Henry Books

I first read this book as a schoolboy. It filled my mind with dreams and many wonderful hours of adventure. I have looked for over 30 years for this book, uncertain of its exact title or author. What a joy to discover that it has been newly printed!

I wondered how the book would read as an adult. After just a few pages I was caught back once again into the wonderful celtic world and lived again in the monastary at Glaston. The book is a great read for all ages with a story that lets you dream of a time when knights rode the countryside and life was filled with enchantment.

I first read this book in a Scholastic Books edition when I was a kid in grade school in the 1950's. It is the first time I ever remember being totally immersed and captured by a story about a distant time and place. Young readers really care about Hugh, a lame boy who is left in a monastery when his knight father is forced into exile from England. Hugh's search for the relics of King Arthur transforms him and works the same magic on the reader. Very highly recommended!

What can I say about this sublime book that blends an exciting mystery with tantalizing folklore and fascinating historical detail? Only what virtually every other reviewer here has said:
I read this book as a teen and never, ever forgot it.
I became enthralled with the legends surrounding Glastonbury.
I didn't rest until I actually visited the site in my 20's.
I almost never write Amazon reviews, but I am so delighted to see this gem of a book available again, I had to check in.

From the unanimously excited responses of those who rediscovered this book, I am confident that word of mouth and enthusiastic teachers and librarians will do everything they can to see that this amazing work reaches a new generation of future travellers to Glastonbury.

Like I, they will be thrilled to gaze on the actual places described in the book: The beautiful Chalice Well, the ruined Abbey, the marker for "Arthur's grave", the thorn tree; and the profoundly mystical Glastonbury Tor at the nexus of one of the most remarkable places on Earth.

Thank you, Eleanor Jewett, for making that trip a foregone conclusion for me upon the opening of your book.

For any young person interested in medieval history this is a great adventure story. I discovered it in my young teenage years and it continues to be one of my favorite stories to this day - 40 years later! I have now moved onto the Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters!

I first read this book as a 4th grader and loved it. Now, two decades later, I have purchased it for my classroom after finding it on Amazon. I have had several sixth graders rave about the plot and ask for similar stories. Rereading it as an adult, I still find the story and characters fun and interesting. This is a great find for the middle grades reader who can't get enough of the middle ages.

The Hunting of the Snark is a whacky piece of poetical silliness by Lewis Caroll. Complete nonsense, no-one knows what a Snark is, or why Snark hunters hunt it, or why anyone would want to become a Snark hunter to start with. Anyway, the poem is definitely amusing at times with some of the humour he slips in.

The Hunting of the Snark seems to be a very, very short imitation of The Canterbury Tales. The first chapter (titled a fit) introduces all of the occupations of all the different people going on a journey. However, instead of going on a general pilgrimage and telling tales along the way, their trip is very specific to hunting.

The Baker actually attempts to tell a story, but the Bellman (who leads the group) says there's no time for storytelling. They have to catch the Snark before nightfall.

Along with the Bellman and Baker, a Banker, a Bonnet-maker, a Butcher, a Boots, a Billiard-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, and a Beaver tag along to hunt for the Snark. The Beaver is afraid of getting cut by the Butcher, so he puts on a dagger-proof coat and talks to the Banker about buying an insurance policy.

The Beaver is involved in a hilarious scene with the Butcher later, when the two attempt to compute sums. But perhaps the funniest scene of the entire book is in the Barrister's dream when the Snark declares sentence on a pig, only to find out the pig has been dead long before the trial even began.

I'd highly recommend this short poem for Carroll fans, even though it's not big enough to contain but a small portion of what's to be found in the Alice books.

I have read a great deal of nonsense in the past, but this was by far the best nonsense that I have ever read. There is no point, no meaning, no sense, and no boringness. It is a delightful poem (which is well written and very fun to read aloud) about a crew on a ship hunting a snark. The crew includes a captain who only rings a bell, a beaver, a cook who only cooks beavers (the beaver and the cook did not get along well), a man afraid that the snark would turn into a boojum and make him disappear, etc. As you can tell, this makes for an insanely silly poem. The subtitle is rather fitting, as my sides were definitely hurting from laughter when I was done. Well done Mr. Carroll.

Overall grade: A+

Nonsense poems can easily miss the mark
Yet, this masterpiece has that spark.

"How do you kill a _____?", you ask
To find the answer was the hunters' task.

"What was their fate?", you wonder
Did they ever catch their elusive plunder?

A paragon of haunting Carollian lore
Be in no doubt that you'll finish wanting more.

This poem is just great!

First, this one of the most delightful pieces of writing that ever appeared in (more or less) English. It succeeds as a sustained exercise in illogic. I am sure that only a mathematical logician like Dodgson could possibly have pulled it off - only someone with such deep understanding of reason could master unreason so completely.

Second, Martin Gardner's commentary adds depth and background to the reading. Gardner explains terms that are now obsolete, but also adds his own analysis and a rich history of the Snark phenomenon. It should be no surprise that Gardner is still best known as the long-time editor of Scientific American's column on Mathematical Games, a mathematician himself.

I can't add much to the scholarship or praise that already surrounds this incredible poem. I would like to point out, however, that most non-native English speakers are unfamiliar with this poem. Many of them have only ever seen the serious side of the English language, and have never seen English at play. I consider this short work to be the ideal introduction to the very best of English-language nonsense.

//wiredweird

As a grad student in philosophy, I still find it helpfull to brush up on logic while breaking down complex argumentation during my research. This book is fantastically clear in its explanation of logic. My only hesitation during my reading was looking out for theistic themes hidden within the text. But although Gensler is a devout theist, he does an excellent job of exploring both arguments in his examples whenever he uses creation arguments. He makes sure to introduce logical fallacies and his exercises are great because he makes you translate real arguments we still use today.

I would even go so far as to recommend this book over Barwise and Etchemendy's "Language Proof and Logic". Although their software is far better, Logicola is practical and easy to use.

Though I am only part way through the book, I have gone far enough to appreciate Gensler's clear writing, simple examples and engaging excercises.

This book is a great introduction to logic that is does not have a biblical slant. It is easy to understand and covers all types of introductory logic. Great for high school, homeschool, or college.

I had the pleasure of taking Professor Gensler's intro logic course when he was a faculty member at the University of Scranton. Although I still have his old course notes, I picked up a (much nicer) printed copy of his revised book.

Although his logic course is geared more towards philosophy students, I have found it very helpful in brushing up on symbolic logic, as I attempt to study advanced mathematical topics, such as nonstandard analysis, and probability theory. If you work through his course, you shouldn't have much trouble following the proofs in mathematical logic, computer science, or any related discipline.

As an added bonus, your ability to parse natural language into symbolic format should be an unfair advantage in preparation for standardized tests, such as the LSAT or GRE, which have some sections on logical reasoning ability in the verbal sections.

Science and mathematics education would improve quickly if more professors took his computer/book based approach to instruction. I strongly recommend it.

I knew nothing of logic before purchasing this book, and it has definitely helped me dive into the subject. The book offers easy-to-learn methods for testing the validity of syllogisms, as well as ideas on how to create an accurate formula for a logical statement. Overall, Gensler's book is a very helpful introduction to logic.

My dad gave the kids this marvelous rendition of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. The captivating illustrations and gravings by Christopher Bing are incredibly emotion-evoking. In fact, I had to stop reading several times due to the lump in my throat. The ending is the best ~ a true gem for American families everywhere to treasure for years to come.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff and Sahm I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, lives near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children.

This is my child's oppinion of the book."I recently memorized this poem for school and found it quite boring and I did not want to learn it at all. But then after I learned it I read this book and saw all the pictures and I really started to appreciate that I learned it. The pictures really made the poem come to life and I really wish I had the book while learning it. Now I have it memorized and I am hoping to get a copy of the book!"

This book is a gift for a home schooling mom like me, who frequently fell asleep in my history classes in school! It really evokes the excitement, mixed with fear that must have been present at that time in history. Longfellow perfectly captures the passion and determination that gripped these "patriots". In addition, the illustrations are fantastic - true art.

This book comes alive when you open it and are allowed to step back in time with the wonderful backbeat of Longfellow's great American poem about the "the British are coming", and awakening of the people from Boston to Concord by Paul Revere. This is the beginning of America! Right before the "shot heard round the world" folks. A poem that shaped America not only in the eyes of Americans, but the rest of the world. Longfellow's poetry was simple genius. The art of Christopher Bing is outstanding. This exceptional book has the kind of creativity I would like to see more of in Children's Literature. A unique book that can be found on adult bookshelves as well.

You know this book is special as soon as you touch it. You realize that the look of leather on the cover is just that, a look. You flip through the pages and find a scrapbook, complete with worn and mildewed pages, enhanced with token mementos that look so three-dimensional you must trace them with a tentative finger. A letter from Thomas Gage to Lieutenant Colonel Smith is tucked inside the front cover; the Deposition of Paul Revere is stuck in the back. We find a map of the British plan and a corresponding map of the Middlesex Alarm, including Revere's actual route. This is *not* just a casual recitation of the classic poem. The words proceed on faded sheets while Bing's illustrations hint at period woodcuts. No explanations are necessary within the text. Notes are saved for the end, and they reveal the minor inaccuracies in the Longfellow version (one of the biggest being that Paul Revere was captured outside of Lexington and that his companion Dr. Samuel Prescott was the one who made it all the way to Concord). A gift for any age ... especially for those of us who can chime off part of the rhyme but forget the whole story.

Though the other stories have much cinematic potential, my favorite of this collection has to be "Dirk Snigby's Guide To The Afterlife." Funny and snarkily irreverent, it is full of the absurdities that is the currency of organized religion. In the right hands, "Dirk" could be the next "Dr. Strangelove" -- a chilling satire on what we fear most after taking that final breath in this life as we open the door to the next. Who knows, perhaps Dirk might in fact be our Guide. Pick up a copy of this anthology for this story alone.

an excellent collection of short stories that will make wonderful movies. standouts :gone to mum's
dirk snigby
some pig
waltzing matilda.
sit back with a long cool drink and enjoy.

_The Hustler, It Happened One Night, High Noon, Minority Report_ and _All About Eve._ Quite an impressive list, but what do these movies all have in common? Give up? They all started as a short story.

Next Stop Hollywood is the brainchild of Steve Cohen and Jonathan Davis. Each year they partner with St. Martin's Press to publish original short stories that are judged by a panel of Hollywood insiders via an international contest, with winning entries compiled into the anthology. Their criteria? Finding stories that would make a great movie or TV project. More than 600 entries were submitted and narrowed down to a mere 15.

Using the same judging criteria, I chose three stories from Next Stop Hollywood to highlight.

Perry Glasser's "An Age of Marvels and Wonders," tells the story of a lonely old man slowly going blind and the young woman who comes into his life. Raylene is a walking hard luck story--with two kids, no money and an abusive ex-husband. Is it any wonder she's skeptical of an offer of help? Bob may slowly be going blind, but he sees far more than mere eyesight allows.

"Gone to Mum's" by Barry Simiana is a richly detailed and poignant story of missed chances, stolen moments, heartbreak and redemption. Simiana's narrator takes readers along on his journey of self-discovery amid the rugged backdrop of Australia. The author paints emotion on his canvas, stunning the reader with the simplicity and honesty of his prose.

"The Good Kid" by Brian Richmond, is a clever tale of deception. Marty is a bank robber on the run with nowhere to go. The kid is more than willing to help. But is he helping himself or Marty? O. Henry would have approved.

With Hollywood scrambling for fresh ideas, it's nice to know that the art of the short story is not completely forgotten.

Armchair Interviews says: Kudos to Cohen and Davis for their part in reviving an endangered genre.

I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories, especially "Dirk Snigby's Guide to the Afterlife". Dirk and the devil would be a hit on the silver screen!

Perry Glasser is a wonderful writer and an inspiration in my own writing. His forthright yet crafty style will leave you complete. You won't be disappointed!

If you are a consultant, as I am, you owe it to yourself to read Pain Killer Marketing, It will give you insights about what we as consultants should all be doing to improve our brands and our own marketing! Read this book for its content, but also read it as a great example of how to market consulting services. No matter what kind of consultants we are, our job requires understanding client pains, and in many cases, helping clients understand what is keeping their customers up at night.

Pain Killer Marketing did more to make me want to consider hiring the authors than write a glowing review of the book. If you are looking for something "new" that no one else has written about, or if you are looking for in-depth how-to's, you really won't find those here. (You won't, for instance, be able to grasp the subtleties of QFD or become an expert interviewer.)

But make no mistake: this book emphasizes the right things! It is full of useful stories that illustrate the authors' perspectives and illustrate why understanding the customer's pain is so important. I also found it valuable because it got me thinking about QFD again, an approach that doesn't get used very often in the industries where I tend to work.

But again, what made this book most interesting to me is that it is a superb example of what every one of us who is a consultant should consider doing for ourselves - i.e., writing and refining what we believe and what we have learned, giving some of our knowledge away to prove our merit and because in some situations it's just the right thing to do, and packaging what we know for mass distribution and marketing purposes.

I saw Chris Stiehl speak recently and was interested to see if the book could deliver as well as he did. The book did not let me down. It includes great real world examples for finding the pain. I especially enjoyed Part Two. We're working to implement the ideas with our clients now.

As a Career Consultant, I was delighted to discover that Pain Killer Marketing is a great resource even for the executive in transition who is seeking a better way to differentiate themselves in the job market. This book provides easy to follow direction on how to determine the pain a company is experiencing and then gives constructive ways in which we can position ourselves as the antidote to relieve the pain. This book is a great resource for helping someone in job search create their killer elevator speech!

"Painkiller Marketing" provides a useful framework to clearly identify
problems such that the solutions are obvious. The book is pleasant to
read and the methods are simple to implement. We found we were already
doing some of the things they suggest, but our reasoning was unnecessarily convoluted. In short, I recommend the book because applying their methods has already proven useful for our small company.

Pain Killer marketing excels in focusing on the core of business success- customers. It develops a logical, practical approach to understanding customers and delivering goods and services they will value. Teh appendix gave excellent examples. The section on the rules for developing good internal metrics for tracking and predicting success was also quite useful. I bought the book and gave it to several of our key leaders!

Taking on such a controversial subject as John Brown and portraying his tumultuous life, times, deeds and death in any form let alone in an engaging and objective manner would seem an impossible task, but Olds succeeds brlliantly in this novel. I won't bog down this review with the story line - it's been told and reviewed many times. I will make a note on the "format" of the book - it's somewhat unique to say the least. There are multiple first person narratives, quotes from historical figures and short vignettes, as well as an imaginary court scene with Mr. Brown. Don't be dismayed. This doesn't detract from the book. To the contrary, when one finishes this novel it all makes perfect sense. If you have an interest in John Brown, his place in history, abolition, the Civil War or just want to read a fine novel you won't be disappointed with this book.

....

you will never forget this book after reading it. this book should never go out of print. because of the subject. and because of the style of writing. it is quite simply,

fantastic.

In Raising Holy Hell, his novel about John Brown, Bruce Olds makes the reader ask: How should a person act if directly faced with the inhuman system of slavery that brutalised and killed millions? And, more uncomfortably, could extreme individual violence as exemplified by John Brown's actions be justified in seeking to hasten the end of slavery years before the advent of the American civil war? While vividly imagining through diary entries and historical documents the personality of John Brown and his impact on those who knew him, as a reader who just happened to stumble on this remarkable book I am most grateful to Mr. Olds for bringing into focus and making real the myriad repercussions that slavery had on our society and the individuals it affected. He does justice to real people whom he lets speak to us through his novel (apart, perhaps, from his portrait of Abraham Lincoln), including, among others, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Perhaps most shocking are the inclusion of statements by judges and various "founding fathers" of the USA in support of slavery. Highly recommended for anyone interested in these human questions or this historical period. A remarkable book that also causes the reader to reevaluate their own response to present-day issues which are even now costing the lives of thousands.

Russell Banks's "Cloudsplitter" may have garnered higher sales, but Bruce Olds's Pulitzer Prize nominated debut novel, while unjustly neglected by readers, received more positive reviews, and deservedly so. Where Banks's wholly conventional treatment of the life of John Brown remains turgidly earthbound, Olds's more innovative take soars with incandescent energy. Where Banks's book plods, Olds's pulses with brute lyricism. Where Banks drones excessively, Olds incants extravagantly. At last, "Cloudsplitter" implodes of its own portentousness and gravity; "Raising Holy Hell" explodes with the raw power of its poetry. It is the difference between being sucked down a black hole, and riding the wave of a supernova. Which reading experience would you rather have?

An astonishing retelling of the life of John Brown. I selected this book for my book group after having listened to Banks' "Cloudsplitter" on BOT. I had read a few reviews of that book post hoc only to find that many critics cited this text as superior. I would say that the experience of listening, rather than reading, to Banks' book likely boosts my appraisal as I thought it was brilliant in its expanse, detail and imagination. As for Olds' work, it reads as though one is living through the time in a dream-like state. The wickedness and cruelty that is frequently attributed to "historical context" is brought to bear so that it is difficult to fathom how we look back at our American history as somehow noble and founded on justice. As for the man, John Brown, it was a serendipitous reading choice given the current state of world affairs. When resistance is linked to terrorism, the results are necessarily unpredicatable and frightening, regardless of the outcome.

"All is safe with a lady engaged; no harm can be done." This quote by Jane Austen opens Something Borrowed, Something Blue, but for Abigail Elizabeth Duncan nothing could be further from the truth. From the very beginning when Abby's doting boyfriend buys her the antique aquamarine ring she wants for their engagement, a strange element of violence creeps in. The murder of a young woman she never knew invades her dreams and Abby finds herself entangled in a mystery that will claim her own life if she cannot solve it in time. Author Sandy Henry has combined the bright mundane of everyday life with the darkness that can lie in the human soul and the combination is a disturbing one. If you enjoy the eerie, you are going to love this book!

A winding, twisting tale of murder, romance, friendship, and family. Something Borrowed, Something Blue moves quickly and easily through a smart, unique story that left me hanging until the last few pages. Having read dozens of murder mysteries, this one was particulary appealing to me because it doesn't get lost in the details. Firming sticking to the story, Sandy Henry is now canonized in my short list of authors who wrote works I "couldn't put down."

Better than Professor Plum with the candlestick in the library.

I love this book! I read it in a single evening. Just when you think you've figured it out Sandy adds a new twist, and the characters are off and running. Sandy is very descriptive in her writing, and she keeps you guessing until the very end.

This book was excellent. It was well written and easy to follow. There weren't too many characters to keep track of and it just kept your interest all the way through. I picked up the book and thought I would start reading it, but it captures you from the very beginning, I couldn't put it down until I read every last page.

A perfect murder mystery with a touch of the supernatural, a number of possible suspects which will put wild guesses of motive in your head. Twists and turns that will make your thoughts fall apart, and some romance on top of that. What more can anyone want?
Sandy's way of describing with random details makes the characters and the scenes come alive, as well as they made me laugh in the middle of the dramatized and puzzling chapters.
The only problem with this book is that while reading it on the beach you'll forget to turn and lay on the other side in the sun. The book keeps you hooked! I wish I had Sandy's next mystery at the beach already tomorrow.

The Melendy family has moved from New York City. It's summertime and their father is in Washington on important business. The loveable housekeeper Cuffy must leave to care for her cousin who has suffered a fall. Since Willy (also employed by the Melendy family) is in residence, Cuffy decides to leave the children on their own.

As in the previous two books in the Melendy series, there are adventures enough to last a lifetime. Some are fun and others are darker, sadder and more dangerous.

The children meet Mark Herron. He's a lonely orphan who has a nasty guardian in Oren Meeker. Then there's the wonderful story of Mr. Titus and the 12-pound catfish, an illegal whiskey still, a house fire that results in death, the despicable DeLaceys, the resolve of the children to make sure the canning of the victory garden is done and the house is spotless by the time Cuffy returns home, and a surprise involving Mark and the Melendys. There are obstacles to overcome and everyone pitches in to see that the story has a happy ending.

Then There Were Five is nostalgia at its best. The time is World War II and life is difficult, but the Melendys love each other, care for their neighbors and work hard keeping up their home while Father and Cuffy are gone-and manage to have adventures at the same time. I'll read this novel again and again.

Armchair Interviews says: The entire Melendy series is a must read. Start with The Saturdays. You'll want to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

I read the Melendy books at around the age the rest of you did--but that was 55 years ago. At the age of 65, I'm about to order the Quartet to read them again. I just saw on someone's blog a photograph of a beautiful light-green moth chrysalis with golden flecks that looks like a jade earring. I'd never seen such a chrysalis, either "live" or in a photo, but I recognized it instantly as the one Mona discovers by the brook (forget which book now). I was swept by a wave of nostalgia and came right to Amazon to order the books, and that warm feeling was only intensified as I read the reviews mentioning readers' favorite bits, almost all of which I remember. I can hardly wait to read again the wonderful description of Fafner the dragon at the Met, and the chaotic scenes of Randy and Mona in the throes of preserving summer produce, complete with exploding jars of tomatoes.

I can't imagine why I haven't gotten hold of these utterly magical books that were such a blessing in my childhood to reread long since, but better late than never.

"Then There Were Five" in the third book in the Melendy Quartet, and picks up immediately where "The Four-Story Mistake" left off. We meet the Melendy children again on a hot June afternoon, when they are building a dam across the brook on their property to make it deep enough to swim in. It's a team effort and everybody is pulling their weight. It's typical of this family; they play and share alike.

But unlike the first two Melendy books, which were more or less a series of unrelated adventures, "Then There Were Five has a plot running all through it. World War II is on everybody's mind. Father is away in Washington for most of the book, working at a government job "so secret I have to guard against talking to myself". The four Melendy children are left in the care of Cuffy, their housekeeper, and Willy Sloper, their handyman. The war has everyone involved. Cuffy is growing a Victory Garden. Oliver is adding to the family diet by fishing every day in the brook (Rush has chub coming out of his ears), and Rush and Randy start on an ambitious scrap drive. And its on their scrap drive in the countryside that they meet a person who will become a part of their lives forever.

Chased off one farm by an evil drunk named Oren Meeker, Rush and Randy meet his young cousin Mark Herron, thirteen years old, orphaned at an early age and living with Oren because he has no other family. Oren is cruel and abusive; we learn that on the infrequent occasions Mark has been allowed to attend school, he has shown up with black eyes and an empty lunchbox. But he's managed to survive despite his depressing home; he's bright, friendly, hardworking and resourceful. Randy and Rush take to him right off the bat. If only there were some way they could help him.

Parallel to Mark's story there are plenty of amusing sidelights such as Oliver's obsession with creepy-crawly things, Mona's impulsive decision to can everything in the vegetable garden while Cuffy is off visiting a sick cousin, and a family picnic where Oliver manages to fall down a well. But the story of meeting and rescuing Mark is central to the book, and lends the book much of its undertone, which is darker and more mature than the first two Melendy books. Enright shows her young readers that not all families are happy like the Melendy family; some families are unhappy, abusive and cruel. The Melendy children realize how fortunate they are not only to not have a family like Mark's, but also to be able to share what they have.

Although the book spans only one summer, the Melendy children do a lot of growing up in three and a half months. They prove themselves to be resourceful and resilient, remarkably able to look out for themselves and each other with only occasional adult supervision while Father is away in Washington and Cuffy is off attending a family emergency. We realize how lucky Mark is to become part of this vibrant family. We almost wish we could be part of it as well.

Judy Lind

I agree with those who say that this is the best book out of the four. It's definitely the most complex, and has the most character development. Mark, who was an abused child long before that became a catch-phrase, is sketched out wonderfully. Oren's sister, who he mentioned early on, must have been a good influence on him, because he's resilient, kind and intelligent, despite what he has to put up with from Oren. I agree with Rush when he said the Melendys were the lucky ones, to get Mark for a brother!

Although I did think Rush was pretty rude, barging in every day while the girls were canning, and demanding to be fed immediately! Did he think that just because Mona and Randy didn't have a five-course meal ready and waiting, that they were going to let the guys starve? And it's not like they'd been doing nothing! God bless Mr. Titus for helping them out!

My favorite bits were when Rush and Mark spy on Oren and his pals at the still---that was real adult talk, but still appropriate for a kids' book: not easy to bring off---and the auction and fair. I loved when the Delacey brothers showed up and bid on the boar. "The three of them should be very happy together"---good one, Willy!

And I felt so bad for Oliver when he fell down the well! That was a good device, too. For so long, he'd gotten so little attention because he didn't demand any, and look what finally happened. It forced the other kids to realize how much they cared about him, and show it, and they handled it themselves, showing how capable they were. Good for them!

And I also liked when Cuffy was leaving to visit her cousin and had to cram weeks worth of nagging into an hour. "Close the windows whenever it rains! (Duh!) Call me long distance if anything goes wrong! (And that will help, how?) Don't forget to feed the DOGS! (Like they'd let you!)"

The third Melendy novel has a darker undertone than the preceding two, with the introduction of Mark Herron, a lonely orphan befriended by Rush and Randy, and his guardian-cousin, the fearsome Oren Meeker. There are thrills and heart-clutchers a-plenty--Rush and Mark spying on an illegal whiskey still, a vividly described house fire--but they're nicely leavened by the lighter incidents like the character of Mr. Jasper Titus, rural gourmand, and the resolve of Mona and Randy to undertake the canning of the family's victory-garden produce. And in the end everything comes out right, as it should in a juvenile. This is the book to which Enright was leading up with the previous two, and perhaps the best she wrote. The whole trilogy would make a splendid miniseries on TV (is any executive reading this? I'll even do the script!).

This is a great book for anyone interested in collecting books, or who likes books, or even anyone just interested in what makes a book collectable. Different people adopt very different approaches and strategies to book collecting and Basbanes documents a number of them. The eccentric madness of it all is what makes it entertaining and I found that this quickly became a hard book to put down. After reading this I suspect that I will never look at books the same way again. The fundamentals of book collection are not unlike other forms of collection, so people who are self confessed "collectors" (You know who you are!) are likely to find this an exciting read. In among all the entertaining yarns is a pretty good starters guide to book collection, and this book contains a number of practical pointers to web sites and book sellers to get the novice started. Overall it was really enjoyable to read and very much a page turner.

Reading Basbanes is like engaging in a long, relaxed conversation over coffee in your living room with a very knowledgeable friend. In this third volume of his slightly rambling but always fascinating and well-informed discussions of books, book collectors, booksellers and dealers, and all the periperal subjects they engender, he combines advice on bibliophily in the age of the Internet with reminiscence on how collecting used to be done, and what the old and the new still have in common. As a small-time collector of limited resources myself, I enjoy reading abut the fabulous collections built up by those who not only have money to spend but also the intelligence and passion to add value to what they hunt down and acquire by adding to the accretion of knowledge. In fact, as Basbanes makes clear, becoming personally involved with books and other "stuff" is what separates collectors from mere accumulators. In fact, I find I have also become a collector of Nick Basbanes. . . .

In "Among the Gently Mad," Basbanes declares, "the more you read or read about reading, the more you will uncover about other books." And, the more, it seems, you will get to know an ever-expanding circle of people who collect and/or sell books. All their stories are here...what they collect, how they collect them, how much they spend and on and on until the value of this book is almost hidden under their weight.

However, if you are serious about book collecting, "Among the Gently Mad" is a tremendous resource. Reading between the lines of other book collectors' stories, you will find out which web sites, bookstores, dealers, book fairs, organizations and other sources can help you fill out your collection. By the way, this is not just a book for those who collect rare books. An antiquarian book is simply described as any book that is worth more now than when first published. Basbanes's first rule of collecting books is to focus on subjects that hold your interest and, in fact, your collection should contain books you actually want to read. If you are gently mad, that is "taking delight in the pleasant touching of books long coveted," this book is an indispensable tool to fulfilling your own madness.

In rapturous, elegant prose, the author envelops the reader in his consuming passion for books and the people who love to collect them; as the hours flew by while I curled up with Basbanes, I assuaged my guilt at forsaking mundane tasks with the right-on lines that end the book's first chapter: "... a sentiment that I confess I savor on a daily basis: Books are not Life, But then what is?"

A wonderful read about the world of books by one of the preeminent writers on the subject of book collecting.Using the word 'subject' to describe the passion of books is akin to using 'subject' to describe love or any other passion.Blame that on me,if you will,not Nicholas.
It seems I never get enough of these books about books and this is one of the best.Here we are given a look in on the wonderful life the author has in the world of the High End Collectors.Those like me,and that means all but a very miniscule number,who can only dream of attending and partaking in those auctions,where single rare books sell for tens of thousands,and lots or even complete personal libraries sell for sums equalling the national treasury of small countries.That doesn't mean reading about that sort of thing isn't very interesting;and the author has the ability to make one feel they are part of that activity.What one gets from this book is that anyone can have the same desires,same enjoyment,and all the rest of what comes along with having a passsion for reading,collecting,owning,sharing,arranging,their personal collection whether it is a small number of favorite volumes or some huge ammassment--it's their collecion and is what they have the ability,desire and resources to call their own.I suppose many who work with books like booksellers or library staff can even imagine the books around them are their own.I remember once reading somewhere, something to the effect that nobody ever really owns a book,but only has the privilege of being its caretaker for a while until it eventually passes on as its "owner" is sure to do--it's only a matter of time.This idea comes through very clearly as the author shows how collectors spend lifetimes searching for books that eventually end up in university,library and other collections.
The author describes the personalities he encounters and we can identify with all of them as we pursue our passion with books.
In a nutshell you'll get from this book that the only real difference between your collection and the world he writes about is a matter of scale
A great read and highly recommended to anyone who loves books and reading.