our nation. He follows the growth of Russia into a world power and explains how it eventually became a military threat and a nuclear power. The book is engrossing and well structured. Leffler presents the information in a clear way without unnecessary deviations. It is an excellent look at Cold War origins.