Perry Books

We really enjoyed this book. My boys love to read it before bed! It is a favorite at our house!!!! Wonderful book and we're looking forward to more!

This book is refreshing, it teaches, has adventure and mystery, and encourages communication. Our grandaughter asked questions and talked as we read the book together. We love the heart of the plot, excellent job!

My 9 year old daughter has ADHD and is dyslexic. She reads at a 1st-2nd grade level. She is reading two pages of this book on her own every night before bed. When we first received it, she read the entire book in one sitting.

It is well-written and she is able to understand it easily in spite of her reading and attention struggles. It has sparked several bedtime discussions on everything from grandparents and RVs to stars and frogs.

I would highly recommend this book.

This is a fantastic story! It is great for a "bed time story", but is also fantastic in a preschool, children's church, or any children's program. It teaches on a level that a small child can understand, yet it can capture an older childs interests. This is a book FULL of character traits that everyone wants there child to learn. My daughter LOVES the book and I LOVE to see her eyes light up with curiosity as I read each page. I am a preschool teacher that is ALWAYS looking for ways to build character and show God's love to children. I am also a Children's Pastor. I use this book in my toddler & preschool rooms. The story stimulates a childs curiosity and encourages questions. This book is a teaching tool and I am HIGHLY impressed by it and would recommend it to anyone.

This book is well written in a language that younger children can understand, and it is short enough for us to read through at bedtime. My kids were blessed by it, and we are looking forward to future books from this new author.

This is a wonderful book on lots of levels. The description of growing up in Venice is what I enjoyed the most, the food, the people, the geography, the little tid bits about the language. Venice, and I mean the Venice that the author describes, as opposed to Venice Beach, is a community of many different people -- Japanese Americans, Latinos, African Americans, Whites, and his attempt to capture a sense of that world is honest. The story, about a return to Manzanar due to fall out from economic competition with Japan, is a clever way to relate the point of view of a Sansei, one who never experienced the camps, but who (like any thinking Sansei) has imagined what life was like there, who also must have sensed, if not heard from his parents, the pain, confusion, and general oppression they experienced. Those interested in learning about such a perspective will enjoy and appreciate this book. One only hopes this is the first of many attempts by this author.

From Chapter One there is a natural flow to the writing. I came to care about the characters and wondered how I would face these same circumstances if they came to pass. This book opened a world to me that I knew very little about. Perry Miyake's book entertained and educated. He made the reader question and explore their world and at the same time, he kept the reader wondering what the next paragraph would bring.

I heard about this book through the East West Players theater group, for which Perry Miyake has staged several plays. I had heard about the author, but didn't know what to expect. From page 1, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story of a family whose lives were turned upside down by an economic was with the Japananes and its byproduct: the reissuance of an exective order banishing all Japanese to inernment camps--Manzanar, in California. While this book has strong political undertones, the writing is what drew me in. It's smart and spare and left me wishing for more--despite a very satisfying ending that I won't give away.

From Chapter One there is a natural flow to the writing. I came to care about the characters and wondered how I would face these same circumstances if they came to pass. This book opened a world to me that I knew very little about. Perry Miyake's book entertained and educated. He made the reader question and explore their world and at the same time, he kept the reader wondering what the next paragraph would bring.

I was not predisposed to like this book. My mother is Nisei and spent the war in the camps (and like the author, I had two uncles already serving in the U.S. Army when Pearl Harbor was attacked), but I'm ambivalent about dwelling on the experience, I don't think a similar internment will happen in this country again, and going in, the plot of this book seemed to offer a strong whiff of unseemly paranoia.

But it turns out, given the outrageous premise of fierce economic war between Japan and the U.S., resulting in the revival of Executive Order 9066, and a couple of unbelievable plot turns, that _21st Century Manzanar_ is a surprisingly engaging book. The plot and style shift easily between lyrical reminiscence, action thriller, character studies, and even the somewhat surreal (both drug- and faith-induced).

When the story opens, David Takeda, a Sansei (third generation Japanese-American) in his late 40s from the Venice Beach area, has been reduced to earning his living by delivering eulogies for deceased relations and friends -- their numbers cut down by disease and racist violence. His brother Johnny is beaten to death before they get to Manzanar, in the desert of eastern California, but sister Kate and her children make it to camp. The bulk of the book recreates camp life and the characters' hopes for escape.

Though there is naturally much Japanese-American content (even a 6-page glossary of Japanese and slang terms in the back), this is a highly multicultural novel. David's best friends are a black man and a Hispanic lesbian; also, Miyake significantly plays up the similarities in physiognomy, behavior, and values between Japanese and Southwest Native Americans. In camp one gets to know an alleged half Chinese, half Korean character -- a gay man named Bradley Kuwata, who serves as both a clown and an eventual saviour.

The villains of the story -- particularly a Nurse Ratched-like camp director and a recurring soldier-guard figure -- are a little too unidimensional and caricatured (but this IS a satire), however the "good guys" are complex, ambivalent, and given to fatal changes of mind ... and their body count jarringly high.

Even more surprising, Miyake mixes a fair amount of the lyrical with the profane. This book is not only a love letter to Japanese-Americans (the author reportedly included much of his own family's biographical details in the background of his hero), but also to Los Angeles. There's a strong sense of place in the opening chapters, and Miyake names names and recreates businesses that actually existed and he remembers fondly.

Obviously, anyone with a Japanese background will easily slip into the milieu of this story, but I think even gaijin may find it worthwhile, for its grittiness, detail, and odd shifts of style and perspective.

The orangutan has been seen as a loner, wandering a forest that offers just enough food to pay the cost of collecting it. But this may be because homo sapiens have liked to farm where orangutans could afford to congregate. Schaik found a swamp where orangutans still congregated.

Just by itself, this book will tell you things about orangutans - the 'other' surviving not-humans - that no one knew until very recently. If you read this before or after reading "The Red Ape: Orangutans and Human Origins" by Jeffrey H. Schwartz (which points out that morphologically, humans and are orangs are very close, and the genetic evidence is not really as solid and cross-referenced as you might have thought) you might find yourself immune to all arguments by analogy with chimp behavior for quite some time.

About 14 million years ago, an African ape with a penchant for solitude strolled eastwards. Her descendents became the "red apes" of Borneo and Sumatra - the orang utan. Unlike their African cousins, orang utans don't regularly form troops or "gangs". As isolated forest wanderers, they are immensely difficult to study, especially compared to mountain gorillas or chimpanzees. Their isolation has led to more myths than facts about them - until Carel Van Schaik began reporting his findings. This book summarises his work in a stunning presentation of narrative and images. More importantly, it overturns many false ideas of how orang utans fit in the primate lineage. Our lineage.

Spending seven years in a swampy jungle brought van Schaik into intimate contact with orang utans. He discovered novel behaviour and unexpected talents. Among the most surprising revelations was the use of tools. Orang utans are at least as adept as gorillas with tools. There is clear planning in the selection and application of tools. Twigs as tools are made "oversize" before actual use, trimmed to the proper dimension before applying them. There are several fruits requiring special tools for seed retrieval, and photographs show a variety of shapes and lengths. Unlike chimps, however, orang utan tools are manipulated ["lipulated?"] with the mouth more than the hands. Van Schaik and his photographer, Perry van Duijnhoven, depict the tools and their owners with superb images.

With fewer predators to cope with [outside of humans, of course], the Red Ape has followed a different path from its African cousin. Gorillas, too, live on fruits and leaves, but remain ground dwellers. Chimpanzees run in organised troops, while the orang utan's social structure is more flexible. Orang utan young remain with the parents for years, providing many opportunities for parental training. The culture of orang utans must be learned anew with each generation, van Schaik stresses. The intelligence is there to absorb the education, and the habits aren't ingrained. Nest making is symptomatic, with the young building their construction skills over time. Early nests are ramshackle, and during inclement weather, a young ape may shift from his own nest to her mother's for better shelter. Nor is all this behaviour universal. Van Schaik notes the variations among populations he observed.

"Culture", of course, is a term humans wish to retain for their sole use. Van Schaik devotes a chapter to demolishing that restrictive view. He also expands the role of "symbolism", another shibboleth of cultural anthropology. We've restricted the application of "symbolism" to exclude other primates. The structure of orang utan society, he says, demonstrates how symbols are used for identification and communication. This isn't limited to physical artefacts, but may be found in vocalisations and other manifestations of individuality. He explains how training the young imparts cultural and social norms, something humans have limited to their own realm. The five great ape species exhibit vast differences in many aspects, but, van Schaik argues, that only demonstrates that ape intelligence has been utilised appropriately for each species. The intelligence was already there. It was adapted to provide the necessary behaviour for its environment. Ours was adapted most extensively. One aspect of that adaptation is that our species is threatening the existence of the other four. In particular, the Red Apes of Indonesia are being subjected to severe threat. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This book flows quite beautifully, from the general biology of orangutans and their habitat to theories about the development of their culture. Van Schiak does not try to anthropomorphize the apes, but instead takes a reasoned view of their lives and shows that they do in fact have certain varying traditions and methods of tool use. Through it all, van Schiak explains his methodology and reasoning quite clearly.

It really is truly amazing how similar we are to the apes. Even one difference van Schiak points out, the presence of infanticide in Orangutan groups, bears an uncanny resemblance to our own Shakespearean past (Hamlet, for one). Yet, at the end, van Schiak is sure to point out those traits which are uniquely human.

A great read for ape-lovers or culture behaviorists.

I have always been interested in the rather rarified air of evolution theory, not because I don't believe it, but it ironically demands a leap of faith because there are so many gaps in getting humans from having ancestors who crawled out of the ooze many millions of years ago to putting a man on the moon. van Schaik has invested an amazing amount of time in looking at our ape cousins, in conditions that would make most people just give up and go home to watch chimps and other apes in the comfort of their offices instead of slogging through armpit deep swamps for hours day after day to observe our cousins in their natural habitats.
van Schaik is owed a great amount of gratitude for his extraordinary contributions to making observations in unbelievable conditions and drawing some real observations about orangutan behavior and its possible parallels with human development.
Unlike some primatologists such as DeWaal, he actually has observations and conclusions that connect some dots in a logical way instead of silly extrapolations into political conclusions that are so superficial as to be laughable.
My hat goes off to a great contributor to real research and advancing our knowledge of our fellow apes.
This is really a great book.

Homo sylvestris (man of the forest) is now placed cladistically at a farther remove from Homo sapiens than chimpanzees or gorillas, having been genetically isolated for 6 to 7 million years, and geographically isolated in two populations for perhaps 150,000 years. Author Carel van Schaik considers these two populations - on Sumatra and on Borneo - as distinct species, and concentrates on the fascinating life-styles of the Sumatran Pongo abelii. The text is based on patient and sometimes perilous field observation of the orangutans in the environment of swampy forest to which they are supremely adapted. Fossils are mentioned, but this is not a book of archaelogy. Thus it's enlivened by stunning photos of living pongids at home, climbing, eating, playing and seemingly having fun, and... using tools! building structures! activities only barely credited to chimps and previously assumed to be human-only behavior.

Is this a book about human evolution, as the subtitle suggests? Not really. Author van Schaik modestly and non-dogmatically suggests that the orangutans have a culture of learned behaviors which facilitates their survival, and that at some early moment of human evolution, "our" behaviors must have been similarly rudimentary yet remarkable. Is that suggestion even debatable? To me, it seems obviously so, though many details remain to be uncovered. At what stage of hominid evolution did such cultural behaviors appear? Van Schaik posits "convergent" evolution of primate social behaviors and technologies, and argues that such cultural adaptations have not been constant, but rather have been learned, lost, reinvented, etc. according to environmental pressures. The Sumatran orangutans, by observation, employ more such social and cultural strategies for subsistence than their "kin" on Borneo.

A beautiful love affair, this book is! Indeed the 'red apes' are beautiful beings, whose idyllic existence is threatened by their insatiable cousins, us. Almost every book of field observation by any naturalist these days ends with the same sad sermon. Just as "we" are learning to appreciate and understand the cultures of our kindred species, and to learn about ourselves from them, we are threatening to bring them to extinction. Honestly, I find myself tempted to don a cape, snatch up my ray-gun, and volunteer as a super-hero game warden to protect the dwindling habitat of the the Sumatran pongos from the international market-place in kitschy hardwood furniture. In my dreams...

This book is a great read for action officers and DoD staffers! I found it very helpful upon my recent assignment to the Pentagon. Must read for military and civilians working at operational and strategic levels of national defense! Many thanks to the author for their insights!

A great book, highly recommended for anyone working in the Pentagon! I'm in my first Pentagon tour, and found this book immensely useful. My initial impression of Pentagon life was professional bewilderment: totally new vocabulary, totally new set of concerns, different rules for doing business. Much more so than with most of my 'new' jobs along the way, this one totally threw me off with with respect to the norms and expectations.

There are many courses for navigating these strange waters (most of which I've attended), but there's so much to learn that these courses are primarily focused on the "What Is It, and How Does It Work?" level. The "What's normal?" level is usually left off the end (due to time constraints), for the student to work out on his/her own. I've been blessed with very patient bosses, and have been allowed to work out 'normal' for myself, but I frequently had so many questions that I'd hesistate asking them all at once. And then came Assignment Pentagon - a life saver.

I stumbled across Assignment Pentagon about three months into the job - 2-1/2 months too late! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down - it spoke to my nagging questions and left me a MUCH better informed Action/Requirements Officer. The turn-around in professional understanding was so profound for me that I've been recommending it to anyone else that checks in here, and think it's absolutely critical to understand the place you work in the depth that Assignment Pentagon delivers it.

Many thanks to the authors for putting this much-needed work together, and for keeping it updated. I only hope that they're still updating it when I've got my next set of orders to the Pentagon.

This book was first published in the 1980s, and has been apparently revised as recently as March 2007. The edition I read comes from 2002. The book is interesting. It fulfills its billing as a straight guide to what is important inside the big five-sided building along the Potomac River.

Maj Gen Smith's most interesting piece of insight comes about half way through in his discussion of the media and the Pentagon leadership. In discussing the role of the daily "Early Bird" news roundup, Gen Smith asserts that senior Pentagon leaders read the volume diligently, seeing the press not as an antagonist, but rather as a source of new and interesting takes on what they may or may not already know.

Unfortunately, Gen Smith has a bad habit of occasionally interjecting his personal opinion into his otherwise objective analysis. Also, even though the book says it was revised for 2002, it appears that many sections of the book have not been updated since its original publication 15 years earlier.

All in all, this is a solid, brief overview, of some of what goes through Pentagon employees heads on a daily basis. It is worth the read for that reason if for no other.

I am the author of this book. When the new administration took office, it was time to update this book about how the Pentagon works, how to work with the Pentagon and how to work within the Pentagon. There is an enormous amount of misinformation about the Pentagon and what I have tried to do is stick to the realities and to destroy some of the myths. I have received many comments about this book. The most surprising ones have come from people who work in corporations who have told me that this book has given them lots of ideas about how improve their performance in their present jobs.

I am the author of this book. When the new administration took office, it was time to update this book about how the Pentagon works, how to work with the Pentagon and how to work within the Pentagon. There is an enormous amount of misinformation about the Pentagon and what I have tried to do is stick to the realities and to destroy some of the myths. I have received many comments about this book. The most surprising ones have come from people who work in corporations who have told me that this book has given them lots of ideas about how improve their performance in their present jobs.

The Case of the Howling Dog, by Erle Stanley Gardner

Arthur Cartwright visits Perry Mason to see about a dog and a will. Perry explains what makes a will valid in their state. Cartwright hates to hear a howling dog because it means death in the neighborhood. Perry explains how he will avoid a malicious prosecution suit: they will see a deputy district attorney to issue a warning (Chapter I). Clinton Foley, the neighbor, visits the deputy DA and charges that Cartwright is mentally deranged; Foley's dog doesn't howl. Deputy Sheriff Pemberton will personally investigate this conflict (Chapter III). The housekeeper and cook say the police dog Prince didn't make noise. But Foley finds a note - his wife has run away with Cartwright (Chapter IV)! Cartwright left home last night and never returned (Chapter V). Perry orders Paul Drake to investigate Foley and Cartwright; he suspects there is something going on (Chapter VI). Paul Drake reports on the identity of Foley and his wife - shocking news (Chapter VII)! Perry calls Foley to discuss the situation at a 9 pm meeting.

When Perry arrives at Foley's home he finds the dog dead, and Foley's body. He calls the police (Chapter VIII). Sergeant Holcomb questions Perry about his appointment. Perry points out that his lack of an alibi shows he had no foreknowledge. A perfect alibi should be suspicious (Chapter IX). Paul Drake's men locate the taxi driver who brought a visitor to Foley's home earlier (Chapter XI). When they locate Bessie Forbes, Perry visits her and gives her advice (Chapter XII). Perry retrieves a handkerchief, and call Sergeant Holcomb to turn it in as the owner visited Foley's home around the time of his death (Chapter XIII). Perry's clever misdirection points to the Breedmont Hotel.

Perry confers with Bessie Forbes and hears her story. Perry tells he she can't afford to lie about her call on Foley, and can't afford to tell the truth. Bessie must not answer any questions unless her lawyer is present. The police show up next to arrest Bessie, and warn her that anything she says can be used against her (the "Miranda warning" in 1934). Della and Perry discuss the case (Chapter XV). Perry explains that a defense lawyer presents the facts in favor of the defendant against the powers of the state. Perry must strike at just the right time to free his client. First he must build up sympathy in the newspapers. Perry's case will depend on that howling dog! The police traced the gun to Bessie Forbes, bought over a year ago.

Perry gets Paul Drake to investigate the alibi of Thelma Benton, Foley's housekeeper. Her hand is still bandaged from a dog bite. Perry uses a ruse to question her (Chapter XVI). The trial starts in Chapter XVII. Perry cross-examines the taxi driver who brought Bessie Forbes to the Foley home; he was coached by the district attorney. Perry plays another fast trick, skating on thin ice because he has to do it (Chapter XVIII). Perry explains the fickleness of the mass mind and how he will use it (Chapter XX). The cross-examination of Thelma Barton is interrupted with startling news! Perry argues for his client, and the jury returns with 'not guilty' in Chapter XXI. In the next chapter Perry explains it all, a happy ending; we learn why that dog didn't howl. Perry would not accept a dismissal; justice was served, not the letter of the law. The language reflects the manners of that time.

a client calls for a will and a howling dog . the next day he runs away with his neighbors wife leaving behind the CORPSE of her husband and perry mason in a very embarrising position.or did he? must read . on of the best gardners book.

Well plotted, and a VERY unexpected end. a must read

This is the fourth Perry Mason books written in 1934 and I think it is one of the best. The story was very well plotted; at the beginning a strange and tense relationship between two couples attracted me; and the ending was surprising! And Mason's characteristics, "a cross between a saint and a devil" was written remarkably in this early book.

Hi! guys. If you are gonna buy this book, it is the best thing you are going to do. This book is the greatest of all the criminal and courtroom books i have ever read. This book is the perfect example of the ingenuity and imagination of its author, Erle Stanley Gardner. It is due to books like this, that he is listed in the Guiness Book Of World Records as the highest selling author of all times. I personally give this book, the highest rating possible.

Daniel's Ride is an exellent book for children. I should know because I am a child. I think this is a good book because people usually don't write about lowriders or books for kids who are bilingual. This book has both of those subjects.

In Michael Perry's entertaining picturebook Daniel's Ride, it's the first day of summer vacation and young Daniel is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his big brother Hector and his custom '63 Impala Low Rider. The two bothers cruise the boulevard, compete in a low rider hopping context at the beach, and drive downtown to visit their artist cousin Diego as he paints an elaborate mural. It is during this wonderful day's journey that Daniel receives an unexpected gift from his big brother -- determination. Lee Ballard's artwork is perfectly suited to Perry's entertaining story of two brothers, a car, and a beautiful sunny day.

This is a wonderful story for kids, and adults, about low riders, a subject that is often misunderstood and maligned. Not much is availibale for children on the topic, especially told from their point of view. DANIEL'S RIDE is about much more than Hector's promise of his cool car to his little brother Daniel. It's about hopes and dreams and relationships, all of which lead to the story's broad appeal. Every year I buy a least one book for a friend in Arizona who is a reading specialist working in a bilingual setting. This book has been the biggest hit yet! Her students in Tucson love it and can't get enough of it. Perry and his illustrator Lee Ballard have a real hit here!

"A great story for all ages with amazing paintings by Lee Ballard...maybe the only thing better than this book is cruisin' in your very own 1963 Chevy Impala."

Daniel eagerly awaits a promised ride in his older brother Hector '63 Impala convertible “complete with spider hydraulics and gold wire wheels.” Together they celebrate the first weekend of summer vacation. They turn up the volume on their music and cruise, transforming the Impala into “a funky barrio carnival ride.” They join the cool cars cruising the beech before visiting the cousin. When the ride is over, Hector promise the car to Daniel if he finishes high school and plans to go to college.

Author Michael Perry brings his street-savvy writing style to children’s books in DANIEL’S RIDE. With the lyricism gained with his musical background, and an intense understanding of what motivates children, Perry creates a fun, hotrodding tale of sun, brothers and cars certain to delight young readers. Crisp, believable, readable dialog combine lends the story vibrant energy and promise. Very highly recommended.

As a career person who works a lot of late hours I was forced to eat a lot of bad, unhealthy take-out. Then I found this book and my cooking passion was allowed to flourish. Since my book arrived I've literally cut out ordering in and spend the few minutes these recipes take to make and nourish myself in the process.

WOW! What a great book. As a novice in the kitchen I am always hesitant about books that promise easy weeknight dinners in no time, but Marge Perry delivers with her Dinner Tonight book. The recipes are simple to make, appealing to look at and even tastier to eat. I love it. I am working my way through each delicious chapter. I don't think I'll ever get bored with this one and just when I find a favorite like the Asian Burgers (which I love) I find a new favorite like the Quick Shrimp Gumbo or the Lemon Penne with Sausage and Spinach. Thanks for a great bunch of dinners. This one is a winner!

Finally, a practical cookbook for putting together tasty, wholesome dinners when you are nearly out of energy. Bye-bye carry-out.

Marge Perry was featured in a recent Home Magazine article. I tried a couple of her recipes and ordered the book. I was not disappointed. The dinners are easy to make but don't taste like the "quick & easy" recipes they are. I've made several recipes from the book and my favorite (so far) is chicken with oranges and feta cheese. My husband is wild for the macaroni and cheese (made with a lot of tomatoes.)

I particularly like the way Ms. Perry keeps the number of pots & pans to a minimum. I've cooked my spinach in the pasta water for years but Ms. Perry has even more suggestions for quickly cooking the veggies along with another part of the dinner.

Novice and experienced cooks will appreciate the clear, simple instructions. This is obviously a home cook's book, not a book written by a professional chef with a professional support staff. As much as I enjoy the books written by the celebrity chefs, this is a book I can really use, night after night.

This was a gift from my girlfriend and she has been reaping the rewards. I love it. The attractive, easy to read recipes are tasty and delicious. All the ingredients were available at my local supermarket and the serving suggestions are great. I love the way the book is broken out by food types: chicken recipes chapter, Pasta chapter etc. Thanks to the author for a practical kitchen tool!

I highly recommend this cookbook to the busy person who likes to cook and likes diversity in food. The recipes come from all over and, as an added bonus, they are fast and easy. In addition, although the recipes are international, the ingredients can be found in my local supermarket.

"The Author:
John Perry is a British guitarist and writer who played in the seminal late '70s rock band, The Only Ones.
He is the author of The Who: Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy, also in Schirmer's Classic Rock Album series."

"..... Now, the story of how this album was made is TOLD BY THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO WERE THERE.

* Gives new insights into the sex, drugs, and rock and roll world of the Stones

* Draws on documentary evidence and interviews---most never before revealed

* Includes rare photographs of the group

* Full session information, song-by-song, and bibliography...."
[from the book of the back cover]

As a french stones'fan since the beginning I would like to share with you all the good and the best I think of this book just received from Amazon...It's not the same old stuff repeated again and again along the years but a complete new study\research... * On the songs...(each one with 2 to 5 pages) * A short but personnal history of the band.. * Different reviews in Rock mags in 72 * A very recent 14 pages conversation with Anita P and her souvenir of 6 months in France! The low point is the lack of original photos from Nellcote area and the cover design!...but as a whole this book is great and I recommand it to you all.. you wont'be deceived..and the price is not high..

I just picked up "Exile on Main St." from the Classic Rock series by John Perry. The book is 138 pages long- far from a pamphlet- and full of good stuff. I have briefly perused the book, and I like what I've seen. It covers the background, making and legacy of the album in a comprehensive fashion. I have to say, if you live and die by this album, then you have to get this book. It can be read like a normal book, or be used as great bathroom reading. It also contains a load of original articles and reviews of the album in 1972. I'm not crazy about the cover art, but you can't judge a book... Anyway, my final say is to spend the 12 bucks on this one. It is a labor of love by this John Perry guy, and the most complete book on this album that you will ever see. I mean a guy wrote a book about "Exile on Main St." How cool is that? Buy it for yourself for the Holidays. I already like it more then "Bridges to Babylon"...

Whether Exile is your favorite Stones album or not, John Perry's book will be one of your favorite Stones books. Perry has written one of the most concise summaries of the influences of power struggles, financial disaster and creative conflict on the Stones. Perry explores the history behind each track, often giving references to the bootlegged outtakes Stones fans crave.He also tells the inside story of each track, focusing upon the contributions of individual musicians to the final product.

Having enjoyed Perry's previous outing (Meaty Beaty &c), I was very much looking forward to his latest offering. Needless to say it exceeded my expectations.

A relative Stones novice, (not even owning the CD. A definite must buy for those without!), I found his prose extremely acute - as well as humourous. The overall result being, unlike so many Rock biogs, a highly enjoyable perspective on a fine band perhaps at their most brilliant.

Perry's fine tuned observation, particularly given his own musical experience only adds to the book. If he was to continue to produce books of such high calibre, perhaps he may become the Waugh of Rock World?'

The book is wonderful. It was delivered very fast and arrived in
excellent condition.

At 440 pages, this is a huge cookbook of authentic Italian cooking. Unlike other ethnic cookbooks, this one is a "learning" cookbook that takes you by the hand and teaches how to do each task which may be as simple as boiling an egg, much like the great cookbooks of yore...Betty Crocker or Julia Child for instance. However, the recipes are not everyday country fare but what I would consider to be grand Italian...the kind of dishes you would expect to find in a very good, up-scale Italian restaurant. Need I say more? Recipes are great and cookbooks dealing with authentic Italian cuisine don't come our way often.

Neil Perry, one of Australia's popular and high profile chefs who caters for Qantas, faithfully fulfills the promise on the cover of this sumptuous book - beautiful,simple food to cook at home.

This is an intimate read which invites the reader into Perry's kitchen, his world and the jouney that got him there. The edgey but minimalist photography of Earl Carter, handsomely compliments the food recipes and their presentation.

Perry's recipes, many of which are not new (such as his sublime macaroni cheese with three cheeses which has become a firm Sunday night favourite), represent the distillation of years of experience aquired by Perry whose simple creed - best quality produce,precise technique and tantalising presentation - inspires the reader to follow his suit.
Too often, quality food is displaced by complicated culinary techniques and/or presentation which assume central importance in a dish. Not so in this book. Perry shares with the reader his best tips and advice which the reader can follow in order to easily replicate the dishes at home.
In particular, I appreciated the the concise explanations which introduced almost all the recipes individually as well as the more lengthy discussions prefacing each chapter.
As well as favourite and well loved recipes like Barbecued Butterfly Lamb

Being an avid cookbook collector and passionate cook I almost did not buy this book the first time i saw it i thought oh golly such simple food big deal however on further inspection i found a few interesting recipes that i thought sounded interesting ie cinnamon spiced lamb and spanish chicken casserole i decided to buy the book i took it home and tried the recipes and kapow i was hooked i read it from cover to cover cooked all 200+ recipes and continue to cook them today all the sauces and salsas are fantastic the vegetable section is mindblowing i actually had to buy a second copy because the first got trashed from bieng in the kitchen to much i was amazed at how much work must have gone into producing this book Neil if you read this thanks for inspiring me and teaching me how to cook for everyone else buy this book it is sheer gold..

Now so much Italian as the previous reviewer suggests. Neil doesn't really do Italian. He is inspired by Asian and Middle Eastern flavours and certainly by fresh, classic Mediterranean ingredients. Emphasising simplicity and fresh ingredients, you simply cannot fail to recreate every dish with great success. A bible for Neil Perry disciples.

The meanings keep popping up and jumping into awareness. The line from "Genesis" -- "Into the barrenness the vibrancy and growth of life" -- is reflective of celebration out of chaos. The more I read and re-read it, I am tempted to add, "It's prophetically global."

-- Gilbert E. Fleer, Professor/Counselor, Social Science, Wester Texas College

In only two sentences Perry can present a powerful poem like "Translation." A brilliant, enlightening poem is "Must I Be a Race?" I wish my Hispanic, Afro-American, Native American Indian friends could hear or read it. Perry knows folklore in two languages (Spanish or Puertorican and English, and he presents the "folk" and their animals in such philosophical poems and translations as "The Ox."

-- James W. Byrd, Professor Emeritus of Literature and Languages, Texas A&M University- Commerce Emerituds

The "Ox" and "Translation" are two of my favorites. "Translation -- When I was thrust into this strange and awesome world,/ I gave myself to What is here." We came into this sometimes baffling world with no volition of our own. We inevitably ask ourselves these questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? What am I here for? There is only one answer: "Trust to Caring Arms." In a few short years we must leave this baffling world behind forever. "What is there" we cannot know. Again our only answer is "Trust in Caring Arms." -- Father Paul W. Barrus, Parochial Vicar, St. Elizabet Ann Seton Church, Plano, Texas

I appreciated amd emjoyed all the poems. The great variety and beauty of them, plus the thought-provoking content. And the beauty of expression. These poems will appeal to people like me . The line in "Song of the Bamboo" : "The butterflies -- flowers in flight" was just one of the expressions and thoughts that stood out.

-- Constance Vulliamy, ex-Park College

Translations of Romanian poetry into languages of international circulation most often follow the subjective logic of personal relationships. Lacking frequently is . . .the spontaneous elective affinities, . . . the inspired discovery of a kindred spirit. . . . Therefore, when we come across a deeper motivation for the translation of Romanian poetry into English, the case deserves close attemtion.

The American critic, poet, and university professor Thomas Amherst Perry has included in his recent book of poetry FROM THESE ROOTS AND OTHER POEMS a number of English translations, from Tudor Arghezi and Ion Barbu. This should come as no suprise to those who remember Perry as the first American Fulbright lecturer at the University of Bucharest, after the resumption of Romanian-American cultural relations in 1963-64 . . . a "historical figure." . . . In the course of thre4e decades he has become a recognized specialist in Romanian studies.

The deep affective encounter between Romanian poetry and Perry's own poetic work has been facilitated by religious and ideological affinities. The author is a religious spirit. . . . This spirit permeates poems like "Jesus on the Mount of Temptation," "I AM," and "Genesis." One can recognize a subdued-ironic melancholy in "O Brave New World," which ends in a meditation on Chaos and Nothingness."

The ideological facet of Perry's spiritual predilection . . . is a traditionalism of cultural "roots," . . . from which he excludes "ethnic chauvinists . . . who distort this heritage into a racist fetish." His life experience has taught the author that there is an "inexorable and continuing interplay between a native and other heritages." Perry's verses record such and interplay:" "the Puerto Rico of my boyhood," but also the Romanian world of "Eliade, Brancusi, Ionesco, Tzara, Celan, and Cioran." This cross-cultural and spiritual encounter has given the poet "new insights, different perceptions, and new ways of thinking."

We now undestand why . . . Perry chose to translate Arghezi's "Testament" and Psalms. . . . These poems are permeated by an authentic spiritual emotion that crosses cultural boundaries. The introductory glosses are very useful for an American reader.

In the case of Ion Barbu . . . Perry selects "Dioptrie" . . . and "Joc secund." . . . What attracts him is the Romanian's multiplaned perception of reality." Interestingly, Perry sees in this type of vision a specific feature of the Romanian mind: the ambiguity of double meaning, the perception of converging but distinct planes of reality.

Perry's contribution in FROM THESE ROOTS is remarkable and worth the attention of both Romanian and American readers.

-- Adrian Marino