James Books

This is my favorite Concrete design book of all time. It is my first reference to anything regarding design. It is an excellent reference for students and engineers as well. I used it a lot for my graduate classes and I always use it in my office. Highly recommended!!

I receipt the book very quikly and in excelent conditios of use, as a new book.

Reinforced Concrete: Mechanics and Design (4th Edition) (Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)

I think this book is very good quality, and shipping is not bad...

I have the 2nd edition of this book which I loved. This edition is excellent and is easily the best text on Reinforced Concrete there is anywhere.

This book is the best for those who want a deeper understanding of reinforced concrete design.Since the author presents a step by step way to introduce the concepts,the reader is able to get a more detailed information and retents more concepts instead of procedures

It's no wonder the author was named Poet Laureate of Kentucky; this is sheer poetry. Took my battered used copy, which I'd never gotten around to reading, to a Kentucky state park one weekend and read it in two sittings on the balcony overlooking the lovely Kentucky hills; you can't get much better than that. Simply one of the most beautiful and sublime books I've ever read. You'll find the characters hard to forget.

In my opinion, River of Earth deserves to be celebrated among the best works of 20th century fiction. James Still not only evokes the setting in depression era Kentucky, but he also captures the spirit of the people and the point of view of his young narrator. This is not a sentimental rendering of an idealized past but rather a pure slice of life cut down to the bone with a real sharp knife. The story is full of humor and hard times, and the language is akin to poetry. "Where ARE we bound on this river of earth?"

James Still has exquisitely and intricately chronicled what it is like to be born, live, and die in the hills of eastern Kentucky. Natives of the region will read the book and feel attached to the book if by nothing else but the geography. Others will be drawn into the book by the sincerity and realism of the characters. Still, the poet laureate of Kentucky, beautifully relates the attachment of eastern Kentuckians to the mountain soil in spite of the poverty and hard living that they must endure. More than that, however, it is a story of inspiration and coming of age. I highly recommend it to anyone.

It's been a few years since I read this book, so I can't be as detailed as I would like. The book was first published to critical acclaim the same year as Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. If I remember Cadle's introduction correctly, Still's book actually got better reviews than Steinbeck's. The narrator is the family's 9-year old son. (As an aside, the narrator's name is mentioned only once, so be sure to note it. As I got further into the book, I forgot his name & could not find it.)

The story is set in Appalachia in the 1920's or 30's. The father, Brack, works in the coal mines; each time a mine closes, the family move to another one (provided there is work available). Although the father is a hard worker who loves his family, he's an extremely soft touch; even though the family is on the verge of starvation, he still helps anyone who asks. His optimism and his sense of duty to others make him and his family vulnerable; he allows three male relatives to move in with the family. All 3 are moochers who make no attempt to contribute to the family; they are seemingly unaware of or indifferent to the fact that they are straining the family's resources to the breaking point. Fortunately, the mother is resourceful; when the father will not stand up to his relatives, she takes matters into her own hands. To avoid spoiling the story, I'll just say that the way she handles the situation is unusual, but effective. I'll leave you to judge whether her solution was morally appropriate.

The story is quite sad in places, but there's a good deal of humor in the book. The core family come across as good people who are coping reasonably well with the challenges they face.

The writing is top-notch and the language is beautiful and authentic. I don't remember there being a single false note in the book. (The portrait of Uncle Samp is perhaps a bit underdeveloped, but he is a peripheral character.) Some of the characters are eccentric, but no character is eccentric through and through. The major characters ring true; they are real people who react in understandable ways to the circumstances of their lives.

If I remember correctly, Cadle comments in his introduction that Still's voice is remarkably unobtrusive. (I'm probably understating what Cadle actually says). Perhaps I should have refrained from coloring the events with my own moral perspective. Be that as it may, Still let the story speak for itself and left readers to draw their own conclusions. This allows the story and the quality of the writing to pull the reader in.

To get a taste of the story and the writing, check out the excerpt and the "surprise me" option. The latter took me immediately to an excerpt, but the actual excerpt option didn't work at first. After a few tries, I was able to get the excerpt to appear.

I loved this book! It was easy to read,I couldn't put it down.
The language and times were captured perfectly, the story line well written and believable. I highly recommend this book.

I was a hitch-hikn' looking for Sissy out there somewhere and along comes this book with the upside down fish-hook on it and I finally had the term for my favorite piece of women's clothing (i.e. 'the upper tenth of a pair of levis').

Ten years later I was having babies and was reading The Brothers K with my son asleep on my chest.

Now, well beyond that divorce, I find "home" in David's stories in River Teeth. His attention to me not his characters is extremely evident through his writing. I can still get chills up my spine just thinking about that Oregon concert when the lightning and thunder peeled...

This book is a collection of short non-fiction pieces and short fiction pieces. Although that combination is an unusual format for a book, it works well. Duncan is an outstanding writer and this book illustrates his talents. I love the book so much, I've bought several copies over the years to give to friends. All of the pieces are good, and every baseball fan or anyone who has a sibling should read "The Mickey Mantle Koan," included in the book.

When DJD writes about a game of catch the ball burns my hand thru the mitt. When his story is about wading up a trout stream, my neck gets hot from the sun on it, I can hear the mosquitos whine, and my feet go numb from the cold water. He writes books that I could live in and I don't even play baseball. Or fish.

as I read this book. Although I don't like fishing (Duncan's favorite subject), I do like good stories. And Duncan knows how to write them. This book is easy to read because it is a compilation of short stories, albeit some better than others. But all the stories are worth reading at least once. And believe me, after the first time, you will be returning to read a few of the stories over and over. I know I did.

On a long trip up and down the west coast I picked this book up in a shabby bookstore in the hills of San Francisco on a lonely rainy night. It gave me a strange and warm comfort as I battled my way through the vicous rain for the last two weeks of my trip. The book is erre in ways I cannot explain, simply because you read it and understand it so well. Everything Duncan describes has been a part of all our lives somewhere, somehow. This book deeply moved me, and though I was mearly 16 on that rainy night I can never escape the vivid imagery of Duncan's voice.

Thank you for this book. It was exactly what I was looking for. My husband and I will travel to Senegal and Ghana early 2008 and we will be touring those places associated with the slave trade. I am also researching our family trees and am looking forward to returning to the Motherland.
The part of the book that gives a snapshot of each country on the west coast of Africa, things to take with you and proper behavior in each country was helpful. We would not want to do anything to offend our African brothers and sisters.
Continue doing what you are doing.

Sincerely yours,
Hazhin

This book opened my eyes. I was brainwashed about Africa and did not know it. It was if the book was speaking directly to me. This is a great book easy to read but alot of information

Roots Recovered is not only a practical travel guide, but also a valuable guide for tracing African-American ancestry! The resources and references in this book are extensive and the writers have traveled to these places--making it a treasure trove of information. The traveler can trace one's roots to specific African tribes. The book contains bits of history and is informative, as well as educational and helps Blacks with the misrepresentations about Africa. As a bonus, the reader learns how to travel for free or on a budget. I especially enjoyed these sections: useful phrases, watch you back, women travelers, photography etiquette and places of interest (not your ordinary ones). This book is a must read for anyone planning to travel to Africa.

I really like this book. The resources and references are fantastic and the author proves that he knows what he is talking about. His experiences were exciting, genuwine and informative. In addition there are individual chapters on various West African countries and what you might expect during your visits, plus great information on embassy offices, cheap air seats and safety. A must have for the traveler.

This book is very different. It is a travel book yet it touches upon history and brainwashing of African Americans and how travel to Africa can change the brainwashing. I love Africa so this book did not directly concern me but people who have a bad image of Africa should buy this book. This book is not what I expected but it was a pleasant surprise. This book will make a Black person not be afraid to go to Africa to see it because it informs you of all the misrepresentions.

Salmon Without Rivers is a great book of historical facts. It includes many issues like; original salmon locations/populations, "Economy over Environment" issues, and the ineffectiveness of large decision making commissions/agencies. However, with all his good background information the book does not propose any solutions nor investigates today's coastal human communities as they relate to the salmon and/or habitat.

This is a must read book for anyone interested in salmon, rivers and the ecology and history of the Pacific Northwest. Excellent information and a good read.

This is an excellent book that documents the history of salmon, how native Americans viewed them and how modern Americans view them. It focuses on why the pacific northwest is facing a salmon crisis, and our failed attempts to replace what we have lost. Great read for anyone who is concerned about environmental issues.

A thoroughly researched and impassioned presentation including the history of salmon, their decline, why billions of tax dollars in restoration efforts have had paltry returns, and insights into the where we should go from here. A complex issue is examined from many perspectives in an easy to read and compelling book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in salmon.

As a freelance author writing a piece about salmon for a California-based magazine, this book was indispensible and eye-opening. It is unfailingly sensitive and intelligent about salmon, discussing the fish as fellow creatures in the "natural economy" in which we all live, rather than as mere commodities in the "industrial economy" that has transformed the West in the last 150 years. It is fascinating about the geology that shaped the salmon's environment, the evolutionary history of the fish, the relationship between Native Americans and salmon in the Northwest, and it provides a detailed history of the many factors that have led to the salmon's decline, including habitat destruction, misbegotten hatchery programs, overfishing, dams, mining, grazing, irrigation. If you like to read books about ecology, the creatures of the earth, fish, or the Northwest--you can't go wrong. This is a wonderful book.

Connor's account of a retreat to the Canadian outback is delightful and enlightening. Called as a priest in rural British Columbia to comfort the parents of an infant crushed to death by a boulder falling upon the rear of their passing car, Connor finds himself as unsettled and nonplused by the pathos and inscrutabilty of the event as the gieving parents. Seeking to regain his spiritual and emotional bearings, he finds refuge in a remote lake cabin where his slowly (and often comically) reawakened communion with the landscape and its few inhabitants clarify the continuum of suffering and serenity, death and life, and the salvation of replacing agitating, rational self-consciousness with accepting, spiritual self-awareness--with a truly contemplative life.

Rendered in graceful prose, Connor's memoir ranges from exquisitely lyrical to warmly humorous to intellectually rigorous. The landscape and characters are vividly drawn, and the informing scholarship of contemplative literature and tradition is brought to bear in a natural, delightfully anecdotal way.

Connor's account of a retreat to the Canadian outback is delightful and enlightening. Called as a priest in rural British Columbia to comfort the parents of an infant crushed to death by a boulder falling upon the rear of their passing car, Connor finds himself as unsettled and nonplused by the pathos and inscrutabilty of the event as the gieving parents. Seeking to regain his spiritual and emotional bearings, he finds refuge in a remote lake cabin where his slowly (and often comically) reawakened communion with the landscape and its few inhabitants clarify the continuum of suffering and serenity, death and life, and the salvation of replacing agitating, rational self-consciousness with accepting, spiritual self-awareness--with a truly contemplative life.

Rendered in graceful prose, Connor's memoir ranges from exquisitely lyrical to warmly humorous to intellectually rigorous. The landscape and characters are vividly drawn, and the informing scholarship of contemplative literature and tradition is brought to bear in a natural, delightfully anecdotal way.

This is the profoundly spiritual memoir of a former Jesuit priest's interior journey. It is a hauntingly beautiful account filled with the pathos and gentle humor of a life fully realized -- a life that has come through the symbolic "fire" not irreparably burned but touched by its healing warmth. Graced by the author's intense awareness of holiness and human fraility, this book is filled with wisdom and grace. In prose that is accessible, lyrical, intelligent, and infinitely humane, Mr. Connor offers his readers the truths he has discovered: tenderness, compassion, and love. His use of poetry as epigrams that introduce each of his cycles of silence is brilliant. Edward Hirsch's poem "The Idea of the Holy," which precedes the prologue, and Adele Kenny's haiku, which introduces the first cycle, take the reader into the world of pure spirit: God's world, Connor's world, our world.

I'm beginning a spiritual journey myself and was seeking a how-to
on meditation, what I found was "Silent Fire." Never has any book touched my heart or moved my spirit more than this. I cried
and I laughed. This author has the heart of a poet. The book is
beautifully written, honest, and comes straight from the heart.
As a Jesuit priest, the horrible death of an infant brings on a crisis of faith. He heads for a mountain cabin seeking answers.
What kind of God is this? he wonders. And he finds the answers in the most unlikely places. This is a book I will treasure for a long time to come.

"Silent Fire" tells the story of one episode in Mr. Connor's life as a Jesuit priest. This tragedy provoked a deep crisis of faith, which led him to retreat at a cabin in the mountains in order to find the solitude to search for the meaning of this event. He uses the story of what he learned there as a way to discuss the role of solitude and the "numinous" in the spiritual and/or religious life.

This is a very, very good book. The story is told in a very clear, direct, well organized way. It treats a deeply serious subject with respect and sensitivity, but stays very down-to-earth and even manages to be quite funny at times. The writing itself is downright lovely. His descriptions of the natural scene around his retreat are gorgeous, and display a real understanding of the natural world. He relates these scenes metaphorically to his spiritual story with real grace. This is prose poetry as good as Annie Dillard wrote.

I highly, heartily recommend this book.

Excellent account of one soldier's story. I knew someone who served with Colonel Herbert in Viet Nam. He was very respected by his men.

I saw Herbert interviewed years ago and always wanted this book. Just found it used. He was a decorated veteran from Korea. He was one of a few survivors from his company in Korea. He felt he deserved to die in 1952 and considered his life after that a bonus.

Being in Iraq and having worked for the military for many years now, Soldier was recommended to me by a friend equally frustrated with the way the military operates.

Written by LTC Anthony Herbert (ret), the book details his life from a kid in West Virginia coal country, to enlisting in the Army, service in Korea, returning to the Army as an officer, and rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a battalion commander in Vietnam.

The book became extremely controversial upon publication in the early 1970's. Anti-war activists used it as "evidence" of massacres that were covered up and unreported.

This is definitely a "tell-all" vengeance book in every sense of the word. The book was written by a fuming Herbert who thought he was unfairly drummed out of the military to protect senior leaders from having to face the truth and to undermine his accusations. He goes into great detail about his success in combat, and in making his unit one of the most productive during his tour.

He had an ax to grind, but the reader is left wondering if the anti-war zealots who co-authored and promoted the book didn't help take literary license to a new low. According to other sources, the book is now "thoroughly discredited."

After reading Burkett's Stolen Valor, you can see there is almost certainly some creative writing woven into the story. The "red-flags" of exaggerated war stories pop up everywhere.

Herbert claims to be the sole survivor of several different super secret black operations. He is whisked around the world to be inserted into Vietnam (early 60's) on a mission for which he has never trained and with which he has no experience. The book boasts he is the most decorated American soldier (no such centralized records are kept). AFTER being forced out of the military, somebody tries to rig his car to explode (why, he was no longer a threat?) - a patently absurd farce.

In fact, some of the accusations he makes regarding his combat experience in Korea and early experience in Vietnam, prior to becoming the Inspector General (IG) during his official tour, smell and sound like kooky conspiracy theories.

While you might choose leave it at that - discredited - there is something of value in the book. Sandwiched between the fiction seems to be a very good account of a top-notch battalion commander. How much is true and how much is fiction is pure speculation, but I suspect it is very accurate - and possibly the only part he wrote.

His experiences as an IG and battalion commander are eerily similar to today. Except for the references to the jungle, you could swear he was describing the military in Iraq. That needs to be qualified - the conflicts, justification, and situation are completely different - the way the military operates though has not changed; not in a hundred years!

Reading a World War I account of Major Biddle (Fighting Airman) you first see the similarity - the gross inefficiency, the malicious effort to keep senior leadership uniformed (and therefore not liable), and the obsession with completing a task regardless of the quality of results or impact.

LTC Herbert details the same inefficiency, willful ignorance, and indifference to quality that is seen today in Iraq. The same unstable characters that sling wildly unsubstantiated accusations almost violently, and then, upon learning the facts, acts as if nothing happened are here. The same "O-4 blackhole layer" (modern term) whose sole function is to ensure no bad news reaches O-6s or above is functioning in Iraq today. This part is too close to home to be fiction.

The reports on the efficiency of his command and success of his battalion, particularly in combat, actually go a long way to proving that if other battalion commanders had equally been concerned about results (as opposed to just feigning task completion) the war in Vietnam would have been very different. Herbert was probably a very effective combat commander who understood the importance of being on the ground, in the thick of it with his soldiers. That goes a long way to explaining why he was respected by them.

All sorts of sociology studies show how non-performers are quick to bring down high-performers as a way of masking their own poor record. That and his insistence on briefing bad news to the brigade commander probably had much more to do with his reassignment and dismissal than a cover-up of any atrocity.

Did the atrocities he witness really take place? Again, with his credibility squandered in other areas, who knows? They could easily be embellished stories. That is, perhaps the unarmed combatants shot were shot by South Vietnamese on their own, not under the direction of American advisers. The same is possibly the case of the interrogations about which he complained. In any case, the incidents he describes are not in the same league as My Lai, but in fact standard operating procedures of the communists. Without condoning the actions, once can easily see why the South Vietnamese would be quick to act accordingly, and why many Americans would willingly turn a blind eye.

Unfortunately, he appears to have chosen to become a tool for the domestic anti-war propaganda machine as a way of getting even with his former commanders. Enough of the book is clearly fiction though; that there is great difficulty in determining what is not. Read Stolen Valor first, and then read Soldier. Both are good reads, and the former will help you come to your own decision on the veracity of Soldier.

The 1973 bestseller "Soldier" reveals a part of our nation's history during the Vietnam War, which should be mandatory reading in our Political Science and History classes today. It is the true account of the rise of a brilliant young soldier, Anthony B. Herbert, who achieved great fame as the most decorated soldier of the Korean War; who later dared to take on the Military Brass and expose the corruption and war atrocities occurring in Vietnam.

"Soldier" is not about a man who was unpatriotic or who sought fame or who had grand delusions of "conspiracy theories." This elite soldier completed Rangers, Special Forces, and over 20 other military schools. He served as an intelligence officer and was selected for outstanding promotion at every rank. He was on the fast track to becoming one of our youngest generals. Yet at the same time that he was cited as the Outstanding Combat Battalion Commander in Vietnam - he was being relieved of his duties.

This was not a soldier who was afraid to fight. Herbert felt that any man, woman, or child who was firing at him was "the enemy." But he drew the line at senseless torture and slaughter based on whims. Ultimately, this second-generation American felt stronger about the ethics and principles that our country was founded on, rather than about his military career. He blew the whistle regarding the atrocities and corruption in Vietnam when no one else had the courage to come forward.

At the time that "Soldier" was written, our government was not telling the American people the facts about so many issues concerning the Vietnam War. Thirty years later, these truths have long been substantiated. America now knows about our less than stellar past in Vietnam primarily due to the efforts and courage of this author. In part, our media now covers the war in Iraq - flaws and all, due to the precedent set by Anthony Herbert.

Each account found in "Soldier" was later substantiated beyond a doubt. Yet no public apologies have ever been made to Lt. Col. Herbert by our government, our media, or the military. In my opinion, this soldier deserved a medal most for exposing the corruption when no one else would come forward. The actions that he dared to take by writing this book have had such a profound influence on how America, our media and our government now view the military and conduct themselves during times of war.

No one wants to go to war and no one wants to trash our military or government. But unless someone takes the initiative to expose corruption, history only repeats itself. War crimes and atrocities only serve to do a great disservice to every veteran who has ever fought bravely for America and the credibility of the United States in the eyes of the world.

We are now fighting a different war over in Iraq. I am glad to know that many of our soldiers will be reading this book. For I can think of no better "manual" to show a new generation of soldiers that ethics and high principles are conducive both in times of war and in times of peace. And I can think of no better instructor than Anthony Herbert. For anyone who truly wants to know what the Vietnam War was about and the unique contribution made by a true hero in the deepest sense, "Soldier" is the book to read. "Soldier" - both the book and the man are truly in a league of their own.

In a review of this book Brian Carter writes, "part fiction, part farce, part sober truth." I need to set the record straight about any suspicion about Lt. Col. Anthony B. Herbert's story not being factual. The whole truth was finally exposed last summer. Writing in the Los Angeles Times 20 Aug 06, Deborah Nelson and Nick Turse reported in a feature article, "In Vietnam, Army Worked to Discredit Torture Record" that detainee abuses were more extensive than the public knew. An internal inquiry had confirmed Herbert's widely publicized charge that members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade had tortured detainees in Vietnam. But rather than make this information public, the Army compiled a 53-page catalog of alleged discrepancies against Herbert, should he try to expose the torture incidents. Finally, after 33 years, declassified records showed that while the Army was working energetically to discredit Herbert, military investigators were uncovering torture and mistreatment that went well beyond what even Herbert had described. The abuses were not made public, and few of the wrongdoers were punished. The Army internal investigation in 1973 found that military interrogators in the 173rd Airborne repeatedly beat prisoners, tortured them with electricity and forced water down their throats to simulate a drowning sensation.

The accounts of torture and the Army's effort to discredit Herbert emerged from a review of a once-secret Pentagon archive. The collection, about 9,000 pages, was compiled in the early 1970s by an Army task force that monitored war crimes investigations. The files, examined last summer by the Los Angeles Times, included memos, case summaries, investigative reports and sworn witness statements. The Army task force was created after journalist Seymour Hersh exposed the 1968 My Lai massacre, and served to give military brass and the White House early warning about potentially damaging revelations. The war crimes records were declassified in 1994 and moved to the National Archives in College Park, Md., where they went largely unnoticed. The Times examined most of the files before officials removed them from public view, saying they contained personal information that was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Other records, taken by Col. Henry H. Tufts, commander of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division in 1973, were donated after his death to the University of Michigan. Retired Brig. Gen. John H. Johns, a Vietnam veteran who served on the task force, said the files provided important lessons for dealing with the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. He stated, "If we rationalize it as isolated acts, as we did in Vietnam and as we're doing with Abu Ghraib and similar atrocities, we'll never correct the problem."

The public discrediting of Herbert all began on Feb. 4, 1973, when his reputation was dealt a shattering blow when CBS's 60 Minutes aired a segment titled "The Selling of Colonel Herbert." CBS correspondent Mike Wallace and producer Barry Lando challenged his credibility, implying that the book "Soldier" was fictitious and, most surprising of all, that Herbert himself was guilty of war crimes. Considering that the smear efforts of the Pentagon had failed to discredit any of Herbert's statements, this was baffling indeed. Supporting the CBS allegations against Herbert on the show was Herbert's old nemesis, Lt. Col. J. Ross Franklin who had been relieved of his command for throwing a Vietnamese body out of chopper (and later went to prison in 1991 to serve a five-year sentence for his role in a securities scam). During this time CBS was under a lot of heat from the Nixon administration for an earlier broadcast called "The Selling of the Pentagon." CBS president Frank Stanton was under subpoena. Ultimately, a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Herbert v. Lando (1979) ruled in Herbert's favor, and he won what had come to be called the "state of mind case." By that time Herbert had earned a doctorate in psychology, and become a police and clinical psychologist.

Herbert is one of America's best war heros and this vilifying of his record must be corrected. Of equal dishonor is the fact that the military continues to sanction torture, and anyone who blows the whistle gets vilified. Joe Darby turned in the pictures of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. This time the military could not discredit him as they did Herbert. He had pictures! But as things turned out, the military did nothing to reward or support him, and they let the public vilify him. He was not even able to return to his hometown, Cumberland, MD, so bad was public reaction to his reporting of Abu Ghraib. Cumberland even held a vigil for the accused at Abu Ghraib while Joe Darby received death threats.

You need to read this book! Since Viet Nam the U.S. has allowed a military bureaucracy of pencil pushers to rifle our military heritage with cover-up lies about real heroes and, most disparagingly, to lose wars. Herbert knew how to win, and how to conduct himself in the face of bad superiors. His book should be studied, and re-studied, by West Point students.

My husband got a copy of this when he was younger, and we have it here at home and have read it to our 3 children countless times. It has great poems, and makes a great bedtime reading book since you can just read a short poem or two instead of a huge story book. Jack Pretlutsky is wonderfu, he is very clever and his poems are all so cute. I recommend everyone get a copy of this book! Its the top rated book in our house

My favorite book is Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky. It is a very very funny book of poems. My favorite is "My Fish Can Ride a Bicycle." It is about a fish that can do almost everything. If you like funny books, you'll like this book.

I first read this book when I was about 10 years old (I'm now 22.) Though I haven't even laid eyes on this book in at least 6 or 7 years, I can still recite by memory several of the poems, including "Something Big Has Been Here", "The Early Worm" and "I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies."

As a child I loved poems, but often felt Shel Silverstein's were too morbid (especially some of the drawings.) Though I'm a huge fan of his now, at the time Something Big Has Been Here was a wonderful, more mellow book of poems that really got me loving cleverly written poems.

The best thing about the book, in my opinion, is that even though it's written for children, it never talks down to them or oversimplifies emotions or actions. And it's funny enough that even adults can get a snicker or two.

This is an awesome book. The poems are very clever, funny and appealing to kids, along the lines of Shel Silverstein. The difference is the very sophisticated vocabulary that Prelutsky uses. I use a poem per week from this book for my remedial middle school students for oral reading fluency, plus I create our weekly vocabulary word list from words from the weekly poem.

This collection of Jack Prelutsky's silly and goofy poems is a must-have in any self-respecting poetry collection. The subjects of the poems range from mask-wearing earthworms to a room-trashing robot; from wishes to be bigger, to fishing in the desert. Children will laugh at the fearsome pirate "Captain Conniption," terror of the seas, who always obeys his mother. Many will sympathize with the longing of the boy in "My Brother is a Quarterback" who yearns to be a great athlete like his brother is.

"I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies" is an excellent example of the oddities of the English language. The poem turns such common phrases as "pocket change" and "coffee break" on their ears and makes them into something new. There are subtle puns on condiments in "We're Fearless Flying Hotdogs" (can you find the one for saurkraut?). The emptyheadedly happy expressions on the five flying franks make the whole idea even funnier.

James Stevenson's line drawings accentuate the levity and absurdity of the poems. His artwork for "An Elephant is Hard to Hide" demonstrates even better than words the impossibility of stuffing an elephant into a dresser drawer. The expression of glee on the face of the boy reveling in "Mold, Mold" is identical to expressions seen in mud puddley schoolyards.

This volume is a treasure for both children and adults. It's a great way to spend some time laughing with a child (or by yourself).

How does Mark Ellis do it? Just when I think I've read the best that he has to offer, he blows me out of the water with another masterpiece. As I read these OL novels, I am completely immersed in the story and the plot.

Talon and Fang is one of those which kept me turning the pages until the late hours.. Great character development, typical Outlanders humor, and of course the mystery and suspense that only Mark Ellis can weave.

This novel represents a major event in the mythology of Outlanders. Most series novels of this type put you right back where you started from, without altering the fabric of the characters or the format. Talon and Fang takes an extra step and goes beyond this limitation.

This book has action, adventure, life-threatening situations, romance, and mystery. More than your usual action/adventure beat the bad guys plot, this book brings familiar characters a little closer to real life. If you liked the intertwining threads of the other novels in this series you'll love Talon and Fang.

If you are tired of the hum-drum watered down mess that the "Deathlands" serise has become well then my friends this is the book for you.

Set in the future with nost of the Cerburus warriors dead or aged this book provides a freash spin on things.

Kane (old now) wants to find some way to get back and warn his old friends of all that will take place in order to do so he has to walk into the very belly of the beast. Lets just hope he hasn't lost his edge.

My Impression-Great book, how one central point is resolved is very inventive!! Well worth the money.

Talon and Fang is, without a doubt in my mind, the best novel that the author has written in the entire series.

It's what would be called a Flashpoint. To any new readers to the series, it'll be very confusing if they pick up the older novels after reading this one.

Mark has written a novel that is very emotional, tragic, but touching and out and out uproariously funny in several sections.

It begins almost thirty years into the future. The entire face of the Outlands has been changed, much to the efforts of the Cerberus exiles.

Sam has taken total control of the continent, and a good part of the world as well. The nine baronies were destroyed completely in a five year war that took place after Cobalt managed to rebuild his power base and launched an all out assault against Cerberus.

Kane, Grant, Lakesh and Bry are the only ones who managed to survive the wars. Both Kane and Grant were instrumental in the victory over the nine barons, but the cost to both men was insurmountable.

Grant lost Shizuak, and Kane lost his wife, Brigid, when they rescued him from the hands of a cult, The Nirodha, based in India. That single even left more of a scar on Kane than any of the wounds that he had suffered over the many years he spent as a Magistrate, and then an exile fighting the Barons.

He has spent over twenty years researching a means to travel back in time to fix what had happened, so that he wouldn't have to suffer as he has. Even Grant, his partner, and his best friend, turned his back on Kane, thinking that he has become totally fused out because of what happened.

Kane however, has a plan. Sindri disappeared, and was never heard from again, but Kane realized what the little man did. He managed to trap himself in Zero time, using the operation Chronos facilities on Thunder Isle, just before the reactor reached critical mass. He is critical to bring about Kane's plan to life.

As always, Kane has a number of obstacles to overcome. First and foremost is Tanvirah, the daughter of Lakesh and Erica van Sloan. She is now the Scorpio Prime of the Nirodha cult, like her mother before her. She is under Sam's orders to try and win Kane over, with any means at her disposal. Grant even tries to stop him, and the fight that ensues is one of the more entertaining scenes in the novel.

But, despite as crazy as he appears, Kane's whole scheme might actually work, and after bringing Sindri back from the Zero time he had been trapped in. Together, he and Sindri use the remaining TAV to travel to the City of High River, formerly known as Cobaltville.

Surpassing even more trials and tribulations, they reach the city only to be captured and whisked off to China where they would face Sam, the Imperator.

Here, Kane confronts the hybrid and discovers exactly who and what he is, and during the confrontation, he learns the Imperators great plans. His own plan to send Sindri back in time actually succeeds, but at the cost of his life.

Once again, this is the best novel that the author has written to date, and I am very eager to read the conclusion.

It's when you come across books like Talon & Fang that you know your money spent on a series is well-spent!! I loved this book! I think it is quite possibly the best in the whole series.

Talon and Fang could be one of the best in the whole series so far. It has one of the most original plots of them all of the ones I've read. Along with the action it has lots of heartbreak too. I can't wait for the next one in this two parter.

Small concise book that does not cover everything. It is not for you if you want exaplanations.

I am very well acquainted with this pocketbook since its first publication in 1997. It is a very complete, thorough and to the point reference that is extremely useful for the busiest house officer. It permits you recall important criteria of classification and data that you always need to have available as an internist in the wards and in the ICU. For instance; the chapter on Renal is probably one of the best summaries ever written. To have this book immediately available gives a great sense of safety. It would be wonderful if it would be available for Palm.

High yield for all aspects of ICU life... as well as the medicine wards. It is very well written, with topics covered surprisingly well for its size. I basically ended up carrying this, its cousin text, the pharmacopoeia, The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy, and The Consult Manual of Internal Medicine in my pockets. Thats all you need.

Excellent as are all prior editions. Would love to see larger lab-coat-pocket version made.

The information in the book is very good,very useful indeed, and very compact. But the book is extremely small for the price.
More information should be given about price and size on the webpage.
The English.