L Books

This is an amazing book. This should be a required read for all criminologists who intend to teach about police and their subculture. I also recommend it to anyone who thinks that cops, in general, have bad attitudes or those who question a person's reasons for becoming a cop. Law enforcement is a difficult, misunderstood, low-paying and high stress occupation. This book would help the relationship between civilians and law officers immensely if it were widely read. I wish it would be brought back into print. Highly recommended.

I read this book 24 years ago when I was a rookie policeman, after 25 years on the job I can tell you it accuratly describes how a regular person becomes a "cop". Any person who thinks they know how cops think, especially those so called experts in academia who wouldn,t know a crook until one hit them over the head and stoled their money, should read this book. The author sucks you into the side of society most people don,t want to see or hear about, but once u start readin you won,t put it down. And when your done you will never look at a "cop" the same way again.

I read this book in 1977 and have never forgotten how I could not put it down. It is a look at police work from both sides of the table. It makes you think and re-think your ideas about police officers. My question when I finished reading this work was ... Do people develop a certain mind set and personality because of the occupation or are they drawn into this job because they are of that mind set and personality. This book provokes much thought.

In my 20-years as a law enforcement officer, and 18 years of (simultaneous) college studies, I found Dr. George L. Kirkham's story to be one of the most intriguing, interesting, and accurate police stories. It is now a classic in police and criminal justice literature. This is a true story in which Dr. Kirkham, a college professor, becomes a street cop in a tough South Florida city (on a sabbatical from teaching). The reader will learn firsthand the changes - the metamorphosis - that Dr. Kirkham goes through. Would this happen to most any person who becomes a police officer? He describes a tough job, that sees American society often at it's worst. Kirkham learns that police theory and actual police practices are often far apart. (A short vignette of the story appeared as an article entitled "Street Lessons" by George L. Kirkham PhD, in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, March 1974, pp. 14-22). This story is required reading in all my Introduction to Criminal Justice classes.

Professor John Hill - Criminal Justice (retired street cop)

I am a Police Officer from the same department that the author worked for. Though this book was written some time ago, it still holds true today. If you ever wonder why police officers are how they are, read this book.

I love this book for it's honesty and clear, simple message. Heuertz candidly shares heartbreaking stories of how his experience with the poor and broken have propelled him to contemplate spirituality in a new way. By doing so, he poetically gives a voice to those who are seemingly powerless in this world.

Clearly, Heuertz doesn't share these stories to focus on himself. There's no loud, boisterous qualities to this book. Simple Spiritually doesn't pontificate and Heuertz never mentions the words "relevant" or "emergent." I highly recommend this quiet, thoughtful and vulnerable book to anyone looking for a richer life experience.

This book was sent to us as a gift. We liked it so much we bought 10 more to give away to others. The author uses personal experiences and observations throughout the book, which helps to reinforce the ideas presented. It is an easy read, but you will be challenged to look at the world in a different way when you finish the book.

heuertz has put his heart on the chopping block, given God the axe, and allowed a beautiful brokenness to be exposed. dare i say, rivaling greats like nouwen, vanier, and yancey, simple spirituality provides a powerful yet gentle glance into the true spirit of Jesus. there's really nothing simple about, except that it's simply a profound piece of writing.

In spite of the popularity of the term "simplicity", it seems that not much is simple these days. "Real Simple" magazine gives guidance on decorating your table for a five course meal or coordinating your living room curtains with your TV remote control. Stores sell wall plaques declaring "Simplicity" for $19.99 to add pizzazz to your home ambience.
To further complicate matters, we live in an information saturated society with the ability to access incredible amounts of knowledge in rapid fire succession. At times, this excessive knowledge spills over into spiritual lives, leaving us with piles of books, concordances, and commentaries with which to understand our spirituality. Sometimes the tools are useful, and sometimes, the weight of it all can be slightly overwhelming.

The attempt to sort through such complexities first drew me to a little book entitled Simple Spirituality. Written by Chris Heuertz, director of Word Made Flesh, an organization which serves among the poorest of the poor, Simple Spirituality stays true to its title by exploring five simple yet profound commitments:

* Humility
* Community
* Simplicity
* Submission
* Brokenness

In exploring these "lifestyle celebrations", Heuertz uses stories of his relationships with the poor around the world to illustrate the depth of spirituality he has learned from the poor. He examines what the wealthy western church misses from its lack of connection to the poor. "I believe that God is using the cries of our friends who suffer in poverty today to call the church out of its sound-proof sanctuaries," he writes. "God is challenging the church to respond to a world in need. Too often, however, the church has isolated itself and failed to listen, and thus contributed to the suffering. God is calling us to establish communities that offer the prophetic presence of Christ in today's world."

Heuertz addresses the temptation to use personal geography to justify disengaging from the difficulties of the rest of the world. His conclusion that "those who go without the basic necessities of life, regardless of their geographical location or proximity, are nevertheless counted as our family: fellow believers in the Sudan or Sri Lanka or Peru are as much an intrinsic part of the body of Christ as are the Methodists, Presbyterians, or Catholics down the street." He asserts that it is simplicity that helps us to remember such family obligations.

With deep gentleness, Heuertz uses the brokenness of the world as a springboard for spiritual vitality. Using what he calls the "Five Stones of Brokenness" - humility, community, simplicity, submission, and brokenness - he challenges those of us who live in plenty to seek a fuller faith by reconsidering how we might "live more simply so others may simply live" (Mother Theresa).

Chris's book is a needed voice in the church today. It calls us to remember the poor as we find what it means to live a genuine Christian life. And he doesn't let himself or the church off the hook easily. He is honest with himself and invites the reader to be honest with themselves as well. It's challenging, causing the reader to rethink what the Christian life really can look like and pushes the reader to know who Jesus really is. It's one of those books that can be read again and again because it's lessons that we all struggle with and can continually grow in.

'Since Yesterday' (1940) is a journalistic history of the 1930's in America. Frederick Lewis Allen also wrote 'Only Yesterday' (1930) about the 1920's, and these two books are probably his most well known and popular. It is written in a conversational tone for a popular audience and at times is really entertaining and fascinating. It's at its best discussing popular culture and the changing zeitgeist of America, the political and economic history is often a bit dry. It's valuable for learning about the era because it was one of the first attempts at writing a history of the 1930's, when the events were still fresh, the episodes Allen focuses on are what the people of the time found the most important and foremost in their conscious. Thus one gets a sense of how events flowed together, how one thing effected the next, a more holistic view. The 1930's were very dynamic for a lot of reasons, probably one of the most rapidly changing of the 20th century despite it's sordid reputation for gangsters, dust bowls and the depression - World War II was largely a product of the (failed) politics of the 1930's and that war defined the rest of the century (and beyond). My interpretation (not Allen's) is that empowering technological innovations had spread to the masses: cars, radio, machinery, electricity - these things created more free time (5-hr work week, leisure time), rising rates of education and political involvement - all part of a bigger continuing process that can be seen in the world today in China, India, etc.. we have much to learn about the changes other countries are going through by looking back at the changes in our own country in the 1930's.

Frederick Lewis Allen begins this short book (346 pages) where he left off in his last book (�Only Yesterday�) - with the stock market crash of 1929 - and ends it with the
advent of World War II in 1939. Allen skillfully weaves the minor events of this decade (the fads, books, crimes, machines, gadgets, personalities, movies, fashions, etc.) together
with the major events (the stock market crash, the �Great Depression�, and �the New Deal�) in a delightfully entertaining, informative fashion - assuming, of course, that you
enjoy American history!
The '29 crash had been immediately preceded by the �Big Bull� market that had carried investors and stocks onward and upward for some 2 years before it finally peaked. Investors, by then, were �programmed� to buy, buy, buy. All feared that they might miss one last opportunity to get richer. Stock transactions sometimes became so hectic that Wall Street could not keep up with the paperwork (no computers!). Some pundits of that
day were issuing warnings that stock prices were overvalued, that investors were investing too much borrowed money, but few investors were heeding these warnings. When stock prices began falling, nothing could stop them. By the time stock values hit
bottom on 13 November investors had lost enough money to finance World War I once, or pay off the national debt twice! In a matter of months 25% of the work force was unemployed; many of them were now standing in the ubiquitous breadlines, or peddling
apples for 5 cents on street corners.
The market crash triggered another major event of the �30�s - the �great depression�. President Hoover insisted that the economy was only experiencing one of those �cyclical
business cycles�, that it would eventually �self-correct�, and that life in America would again be just great. He approved some actions to aid businessmen and failing banks, and
to create some jobs by expanding some federal work programs, but basically Hoover opposed any kind of relief for the unemployed or their families. The government, he thought, should do nothing to damage Americans� �initiative and �rugged individualism�. Later, Hoover approved some expenditures for seed and for animal feed, but vetoed any proposals to help the cold, the starving, or the unemployed. Hoover was above all
determined to balance the federal budget and he was certain that nature (and economic problems) would eventually run its course and that his �hands off� (laissez-faire) economic policy would prove to be the proper government response to the depression.
Between the crash of �29 and the presidential election of 1932, however, there was no visible improvement in the economy. Consequently, Hoover�s defeat in the upcoming 1932 election was preordained. That�s what happened; Franklin Delano Roosevelt
became president.
FDR and Hoover had diametrically opposed views with regard to the federal government�s role vis-à-vis the national economy and the depression. Once elected FDR immediately launched his various (alphabet soup-like) �New Deal� programs: they
included the NRA (to deal with economic planning, wages and working conditions, child and women�s labor, etc.), the CWA and the WPA (to provide jobs); the AAA (to deal with farm problems); the CCC (to provide jobs related to environmental protection, tree planting, etc.); the PWA and the TWA (to build dams - thereby creating jobs, electricity, water for irrigation, flood controls, etc.). He also created the RFC, the FHA, the FCA,
the NYA, etc., etc. FDR was unafraid to create a government agency to deal with a problem. �If one approach fails (frequently the case)�, he would say, �We�ll try another.�
�The unemployed�, he maintained, are not bums! They are victims of an economy over which they have no control.� (A 1933 congressional investigation - a la Enron, Anderson, et al) indicated that the crash had to a considerable extent been generated by �wheeling-dealing� brokers, bankers, financiers, corporate managers and their pyramiding
schemes, mergers, etc.). FDR�s role model cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, had said earlier that it was the government�s responsibility to protect those who were unable to protect
themselves. FDR, in turn, said something similar, using different words: �It is not the government�s duty to further enrich those who already have much, but, rather, to assist
those who have little.� FDR�s words resonated with most Americans. They re-elected him again, again, and again. The Republicans soon recognized that FDR and his Democratic �New Deal� programs were basically anathema to what Republicans stood
for (small federal government, low taxes, etc.), and they began fighting FDR and his programs (the Democratic-Republican fight that FDR started continues to this day.), but FDR won most of the battles because he always enjoyed great majorities in both houses of congress and eventually he also had a friendly Supreme Court - because he personally made a total of 9 appointments to the court.
There is much more to say about this book, about FDR�s struggle with those 9 old men of the Supreme Court, about the repeal of Prohibition, about the rise of organized crime,
etc., -- but you get the idea. My final word: Lewis is a delightful writer and the material is fascinating!

The best thing about this book is that unlike most other ones about the depression it was written by someone who experienced it at the time they experienced it - 1939. Spanning 1929 to 1939 it gives you a you-were-there feeling.

Most of the political commentary is just matter-of-fact with very little bias. Many depression books seem to be left-leaning and written by authors with political agendas, not this one. The fact is that many things actually were very corrupt in the years leading up to the depression.

Allen obviously liked FDR very much and yet he still always countered accolades for him with opposing opinions and even agrees with them at times.

This is not a hard-hitting expose' of the Depression years, but it is a highly informative book that is a great lesson in history.

While I found this book a bit less engaging than his previous effort on the 1920s, it was nonetheless a fascinating look at the decade by someone who had just lived through it. As an author who sets some pulp-style stories in the era it provides an invaulable overview and copious research opportunity.

Allen covers the period from September 3, 1929, to September 3, 1939. Interestingly, the first date is when the Bull Market reached its peak, and the last date is when England and France declared war on Germany. The book is an excellent contemporary account of the 1930's. The topics that Allen thought were noteworthy in 1939 are still noteworthy today. Anyone who reads this book should also read "Only Yesterday" which is Allen's account of the 1920's.

Cantrip is missing! Having been seconded to assist with the mysterious Daffodil settlement in the Tax Haven of the Channel Islands, he disappears, and there seem to be bodies all over the place, bodies and unlimited suspects who might well have been involved in murdering them - or then again might not. Even murder isn't necessarily on the cards here. Really, it is up to Professor Hilary Tamar to sort things out and find the culprits, and find Cantrip at the same time.

A while ago we were discussion (on a Jane Austen list) the art of the epistolary form of the novel - and perhaps this is the original idea behind Caudwell's form of mysteries - they are very reliant on letter writing. While the first mystery featured letters by Julia from Venice (Thus was Adonis murdered), and the second Serena from Corfu (The Shortest Way to Hades), this has Young barrister, Michael Cantrip, writing from..... well.... all over France - and using the handy mechanism of the Telex machine to send his messages back to the members of the nursery at 62 New Square (and the occassional less than flattering note to their Clerk, Henry).

A very funny, bouynat mystery with the usual Caudwell twist at the end - I guess the unexpected seems to occur every few pages really - The only thing I would mention is that I didn't feel like all the clues were quite at my grasp as they might have been - however, I didn't mind, it was such a rollicking good fun ride. Sometimes I wonder if I read these as mysteries or comedies - they are lovely as both. .

After the relatively disappointing second book in the series (The Shortest Way to Hades) I was enraptured to find The Sirens Sang of Murder on a par with the first Sarah Caudwell, the one that made me sing hosannas and rush out to buy everything she had written. One of the strengths and pleasures of Sirens, as with Thus Was Adonis Murdered, is that a large part of it takes the form of an epistolary novel, in this case through telexes in the hilarious voice of Cantrip. Surely Caudwell is a fan of P.G. Wodehouse, since the hapless Cantrip reminds me irresistibly of clueless Bertie Wooster, even down to his malapropisms and his dotty uncle (reminiscent of Uncle Fred). Having so many adventures related through his harried, well-intentioned, quirky voice ("pottle" is one of his favorite verbs) makes everything that much livelier. Another clever, enjoyable device is the use of hackneyed romance-novel cliches, which circulate due to Cantrip and Julia's collaboration on a would-be bestseller. Added to this heady mixture is the faintly dangerous, sexy whiff of witch lore and the supernatural.

If you enjoyed Thus Was Adonis Murdered, don't hesitate to heed the Sirens' seductive cry.

This is the third of Sarah Caudwell's sublimely funny murder mysteries narrated by Hilary Tamar, professor of legal history at Oxford, and featuring her young barrister friends. All four of these books are hilarious, and this is the funniest of the lot. Not many books in my life have made me cry with laughter, but this one reduced me to tears on several occasions. The adventures of young Michael Cantrip (educationaly disadvantaged, poor boy, he went to Cambridge)in the Channel Islands and in France and Monaco are full of wildly funny incidents. The poor boy has to suffer spending five hours shut in the boot of a car, being locked in a wine celler by a dotty waiter etc, meanwhile back in london his colleagues are having to cope with his barmy uncle. The plot is amazingly convoluted, and like all the books you may find yourself getting a bit lost in the complexity of the financial details, but who cares. Just enjoy the ingenious story, the wonderful characters, the witty dialogue, and Sarah Caudwell'smarvellous style. What a tragedy that there are only four of these marvellous books.

I was delighted with Cauldwell's third book in her too-short series. Much maligned Cantrip always makes me laugh, and you get plenty of him in this book.

The humor is elaborate and depends on convoluted witticisms couched in a pastiche of eighteenth century prose, alternating with sharp observations of contemporary British life and amazingly effective slapstick. This sort of thing has to be done superbly well or it falls flat. This is done superbly well. The plot seems completely fantastic until the murderer is revealed and you realise you should have thought of that person all along. The same setting as the other Caudwells - the London singles bar scene.

I work for a real estate firm that is small in number of staff but not in volume of business. The company manages real estate in different parts of the country through subsidiaries and independent contractors. The tools in this book really helped me predict behavior - even over the phone of the staff and outside vendors I have to deal with daily. I am amazed daily how the information in this not very large book really makes a difference. Not only am I more efficient - I'm less crazed. And that's way more important - less stress at work definitiely means a better quality down time!! I think that Stan Dubin has done a real service to the small business. But do not just take my anonymous word for it - the book is inexpensive enough - check it out your self. I will be shocked if it does not help you.

If you are looking for workable solutions to everyday business problems, this book is it. What is the difference with this text? Well, for starters, it puts forth a simple yet powerful methodolgy to handling the problems that each of face in day to day business. In my experience in managing businesses, what you really are managing are people. Go look at any book on being a success in business, and most of the titles are about handling "your team" or how to handle your organization. These books do not for the most part, give you the "how" in order to do this. The Small Business Success Manual does. I highly recommend this book to anyone who truly wants to gain an edge in the business world.

I thought this book was wonderfully helpful. It is written so that anyone can understand and use it and the data presented, though basic, is not generally known.

The bookshelves in my house are loaded with books on making it in business, financial success and get rich quick or not-so-quick schemes. After reading this 200 page manual I've decided to clean off my shelves and give the local library's used book sale a donation. I took just one chapter of this book and used it in a community arts group I'm involved in. The chapter is called "Putting Order Into Your Business". The chapter covered what disorder actually is and exactly how to handle it. I found it incredibly useful in the volunteer group I'm in. You could use this in a family, in a music group, you could use it anywhere because it is not just basic to business it is basic to any activity you are involved in. The book is layed out in such away to be easily read, the type is nice and large, the concepts are clear and there are plenty of examples by others who have applied the concepts in each chapter to their business. It isn't theory. It is based on the real world and doing. Whether or not you have a small business you'll find something you can use to make your life easier to control in this book.

This book has concepts so vital and useful to our business that we consider it to be the most valuable book in our office. I found solutions to most of our day to day problems right here. When I try using this advise - bingo - it works! How refreshing to have advise that actually does solve the problems. I highly recommend that all business owners and managers get this book and try it themselves.

This book had me laughing and crying in the first read. It was so captivating. From a young boy to a man with a heart warming love story in between. You'll love the guidance from the wise Indian grandfather. Though I am not really into war stories, I am still glad I read it to know what happened over in Vietnam. I am telling everyone that will listen to read this book. This book goes on my bookshelf to be read again with my other favorites such as Gone with the Wind, Embraced by the light and Bridges of Madison County.

Montana at its best and Vietnam at its worst. A great read for those who want to know what really went on over there. My wife loved the book as much as I did, we've read it twice now. Rather haunting, to say the least.

Mr. Hadley is a wonderful author.. he has brought forth so many different aspects of the Vietnam War and how people tried to cope.. this is a wonderful book for those that served and for those that don't know much or anything about the war. I found myself getting caught up in the story and amazed at how it affected me. Mr. Hadley is a wonderul person, I met him, and he is so kind and caring and I am completely empressed with his novel and ability to bring out the "hidden" part of this War so many were affected by and so many try to forget. Congratulations Mr. Hadley!!!!!

This is a great book that's hard to put down. It has all the elements to keep an audience interested thru to the end. Normally, my wife and I have different tastes when it comes to books but, we both enjoyed this one. This book will go up on my read again shelf....

I couldn't put the book down. Im normally a slow reader and it takes me a while to read a book. This one I finished extremly fast. Everytime I wanted to put it down I couldn't stop thinking of what was going to happen next. GREAT BOOK...READ IT!

Actually, this looks like a WONDERFUL course! As a homeschooling mom of 3 very bright girls, I give this a thumbs up. All the kids can use this course, despite their learning differences. My 8 year old and 9 year old READ way above their grade levels with wonderful comprehension - but ask them to spell "comprehension" and they're lost! This course with CD is a great tool to use for my sight readers AND my phonics reader. We're looking forward to completing it. Grade: A+

Whether you are learning or teaching, the techniques used in "Spelling Power" are very simple to use. Instead of the ole' Study, Test, Study method- you are encouraged to do the opposite. The first day is spent taking a placement test (about 10-15 minutes) to see where you start. The next day, you administer the test of ten words first, and only study those words that were incorrect. There are many study ideas, and games that help with the study process. The next day you give the next test of ten words, along with the words that were missed the day before. If more than 5 words were missed, then you only administer the test with the incorrect words, otherwise I could see how self confidence would be an issue if you had a 30 word test by the end of the week. We use this book with our 8 and 10 year olds. They no longer dread spelling, and have a great feeling of accomplishment by the end of the week when they can prove that they have "mastered" between 20-50 words. The reason that I gave this book a "4" instead of a "5" is because the teachers guide in the front (which is a necessity to read) is 100 pages of Blah, Blah, Blah, You need to plan on either a couple of hours of UNINTERUPTED reading (yeah right, not in this house) or, do as I did and use a highlighter and skim at 15 minute intervals. The book also comes with a CD rom, which I couldn't get to run on either of our two computers. The publisher is sending me a new one though. All in all we like this program, and even though it's $50, (for a Spelling Book!) It's not just a spelling book, it's 15 minutes a day towards being a sufficient speller which can be used all they way through High School. I recommend adults take the placement test and try it for yourselves, you will be surprised. I know I was.

Great book, very useful for diagnosing where your child stands in his/her knowledge of the rules of spelling. Once you've used the tests to see at what level your child spells, you have lots of creative ways to reinforce and upgrade their skills...this book is fantastic! I recommend it not only for those parents who homeschool, but for those parents and students who want a great teaching tool for improving spelling acumen in preparation for a spelling bee.

Although the program is designed for ages 8+, I bought it for my homeschooled 5 year old who has been reading since age three. The results were immediate and he is whipping through the lessons painlessly. Minimal time required per lesson, only 15 minutes for the student and 5 minutes for the teacher. I highly recommend it, though it is expensive.

My now fourth grader was using another spelling program in 1st grade and got really burned out. It was the traditional study the list all week, write the words, pre-test on Thursday and test on Friday. She and I both hated it! Since we switched to Spelling Power, she asks "Can I do my spelling first?" Everyday, you test them over a designated list of words. When they have spelled 3 wrong, you stop. They study the words they missed using a 10 point study program (all lined out in the record book they use). The next day, they first re-test on the words they missed, and then go on to the next set of words on the designated list. The placement tests show you exactly where to start and where your child is according to grade level. Although it is designed to use starting with 8 and up, I am using it with my 6 year old, too. She was jealous of her sister getting to do this spelling. She does great! We just move slower. The teaching of study skills is powerful! Get this program! Don't be overwhelmed with the text. Take the time to read it before you ever start. On a daily basis, no preparation is required. Annually, you give placement tests. That's it!

I have read several books of this type, and Mr Main's was the best thought out and most realistically useful of them all. His use of the Oz icons was brilliant and the insights he has are simple and to the point and dead on accurate.

This book came up as an Amazon recommended read for me. That was okay. As I collect everything on the Oz film, and also practice Ashtanga, I might have purchased this book, anyway. However: this is a very simply-written collection of thoughts, presented in a non-linear fashion. I found the non-linear approach to be confusing. I feel it bypasses some important elements of the story. I still think Salmon Rushdie's book is the best and most comprehensive approach to understanding the film.

I don't find any outright references to yoga here, nor do I see any sort of outline regarding how about the philosophy behind yoga is tied into the author's ideas.

This is a spiritual book, based on the author's personal philosophical views of the film. I would recommend it to a young person, someone who is just getting acquainted with symbolism - and who has actually seen the MGM movie! There are a surprising number of young people who have never read "The Wizard of Oz", and who have never seen the film! If you are new to the film, you would enjoy the fun guidance this book could bring to your life.

Darren John Main is a Yoga teacher from the West Coast who has a gift for putting complex ideas into simple, down to earth language.

I have downloaded all of his available talks (which are presently available for free from his web site http://darrenmain.com/)and have listened to them countless times and have read his "Yoga And The Path Of The Urban Mystic as well.

This book, which I believe was his first, uses the "Oz" characters as metaphors along the spiritual journey. I found his analysis of the characters to be believable and useful in terms of being able to apply them to my own understanding of the complexities of life.

Darren uses examples from his own and other's lives to illustrate the points throughout the book. This makes it a very "real life" type book rather than just philosophical speculation.

Though this is a fairly short book it is filled with endless treasures of insights.

Highly recommended!!!!!

Namaste

I found Darren's honesty in telling his stories and relating them to another story that we all know and love a wonderful way to bring spiritual principle to daily living. I have always loved The Wizard of Oz, has have so many millions, but I love the connection of the characters to deeper aspects of myself. A great and fun read for all.

I first read the author's other book, "Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic" and was totally blown away by his insight and wisdom. I've read (and continue to read) as much as I can on subjects of yoga and spirituality and was so impressed by this book that I wanted to find another by the same author. I was frankly not too excited when I saw that his other book was entitled "Spritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road." I'm probably the only former kid in America who didn't like "The Wizard of Oz" and had to force myself to see the whole movie from beginning to end. I'm also a fussy reader, and had to decide if I really wanted to read this book. The other reviews posted on this site were so positive I decided to give it a chance. I was not in the least disappointed!! I would never have thought of the "Wizard of Oz" as a spritual journey, but the author clearly and capably demonstrates this for his readers. This book was not only highly entertaining and a very enjoyable reading experience, but it teaches many valuable lessons without seeming to do so. Whether or not you are a fan of the movie or the Frank Baum book, I would highly and unquestioningly recommend this book to anyone who is on his/her own spiritual journey, or to anyone who just wants to have a good time enjoying a great book.

I recently received my copy of the new 4th edition of the Krause-Mishler (KM) 18th century catalog. Here are my impressions of the book, with some emphasis on the changes from the 3rd edition. The photographs are definitely much better than in the last edition. Unfortunately, that may be the only improvement over the last edition I can think of.

Some countries have been moved around - Vietnam is under "V" instead of "A" for Annam, Salzburg is back where it started under Austrian states, early Burma coins are no longer listed under Myanmar, and there's a new listing called "Central Asia" for Bukhara (formerly listed under Uzbekistan) and Janid Khanate (new?). Within several countries, the coins are no longer listed in the same order, and early Austrian coins have new KM numbers yet again. The editors have spent a lot of time on the notes for each listing, with more information about what's on the coin, including legends.

There are a few more photos than in the last edition (18,000 instead of 17,900, according to the book covers). For some reason, maybe to save space, several photos from the previous edition have been deleted. On two successive pages, 29 of the 35 photos in the previous edition for Courland, Crimea, and Curacao were deleted. Space did seem to be at a premium, with one country's listings beginning immediately after the last one ends, even if it's in the middle of a column.

It always seemed odd to me that KM had separate catalog numbers for the different mints under France. Now they've done the same thing for Iran. The Korea section is much shorter, reorganized, and easier to use. The last edition had separate listings and catalog numbers for Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, etc. Now they've combined these into one listing with a note "Series 1-10." I guess that's another good thing.

I hoped I would find many price corrections, because it has been 5 years since the 3rd edition was published. The market has been very strong in many European countries, and the euro is worth about 50% more than it was 5 years ago. However, the vast majority of coin prices are exactly the same as they were in the 3rd edition. Half the book is devoted to Germany, India, and Italy, and those countries' listings are virtually unchanged. My one-per-country collection includes 85 German state coins from the 18th century. The prices of 4 of them went up, very slightly (why those 4?). The largest change was in the opposite direction: my Nassau-Weilburg 4 kreuzer (VF) went down from $45 to $35, and Schön lists the coin at 120 euros. And prices in Italy are way up.

The only relatively large section with extensive price changes was the Swiss cantons, where someone adjusted many of the values to reflect those in the new HMZ Swiss catalog. I noticed that in some cases where HMZ did not price certain coins in higher grades, the KM values for the higher grades were not changed. That created situations where the higher grade is said to be worth less than a lower grade. For example, the catalog shows many of the Chur KM-263 bluzgers with higher values in VF than in XF. The catalog says the Reichenau-Tamins 2 kreuzer is worth $4,750 in VF but only $1,600 in XF.

Here are the other countries I saw with the most price increases: Denmark - many values up; Dominica - very few types, but the prices are higher; Ethiopia-Harrar - prices twice what they were; Great Britain - prices up only slightly, despite large increases in the British catalogs; Ireland - mostly up; Luxembourg - many prices up; Malta - prices generally higher; Portugal - prices higher, as they should be; Sierra Leone Company - prices up quite a bit. The common penny went up from $20 to $100 in fine, $50 to $200 in VF, and $80 to $400 in XF; early US coins - prices up. The values for most Russian coins didn't change, but I noticed that some of the large rubles were way up. The KM-149 1714 ruble in XF increased from $3,500 to $70,000.

For several countries, prices for the first type went up, but none of the others did. It's almost as if someone changed the first prices to indicate the country needed to be changed, but nobody finished the job. I realize the incredible amount of work it would take to really update a catalog of this magnitude, and I know KM does not have the staff to keep up with it. They may be putting more of their resources into numismaster, the online listing - at least one of my coins that's missing from the catalog is listed there. I would have thought that numismaster updates should find their way into the printed catalog. Nearly all of the 18th century coins in my collection that were missing from the previous edition are still missing from the current edition.

Under Netherlands, just about all the coins are now priced in uncirculated. And for the silver Batavian Republic coins, there are also values for BU. I can't imagine that there would be too many of those available to buy. Under Netherlands East Indies, there are no longer separate listings for Holland, Gelderland, Overyssel, and other provinces. These coins are all listed under United East India Company, with descriptions like "crowned Holland arms" or "crowned Gelderland arms" for the provincial coins.

I noticed quite a few mistakes in the catalog - probably the biggest one I found was a listing under Hejaz/Mecca of all the Hejaz coins from KM's 20th century catalog. I wonder how that happened. Another odd one is the photo for a Peru a gold 8 escudos (KM-82.1) - the photo is a 1951 Mauritius rupee.

If you collection 18th century coins and do not have a catalog, you should definitely have this book. It's by far the best comprehensive 18th century catalog available. But if you already have the 3rd edition, about the only good reason I can think of that you'd need to buy the new one would be that your old one is falling apart, like mine was. Or, if you're a dealer you might want to check out the countries I mentioned where the prices are up. The book is $47.25 with free shipping from Amazon.

It's a complete and very informative book about world coins. I used it everyday as a price reference and getting the right description of old coins.

My collection of 18th century coins is virtually non-existent and their value is so low that this catalog cost me much more than they are all worth. But I did not buy it to see how rich I am or how wisely I invested my money. I treat this book as a very special history book. I read it every now and then, starting from a state I have never heard of to discover some new information from the past. This is the imperfect but only source to dig into the history of minute Italian, German or Indian states which often had nothing but minting rights which they excercised profusely. About sovereigns who believed themselves mighty enough to have their profiles struck on multiple thalers only to disappear from annals of History within just a few years. About political plans, expectations and pretences of which we can't remember anymore but they were all detailed on coins.
Coin-collecting is not a way of investing money (it well may be though in most cases it is rather by luck than wise planning), it is a life-time of studies. You have to invest your time, and coins will start speaking to you. Half-worn faces will become flesh and blood individuals from the past. Strange letters will mean their might and their dreams. You will probably never have too many of these coins (even if you have the money, actually) but this is the kind of book which can give you knowledge. And knowledge, in time, may turn into wisdom.

Certainly this is the book for 18th century coins, unless you are mainly interested in one country like the UK or France -- in that case you would find more information more attractively laid out, along with other centuries, elsewhere, usually more cheaply too. But for its coverage of the world, including hugely complicated countries like Gemany, Italy and India, it is unbeatable. This 3rd edition is an improvement over earlier editions, because more pictures (especially of the smaller coins) and more obscurities have been included.

For users in countries which do not speak English, the conversions such as VF = TTB = BB =MBC are very useful !
The book is not difficult for foreigners to use.

I need a guide so I just do not blindly pay big bucks for cute pictures. There are a lot of good guides and some more specific on particular eras and locations such as Westphalia. But as you do a coin search you are bound to run across something you are not familiar with and need a guide. This guide is a great place to start; it is easy to navigate and gives cursory information on particular locations and times surrounding the coin's production.

Keeping in mind that this is just a guide, there are holes and the coins are not displayed in color. On the other hand the coins shown are in actual size; size is hard to translate form internet pictures.

With all the electronic references today it is nice to have something tactile, static and transportable. This book meet al those needs.

This book makes a teacher out of every one who reads it. Whether you are a parent, guardian, relative, teacher of a child with special needs, this book will give you the tools to teach essential skills and enable you to use them effectively.
This book was recommended to me and I recommend it to every else.

This book is a must have for parents struggling with training there children independence skills. It ofter so many easy to do exercise to get your little or big one independence. My 3 year old is finally bushing his teeth, because this book showed easy to do steps to get him going. I highly recommend this book to any parent struggling with training there children independence. It offers easy steps by step solutions in teaching your child what you have been trying to teach them for months . Try it, its a great training tool for independence.

No parent OR special education teacher should be without this book! Easy to read, and the content is excellent! Step-by-step approaches to teaching everyday skills to children with special needs, but would be just as valuable to ANY parent! After reading this book, I have found it easier to establish goals for my students and everyone is using the same approach to teaching everyday living skills (play, toileting, self-help, PLUS behavior management)! It is working fabulous! The students are learning more with less frustration! A must-have for your resource library!

The book is formatted very well. It has helped me approach my child in a new manner with excellent results. Some of the tasks we take for granted are broken into smaller steps that can be overlooked. This book helps you identify missing steps and provides multiple methods of application. It isn't a "one size fits all" approach. It gives good ideas for praise and correction if consistently followed.

The page layouts are easy to read and the cartoons are cute. Everything addressed in this book has samples to serve as a guide for you. The appendices has more ideas for aiding with independence. Overall, the application of this book, used in a routine, is great for any age and any skill level.

I've been looking for a book like this for quite some time. Here's what it covers:
Chapter 1: Setting Out
Chapter 2: Targeting a Skill
Chapter 3: Establishing Steps
Chapter 4: Picking Rewards
Chapter 5: Setting the Stage
Chapter 6: Teaching
Chapter 7: Observing Progress and Troubleshooting
Chapter 8: Get Ready Skills
Chapter 9: Self-Help Skills
Chapter 10: Toilet Training
Chapter 11: Play Skills
Chapter 12: Independent Living: Self-Care Skills
Chapter 13: Independent Living: Home-Care Skills
Chapter 14: Independent Living: Information Skills
Chapter 15: Plugging into the Personal Computer Revolution
Chapter 16: Behavior Problems
Chapter 17: Initiating a Behavior Management Program
Appendix A: Get Ready Skills
Appendix B: Self-Help Skills Inventory
Appendix C: Self-Help Skills Programs
Appendix D: Play Skills Programs
Appendix E: Information Skills Programs
Index