Phillips Books

As a school principal who has been guided by the framework of Dr. Schlechty for a dozen years, I truly believe that those who roll up their sleeves and do the work in schools everyday know that to move a school "from good to great", each of these systems need to be in place. Not an "easy read" by any means, Phil Schlechty continuously causes the reader to really think about the importance of the engagement of students and staff in the design of the learning process. To become a learning organization, the values, beliefs, roles and relationships of those involved must be clearly defined at the highest level. Schools can no longer metaphorically reflect a hospital, factory or prison model to survive the next decade, much less the next century. Leadership and engagement must occur at every level of the organization, whether it be an individual school house or a school system.

Our current politicians who use the rhetoric of "no child left behind" to define schools, need to sit up and take note that it was a "free and public education for all" at the grass roots from which our democracy has been able to sustain and flourish, not one that promotes an elitest system driven by government. I recommend this book as a tool for everyone who has the passion and heart to see that our children are prepared to survive in the world in which they will live. Conversation about and the action of these six critical systems must occur throughout communities for the survival of public education itself.

The author shows how to transform new and old, outdate furniture with paint finish techniques. The book is broken down into a variety of easy to follow methods. Large full color step-by-step photographs show the reader how to acheive successful results. A novice can understand the instructions and get results quickly. Techniques that are especially attractive: faux leather look, patina verdigris, painted mosaics, crackle finish. From the start to the last page- a wealth of valuable information on painting and decorating furniture. Highly recommended for any "do-it-yourself" furniture and home decorators

Pub Weekly clearly didn't find the right reviewer in this instance. The is a fairly far-out book, but one that I've been drawn to over and over, the way the book itself is in constant flux, allowing you to follow the delicious "footnotes" or reading straight through. Readers like myself, intellectual poachers, find other ways to follow the book's many threads. The best way to describe it might be to compare it to the late novels of Samuel Beckett, the forceful quiet, the urgent diminutive, spacey and yet faintly ethical, even ecological obsessions. The music in this long poem is soft, but profoundly compelling: not unlike the dadaist composer Eric Satie...the stucture, form, and traces of melody all return and you intuitively come to understand their logic. As a young poet interested in learning to push the range of my own writing, I learned a tremendous amount from this book: ambition and restraint. It is one of the least academic books of poetry to come out in a long time.

(e-book edition) This is a comprehensive book full of food for thought and insights. Moreover, it contains several exercises and role plays applicable not only to inter-cultural issues

First I suppose I should say what this book is not. It is not a bibliography of all the books, chapbooks, stories or web fiction that use or are about the Cthulhu mythos. With the explosion of mythos sites on the internet and the rapid pace of publication by small presses, such an endeavor would be out of date before it ever hit press. Mr. Harms cites Chris Jarocha-Ernst's A Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography and Concordance from 1999 as useful in this regard. I have used Glynn Barrass' similar chapbook from Rainfall Books as well. A continuously updated online reference would be invaluable for collectors and fans but alas there is nothing definitive. I really enjoy EP Berglund's site, The Reader's Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos (http://www.epberglund.com/RGttCM/), but it has been under construction for some time now. As far as I can tell, The Ultimate Mythos Book List (http://www.rockcrown.com/mythos/index.php) has not been updated in 2 or 3 years.

What this book does provide is a detailed description of those entities, characters, tomes, places and critters that populate the worlds of Cthulhu Mythos fiction. Mr. Harms makes no pretense about being comprehensive; monsters that may appear in only a single story will not show up here. Fortunately, Mr. Harms lists his own criteria for inclusion so there is no ambiguity: all entries from the second edition, entries from the first edition where there was a groundswell of popular demand, and things found in two different works by two different authors, or appearing in major Cthulhu Mythos novels. Thus you certainly find the Hounds of Tindalos but you won't find T'loal (not that you would want to; the novella was abysmal). There is likely quite a bit of RPG material that has been excluded as well, although I found a citation on Delta Green.

I have a copy of the limited hardcover edition, a lovely book signed by the author. Art on the slip cover was provided by Malcom McClinton, an was quite nice, with some cephalopoidal thing probing about a library. I don't think Mr. McClinton has been active on the mythos art scene very much, but I hope to see more of his paintings in the future. Page count was a generous 382; materials used in the book were of highest quality and production values are flawless. The paperback is a bargain, with the discount and free shipping offered by Amazon; I have been pleased with all of my paperbacks from Elder Signs Press.

Several features stand out. I really enjoyed Mr. Harms' detailed introduction, with his description about the creation and growth of the phenomenon that is the Cthulhu mythos. There was, I think, a very even handed description of the role and contributions of August Derleth, always a contentious subject for mythos fans. I would have liked to see more about Lin Carter, but that's just a personal bias. Perhaps the least useful (or perhaps least likely to be used) part of the introduction was the guidance offered to authors about how to employ the trappings of the Cthulhu mythos in their stories and books. Like anyone is going to allow themselves to be limited! The appendix about the Necronomicon was quite good, as was expected as this is a special area of interest to the author. I skipped around reading citations about some of my favorite beasties and people. One of my bench marks is how does an author come to grips with the Outer Gods, the Elder Gods, the Old Ones, the Great Old Ones and the Great Race, etc. No complaints here. I enjoyed the treatment of all of these topics. I also don't think Mr. Harms intends these entries to be definitive depictions, of Cthulhu for example (In the short story by Neil Gaiman, I, Cthulhu, there was a pithy description of Cthulhu's 'birth' and its reproduction, which I prefer to what is listed in The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia). Instead he is offering in one place, a description of how these entities have been described, depicted or used by their creators and a large comunity of writers.

So who should be most interested in this book, other than fanatics like me? I think authors who are trying to keep all these names and places straight would find it useful. New fans to the mythos who are daunted by all the cross referencing that happens between mythos authors (and that is part of what makes mythos fiction so cool for readers) now have a scorecard to identify all the players. Role players now have a handy compendium (alas without pictures) to add depth to their campaigns. And of course collectors must have it all.

Bravo and thank you, Mr. Harms!

There are few references that cover the Species Pleione. This covers the species in depth. The illustrations are excellent. Ian Butterfields experience of growing them is invaluable

The price for this box may seem high--until you realize that it includes a DVD, 2 CDs, and booklets for a leadership team, and you further realize that the material can be used again and again. The CDs contain a variety of leadership helps to engage in a stewardship program that is repeatable. Churches begin by looking at their current ministries--what is happening in the congregation. Then they look at the larger community and their ministries within the community. Then they look at their congregation's mission beyond the community and into all the world. And people want to give more of their money, their talents, their time, their service after they understand what the church is doing in such ministry and mission. The resource can be used again and again because the church's own ministry and mission will change from year to year.

Our church finance committee especially enjoyed the DVD because Jack Phillips seems like a very approachable person, one who understands the connections between awareness and giving.

The CDs contain Bible studies for children, youth, and adults; promotional materials; stewardship information; sample letters for a committee to send; suggestions for worship; suggestions for sermons; ways to implement this approach to stewardship. An absolutely excellent resource.

This series is great - covers a range of language arts and offers a great comprehensive review to keep my students' skills fresh....

These 10 minute reviews are excellent drills for grammar practice. It does for grammar what calculaddar does for math!

Finally, a program that make learning Grammar easy and simple for kids (and their teachers). This clear-cut approach is covers capitalization, punctuation, dictionary usage, sentence combining, and grammar concepts and usage. The topics are presented, made clear and reinforced throughout the year. An excellent resource! I highly recommend this product!