Clark Books

My four month old loves when I read this book to her; it's one of our favorites. I love the mixture of bright photographs and quality artwork. Absolutely worth the price.

My son loves this book. He will carry it around the house and look at the pictures. I like it because it has different interpretations of birds and allows my son to experience different representations of the same item.

This is a wonderful little book for my daughter. It is a little book, but than again, so are her hands.

This is such a sweet little board book about birds. The images are unique, definitely not the kind of artwork you see just anywhere. Thumbing through this board book with your wee one is like taking a visit to an art gallery and aviary all in one! I especially love the last work of art- you'll just have to check this book out to see what it is! This book is the perfect size for little hands and the pages are easy to turn. Give it with Baby Einstein's Babies, Cats and Dogs mini board books for a great little board book starter set. Babies love to stack them up, too!

My son really loves this series of small books by Baby Einstein. He spends a lot of time in "reading" them, especially at night before going to bed.

I've been an avid CAS reader for over 30 years. I happened on the Ballantine Books "Fantasy Series" paperback edition ZOTHIQUE when it was first released in the 70s, and have long wished for a compendium of his work.

CAS's style is very dense, and reflects very careful construction of prose as well as plot. His style is as evolved as Lord Dunsany, Morris, and Tolkien, and is entertaining in it's own right. Don't let this scare you off - his stories are all eminently accessible to casual readers, and numerous wry turns of phrase indicate a well-honed (but bone dry) sense of humor.

When compared to his better-known contemporaries, H.P. Lovecraft (Cthulu) and Robert E. Howard (Conan) I find CAS to be more a "readers writer." CAS is a master of phrasing surpassing HPL - his stories are less eerie than HPL, and don't slather on the dread as heavily. CAS is (usually) less swash-buckling blood-and-gore than REH, but doesn't shrink from characters hacking each other to bits when the story requires.

The only fault I can find with this series is that stories are ordered by date of publication. (Perhaps this was required by the copyrights issued to the three Ballantine collections assembled by Lin Carter.) My preference, though less academic, would be to collect the tales by story cycle to facilitate READING rather than STUDYING. Nevertheless, these volumes are without question well worth the investment - like a collection of Poe, you will find yourself returning to them many times.

I love the writings of Clark Ashton Smith. He was the quintessenstial poet. BOW DOWN, I AM THE EMPEROR OF DREAMS. I Crown me with the million-colored suns of secret worlds incredible and take their trailing skies
for vestment. His fiction is also clothed in words that are poetry. His only peer is Lord Dunsany.I corresponded a little with Smith and owned one of his strange sculptures. I welcome this renaissance of interest in Smith (if that is what it is).I wrote a short story influenced by his writings which he critiqued and added one sentence. I lost it, if you ever come across it, the title is THE COMING OF THE BLACK NEBULA.

`The End of the Story' is the first of five volumes of Clark Ashton Smith's short stories. The stories are arranged chronologically by composition. The stories in this volume were written between 1925 and 1930. The stories are:

The Abomination of Yondo
Sadastor
The Ninth Skeleton
The Last Incantation
The End of the Story
The Phantoms of the Fire
A Night in Malneant
The Resurrection of the Rattlesnake
Thirteen Phantasms
The Venus of Azombeii
The Tale of Satampra Zeiros
The Monster of the Prophecy
The Metamorphosis of the World
The Epiphany of Death
A Murder in the Fourth Dimension
The Devotee of Evil
The Satyr
The Planet of the Dead
The Uncharted Isle
Marooned in Andromeda
The Root of Ampoi
The Necromatic Tale
The Immeasurable Horror
A Voyage to Sfanomoe

Most of the stories are of the `weird tale' sort, but some veer to straight Horror and some can be classified as Science Fiction (although always with a horror angle). Smith was a very flowery writer, and some of the stories can be tough going, but that's the beauty of short stories, they're short.

This first volume in what promises to be the definitive collection of short fiction by Clark Ashton Smith is nothing short of a literary treasure. For those who have previously had to satisfy their craving for Klarkashtonia by seeking it out in scattered and hard-to-obtain tomes, The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith is a blessing nonpareil. Do yourself a favor and get it while it lasts.

As established here and reinforced by the second volume, all five books in this series are essential to anyone interested in Smith's work and literate fantasy as a whole. Connors and Hilger have followed earlier textual studies by Donald Sidney-Fryer, Steve Behrends, and others with extensive studies of their own to restore as much of the glory to Smith's texts as is currently possible - and what glory! Smith is one of the few fantasists capable not only of creating multiple fantasy cultures, but with investing each of those worlds with its own distinct atmosphere, tone, and use of language. Many earlier versions of these texts toned down the richness, eroticism, and grotesquerie of these stories in order to appeal to what Smith's editors deemed was acceptable to the lowest-common-denominator among its readership. Scores of deletions, simplifications, bowdlerizations, and other alterations which have served to remove the sheen from these works have here been corrected through painstaking attention to all available manuscripts and correpondence. Here, at long last, is Smith in all his mordant, coruscating splendor. If one considers all of this, along with intelligent introductory material; alternate endings; unpedantic notes to each story detailing its composition, publication history, and its place within the larger context of Smith's work; as well as Jason Van Hollander's inspired integration of Smith and his sculptures into the macabre and affectionate cover art; Night Shade and these editors have presented to all lovers of fantasy an edition of the master's prose fiction which will serve as the benchmark for many years to come.

This is a great book for anybody who had a dog growing up or even wanted a dog. I honestly could not put this book down, just to find out what trouble Clark and Patch would get into next. The way Mr Greene pulls you in you feel like you know these two, it could have been your self or brother that is how close you feel to the characters in this story. The way he tells the story you can see them walking down the street almost like it was your own street and you could look out your window to see them walking by at any minute. In every adventure thay had you could feel Clarks fear, joy or saddness. Although I just finished reading this book, I know I will read it again. And I am looking forward to reading Mr. Greene's second book.

I loved this book. Clark Greene has created an unusual memoir that entertains and engages like fiction. On the shores of Lake Erie in the 1950's, Clark and Patch grow up together, sharing a myriad of adventures, often with startling outcomes. Pairing witty insight with exceptional memory, Mr. Greene has eloquently captured the heart of a boy and his dog. Clark Malcolm Greene has a true gift for storytelling.

Dog is God Spelled Backwards is a classic.

The dog, Patch, is mythically heroic as she leads her fallible boy, Clark, through the murk and triumphs of childhood. Together they explore the realms of the heart as they trudge over ice or through a marsh, always in companionship.

A slice of time seasoned with wit and steeped in the love of a boy and dog, this book, set in Michigan in the 1950's, celebrates timeless connections made in places that no longer exist.

DOG is GOD Spelled Backwards is by any measure a fascinating and engaging story by Clark Green. It is easy to envision this book one day being read in an educational setting in addition to or even in place of books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Huck Finn, Of Mice and Men. I am not trying to purport that Clark Green is better than those famed authors. I am saying that the story of this book, an excerpt of postwar life in America through the 1950's on the shores of Lake Erie... the life, happiness, trials, love and rules of this family, this boy and his dog and their adventures, is not only worth reading but worth being read.

I tend to live the books I read when I read them. Clark Green gave me the opportunity to live the love of a puppy, the mischief of a boy, a dog and a boy with his dog. The love of adventure, the unrecognized hardship of growing up during this period of history and of helping realize how the uniqueness of each and every person in a family molds who we become as a part of that family. I laughed, I grinned, I shook my head in surprise and I had to wipe saddened tears from my face. There is no one who can read this book and not have some portion of the story hit home... or wish it did.

Clark Malcolm Greene has written a thoroughly enjoyable and easily read book. With wit and candor, he paints vivid pictures of his early years on the shores of Lake Erie. A boy and his dog is hardly a new concept, but Clark has created an insight into the relationship of man and dog in a charming and colorful way.
This is one book that I would highly recommend to all ages, and if I were still teaching English, I would be using this in my classrooms. Dog Is God Spelled Backwards ranks right up there with To Kill a Mockingbird with Scout, Jem and Bo.
I am eagerly looking forward to the next book!

"The Fossils of the Burgess Shale" written by Derek E.G. Briggs, Douglas H. Erwin, and Frederick J. Collier and photographs by Chip Clark is simply a marvelous book about early Cambrian life some 540 million years ago. We get a rare look into life's past and what makes the Burgess Shale such a significant part of life's mystery is that these fossils, in most cases, are soft- bodied fauna and flora.

"The Fossils of the Burgess Shale" is a snapshot into life's past and there are only a few locations (30) left that can afford such a look ( China, Central America, Greenland, Spain, Poland, and Southern Australia). Found in 1909 by Charles D. Walcott, high in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, now part of Yoho Park in British Columbia, who had a huge collection of these remarkable fossils shipped back to the Smithsonian Institution where he was Secretary. Today the Cambrian is among the most intensively studied intervals in the history of life, and the debate rages over what triggered the rapid appearance of most major groups of animals.

The photographs in this book are a major accomplishment as it affords the reader with an example of the fossil in question along with a line drawing of what this particular flora of fauna looked like. Thus, making the reader aware of what the authors are talking about.

If you've ever read "It's a Wonderful Life" by Stephen Jay Gould or "The Crucible of Creation" by Simon Conway-Morris "The Fossils of the Burgess Shale" will make a great companion book that explains some of the personalized conclusions that are found in these books and it makes it very clear as to what they are discussing. The preservation of soft-bodied animals is not evenly distributed through the fossil record. Thus, making this book all the more important concerning about what life was like.

The first few pages of the book explains where the Burgess Shale is and its significance and the major players in which have played an important part in the furthering the knowledge of these fossil remains, how fossilization probably occured.

The remainder of the book is devoted to the fossils of the Burgess Shale, with illustrations, discussions, full page photographs and reconstructions of 85 out of 125 recognized genra. The text accompanying the illustrations aims to provide an outline of the morphology, mode of life, and the affinities of the organism. There is ample identification of the sample fossils so the specialist can search for further data.

"The Fossils of the Burgess Shale" is rated a solid 5 stars and is one of the best books that I've found for life in the Cambrian. You will not be dissapointed with this book as it delivers in spades.

If you've ever kept a scrapbook of old photographs, you'll understand the fascination of this collection. Instead of grandmothers, aged aunts or toddler cousins, this book reveals life from the dimmest past. With photographs and drawings, Briggs and his colleagues have restored to view rare animals that lived in ancient seas. These are our earliest forebears, and for that reason alone, this book is worth repeated scrutiny. The images, with their stories of discovery and restoration, are offered in a spirit of shared discovery. These are very special creatures and it behooves us all to understand their value.

Although the book is targeted for professional paleontologists, the authors give us text nearly as illustrative as the images. They are part of the team who personally enticed many of these fossils from their lithic prison. Beginning with an account of Charles Woolcott's trek into the mountains of British Columbia, they go on to describe the environment in which these creatures lived. The significance of the Burgess Shale fossils, of course, is that they are images of soft body parts, usually lost as fossilization proceeds. At the time of the original find in 1909, such artifacts, especially ones of such ancient deposition were pricelessly rare. Woolcott himself understood their value to science, but never dedicated the necessary time to tease out their full secrets. It took Briggs and others, particularly Simon Conway Morris to apply the painstaking effort to recreate the body forms locked in the shale. In so doing, they overthrew a number of blithe assumptions made by a number of commentators, in particular Stephen J. Gould who had popularized the Shale finds, but sadly misinterpreted what they represent.

As you slowly turn over the pages of this book, reflect on the vast ages separating you from these creatures. The sea has always kept some bizarre secrets, but few can match the multi-spined Hallucegenia or mud-burrowing Ottoia. Haplophrentis might be mistaken for a Roman dagger lost in the sea until you read that its maximum length was but 30 millimetres long. A more formidable denizen of these waters is the Anomalocaris, with its hooked feelers and rasping mouth. Swimming in a sea with this half-meter long predator might not have been dangerous, but observing it might best be done from the beach.

This book is a clearly valuable contribution to our understanding of life's history and the process of evolution. It belongs on the shelf next to the other albums of family history. Take it down from time to time and simply open it at random. With half-closed eyes it isn't difficult to see these creatures in their daily lives, clutching rocks, swimming through the water, or burrowing into the bottom. They are your forebears, and deserve as much of your respect as does Aunt Matilda.

The Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies contains rarely preserved fossils of the soft body parts of animals, including many from the Cambrian. This reference provides good quality black and white photographs and illustrations of 85 of the 125 recognized genera of the Burgess Shale. Of interest, the proportion of the total Burgess Shale fossils a given specimen represents, is given.

This is a wonderful book. It is chock-full of photographs of Burgess shale fossils. The photographs are full page photographs and are accompanied by drawings that illustrate what the plant or animal probably looked like. The text is informative and easy to follow for a layperson.

"The Fossils of the Burgess Shale," the non-geologist will find this book fascinating and understandable - yet the author did not "water down" the facts for those of us who have the technical background in the fields of geology and paleontology. The only drawback of the book was that some of the species listed in the back were not included in the pictorial portion of the book. I do understand that if Briggs had placed them all in the book the volume would have been over a 1,000 pages in length; however, several of the species not included are equally spectacular!

The first third of the book provides a brief history of the site and it's significance within Cambrian paleontology; the remaining two-third portion of the book provides clear photographs and line drawings of the animals entombed in this special location. I have used this book in teaching about the Cambrian explosion. Students were awed by the content of the book. If you are interested in invertebrate paleontology; this book is a must!

I bought this book because our family is planning a summer vacation to Montana. We wanted to refresh our memory of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. We all enjoyed the diaries and illustrations in the book. It is the right amount of information to keep the story moving and keep all readers interested. It is full of interesting details of this famous journey.

We ordered this to complete a reading requirement for my child's project. It was packed with information yet illustrated nicely and easy to read.

Wow! This is a wonderful book. An engaging layout, colorfully descriptive illustrations, captivating text, and numerous extra little tidbits of information all combine to make this a most enjoyable and informative book. And that's not all! Perhaps the best feature of all is the fact that the text, while slightly adapted for the younger reader, is taken from the original writings of Lewis, Clark, and other members of the Corps of Discovery. All in all, this is a can't-miss resource for studying the Lewis & Clark Expedition with children. My 12-year-old enjoyed it every bit as much as my 9-year-old... although I'm not sure how either of them could have enjoyed it more than I did!

The adventure and thrill of the Lewis & Clark Expedition is brought to life here in a story that both children and adults could appreciate. In beautiful and carefully rendered folk-style illustrations, and with descriptive text from the actual journals of the participants, the book has the appearance of something that almost could have been written in the early 1800's, when the expedition occurred. Rosalyn Schanzer's personal interest in the subject, especially the journals and the Indian tribes, seems to bring out the best in the storytelling, which primarily illustrates the first 1 1/2 years of the Corps of Discovery's journey to the Pacific Ocean. The story is accessible and easily understood, yet the attention to detail should satisfy those trying to learn, and even researchers in this important chapter in early American History.

A very good book about the Lewis & Clark expedition. The illustrations were vivid and the best part of the book. I would recommend this book

This tells you how to design a house for you. Not just a house out of a book, but one that takes your living patterns into account. Don't want a formal living room? Don't put one in! Also reminds you if you want to live in the house a long time, to make room for handicapped access that may be needed later. Design your kitchen and baths the way you live! Have fun! ;-)

This is the first book I've found that actually addresses living patterns in home design. The book describes the fact that people can be uncomfortable sitting in a huge living space and actually crave the need for smaller spaces like alcoves. Social behaviours and traffic patterns while entertaining are studied and factually explains what makes a room feel comfortable or homey. With traffic patterns and accessibility as the basis for the design half of the book, Clark provides a solid foundation for design fundementals and the why behind it.

The second half of the book covers home building. A s a complete novice in this area, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the information, but it does seem quite comprehensive in its description, demystifying the building process, and empowering owners to monitor their contractors with an informed eye, while giving insight to the bigger picture and mindset of contractors. I think this understanding will help communication between owners and contractors and make homebuilding a smoother process. Of particular interest, I found the load calculations for foundations fascinating as it wasn't something I had ever considered in home building as it is something the architecht waves his magic pencil to produce.

The book is written in a familiar tone the layperson will relate and understand, and while it doesn't shirk the industry jargon, explainations are forthcoming, making it easy to understand and simple to follow.

I've read quite a few books on home building and have done extensive research on the internet. This book covers design priciples and the why not found elsewhere. I highly recommend this book as the foundation to anyone planning and building their own home.

Sam Clark uses up half the book before he gets into the nitty-gritty of construction methods. This really IS a book about house DESIGN as well as construction. As such, it's an EXCELLENT book for someone who's starting from scratch to create their own house. The approach is extremely methodical, treating mindsets and goals as elements of the design process equal in importance to elevation drawings.

The illustrations bear particular attention. The (black and white) photographs are well composed, and have high contrast to clearly delineate the features that are supposed to be of interest. The line drawings are rather funky looking (in part because Clark appears not to own a ruler), but nevertheless do a very good job of illustrating what the text is talking about. This is the case for three reasons: (1) they were created by the author, who knew EXACTLY what part of the text needed visual aids; (2) their rulerless nature means that Clark can emphasize particular features rather than focus on strict scale drawings; and (3) each one is sized independently to take up as much space as is required to depict the subject matter, without worrying about "wasting" some page area. The end result is that the text and illustrations fit together well to make a unified whole.

For more detail on the Building part of creating a house, I'd recommend "Do-It-Yourself HOUSEBUILDING" by George Nash. But because Nash's book doesn't come close to Clark's for clarity, I'd first read Clark's book cover-to-cover. Then I'd keep Sam Clark's book open to the same subject area so that you can step back and get a clear overview as you get confused in the details of the Nash book.

I have been researching owner building for almost a year now and this is the first and only book I've found that both had all the information I needed, and presented it in a way that a layman could understand. Five thumbs up.

For the owner-builder looking to educate her/himself, sifting thru the oceans of books to read is tough. This one is definitely worth the time. Clark takes a no-nonsense, unpretentious approach. The text is easy to read and in plain language that lay people can understand. Focuses mostly on conventional stick-building, but there are lots of great ideas (in the "doing it yourself on a budget" theme) that apply to any building style.

No matter what your personal goals are for building relationships, this book will give you tips for making the most of them.

I bought this book for my husband before we have our first baby. I was more excited than he was to have the lyrics to old songs and cool craft and cooking ideas. He has yet to look through it. Maybe he will use it more once the baby is actually here. Keep you posted.

I gave my Son this book as a "sort of" Shower gift. We were going to my Daughter in law's shower and I wanted to give my Son a gift as well.
What better gift that a wonderful Little Big Book for Dads ?
He really liked it and that made me happy.

This book is a good one if you are going to have only a few to read to your little one. It has a wide variety of stories and rhymes for Dads to read to their little people. Moms will enjoy reading from it, too.

Yes...that is what really matters and when I brought it home she fell in love with the pictures and stuff. It is a 'best of' book for expecting fathers. The jokes are actually funny, the stories are great and very well written. I recommend it highly for first-time expecting Daddies like myself and all other Daddies too.

Longevity Made Simple by Richard Flanigan M.D. and Kate Flanigan Sawyer MD, MPH, has a subtitle, `How to Add 20 Good Years to Your Life.' This book is not a diet book or is it an exercise book. It is longevity book that explains in simple language what science tells us about living long, healthy lives.

The book consists of eleven chapters plus an appendix with simple recipes. Some topics covered in the book are how long should we live? Eighty-five if we are in good health. The top 10 causes of death in the U.S. Did you know the 10th leading cause of death is Septicemia? Find out what that is in Chapter 2.

Also included is a personal risk profile. It explains what is good and bad cholesterol. Along with BMI charts, a good predictor of health risk is your abdomen size, that's your waist size. It also states the limits for men and women.

Which is better, to be Fit and Fat or Sedentary and Lean? The Cooper Institute, using data from the Aerobics Center Longitude Study answers that question. The minimum amount of exercise is listed and some cautions on over-exercising.

Health foods are also covered. There is a list of Super foods that help to reduce oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, improve the elasticity of the arteries, and improve blood pressure. Heard of plant Stanols and Sterols? These lower serum cholesterol naturally.

Tea or coffee, which is healthier? Seems like both are. Tea contains antioxidants and coffee is associated with a lower risk of diabetes. Also explained are vitamin supplements and some common medications like statins for cholesterol and different type of high blood pressure medicines. A whole chapter is devoted to common health tests, such as EKG, ultrasounds for heart and arteries, and cancer screening tests to name a few.

Rounding out the book is 10 health tips that are practical and do-able. Several of the suggestions I have already started on, such as eating several veggie meals a week and changing my exercise routine.

With charts, graphs, and lists and concise explanations, the Flanigans have made the medical science easy to understand. They write with just enough science to provide meaning and with common language to make it understandable. The amount of data inside makes this a very good quick reference book to have on hand.

By George Fulmore

In retirement, there would seem to be a link between our health and our longevity. The healthier we are, the longer we probably will live. The trick, of course, is 1) trying to figure out the best advice for our individual situation, and 2) trying to follow that advice, while still enjoying ourselves in retirement.

"Longevity Made Simple," by Flanigan and Swayer, (2007, Williams Clark Publishing), I found to be a book that gives a good, up-to-date overview on how to live as healthy and as long as we can.

The thesis of the book is that we are genetically capable of living to about 85 years of age, but that the choices we make in what we eat and how we take care of ourselves can add or subtract years, even decades, from that age.

The basis advice involves:
1) Lower cholesterol
2) Lower Blood Pressure
3) Avoid Tobacco
4) Eat a diet rich in fish, fruit and vegetables
5) Get exercise
6) Maintain a healthy weight
7) Prevent accidents
8) Drink alcohol (daily in small amounts)
9) Take aspirin
10) Take a multivitamin

Heart disease, cancer and strokes are the cause of nearly 60 percent of Americans deaths. By keeping our cholesterol level below 182 mg/dL, our blood pressure under 120 mmHg, and not smoking or having diabetes, we can greatly reduce our risk of heart disease or stroke. Not smoking, of course, significantly reduces the risk of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer for both men and women in the United States, according to the book. For other types of cancer, early detection dramatically increases the likelihood of survival.

The authors also suggest that other tests be done on a regular basis, including Cholesterol (lipid) panel, Advanced lipid testing, Coronary Artery Calcium Testing, Blood tests for the presence of inflammation, Electrocardiograms and Treadmill Stress tests. They say that coffee, with its "high level of antioxidants," is actually quite healthy to drink in moderation. And they site the recent study that found that exercise and fitness are more important than body weight, plus they note that there is no longer evidence that a type-A personality is directly linked with a higher risk of heart attack.

There is much more than in the book, which, again, I think gives a good, high-level overview of improving ones health and longevity in retirement. I recommend it.

Common sense, practical advice about your health. Readable, understandable, and useful. Explains cholesterol numbers, blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and how these issues affect your health and ultimately longevity. I'm giving the book to people I care about.

This book is wonderful! It is quick and easy to read. All of the information is well organized and to the point, which makes it a valuable reference tool. Many other books are way too long, repetitive, and use language that is difficult to understand if you don't have a degree in medecine.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn how to live a healthier life!

Reading this book gives one the feeling your doctor is sharing everything they can with you...in one visit.

Unfortunately, only later in our life do we tend to get more serious about our health. Even later is never too late, and you can make a difference and you can educate the young now. Absorb it.

Through extensive scientific research, professional experience, the authors, both doctors, have teamed up for a thorough user-friendly book targeting longevity, providing YOU with the choices for a longer better life. And what's more, everything is explained in layman's term. Layout is designed with gray-shaded sidebars to quickly view and digest those very important topics. Lightweight and easy to carry, this is a great book to refer to during those quiet moments.

Understanding the Threats
You will get clear facts on the 10 threats to your health and its risk factors, from the number one killer, heart disease to the number 10, Septicemia. Do you know what septicemia is??

Then, you can assess your own profile. And here, completely understand those HDL LDL cholesterol levels and triglicerydes which you have never understood before.

Happiness...is it in you?
I especially like chapter on your mental health, a critical factor in our lives.

Exercise - "the real fountain of youth"
Don't try to live without it! I cannot stress how much in this book refers to the importance of exercise and how favorable it is to ward off many aspects of diseases.

Facts on Diets of long-lived people, Excellent Food Choices and Menus
Included is fact-based info on diets of various cultures, you are given a simple list of superfoods, learn about fish, nuts, and bad foods. Several menus are included.

Another chapter deals with our medications and/or supplements. Learn what statins are, and the dos and don'ts of your vitamins, etc. Great information!

As I mentioned, make this handy well researched and referenced book your bible for a long healthy life. Carry it with you. Give it as a gift!!

Lots of good pictures and stories behind the filming of the show. If you are a fan of Andy Griffith, you can't go wrong with this book.

I've never seen such a great Mayberry book before!! It has many wonderful pictures, and tons of great history. I read this straight for around 3-4 hours, and it has great memories or the actors reminiscing... Ah, well, it's worth buying for the price, this book is worth it!! Very high quality.

I recently bought this book for my grandparents. It was such a joy to sit and watch them remember back on all the episodes they had watched. If you were a fan of the Andy Grifith show this is a must buy for you

This a very unique book on a unique show. It is not the usual Ken Beck and Jim Clark quote book with quotes taken directly from the show or text describing the characters or episodes. The text briefly describes each season and the rest of the book is filled with photos and quotes from the actors (many bit players), writers, producers, etc. The quotes range from talking about certain actors or scenes to behind-the-scenes tidbits and general feelings about The Andy Griffith Show. It reads like a scrapbook. Many of the photos I have not seen in any other TAGS book. There are a lot of behind-the-scenes photos. Some of my favorites show the cameramen, lights, and equipment as scenes were being filmed. There is also a cool aerial shot of the set of the Forty Acres lot in Culver City that was used for downtown Mayberry (p. 44). I also like the photos of TAGS memorabilia (TV Guide and comic book covers). The photos start with early publicity and scene shots from the pilot episode on The Danny Thomas Show and go on through all 8 seasons of TAGS, ending with photos and quotes on the spin-offs Gomer Pyle USMC, Mayberry RFD, and the 1986 reunion Return to Mayberry. Many people are quoted, but some of them include producer Sheldon Leonard, assistant producer Ronald Jacobs, music director Earl Hagen, Rance Howard, writer Jack Elinson, producer Aaron Ruben, Elinor Donahue, Margaret Kerry-Wilcox (played Bess Muggins and Helen Scobey), Joy Ellison (played Mary Wiggins, Opie's choice for Miss Mayberry), members of The Country Boys, Kit McNear (Howard McNear's son), James Best, Renee Aubry (choir member), Don Knotts, Julie Adams and Sue Ane Langdon (both nurse Mary Simpson), writer Harvey Bullock, Keith Thibodeaux (Johnny Paul), Jim Nabors, Jack Prince (Rafe Hollister), members of The Dillards (The Darlings) Mitch Jayne, Dean Webb, Rodney Dillard, Doug Dillard, their on-screen sister Maggie Peterson (Charlene), Bernard Fox (Malcolm Merriweather), Howard Morris (director as well as Ernest T Bass), director Earl Bellamy, Ron Howard, Clint Howard (Leon), Mary Grace Canfield (Mary Grace Gossage), George Lindsey, Betty Lynn, Hal Smith (on riding a cow), George Spence who was Frank the boyfriend in "Guest in the House" (there is an entire page on his memories of the show), Dennis Rush (played one of Opies pals, Howie Pruitt/Williams), Ruta Lee, Jack Dodson, Ken Berry, Paul Hartman's grandson Bill (one of my favorite quotes. He talks about how fans sent his grandfather Emmett radios and toasters to fix), Jack Dodson's widow Mary, associate producer Richard O. Linke, Arlene Gonlonka (Millie). Not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. The quotes are all very positive. No bitterness in Mayberry.

My only qualm about the book is the lack of coverage of one of my favorite, and greatly unappreciated, characters Warren Ferguson. No Jack Burns quotes, I guess that is understandable. But beneath one of only three photos of him is the sarcastic caption: "Andy hires Floyd's nephew Warren Ferguson as Mayberry's new deputy, `know what I mean, huh-huh-huh?' (Please don't get him or us started)." Not keeping with the Mayberry spirit, in my opinion. Oh well, you can't have it all, I guess. The book ends with a very useful episode guide that includes a synopsis of each episode (some even include some extra tidbits or trivia) and guest characters with cast credits. It is an excellent addition to any TAGS fan's collection.

An excellent book and well put together. You will find amazing photographs of all the characters in the cast...and then some. One of the most interesting photos, in this book, is one of an ariel view of the Mayberry Town near Culver City, California. An actual town within a town.

I have read other books and also found them interesting with regard to the Andy Griffith show, but it was great to see all the pictures and read the personal comments of the stars and the people behind the scenes.

I believe that anyone , like myself, who really loved the show will enjoy this a great deal. Well done. This was one of my all time favorites shows and this book shows a lot of the people who made it such a great series.

I've been a fan of Modesty and Willie since the books first came out, and I was a loyal reader of the strip in the London Evening Standard for many years.
If you like action novels, with unusual villains, fast-moving scenes, and plenty of tongue in cheek humor, Modesty Blaise is the girl for you, and 'Modesty Blaise', the first novel in the series, is a good place to start.
After writing non-fiction for many years, I turned to fiction in 2003, and my first novel 'Snides' is available on Amazon. As a gesture of homage to Peter O'Donnell, I created an action duo, John Pilgrim and Sally Brandon. They're not straight copies of the originals and the best, Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin, but I've tried to hit their target of plenty of action, with a little humor.
I own the complete series of Modesty Blaise books, and one of them is always on my bedside table. I must have read them all dozens of times, but I still keep re-reading them!

Tony Walker
Scottsdale, Arizona

Modesty Blaise is the perfect woman. That is if the perfect woman is a different sort of beautiful, witty, funny, sophisticated, terrifyingly focused and a lethal killer without commitments.

If you like your superheroes or thrillers to be up close and personal, you need to read O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise. There are gadgets, guns, and impossible missions, not to mention hand to hand combat poetry.

In this book, Tarrant, of the British Secret Service, has a problem. He wants Modesty's help, but really has no leverage, except to play on how much she cares about Willie Garvin. The reasons why are revealed.

He does so, and they go into action. A very dangerous situation, and they must be captured by a ruthless man named Gabriel, to stop a diamond operation.

I became an instant fan from the beginning pages of this lst of a series. Modesty and Willie are fascinating, likeable characters with almost superhuman powers between them. They fight the evil doers of the world and win against all odds. The strong, fast moving plot is deeply satisfying with unexpected twists and turns. Even though it was written over 40 years ago, the characters are still fresh and compeling. Modesty can hold her head high in the world of superwomen who break rules when necessary for the greater good. A winner for both male and female readers!

Modesty Blaise started life as a cartoon strip, but O'Donnell then put his creation into novel form, and did a superb job in both formats. This is the first novel in the series, and introduces the setting and most of the main characters.

Modesty Blaise is a former refugee and survivor of the terrible disruptions caused by the war, and as a child drifted across Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the company of an old professor. She had to be tough to survive; but her companion instilled in her a strong moral code. She took over a small criminal gang and built it up into a powerful criminal organisation infused with that moral code--they never touched drugs or vice, and occasionally co-operated with the police and intelligence services to help clean up such crimes. She retired a wealthy woman at the age of 24.

As the novel opens, Modesty and her friend and former second-in-command Willie Garvin are finding that retirement is boring and adrenaline an addiction they cannot shake. Sir Gerald Tarrant, the head of British Intelligence, exploits that addiction to recruit them for an intelligence operation for which they are peculiarly suited. What follows is a thrilling caper novel pitting Modesty and Willie against a bizarre criminal mastermind. Tight plotting and wonderful prose make this a very entertaining read, with a unique pair of heroes. It's wonderful to see Souvenir Press reissuing the novels, making them available again to both a new generation of fans and those with fond memories.

It is hard to say whether the Modesty Blaise novels or the Modesty Blaise comic strips are better, but the lucky reader doesn't have to choose. Read both. The comic strips have been reprinted by Titan Books, Ken Pierce Books, Manuscript Press, and in Comics Revue magazine, and now the novels are being reissued. Also highly recommended are the books Peter O'Donnell wrote under the pseudonym Madeleine Brent.