Collins Books

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!

The Ultimate Sewing Book: Over 200 Sewing Ideas for You and Your Home
Wether you are a beginner or an advanced, this book is the best investment you can ever make,what can I say,it's great! I don't even have words to explain exactly what this book is.
Step by step instructions with clear pictures... it's amazing!

Judith Velger

I like this sewing book for it's detaild, well illustrated instructions. There are many techniques and they are devided into two halfs: home decor and clothes construction. At the first chapter you'll find the basics: tools and equipments, about the sewing machine (it could be enough explanation for some but I've seen better ones before). However, She writes about many kind of fabrics throuout the book and explains a lot about them! The photos are great too! There are a huge amount of information, how to-s for different kind of techniques packed in this book. For instance hand and machine stitches, seams, how to clip curves, pinning and cutting, marking patterns, alterations, interfacings, tucks and pleats, different sleeve costructions, collars, waistbands, pockets, linings, curtains, blinds, tiebacks, sheets, duvet cover, tabelcloths, slipcovers and many many more + a lot's of details (embellishments, corners, edges, even discussing different styles)! I'd deffinately recommend this book for a sewer who has a little bit of knowledge (knows how to sew a straight stitch or thread a machine). I think this book can be a bit overwhelming for a total novice - but maybe not every novice :) If it is more important for you to learn from a really step-by step book where every single move and detail are explaind and photographed carefully and everything has to be very very clear, then - I think this book could be confusing! (I'd recommend then the "Sewing 101, a beginner's guide to sewing") Otherwise this is a great book, also very good quality (not going to fall apart anytime soon)..if you looking for an answer more than likely you'll find it in this book since it contains such a wide range of info!

Including the words "the ultimate" in the title of any book is pretty risky. After all, you're creating some pretty high expectations before the reader even turns the first page. With The Ultimate Sewing Book: Over 200 Sewing Ideas for You and Your Home, author Maggi McCormick Gordon stepped up to welcome the challenge and hit a grand slam home-run. Filled with step-by-step instructions and beautiful full-color photographs, this book certainly lives up to its name.

The Ultimate Sewing Book provides an excellent introduction to sewing basics, which are an integral part of any successful sewing project. There is a brief discussion of the tools, equipment and fabrics used in sewing, followed by an exceptional presentation of the fundamentals, such as hand and machine stitches and seams, edges and gathering.

Dressmaking is covered in great detail. After giving you a crash course in using and altering patterns and choosing fabrics, The Ultimate Sewing Book demonstrates dressmaking techniques for the individual components that are used in the creation of garments. For example, you will learn how to make 4 types of collars, 10 types of pockets, 4 types of buttonholes and even 4 types of plackets.

The jewel of this book is the section that covers Home Furnishings. Making up over half of The Ultimate Sewing Book, this section teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about taking fabric and turning it into accessories for your home. In addition to the required sewing tips and techniques, there's information on choosing a style, choosing color, choosing fabric, measuring and assessing windows and furniture and much more. There are instructions for making curtains, blinds, bed linens, table linens, cushions, pillows and slipcovers. The first sewing project I ever attempted was a fabric blind inspired by the Home Furnishings section of The Ultimate Sewing Book; it's still hanging in my kitchen window.

Throughout the book, the instructions are detailed and guide you every step of the way. The photographs that accompany the instructions effectively utilize contrasting fabric and thread colors to further illustrate the point. All the photographs are large, colorful, intuitive and add greatly to the value of this book.

The Ultimate Sewing Book: Over 200 Sewing Ideas for You and Your Home is an excellent visual guide that will instill confidence in the beginner and inspire the experienced to dust off that sewing machine and start sewing! I highly recommend it.

The Ultimate Sewing book is filled with numerous colorful step by step sewing instructions and photos. It shows you how to make clothing to home furnishings -- from hems and pockets to curtains and duvet covers. I am a novice sewer and I found the photos in this book very helpful. The photos are colorful and bright -- not just drawings like you see in many books. This book also gives examples of sewing basics. It shows you basic and advanced stitches, how to use paper patterns, edges and many much more. This is a thick book that is great if you need a visual guide to get you sewing.

Roger Dean is best known for his groundbreaking work in LP cover art, including Yes, Uriah Heep, Osibisa, and other names from the 1970s music world. This great collection pulls together Dean's early work, including sketches, student work from his time at the Royal College of Art, and set design for the Yes tour stages.

I usually think of Dean as a visual artist, so his furniture, sets, and architectural interests were a pleasant surprise. It would have been helpful to have better identification of year in which each piece done. That's a small enough complaint, though. This is an outstanding collection of his work, and an interesting reference point for comparing the 70s culture to todya's.

//wiredweird

The architypal album cover artist of the early seventies period, Roger Dean produced covers for seventies album artists such as Yes, Gentle Giant, Greenslade and even Osibisa. This, his first of a number of publications, contains his early and best work. For fans of the progressive rock group "Yes" it also contains a number of photographs from their ambitious "Tales from Topographic Oceans " tour. This book should be reprinted NOW and is a must for all ardent "Yes " fans.

Roger Dean's artwork has been featured on the record and CD coversof Yes, Aisa, and Pink Floyd. He has displayed his artistic talent since Yes' "Fragile" LP in 1972. His work belongs in a museum display (I did see a print of the Fragile cover in the Hayden Planetarium) and this book (if you're lucky enough to get your hands on it) is recommended to avid Yes fans! It features the covers of "Topographic Oceans", "Beginnings", "Relayer", "Yessongs", and the inner gatefold of "Close to the Edge". Simply breathtaking! And in need of a reprint soon!

Groundbreaking when it was first published, this unique book has remained a benchmark in both art and publishing. Dean founded his own Paper Tiger imprint to release this collection of his designs. The book is sized the same as an old vinyl album, and contains dozens of his architectural/fantasy world renderings, know best as the covers of the majority of the YES albums, along with many other rock projects. Essential for the fans of Dean, it covers his schooling, 2D and 3D design projects, and an amazing array of full color, high quality reproductions of his ink and watercolor paintings.

The understated writing and excellent descriptions tell all about this 1952 visit to Mexico. Charming and entertaining. But I did skip the chapter on the history of Mexico.

Sublime. I am profoundly uninterested in Mexico, but it charmed my socks off. Wonderfully written. Up there in the clouds with Paula Fox, William Trevor, Alice Munro.

This is an absolutely charming but non-sacchrine account of travel in Mexico following World War II. A surprisingly important bonus is a better understanding of the history of this country and why it is what it is today. Wonderful. I will read it again.

I've enjoyed this travel book more than any I've read in a long time. Educational and enjoyable. Anyone who has done any traveling anywhere can have a good chuckle at the culture clashes that come from traveling in Mexico or any country where you're not familiar with the customs. These women weren't afraid of adventure and certainly found plenty of it! In spite of the frustrations of things not always going their way, they never resort to racial slurs or any real putdowns of the people they meet. And what a trip. They saw some of the most beautiful parts of Mexico before they've become over-run with tourists. I think the spirit in which they travel is something more people need when going to a foreign country. Go with the flow and everything will work out in the end. A wonderful read.

This book not only provides beautiful photographs, but good comprehensive information too. The material is accessible and thorough and is enhanced by the stunning photography. If you're looking for basic information, this is a great resource.

Another superb title from the let's read and find out series. My 5 yr. greatly enjoys it, and is learning a great deal from it.

This book is a perfect introduction to volcanoes for K-2 level kids, and older kids or early readers may enjoy reading them alone. It is easy to understand and the illustrations are clear and nice-looking. Unlike some science books for kids, this series tends to be very readable, versus a drier text that may make some kids lose interest quickly.

The book was very good. My son just started second grade and he loves science. The book kept him very interested throughout. He has read it more than 5 times and continues to ask questions about the different new concepts that were introduced in the book.
Very good purchase!

This title is for lovers of good reading and for those who enjoy military hystory.

Porch does an outstanding job explaining the reasons behind the initial successes of European colonial expansion, emphasizing the role played by civilian colonial administration in solidifying gains made by force of arms. A book that planners of the Iraq misadventure would have definitely benefitted from.

Wars of Empire by Douglas Porch is part of the Cassell History of Warfare series edited by John Keegan. The title actually is a bit of a misnomer. It refers to the usage prevalent in Eurpoe around 1700-1900. By Empire, it means an imperial colonial system, and so examines predominately the European experience, although the American experience in the Phillipines, and Japanese efforts are also discussed. The series has been notable in its flexible approach. Rather than restricting its authors to a specific struggle or time period, the series has allowed some topics to span larger ranges of time and space. (examples: Age of the Fighting Sail, War in the Air: 1914-1945) This method of looking at the common points along a continuum helps to formulate a better understanding of seemingly disparate topics.

Major strengths: briefly summarizes the major imperial wars which created the vast colonial empires of the European powers between 1700-1900. It highlights their successes and failures. It traces the importance of technology (notably machine guns, naval power, telegraph) and how these actions were part of a greater political/economic plan. Of interest to current readers is the history of how areas were "pacified", and why empires have failed. The last chapter "Imperial Twilight?" examines why the great colonial empires fell apart after WWII.
Major weaknesses: it requires the reader to have some notion of the political climate of the different eras, and be able to sense the vast scales involved.

So, in conclusion, a well done effort on a complex topic. Not just a history of little known colonial actions.

Porch is given a seemingly hopeless task: discuss a history that not only spans CENTURIES of warfare, but also an impossible variety of cultures and political contexts. Unlike other authors in this Smithsonian series, Porch approaches this seemingly impossible task with both energy and vision.

Porch must have quickly recognized that a strictly chronological approach would not have been at all insightful. There were simply too many Western powers trying to colonize vastly unrelated parts of the globe at the same time... any chronological approach to this topic in such a small book was doomed to becoming a simple list of battles and dates with little comment.

Instead, Porch chooses as his unifying structure the various strategies applied by Imperialists and their indigenous enemies. Porch identifies commonalities in both political and military strategies used in vastly different contexts, and organizes his discussion into these strategic lessons. The result is that battles in the 1700's may be mentioned in the same sentence as battles in the 21th century, provided that they present antagonists with comparable dilemmas. The advantage to this approach is that Porch is free to add profound insight without exploding the book to re-teach the lesson each time. The disadvantage, of course, is that all these tongue twisting names and dates seem to pop out of nowhere in the context of a lesson and can become hopelessly confusing for a first time reader.

Obviously, this approach makes it difficult to assemble any chronological narrative after just one reading, but Porch assumes that you will be reading this MORE than once. Porch ensures that there is sufficient information to allow a careful reader to go back and reconstruct a Colonial narrative from any viewpoint they choose. The maps and indicies in this book are absolutely vital, as they provide a very important launching point for a reader to go back and adopt a particular perspective from which to re-experience this book with a continent, imperial power, or century in mind.

Finally, the emphasis on "lessons learned" shows uncomfortable relevance to the American experience in Iraq. There is no direct mention of this occupation, so it is possible that the book was written before the invasion, but it is abundantly clear that the lessons learned painfully by imperial powers of centuries past were utterly disregarded by the Americans.

This children's book is a fine example of an easy-to-digest message- gratitude for our bounty.

It's presented via beautiful artwork and the English alphabet. The message is gentle and universal- we must stop, look all around us, and be grateful for all that we see, for all that is provided.

This book was a visual and literary delight. It reminded me of medieval illuminated books with the deep, rich colors and detail of the illustrations and the simple and meaningful inspiration of the text. I shared this book with my three grandchildren many times, and they were enthralled. Ms. Collins is talented and insightful, I'm looking forward to her next publication!

The writer/artist has taken great pains of going beyond the simple telling of the A,B,Cs. She has not only written this book as a learning/teaching tool, but she has given a moral meaning to each of the letters so that even the youngest can understand.

The art is nicely done, not crowded and pleasant to look at. The words under the artwork are easy to explain to younger children and ties in nicely to the story on the opposing page for those that are older.

As a grandfather and educator, I find this book a pleasure to read and to teach to my grand-childern.

This book is amazing. Even though it's a "children's book," anyone and everyone can benefit from reading it. The beautiful pictures (also illustrated solely by the author), will capture the attention of every kid, and the perfect Biblical verses corresponding to each letter of the alphabet will speak directly to adults.
It's the perfect book to share with your church and its different ministries for all ages, as well as with nonbelievers.
I highly recommend it to everyone!

I have read and re-read this little book 4 times now and have gleaned new gems of wisdom each time. The principles apply to everything from organizing volunteers to managing a household with refreshing common sense and without complicated formulas. Thank you!!!

You can read it in under an hour and it will stick with you the rest of your career. It's dense with common sense about the boss business. Collins learned it all the hard way but gives it to you easy in this great little book. A copy ought to come with every promotion to the management ranks.

As a Senior Manager it is easy to forget how you got to the corner office, lose your edge and just need something new to fire you up and to inspire the next generation of managers. This book can really help you get off to a positive start after you have unpacked all the dusty textbooks and manuals. The "Chapter Summaries" make it easy to develop a continuing stream of strategies to turn your managers into the leaders you need. This book dares to tell you what not to do, (like over-manage) while bringing out the best in your workforce. Middle managers feeling trapped and frustrated? I have used this book as a tool to help them find the good in their people and organization and pump up the positive, productive work environmnet. Take a look at a little book with a BIG message. I suggest you go ahead and pick a pair.

Unbelievable!!! I credit this down to earth author with the increased success of my business. Easy to read, understand and implement his ideas.

Very impressive coverage on the Wilk Silk Moths of Noth America. Most known species are shown in exellent photographs,some in the larval stages also. Good range maps and detailed text make this the laymans best friend when exploring and learning about the habitats and life histories of some of our most magnificent moth species. The best book I've seen on the subject period!

At last a book I can put on my bookshelf next to Holland's Moth Book.

Excellent book that not only deals in the taxonomy of Saturniidae moths but of collecting and rearing as well. Great illustrations and maps.

Previously much of this information was only available in bits and pieces on the Internet and in obscure publications and has never been previously compiled in one volume.

For those of you not familiar with Saturniidae they are the family of giant silk moths. Some species are the size of a small bird. Just about every location in America is home to at least one species of giant silk moth and they even live in our big cities.Why do most people not see them? Well one reason is they are nocturnal and high flying. If you look in wooded areas however you will often see their cocoons. One can purchase live silk moth cocoons and the females readily attract males by a phermone that can be detected by the male of the species for miles.



As a moth breeder I welcome this book.

For each moth there is a color picture of last instar caterpillar and one or more pictures of the moth. There is also a range map and detailed descriptions of each stage of the life cycle with notes on rearing.
This is a well-written, well-researched, easy to read book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in these largest and showiest of the U.S. moths.

I have been looking for a guide like this for years. This book shows great pictures of all the bigger moths of North America including their caterpillars. Loaded with maps and drawings of the cocoons this book is a must have. Don't let the price scare you away.