Forbes Books

There are several biographies extant on St. Catherine of Siena, most notably by her spiritual director, Blessed Raymond of Capua, and an excellent volume written by Alice Curtayne, both available from TAN books. But my own favorite is a trim volume by F. A. Forbes, part of her seven books on Catholic Saints. Terse but extremely piognant. The author was a dramatist and a religious, making this volume a literary gem. The illustrations in this book, done by I don't know whom, also glitters. Loved it. You will too.

We just did this little volume in Jr. High Literature class--it was excellent, well written and provided good discussion!

A top-notch espionage mystery very typical of Colin Forbes, whose plots keep one guessing until the very end as to the answers and outcomes of well-crafted characters. Set and written in 1975, an original idea is the focus for THE STONE LEOPARD. France is about to change its political leanings from NATO to Warsaw Pact. Guy Florian, the new French President lashes out at the 'Americanisation' of Europe and pledges loyalty to the eastern bloc. The French defence minister Alain Blanc is planning to oust him from power, but as Marc Grelle, the Prefect of Police in Paris investigates, he discovers something far more dangerous is afoot. A hostile naval task force reaches the Mediterranean, heading towards France and Spain. What is the significance of the LEOPARD, a World War 2 Resistance leader rumoured dead but still apparently alive? Inside all of this, Grelle discovers a conspiracy worse than Florian's political leanings which could destabilise Europe as we know it. The climax detonates well as events race to their final conclusion. If you can track down a copy, this is well worth the read.

This book is part of a series of nine books that look at various aspects of ancient technology. The book I acquired was from the 1971 edition, and may be different from other editions. This one has seven chapters: Synopsis of Early Metallurgy; Old Tools and New Methods; The Evolution of the Smith, His Social and Sacred Status (a surprisingly wide variance here!); Tools and Methods of Early Metallurgy; Gold; Silver and Lead; and Zinc and Brass.

This wonderful book is eighth book in the series, and should be coupled with the ninth, Studies in Ancient Technology: Metallurgy in Antiquity - Copper and Bronze, Tin, Arsenic, Antimony and Iron. This one covers the methods of metallurgy, and smith in great detail, and then begins the story of the metals known to the ancient world, which the ninth book continues.

This excellent book contains a wealth of information. It is designed to give the reader an in-depth understanding of the topic, and it succeeds admirably. It is written in a dry and academic tone, but it is nonetheless an excellent resource on the topic of ancient metallurgy.

I've had an impossible time trying to figure out what was what on the Amazon search for "Studies in Ancient Medicine." I copied this assembly from another website.

Volume 1 - Bitumen and Petroleum in Antiquity: The Origin of Alchemy: Water Supply

Volume 3?? - Cosmetics and Perfumes in Antiquity: Food, Alcoholic Beverages, Vinegar: Fermented Beverages 500 B.C.-500 A.D.: Crushing: Salts, Preservation Processes, Mummification: Paints, Pigments, Inks and Varnishes (One reviewer states that this is volume 3, but that's all I'm going on.)

Volume 4 - The Fibres and Fabrics of Antiquity, Washing, Bleaching, Fulling and Felting: Dyes and Dyeing: Spinning: Sewing, Basketry and Weaving

Volume 6 - Heat and Heating, Refrigeration, Light

Volume 7 - Studies in Ancient Technology : Ancient Geology: Ancient Mining and Quarrying: Ancient Mining Techniques

Volume 8 - Metallurgy in Antiquity, Part 1 Early Metallurgy, the Smith and His Tools, Gold, Silver and Lead, Zinc and Brass


Volume ?? - Irrigation and Drainage: Power: Water and Windmills: Land Transport and Road Building: The Coming of the Camel


I'm giving this five stars because I can't post it without a rating, and it seems unfair to downgrade something that I haven't read. I have noticed that one review pops up on several different volumes, so make sure that whatever review you see saying it is xyz volume - Amazon doesn't always mark it - really is xyz volume.

This book is part of a series of nine books that look at various aspects of ancient technology. The book I acquired was from the 1966 edition, and may be different from other editions. This one has three hefty chapters: Ancient Geology; Ancient Mining and Quarrying; and Ancient Mining Techniques. Everything is covered in this book, broken down by the ancient civilization, even covering such things as the legal status of the miner.

This book is an excellent resource on the topic of what the ancients knew about geology and extracting. This book contained the answers to every question that I had, and even to question I never thought to ask. It tries to cover every aspect of its topics, and it succeeds admirably. It is rather dry and academic in tone, but it is a wonderful resource, one that I highly recommend.

This book is part of a series of nine books that look at various aspects of ancient technology. The book I acquired was from the 1966 edition, and may be different from other editions. This one has three hefty chapters: Heat and Heating; Refrigeration, The Art of Cooling and Producing Cold; and Light. The chapter on heating has everything on fuels and the application of heating technology. The cooling chapter covers such things as snow, cooling through evaporation, and psykters for wine cooling. And finally, the light section covers torches, tapers, candles and lamps.

This is an exciting resource. It covers absolutely everything on each of the topics, giving the reader an in-depth understanding of the subjects! This book was written by an expert in the field, and attempts to explain fully everything that it covers. So, if you are at all interested in these subjects, then I highly recommend that you get this book.

This book is part of a series of nine books that look at various aspects of ancient technology. The book I acquired was from the 1966 edition, and may be different from other editions. This one has three hefty chapters on three very different topics: Leather; Sugar and Its Substitutes in Antiquity; and Glass.

Each topic is covered in a manner so in-depth that it will answer every question you have on the topic, and then going on to questions you never thought to ask. I found this to be an excellent resource on its three topics, and like the rest of the series, this is a must-have for any serious student of the ancient world. I highly recommend this book.

This book is part of a series of nine books that look at various aspects of ancient technology. The book I acquired was from the 1972 edition, and may be different from other editions. This one has three hefty chapters: Copper; Tin and Bronze, Antimony and Arsenic; and The Early Story of Iron. Each chapter looks at ores, mining, trade, smelting, nomenclature, and application. Plus, anything else relative to the subject is certain to be thrown in, such as history, impurities, discovery, etc.

The book goes into a depth that will leave the casual reader breathless. Indeed, it is not intended for recreational reading, but instead is intended to give the reader an in-depth understanding of the subject. So, if you are interested in reading about the ancient working of metals, then I very highly recommend this book to you.

This book is part of a series of nine books that look at various aspects of ancient technology. The book I acquired was from the 1964 edition, and may be different from other editions. This one covers all aspects of the manufacture of cloth in the ancient world. It has six chapters: The Fibres and Fabrics of Antiquity; Washing, Bleaching, Fulling and Felting; Dyes and Dyeing; Spinning; Sewing, Basketry and Weaving; and Weaving and Looms.

This book is simply wonderful. It covers everything you need to know about materials, and processes used in the manufacture of ancient cloth. It is written for the academic reader, so a casual reader might find it overly dry and academic. But, if you are willing to look past that, you will find here a resource that is without peer. So, if you are interested in ancient cloth making, then I highly recommend this book to you.