Howard Books

Howard Olsen's book hits the nail on the head. If all veterans (not just from Vietnam) of every war and military experience would read and apply the information contained in this book there would be incredible healing amongst them. I am blessed to have read this book.

Chuck Dean
Author of "Nam Vet: Making Peace with Your Past"

Teaching and learning are the twin ocupations of life. In Wounded Warriors, Chosen Lives, Howard Olsen speaks with experience, in depth, with insight and wisdom. He gives us truth so we may learn to live in reality. It is an awesome book! Edwin Louis Cole, Edwin Louis Cole Ministries, Ft. Worth, Texas.

Wounded Warriors, Chosen Lives provides a compassionate and supportive response to those seeking healing and resolution for severe woundings of the human spirit. This prophetic call for personal accountability is balanced with good news of hope and renewal through God's transforming power. Olsen's use of personal accounts by Vietnam veterans and his compelling statistics of the lingering effect of the war on those who fought it are deeply moving. His experience as a veteran and as a Christian counselor ministering to the needs of thousands of fellow veterans gives him a powerful credential to speak words of truth and of hope. John and Paula Sandford, Elijah House Ministries, Post Falls, Idaho.

I agree, this is the best yoga book on my shelf. It is very easy to follow the poses and the plan. I would recommend this book for any yoga beginner.

I thought it was going to be a little hard to follow a Yoga book, but this one makes it easy for the anyone to understand the postures and the mental state behind them. In an easy to do 12 month program, this book introduces the reader to the oldest form of spiritual and physical training. Suitable for young or old people, Yoga made easy has been a great daily program in my life and has balanced my energies for good.

This is one great Yoga book. I've looked at them all. No question this tops the others. It color photography is excellent, showing each move in detail. Easy to read text and well designed pages makes this easily the most informative and helpful guide I've used. Bravo

This is the best children's book. The illustrations are exciting, colorful, wonderful. Great book to read out loud in the classroom.

The book Zak's Lunch is about a kid and his lunch. Zak hears his mom say, "Zak, time for lunch." Zak runs down the stairs and goes into the kitchen. He looks at his lunch and says..., "Yuck ham and cheese sandwich!" His mom does not like his attitude, and then his mom gives him grief. Zak dreams about his own restaurant where he can have his own food any time he wants. His mom wakes Zak up and says, "I want that sandwich gone and when I say gone, I mean gone!"
My favorite part of the story is Zak's dream, though I don't believe it will ever come true. You can find out exactly what Zak dreams if you read this humorous book. I recommend it for people who like funny stories.
- Chris, ten years old.

As I read this book aloud to a visiting 4 year old at my house, the adults within hearing distance kept cracking up. I bought this with my niece in mind who loves to eat (and LOVED Piggie Pie!) and I can't wait to read it to her. The rhymes and the pictures of all the food will really set her off!

This is a book that definitely should come back in print!

My favorite book as a middle-schooler, it introduced me to fantasy for children in a me (to me) truly exotic location--New York City. How exciting it is to remember Merlin the black cat, who leads young Jill and and her brother Ronnie on magical adventures in Central Park, in a medieval dragon-"infested" castle, among the constellations, with Indian head pennies come to life, and much more. And it's funny too!

The 13th is Magic has haunted my imagination since I read it as a child more than 50 years ago. I came back to it on discovering recently that The Cat's Fugue is a real piece of music by Scarlatti (Sonata 30 in Kirkpatrick numbering). It has become one of my favorites. Other memorable associations are with whistling, pennies, and Robert Heinlein's story The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (also involving a non-existent floor in a building).

Yes, indeed, The 13th is Magic needs to be brought back into print, or else the copyright laws brought back to sanity. Under the old rules (28 years, renewable for another 28), its copyright would have run from 1950 to 2006. Now I don't even know how long it is protected (author's lifetime plus 75 years=??, but certainly later than 2025), to the profit of nobody, not the author, not the publishers, and especially not the children.

I have collected books about Abraham Lincoln for well over forty years. I found Dr. Wheeler's book to be one of the most enjoyable to read of any that I have on my shelves. The stories that the author shares made this very unique President more "human" to me. I happened to be in Washington, D.C., when I finished the book. Although I have visited the Lincoln Memorial many times, it was a very emotional experience this time around because of what I had just read. I have enjoyed reading several of Dr. Wheeler's anthologies in the past, but I think this is his best collection ever.

I love history, yet I seldom carve out the time to indulge. When I was gifted "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A Man of Faith and Courage" I began to skim it ready to put it aside. But I just couldn't put it down! Sure there are countless books on our most admired President, but NONE like this one! In this book we get verified and authenticated quotes from the man himself revealing the depth of his faith and specifically how that faith grew, and shaped his life and his presidency. Not only is every page an inspiration to remind every American in this century of our amazing, unsurpased blessings we so take for granted; it is also an amazing revelation of how God took a man of many failures and turn him into a world changer. If God can use this man who became the most admired President in our history, he can use YOU to change the world as well, no matter how small you feel!

I suppose that I, too, am biased, having attended one of Howard's summer classes. But alas, I still believe that this is an excellent collection that should not be quickly read and discarded. This is writing for the soul, it is nourishing. This is poetry at its finest, and I would reccomend it to anyone with a passion for poetry, for Mr.Craft truly does have a gift.

I absolutely love Craft's writing, though perhaps I am a bit biased after having been in one of his summer classes. While it is what many critics would classify as black, its appeal spans cultural and racial differences. Craft uses creative formats (when he uses one at all) and printing to embolden important phrases or words, giving it the feel of spoken word poetry. I would most defiantly recommend it, especially because it's a special order and will probably be out of print soon. In short, this is one of those books that you'll always find in pieces simply because it's been read so much.

Please let me know the title of page 887-888

I bought the first edition of this set over a decade ago, it was superb then and hard to imagine it could be improved. The fourth edition shows what can be done by knowledgable urologists who have carefully thought out how to make mastering the specialty as easy as possible. The text is comprehensive and explains each clinical condition completely but not verbosely. I have really been stunned by the excellence of Adult and Pediatric Urology and I can't recommend it highly enough.

"Recommended for visitors who want to research a trip ahead of time and take the book along for repeated reference. Outdoor activities in Bermuda, from coral island hideaways to touring the parishes. Also exhaustive information on hotels and restaurants. An excellent guide." The Bookwatch

"These useful guides are highly recommended... " Library Journal "[Adventure Guides] direct you away from the theme parks and into the great outdoors... the information on trekking routes, canoeing, wildlife refuges - even golf courses - is well researched." The Sunday Telegraph "...intended for the adventure-minded travelers with special affection for the outdoors and nature. Each Adventure Guide packs in outdoor-oriented activities set in different regions. There's something for nearly everyone." Midwest Book Review

I have just finished reading The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, and have loved it! My children enjoyed it so much that I was reading several chapters at a time. The Little Wooden horse is "a quiet little horse" and doesn't want to trouble anyone. But his master falls ill and cannot make and sell his toys. The Little Wooden Horse "trundles" out into the world to earn a little money to return to his sick master. One adventure leads to another and the little character is so sweet and lovable that you can't help but cheer him on as he escapes danger and makes friends along his way.

The Little Wooden Horse was read on the Australian Broadcasting Commission's afternoon radio show for children in the 1940's. I was totally captivated by each adventure, moved by the suffering of the Little Horse as he braved the difficulties of the outside world, thrilled that his beloved carpenter could restore him to new on his return, and transformed by the strength of the Little Wooden Horse's love and devotion. When the stories were read again two years later, and I was 9, I would not miss an episode and my love for my wooden hero was even greater.

No one--and I mean no one at all--writes a short story like Howard Waldrop. If you like Howard's stories, that's unfortunate, because that means that you have to wait for your next fix from the single source rather than being able to rely on multiple suppliers. But them's the breaks when you're talking about a writer who has a unique style and voice.

This collection from 1987 showcases seven of those wonderful stories, bracketed by an introduction from Gardner Dozois and an afterword by Lewis Shiner, and in conjunction with some original artwork by people like Tim Kirk, Terry Lee, and Hank Jankus (at least in this version, the signed, limited and slipcased edition; YMMV). The stories are reprinted from both Shayol, a fanzine produced by Pat Cadigan and Arnie Fenner (someone once said that the most important thing for Howard's career was for him to send his stories to the highest paying market first rather than starting with the semi-pro magazines), to OMNI (the highest paying market; hmm, someone must have finally told Howard). The stories are:

* "All About Strange Monsters of the Recent Past" -- His second story ever sold, but one that took years to actually see print. What makes a Howard Waldrop story? A Grade B monster movie plot treated as if it actually occurred from the viewpoint of the national guardsman called in to help fight it. The difference is point of view. Howard's able to make the story unique by establishing a unique focus on it.

* "Helpless, Helpless" -- A perfect little tale of disease and civilization, trading off that adage that he who forgets history is bound to repeat it and Alfred Bester's tale of the android and the heat. Short, but to the point.

* "Fair Game" -- Another of Howard's signatures is that he does his research, almost to the point of absurdity given the economics of scale. But in science fiction, it tends to pay off, because readers are trained in watching the minutia, and if you can carry it off, they will be pleased. Here, it is Hemingway and the hunt is on.

* "What Makes Hieronymous Run?" -- Hieronymous, of course, is Bosch, and the research also includes Brueghel the Elder and a number of other warped Renaissance painters, whose fevered imagination comes to life in this tale.

* "The Lions Are Asleep This Night" -- As Howard tells it in the introduction, he walks a fine line between telling a subtle story and a rarefied one. There have been many times that I've felt that he crossed the bounds, just because my knowledge of history, culture, or mythology wasn't enough to keep up him. This is one about a different Africa, but there are enough clues here for most anyone to understand the differences.

* "Flying Saucer Rock and Roll" -- This is probably one of my top three favorite Waldrop stories, and one of my top 20 favorite short stories. The reasons are two-fold: number one, it's that good; number two, I heard Waldrop read it out loud. If you ever get the chance to hear Waldrop read a story, do take it. The only other reading I can think of offhand that I thought was any better than this reading was Dan Simmons reading "Entropy's Bed at Midnight."

* "He-We-Await" -- A little bit of Ancient Egypt and the return of an awaited messiah, but not quite the type you might have been thinking of.

This collection appeared in paperback a few years back, but is likely out of print now. If you are a fan of alternate history or the short story, you owe it to yourself to check the used book racks for this or one of Howard's other collections. You won't be sorry.

You Americans are a lucky bunch! Lucky to have a real life magician living among you. Who, you ask? Howard Waldrop, that's who! In today's science fiction, no, make that today's literature there is no one like him, and very few as good as him. His short stories, some of the best of them are collected here, are quite simply way beyond description. They are fantastic, yet realistic, bizarre, yet down to earth, funny, yet able to bring tears to your eyes. This is science fiction, and fantasy, yet at the same time something else, something way beyond classification, something completely different. This is Howard Waldrop. Waldrop is American to the bone, and at the same time very, very international, he's the foremost exponent of magical realism north of the Rio Grande. And he's mostly out of print! What a shame! Don't you Americans know how good he really is!