John Books

A very warm and touching account of growing up in a disfunctional family yet overcoming setbacks and becoming successful. Anyone who has even had an "Uncle Ned" or a caring "Gram" will easily identify with this true story.
Well written!

This was a book that was hard to put down. I didn't want it to end. I truly hope that the author has more to come in the near future. A story about a family whose perseverance through many difficult times is inspiring. We can all learn a lot from this uplifting book. Thank you Robert J Morgan!

The story of a young man growing up in a poor family in America, facing adversity in many forms yet triumphant - most of all full of fun and laughs. You won't forget this one!

One of the things I liked most about "Goodbye, Geraldine" was the upbeat, positive attitude throughout. Someone who experienced growing up in such meager circumstances could have become bitter. Morgan could easily have taken on the role of a victim, wallowing in self-pity and blaming the world for what life handed him.

But that didn't happen. His dear Gram, in her refusal to accept charity, didn't provide a role model about how to feel sorry for yourself; she didn't allow him or his brother to feel deprived.

Morgan takes his lumps - figuratively and literally - and carries on. He has the intellect and good sense to recognize and seize opportunities to improve his life.

This easy read is an uplifting story about someone who lacked the elements most of us consider basic to growing up sane and healthy, but does more than just survive a difficult childhood; he prevails. And he does it with incredible introspection, insight and humor.

I was touched by Morgan's story and glad I went along for the ride.

GOODBYE, GERALDINE,will inevitably be called an American ANGELA'S ASHES. Both books had me laughing through my tears. Morgan writes with unsparing honesty of his life struggle to overcome a childhood of abuse by an alcoholic uncle and humiliating poverty. His Uncle Ned, like McCourt's father, roused his nephews from sleep when he came home drunk. McCourt's father made his kids sing patriot songs. Uncle Ned beat his nephews up.
But tough old "Gram" who raised him and his siblings following his father's desertion and his mother's death, taught him courage and determination. She ruled more with the threat of a wet dishrag slung across his face than she did with her rare hugs, but she sang songs and recited poems that taught morality and values. Morgan brings this dysfunctional family alive with all it's squalor but also its humanity.
It relates, as well, the inspiring story of how one caring adult can make a difference in a young man's life. Although in the end, it is "Bobbie" himself who has to find his way into the light. This book brings out the preciousness of life even in hard circumstances, and the rewards of not giving up. I was especially touched by the love of the siblings for each other.

Grasping the Ring is an impelling presentation of nine personal portraits of leaders in sports, the media and national governmental services including two U.S. senators. The author, Dr. Gene Budig, is a greatly respected and admired educational leader who was president of three national universities, president of the American Baseball League, a general in the U.S. Air Force and senior presidential advisor of the College Board in New York City. In reality, Dr. Budig is the tenth portrait in Grasping the Ring, a must read.

The biographies of these distinct and heroic individuals, so elegantly and masterfully nestled together by Dr. Budig's wise and artful hand, weave a delightful and illuminating tapestry of profound impact. The work is not only interesting and entertaining, but it also carries the freight of a stirring realization--that the human spirit can indeed overcome adversity and deposit experiences that shape human history. A very enlightening, thought provoking and enriching book!

These clear and concise biographies of famous individuals who
persevered thru challenging circustances is inspiring to read.
Gene Budig gives the reader the feeling that they are having
a personal interview with these heroic figures.Anyone who has
experienced a roadblock in life must read this book.

Gene Budig has given us an insightful snapshot into the lives of nine outstanding individuals who were driven to success in spite of adversity and sometimes outright hostility.

The essays are made more vibrant because Mr. Budig's personally knew these remarkable people. Reading about each person's strength, innate desire and determination to achieve desired goals makes this a most enjoyable and refreshing read.

Gene Budig has written a delightful and enlightening book about some major sports figures, a gifted newspaperman and the significant politicians, Bob Dole and Bob Kerrey.
He knows all well and profiles their achievements along with their vivid personalities in a riveting way. As a daughter of the Midwest, it made me cheer for my achieving brothers from America's heartland. It is a fast read and you'll learn a lot in an enjoyable way!

These 1st volume of GL's archives shows us the way that hal jordan became the first GL of earth. The mistic and innocence of the silver age is present in those more than 200 pages full of science fiction and outer space stories. John Broome wrote the best adventures , and the art of Gil Kane is excelent ! These re printed edition has extraordinary colors and a very good cover. Let the battle against "those who worship evil's might" begin , and welcome to the game !!

This hardbound volume containing the start of Hal Jordan's Green Lantern adventures is superb. From the quality of the book itself to the great original stories, it's a worthy addition to your bookshelf. You definitely see striking differences when you compare this volume to the Green Lantern graphic novels of today. But there's room for us fans to like both.

I also recommend "Green Lantern: Rebirth". Hal's a hero for the new century as well as the last.

I bought the Batman and Superman Archives before buying the Green Lantern Archives. When I placed them all side-by-side I noticed the GL Archives is much thinner; there's an eighty page difference! Also Sinestro appears in GL# 7, 9 and 12 which will be in Green Lantern Archives #2 just in case anyone out there is buying this for his stories. Even though I mention these negatives, this is a must have for any Green Lantern fan! I would give this book 6 stars out of 5 if I could ... the art is beautiful and the stories are simple but amazing. Go buy this now! Next on the list is Aquaman LOL!

The first Volume reprinting the Hal Jordan Green Lantern series.

As the issues are not affordable this is just the way to enjoy the old stories that we all loved.

Some Classic stories here including the first Hector Harmond and the first glimpse of the Guardians of the Universe.

Far and away better than the current series both story and art.

Looking forward to future issue featuring Alan Scott crossovers.

To create a hit comic today you need to tell the origin in the first issue, begin the exploits in issue 2 and kill a character in #3, just to stay alive. When Green Lantern was reworked in the pages of Showcase - in the 60s - this was not the case. Broome and Kane's SF masterpiece takes a full year to unfold GL's origin; and this is how it should be. Giving bits and pieces of the complex tale of an intergalactic police force while providing good characterization and admittedly somewhat gimmicky stories, Green Lantern is a blast, and one of the few comics of the era with a strong Science Fiction bent.
I leave it to others to review Gil Kane's art but suffice it to say that Green Lantern, some 40 years later, is still thought of as his character. Enjoy!

So much good information in such a small book. A fast easy read. It's uncomplicated - and helps you uncomplicate your life as you acknowledge your own issues and release yourself from the negative impact they have had on your life. I read this book and my relationship made so much sense all of a sudden. I read the book outloud with my husband over a vacation - in snipits, we took turns reading, evaluating and digesting the information. Very quickly we were able to get past a pile of crap and get on th real healing conversation. A tiny investment with huge results.

I have read several books on human behavior, spiritiual growth, and many research reports on psychology. This book is truly amazing in that it has answered, as well as identified something for me that I always felt, but could never really identify exactly what was going on. I had spoken to some people about "feeling like a kid" in certain instances, but for many many years, I never had anyone speak of regression. This book is absolutely identifies things that we can do to eliminate subconscious behaviors and feelings, and act like the adults we are. Excellent Book!

Has really helped me get a hold of dealing not only with my own regression but also other people's regression. Has made my life a whole lot easier to deal with by managing my environment and those people in it.

Never in my many years of therapy nor reading various self-help books have I ever ran across the likes that this gem of a book offers. The insight is truly amazing and is spoken from a perspective of one whom has - through the arduous process of elimination - able to discern the REAL heart of the matter that so many of us deal with - primarily on an unconscious level and convey the lessons in a friendly and easy to read format. I am already "catching myself" in the throes of regression as it is happening and it is making all the difference in the world to me.....(and that's only based on the Intro and Chapter 1.) My only regret is that I wasn't aware of this book many years ago!!! A MUST READ for anyone serious about changing the same ole, same ole dynamics in their life!!!

I just wanted to say that John Lee did a great job on this book. It is a small little tome but it is packed with helpful and insightful information that helped me understand not only myself but my crazy husband and mother! It is one of those "ah-ha" type of books, where every paragraph made you gasp and grab your pen and underline an idea. My husband read this book and it helped him a ton with his "abandoned little boy" issues; it's done more for him than two years' of therapy. However, it is definitely a book you want to keep and re-read a couple of times, because you just can't absorb all of the information in it in one attempt. I want my husband to go and visit Lee next; I've heard he's even better in one-on-one therapy sessions.

This engaging book fills the void that other Civil War histories leave, and that is an understanding of the everyday experiences of the foot soldier. "Hardtack and Coffee or the Unwritten Story of Army Life" by John D. Billings is an exhaustive and fascinating look back at the flesh, bones, and blood of those lines and arrows on the maps of Civil War battle strategies.

The book is filled with anecdotes, observations, and songs arising from the era. (I very much appreciated the introduction which details the election of 1860 and started the whole terrible tragedy that ensued over the next half decade.) The generous amount of illustration truly helps evoke the period. "Hardtack and Coffee" is a perfect companion to Bell Irvin Wiley's "Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union" and "The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy". And it is a perfect part of anyone's Civil War/American History library.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS

I am a Civil War reenactor, and this book has been an excellent source of ideas for first person scenarios and ideas for living history. It is an insightful, unique record of the soldier's life for living historians or students of history. I would highly recommend this engaging book.

This is the best book on the life of the Civil War soldier. The other reviews attest to this, so here is something different.
Charles W. Reed, the illustrator, was ALSO a Civil War veteran.
He served in the Ninth Massachusetts Battery and won the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg for saving his commanding officer, Captain
John Bigelow, who had been seriously wounded in the fight at the
Trostle Farm on 2 July 1863.
My favorite chapter was the one on the army mule.
Buy, read & enjoy this book!

Hardtack and Coffee provides an excellent picture of Army life in the mid-nineteenth century. The sketches illustrate the text superbly. This is a useful handbook for students and teachers as well as an intriguing introduction to the Civil War.

I'm one of those men with the "Civil War Itch" who can't get enough reading, can't get enough time on the battlefields. This book is hands-down one of my favorites in my extensive collection, re-read several times and dog-eared. It's something I always put in my bag for air-travel reading, because you can pick it up and put it down when you need to...the author and the illustrator both were participants in the Conflict, so you know it's accurate. The content is educational but not stuffy, since it was written to explain to soldiers' families what exactly Union Army life was like...and the humor still carries through to this day. After you've read the historical studies or walked a battlefield, THIS is the book you want to read to put yourself in the shoes of the everyday soldier--and it's easy to do with the author's skills. For me, the best chuckles are the chapters "Jonahs and Beats", and "The Army Mule". A must-read for those wanting more than just a general's biography or an order of battle.

I own dozens of Italian cookbooks and decided to buy Harry's Bar Cookbook. I'm very glad I did. This book offers many unique recipes and is well written. Highly recommended!

I think, also, that Amazon may have a mistake with Nigella Lawson doing the foreward? Even the book cover pictured says it's Michael Winner. I don't know if this has been updated once inside, but it appears to be the same book with a different publisher. It's also more expensive than the 1991 version from Bantam Books. Great book, by the way.

This book offers such wonderful recipes and a great story too! I like reading about the history of the restaurant which is absolutely wonderful. Can't wait to go back. The book is great, and the recipes are basic and easy to follow. Wonderful find for anyone who enoys cooking and loves to eat!

I own and love the original Harry's Bar Cookbook. Is this book the same thing but with Lawson included? As I read the reviews I saw the same stories as appear in the original.

I have been a serious student of cooking for the past 25 years. I have focused on Italian cooking for 10 of the last 25 years after my first trip to Italy.

Harry's Bar in Venice is one of those places that everyone wants to visit at least once. The restaurant does not disappoint and neither does the cookbook. If I had to pair down my Italian cookbook collection (which is now well over 50 cookbooks) this book would be in my top 5. Each recipe in the book that I have tried has been perfect. Even if you normally tinker with recipes, as I usually do, try these just as they are written at least once. I don't think that you will be disappointed.

I appreciate the fact that the book is authentic, as opposed to the Italian-American books that are normally available in America. This book is packed full of fabulous recipes, each one better than the last. The pictures of the recipes are beautiful as the photos of Venice.

This book will be a wonderful addition to anyone's cookbook collection. This would also make a fabulous gift for a lover of either Italy or cooking.

This is an extremely well written and thoroughly researched book. As usual, John Davies writes in a style which holds your interest while exploring a wide (sometimes vast) area of historical subject matters. Other countries should be so lucky to have such interesting, competent and even-handed scholars writing their histories. Highly recommnded.

While Scotland and the medieval periods is my area of history, I often have need to know what is going on in England, Ireland and Wales, to fully understand what is going on in the 'big picture'. The history of Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland did not happen individual vacuums, you so need to know all their histories to fully comprehend external pressures as well as the inner problems of each nation. So I have found this a wonderful work for reference on Wales.

It covers the history of the country from the dawn of time to 20th Century. So if you wish to know about Ffynnon Beuno or the Rebecca Wars, this is your book.

Excellent reference for Historical writers.

Even in the great 'Celtic revival' of the past generation, where the cultures of the Celtic fringes of Britain and continental Europe have re-exerted themselves in various political and non-political ways, the Welsh revival has been late in coming, and a little less forceful in affect and event.

Perhaps history is to blame here -- the Welsh have been only marginally protected by geography; the mountainous area was difficult terrain to conquer, but the supply lines to those mountains were relatively easy to maintain and sustain, unlike the trek to the northern reaches of Scotland or crossing the sea into Ireland, areas that (however much English history might want to contradict this statement) never were completely conquered and subdued, remaining under the hegemony but outside the total control of Londinium/London from Roman times to the recent past. Wales was never so fortunate. Indeed, it is a miracle that the Welsh survive. The Scots lost land, language and independence, but retained administrative and legal systems separations that preserved many aspects of nationhood. The Irish never completely lost independence. The Welsh, however, lost everything of nationhood, and barely sustained an independent culture. Thus, when the 'nations' of the British Isles began to re-exert their independent interpretations of history, the Welsh were among the last.

However, sometimes the last shall be first. In terms of quality of writing and interpretation, the volume by John Davies, `A History of Wales', is indeed in a class of its own in terms of Welsh history. Dafydd Elis Thomas read into the `Hansard' (the British Parliamentary equivalent of the `Congressional Record') that this is 'the greatest of book of Welsh history ever written'.

It was, in fact, originally published in Welsh, under the title of `Haynes Cymru' in 1990. From the Ice Age to the 1980s miners strikes and efforts to reassert a national identity, Davies traces in some detail a history of Wales from a Welsh perspective, inextricably tangled with English and continental history, but nonetheless deserving of its own perspective as one of the last major surviving Celtic groups.

`A number of factors, the increasing prominence of the European dimension in particular, have caused the devolution issue to return to the political agenda.... From 1911 to 1981 the number of Welsh speakers declined census by census. In 1991, however, those claiming a knowledge of the language were marginally more numerous than had been the case in 1981, and the increase among the younger age groups was especially remarkable.'

Davies confesses that he contemplated writing a different book in English, as this was meant to be a Welsh book, and he would have envisioned a different book had his first thought been in English. However, given the demand of non-Welsh readers to read the same history treatment as those who do read Welsh, Davies consented to a translation rather than a re-write.

The time frames are not the same as those of standard British histories, which tend to follow the broad sweep of royal affairs. While there is some parallel of necessity, the time factors and dates here have far more interest to the direct concerns of Wales than to the rest of Britain.

The reader should also be prepared for an array of names, of both persons and places, that are very confusing to the average reader of English -- Gwydir, Llangeitho, Aberffraw, Catraeth, Llantwit, Penmynydd and Llyn Cerrig Bach. However, it is worth the effort to learn these names and places. Particularly in America, where so many people have Welsh ancestry (the Jones now outnumber the Smiths in America as the greatest number of people by last name, and Jones is a Welsh name by and large), this is part of the collective history of America, too.

Well written, well researched (Davies was educated in Wales and at Cambridge, taught Welsh history at University College in Wales), this is perhaps the currently-accepted definitive history of Wales available today.

Well written and well researched. It is an exhaustive history that will not exhaust you. I am reading it for general interest and find it hard to put down.

John Davies covers a lot of territory (in terms of time, if not in space) in his "A History of Wales", originally published (1990) in Welsh as "Hanes Cymru". This will probably stand as the definitive general history of this fascinating country for years to come.

Beginning with the earliest evidence for human occupation of Wales, Davies brings us up to the end of the 1980s. Each of his ten chapters covers a particular time period, and each chapter title features three place names that represent, and figure into, the theme of that chapter/period. Davies touches on nearly every aspect of Welsh history--the political, the social, and the cultural. If some themes garner less attention than others, that is to be expected in a survey of this kind. One theme, of course, dominates this volume (as it should), and that is the relationship between the Welsh and their much more populous English neighbors to the east. That the Welsh were able to resist English domination for so long is miraculous; despite eventual English hegemony, the Welsh have managed to preserve their language, while over the past century there has been a revival of Welsh culture.

The writing is clear and concise, a testament to Davies' skill as both writer and translator. Davies has included a wealth of maps and graphs to illustrate many of his themes. If I have one complaint about "A History of Wales" it is the complete absence of photographs and other illustrations that would have benefited Davies' narrative immensely. That being said, however, this is a fine introduction to a part of the British Isles that we in the US hear very little about. Four and a half stars.

As Cook's Illustrated readers would expect, this book deconstructs ice cream making with every detail you could want. I'd get this book first, then get a book with a zillion recipes. You can use the techniques in this book to adapt and perfect recipes from any other source.

As Cook's Illustrated readers would expect, this book deconstructs ice cream making with every detail you could want. I'd get this book first, then get a book with a zillion recipes. You can use the techniques in this book to adapt and perfect recipes from any other source.

This is a small book (95 pages) that hits all the important points. It starts with the theory of Ice Cream, why do most recipes for home have eggs, why is it important to chill the mixture before putting it in an ice cream maker.

Most important: how hot must you heat the mixture (as measured with a thermometer, no ambiguous 'until done' instructions here), and how hot is TOO hot.

There aren't a lot of recipes here. A few examples and variations so you can understand the theory and techniques. So if you are looking for a collection of vast numbers of recipes (and you already know the theory and how to make ice cream) then this isn't for you. But if you are new to making ice cream and have yet to learn WHY the things the recipes call for are in there then this is for you.

A book to learn the theory from and apply it to all the recipes you find elsewhere.

This is the kind of book that teach you about how to make something. With only your imagination, you can make the ice cream flavor you want with the advices that you'll get here. I already make 4 batches (vanilla, not bad (maybe because I use extract rather than vanilla bean); chocolate, I'll use less sugar next time (but better than the commercial ice cream) and rum raisin (twice, the best yet, superb texture and flavor), but I'm improving reading the book time after time. Believe me, you don't need another book; here you will get the "why" needed.

Some advices from my experience:
1. Don't let the custard freeze after done; I found out that when churned, you will get tiny ice bits. Let the custard reach 40F and put it into the machine - Chill only.
2. You can help the machine put more air into the mixture if you stir it with a spoon (made of wood preferibly).
3. For those in my home country (maybe this apply for you also), I recommend to use the milk cream that comes in a UHT/brick container instead of the one that comes in an can; you will get a better color and texture.

I also followed some advices found here (like "start your machine and pour the custard in" and "buy an instant read thermometer") to get the ice cream that my family and I like. And with the pride of getting something good from your own hands.

I've never been moved to write a review before, but after my first successful batch of ice-cream (following many miserable failures) - I decided that I must share my joy.

First of all, this is a lovely little hard bound book. It will take up a tiny space on your shelves - and, most importantly, it is easy to hold with one hand while you are fastidiously stirring custard with the other.

Texture had been a problem for me since I recieved my Cuisinart ice-cream maker for Christmas. I've had some batches that just wouldn't freeze - some with so much cream that they left a buttery film of fat on the spoon and one unfortunate creation that went directly from machine to garbage disposal. Believe it or not I was following recipes. But some are very general in describing how to know when something is done, like how thick a custard should be. It was actually very liberating to have the very specific and exact temperatures given by this book.

The introduction and Master Vanilla Recipe are priceless. As are the explanations of correct temperatures and proportions.

I have to admit that I've been egg phobic in my recipe hunting. So many recipes call for an obscene amount of eggs and the thought of six to eight eggs in a pint of ice cream gives me the heeby geebies. The authors have tested many milk/cream/egg/sugar proportions to come up with the best flavor and best texture. Early in the book they explain the purpose of egg yolks in ice cream to emulsify the dairy fat. This is especially important to home made ice cream since we won't be using chemical emulsifiers like commercial brands. What was helpful for me was the section on them trying different amounts of eggs to get the right texture - without that eggy taste.

There are also some very nice illlustrations of what the egg yolk and sugar mix should look like after beating them, and some handy tips like how to peel hazelnuts.

I highly recommend this book AND a digital candy/oil thermometer (I got mine from Williams Sonoma - but Amazon.com may have one too). I was literally stunned by the silky texture of my Hazelnut Gellato and how quickly it froze to 'soft-serve' texture - and the flavor! It was all I could do not to eat the entire batch right from the machine!

This is such a cute book! My toddler loves it and can practically recite it, which is pretty hilarious. We love it.

I love this book. It is so fun to read with my boys. My two year old loves the "pooky pider" part. That's spooky spider for those of you who don't speak two year old. One of my favorite parts of this book is the illustrations. John Butler is extremely talented!

My one year old daughter adores this book. Although she can't say it, it's clear that this is her favorite book. She even says, "Aaaahhh" after I say it aloud. The illustrations are simple yet realistic, which is perfect for toddlers; pictures with too much information can be overwhelming for them. I haven't tested it on older kids, but my guess is that they'll like it, too. The illustrations are just too irresistible.

This book is read to the one and two year olds at the daycare center I work at. They LOVE it! It has been read so often most of them have the book memorized, but they keep asking us to read it to them. The pictures are really cute, too. It's a fun book to read together because the adults all think it's cute and the kids all get really into it.

My 2.6 yr old son loves this book. He first read it at daycare and his teachers recommended that we buy it for him b/c he would take a nap with it. So we did...and he showed us how it was suppossed to be read. Very cute.

Great Book by an author who was born into the game and has the unique abilty to show blacks involvement with Wallstreet since day one.

You never know where you're going unless you know where you came from! I just started the book, and I wish my finance professors had incorporated this into the otherwise impeccable curriculum at Clark Atlanta. Very interesting read. Every person on wall street should read it, it's not only black history but AMERICAN history.

I found the information in this book very informative and surprising that black participation in finance went back as far as it did. Stories of black stockbrokers and mutual fund salesmen in the 1950's to the investment bankers of today, records the slow but meaningful progress made on the Street in the last few decades. Hopefully, the progress will continue....

This book was an impulse buy for me, I have always had little interest in Wall Street but my son works in the securities industry so I thought I would read this for some background. I am very glad I did because I did not realize how deep African American history in the financial world is. I enjoyed the stories of people like Philip Jenkins and John Patterson, early pioneers who deserve greater recognition for their contributions. I think that this book is an important contribution of both African American and Wall Street history and does a good job of illuminating aspects about the history of finance that went unrecognized for far too long.

This book fills in the missing pages of Wall Street's History. It documents how African-Americans overcame racism and other barriers to become successful in the financial securities industry. This should be part of every business school's curriculum.