Collins Books

This must be the Bible to sociology students around the world - i don't know an A level student who's lived without it. Buy it!

Written by two top college lecturers from Preston, England, this is a seminal and thoroughly readable work. Covers all sociological topics, well laid out, easy to read, excellent index. Suitable for senior high school and all levels of college study. The book is also well suited for anyone with a passing interest in social science or the humanities.

Everyone who wants to get a little bit deeper knowledge about sociology will find this book very helpful. It's main virtue is perfect balance between simplicity of language used and complexity of sociology itself. It is obvious that it is writen for someone who is only starting to dig into social science - but don't underestimate it for this!

While going through the book in1986, I often wondered if a more comprehensive, lucid and well-researched book could ever be written on the subject. My conviction still remains strong after all these years. This book is quite different from the usual introductory books on sociology meant for college fresher, which come packaged with pictures, photographs, case studies, box items and rather oversized glossaries of terms. Here, the whole gamut of sociology is presented by placing relevant theories side by side, which are often in stark contrast with each other. For example, the liberal perspective which hopes that `the expansion of education will also reduce inequality in society,' is followed by a jarring Marxian argument that the educational system is a `gigantic myth-making machine which serves to legitimate inequality.' These contradictions and shifts in the theories provide adequate clarity to the reader, rendering unnecessary any further intervention by the author.

All the seminal contributions of pioneers like Durkheim, Weber, Redcliffe-Brown, Parsons, Merton and Marx, and modern perspectives of sociologists like Michael F.D.Young, Edmund Leach and R.D.Laing are explained in a succinct manner. Apart from the various sociological perspectives, vital areas like social stratification, power and politics, poverty, education, organisation, family, religion and women and society are discussed threadbare. The final two chapters namely, methodology ans sociological theories are, to my mind, the final words on the subjects. I strongly recommend this book to anybody who wants to make any headway into the subject of sociology.

To close on a personal note - I found the chapter on religion the most absorbing in this book. As the functionalists' perspective of Durkheim, Malinowski and Parsons is decimated by the sharp but convincing Marxian standpoint, the chapter reads like a thriller, that is dominated by courtroom arguments.

I ran across this great program at the local book store after my eye was drawn to the cover. In my real estate business it's a challenge to make best use of my time to balance my family of four and the competitive/busy Real Estate business environment. I am amazed how often I pop in the CD and become refreshed and redirected to all my Goals...

Brian Magoon, C-21 REALTOR New England

A perfect tool to keep all sales people sharp! Collins, a master of sales, delivers the crucial points necessary to prepare and conduct meaningful sales.

"The Sound Selling Audiobook is right there with the leading 'active learning' trend in training - great training exactly when and where you need it".
-- Tim McMahon
Author of "Selling 2000" and "Dear God, I Never Wanted to Be a Salesman!"

This sales audiobook helps professionals improve on their personal effectiveness. It presents the essentials of successful sales skills in a clear format. The 15 Keynotes includes strategies to plan your sales, keep focused, connect with customers and identify their needs, creating value, bringing passion into the sales process and generating a referral network. Occasional breaks of new age music offer time for reflection.

Muy interesante. Estudio ameno y enriquecedor sobre las opciones en la toma de decisiones que importan. Lleno de citas para la meditación y una gran lectura para la reflexión.

This book is great in many ways, I can pick it up at anytime and start at any point and get
inspiration for various circumstances. I highly recommend this book.

This is a great book for both your business and personal life - very inspiring and motivating. It really makes you think about how you are currently interacting with other people in your life and how even small changes can make a big difference. I also loved the quotes sprinkled throughout the book.

Dobbins' book is a warm, moving and thought provoking argument for a different way of being, not just at work, but in life. His honesty and humanity, coupled with his practical insights into the business world come together in an entirely unique and terrific book. A must read for anyone who wants to make a difference in life or at work.

this is such a good book i mean really really good oh no ! theres a nit in my hair sorry! back to the book this book really makes you think about how lucky u are and i'm telling u that berlie doherty is going to overpower me
from Anne Fine

this book is based on real story which makes it feel like it's jumping out at you. it is the kind of book that you can't let go and that when it's light out you get a torch and read on till midnight! it is good because it has a seesaw of events like it's good for poor young jim jarvis then its bad. jim jarvis' mother and father have died and he doesn't know where his sisters are and he's sent to the work house which is the worst place to be.

for jim i have cut my hair short (i'm a girl) to see what it is like to lose something
from sassy

Street Child by Berlie Doherty is an extravagent book. It tells of the cruel fate a little boy named Jim must endure, all his adventures growing up, and terrible tradgeties. This book is extravagent and absalutely a must have. If you don't own this book you should go out and buy it immediately!!

I am Mrs Townhill's daughter, aged 10, and have just finished reading this book.

This book is about the life of Jim Jarvis, a street boy in Victorian London. After his father died his life was hard and following the death of his mother and loosing his sisters, his life got worse until he met 'Barney', now known as Dr Barnardo, who looked after him.

This story is based on the true story of the start of Dr Barnardo's homes.

The book is exciting but sad in many places so I have only given it four stars, but I would recommend everyone to read it to realise how bad life was not very long ago in England and to realise that there are still children living like that in places around the world today.

Mum adds . . . I enjoyed this book too. It is well written for children. It is not too sentimental, neither does it hide the facts of the rough life of the poor, without being too frightening. It is gripping and keeps you caring all the way. An excellent read.

It's a great book. A must buy for anyone interested in candid photography. Every picture tells a story and the contrast at times is amazing.

While visiting New York City, I, too, noticed the beauty of people I saw in the subway. What I didn't have was a courage to take pictures because I was afraid that people may not feel comfortable being taken pictures by a stranger like myself. This book is something I wish I could have done, something my dream came ture. Just take a look around while riding subway. You'll be amazed at how beautiful people are.

Nice pics about "true underground people".
If you want to know the "feeling" of NY's subway, this is the book...

These astonishing digital photographs are witty without being condescending, intimate without being impertinent, and unsentimental without being cold. As Billy Collins writes in his introduction, "These images speak of a boldness associated with reports from the front...." Peter Peter is a Czech and his pictures belong to the photography of discovery brought to New York by such Europeans as Andreas Feininger, Andre Kertesz, Rudy Burckhardt and Robert Frank.

Collins not only does a superior job of telling the tales, but also characterizing the people who lived them. At Wake Forest it is not so much the story as the people. The university is one built upon relationships. This is a book for any generation of Wake Forest or ACC fan because one can open it and connect to the players and coaches with whom they are familiar. Collins offers an accurate and unbiased account. He has witnessed many of the events he described in this book first-hand as a veteran journalist and Wake Forest beat reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal, Wake Forest's hometown newspaper. Open to any page and enjoy!

It's been almost a century since basketball started at Wake Forest (1906). And from that beginning, not long after basketball was invented, there has been time to develop a lot of history. A history of events, certainly, but especially a history of people: the team, the players, the coaches.

Dan Collins has covered Wake Forest for the Winston-Salem Journal since 1978. He's collected a century worth of stories into this small book. It's clearly aimed at the Wake Forest fan. This is not basketball in general, this is Wake Forest basketball. Well maybe a little bit about North Carolina basketball, but not much.

Beyond that, the writing is excellent, it flows quickly and is absolutely filled with amusing anecdotes. If you're a fan....

This book is an excellent read, not just for Wake Forest fans, but for all sports fans. I recommend it highly!

Collins effectively presents interesting and informative anecdotes on Wake Basketball, its players and coaches. A pleasant read for any Deacon fan.

This is NOT an etymological reference work (for which I recommend Ayto), but rather a mentally stimulating 300 pages for browsing.

Don't expect to find a particular word and don't try to read it all at once. Instead, keep it by the bedside or in the car and read a page or two when you have a spare minute.

It's a bit dated, and some entries are obscure or unfamiliar, but Harry Potter fans will delight to find such words as basilisk and mandrake.

There are many such non-academic books on the stories of word origins, but this one among many has somehow captured my preference. The balance of etymology and history provides many delightful little ah-hah! moments of new insights and connections.

This is best illustrated by example:

I just now randomly opened the book to page 58, where we learn that the bird 'canary' is indeed from the Canary Islands, which are so named in Pliny the Elder's account of the journey, in 40 B.C., of Juba, the Mauritanian chief, through the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar Strait) to an island overrun with dogs which he named Canaria, Latin for 'Island of Dogs' (canine).

In the next 3 pages one learns (in much greater detail):

The Latin 'cancelli', for lattice, gave us the word 'cancel' from the appearance of hash marks in the days before erasers (whose usage gave us the noun 'rubber').

Roman candidates for public office wore white as a sign of purity (like brides today), so 'candidatus' (clothed in white) gave us candidate, candor, and candid.

When Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba, the people explained they were Canibales, a dialectal pronunciation of Caribes, from which we get cannibal and Caribbean.

'Canopy' comes from the Greek konops, mosquito, for the purpose of the net it held.

One 'canters' on a horse when riding leisurely toward CANTERbury Cathedral for a picnic at the grave of Thomas a Becket, who was murdered in 1170 by his pal, King Henry II.

'Canvas' comes from the Latin for hemp, cannabis.

'Caper' and 'caprice' describe the antics of goats, the Latin for which is 'capra' (Capricorn). Elsewhere he explains how the leap of a goat, cabriolet in Latin, gave us 'cab', with taxi (like tax) indicating the necessity of paying a toll.

That's a summary of just three pages. A different sort of example from page 203 describes the amphibian once called an efeta and still today called an 'eft' in some regions. By tonal similarity, this became eveta. Since v and u were written the same, it became eueta. Just as 'due' sounds like 'dew', it became ewta, then ewte. Finally, the 'n' migrated, so that 'an ewte' became 'a newt'.

If you've read this far and enjoyed it, you'll like this book. Otherwise, forget it.

It's uncanny how often these factoids subsequently turn up in conversation or on Jeopardy the very same week you read it.

I reviewed this book a few years ago but now that I have lived with it I think it is interesting and fun to read. The origin of many idioms and phrases is entertaining.

Today I again wished I still had access to THEREBY HANGS A TALE. I had read most of it years ago while staying with a friend and have missed its delightful insights into how our language grows and changes. Each word's origin is explained with great humor and insight. This time, however, instead of just feeling blue for not having it, I searched Amazon.com [bless them and their search engine] and by golly, Ollie, I found it. I can't wait to lay eyes and mind again on its wondrous pages. If you don't already love words and their deeper meanings, this may stimulate you into a grand new experience with one of life's simple pleasures.

I have always loved to explore word origins, which is why I love this book. While many of the origins are what you would expect, there are a few gems whose origin is most unusual. The word origins also show what a mongrel the English language is, with words developed using input from every corner of Europe, the Islamic areas of North Africa and Asia and even as far away as British India. It was fascinating to learn how so many of our words had a different form in one language and was altered two or three times before reaching the final form that we know today. I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in word origins or who just wants to learn something while doing some recreational reading.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Tiverton Diary" by Wallace Collins. The book has action, romance, some sex, suspense, some philosophy, plenty of page-turning surprises and it is very well written with a nice historical touch. Here's hoping for additional novels.

This first novel by Wallace Collins is a delighful read. The plot is intriguing, with several novel twists at unexpected moments; the characters are fun, with a main protagonist who brings to mind a younger Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, and several of the most repulsive villains ever to darken the doors of Merrie Olde England. The settings move from America to England (urban and rural) and back to America with breakneck pace, leaving the reader happily scrambling to keep up with the action. The premise is unusual; the reader's interest builds as the story progresses. Do yourself a favor, buy this one, and settle in with a pitcher of iced tea for a jolly good read. Mr. Collins, please keep writing! We are waiting for your further efforts!

This novel has it all:mystery,danger,romance,intrigue.Very well written and researched.Fans of The Davinci Code and other books by Dan Brown would be fans of this book as well.

I was part of the team who saw The Tiverton Diary in the manuscript stage and knew at that time that it would be an excellent read. The plot and the writing are excellent, and being a WWII buff myself, found that the places depicted in the story are indeed very well researched. The reader can almost see the hotels, the highways, the inns used to make this story a great one. On a scale from 1 to 10 I consider The Tiverton Diary a 15 - OK, I never said I was good at Math, but am good at seeing a book that will keep the reader enthralled from page one to the end.
Well done, Mr. C! Now I'm waiting for 'part deux' or for another good story from you.
Christina Brett, author of "Old Sins Cast Long Shadows" and "A Nice and Quiet Place"

This is a must for Golfers who want to take their game to a Higher Level!

My favorite golfer here shares some of his game thoughts.

Being one of the best at tempo and scrambling, you'll find some great advice here.

I especially have put his idea of swinging down the line on pitch shots where the ball is snug down in the longstuff.

My favorite golfer here reveals some of his thinking about the game.

Renowned for his tempo, short game and scrambling ability, you'll take away much in these areas.

From reading this, I too now play gloveless. It saves money, I feel the clubhead much better and have much better grip pressure from making this change.

Another tip that has saved many shots in my rounds, is that when the ball is down snug in the grass, play pitch shots down the line.

Freddie has many like these in here you'll find so useful as well. Good stuff!

Since I purchased Total Shotmaking the book has been my constant source of reference and review whenever my game drops a notch. The best part of this book, for me, is the section titled "Couples' Clinic." This section includes 60 excellent tips on shot making. Its almost as if Fred Couples becomes your personal instructor to help you correct bad shots or develop new shots to enhance your game.

Total Shotmaking has helped me lower my handicap because it has expanded my bag of shots to help me recover from difficult spots.

I am a second grade teacher and LOVE to integrate literature into all my curricular areas. This book is GREAT for enriching the teaching of history about our states in Social Studies. One of my second graders brought her own personal copy to school for me to read to my class and I was so impressed with it that I ordered two copies from Amazon! One for my own classroom library and another for my daughter who teaches kindergarten. A great investment for teachers and parents concerned with instilling a love of country and history in young children!
Rhonda Hooper
Victoria, TX

Fascinating drawings for mid-older elementary may help students learn curricular content about the states. Each train car provides key information about the state, including the date of statehood, historical facts, and items of interest. This book could tie into building the railroad westward also.

All Aboard! Get ready to learn about the 50 States of America. There is a train coming past the school yard. Each train car has a state listed and facts about the state. We see the states pass by in order of the date they came into statehood. We will learn about the state capital, tree, flower, and bird, along with a fun fact.


This book was full of great information of the 50 states. It will be a useful reseacrch tool for stududents who come to the library for information on any or all of the 50 states!

We would recommed this book to others. The book presented useful information in a fun and exciting way.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends Peter Sis' THE TRAIN OF STATES as a splendid way to learn not only the names of all our states, also which came first & for what best each is known.

THE TRAIN OF STATES is the kind of book that will be read from generation to generation, teaching math, geography, history, patriotism & the fantastic use of imagination.

Very well done!