Reed Books

God only selects a few good men. That's why this book is great.

I see now that God hates me, but that he loves others. I'm glad he does, or this world would be a sad place to live.

Review by George Meiser IX
Berks County Historical Society.

It's difficult to believe that there has been only one attempt---a not very comprehensive collection by Cyrus Fox in 1925---to compile an extensive array of biographical sketches since Morton L. Montgomery's "Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks" in 1909.

This publication helps to fill that void. Moreover, Volume 2 is in the process of preparation, which probably will present another 100 "personal histories."

It should be noted that unlike the bios found in Montgomery's 2-volume set, the profiles in B.C. Women in History actually read more like a story than an encyclopedia entry. You'll find them an easy and pleasant read.

Lest anyone comment that not every individual in Volume 1 is of earth-shaking historical importance, we hasten to remind readers that not every inclusion in Montgomery's Historical and Biographical Annals was either.

The late Dr. Arthur D. Graeff, whose observations were always cogent, once remarked that Montgomery's general style and 19th century rhetoric could transform an Oley Street cigar-maker or an obscure farmer in Bethel into a personage seemingly as significant as some European crown prince.

We applaud this laudable effort on the part of the Berks County Commission for Woman for taking the initiative to gather about 100 biographical "stories" which will be valued ever more greatly with each passing year.

One hopes that others will follow the BCCW's lead and prepare similar collections...maybe a "Who's Who in Berks" or something akin to that which Montgomery had published 81 years ago. In the offing is a serious effort to document numerous Italian-American families of Reading and Berks, a project some 10 years in the works.

Think how many people--men and women, respected and valued in their time and place--came and went during the last 97 years, leaving little "on paper" beyond their immediate families' recollections and jottings--and an obituary--to mark their stay and accomplishments on this planet.

Your editor finds the Berks County Women in History Profile book a significant compilation, neatly organized and attractive, which is the hallmark of Irene Reed, its editor. Barbara Donovan served as copy editor.

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Berks County Women in History, Profiles -- Volume 1 tells the stories of......

Betsy Adams, Nancy Allmon, Ellie Antoine, Annie Lizzie Balthasar, Jennie Balthasar, Mildred Jordan Bausher, Elizabeth Bertolet, Sr. Francis Bisland, Pat Blackwell, Esther Blatt, Ruth Bonner, Barbara Breininger, Mamie Breininger, Minnie Breininger, Vera Calandra, Margie Clay, Myrtle Council, Bessie Crenshaw, Barbara Cummings-Boland, Shirley Dautrich, Grace Davies, Alliene De Chant, Constance Dent, Bertha du Pont, Josephine Eaken, Marsha Egan, Rose Evans, Katie Fox, Mary Ann Fox, Jaime Freese, Rose Marie Gerhart, Marcia Giza, Barbara Goda, Sandy Graffius, Ruth Grimes, Elsie Gruber, Penny Guido, Ann Gundry, Sr. Mary Hadwig, Jane Harrington, Josie Hartman, Margaret Hassler, Anna Hehn, Caroline Helms, Estella High, Pearl Haines Horton, Barbara Horwith, Grace Jones, Grace Kercher, Regina Leininger, Mary Leisz, Julia Longacre, Linda Ludgate, Shirley Ludwig, Linda Mc Crae, Anita Miller, Barbara Miller, Kathryn Miller, Pattee Miller, Bertha Moll, Verna Moll, Thelma Napoletano, Minnie Nicolls, Rosa Muhlenberg Nicolls, Ann O'Pake, E. Myrtle O'Shea, Sr. Mary Pacelli, Hannah Penn, Lisa Randolph, Donna Reed, Anna Ross, Mimi Schmitt, Judy Schwank, Kathy Scogna, Norma Sigal, Elsie May Smith-Reed, Susan Speece, Martha Speicher, Courtney Stevens, Elmira Stoudt, Marianne Sutton, Greta Taft, Linda Updike, Barbara Wade, Susan Walmer, Betty Jane Webber, Violet Webber, Ann Eve Weiser, Mary Louise Wertz, Marian White, Lilith Wilson, Anna Witman, Catherine Wolf, Sarah Yatron, "Mountain Mary" Young, and Mary Ann Zerkowski.
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Is it just me, or is this not the most eye-popping visually stunning photography filled with German hotness ever produced?? My boyfriend and I love this book!!! We keep looking at the creative sets and props almost as much as we look at the boys! (Excellent cross section of men as well, so there's a little something for everyone). It really showed the bright side of gay berlin instead of its seedy underbelly...not that I'm not a fan of that either :P Interestingly enough, when flipping through the book, we saw photos of a bartender we met on a previous trip to Berlin who introduced us to a fun afterhours (Thanks Basti!)

Between The Lines: Understanding Yourself And Others Through Handwriting Analysis is the sixth book written by Reed Hayes, a Certified Master Graphologist. (Graphology is the evaluation of handwriting.) Reed says that "handwriting is so closely tied to impulses from the brain that it is a barometer of moods and of physical, emotional, and mental health." He adds that "no magic is involved and the interpretation of writing is quite logical and systematic." Handwriting analysis has a long and distinguished history, with one the earliest acknowledgments of its validity coming from Aristotle. Seventeenth century scholars were the first to develop an organized system of analysis. Hayes devotes the bulk of his book to instructions on how to analyze handwriting, starting with basics like how the writing as a whole appears on the page. He uses samples from many well-known people, including Georgia O'Keefe, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, and Adolf Hitler, as well as everyday people. True analysis includes much more than just the way the letters look. Hayes shows readers how to understand the significance of line spacing, pressure patterns, directions, and slants. Each factor is fully defined and illustrated. He also discusses why some people's signatures differ from their normal handwriting. He ends with a "Dictionary of Personality Traits" in which ways of writing are linked personal characteristics. For example, absent-minded people will tend to have "missing letters; missing i dots and t crosses; disorganized writing; poor spacing." Hayes says his book "will provide an objective look at you. By looking at yourself honestly you can deal more effectively with your weaknesses and build on your strengths." Anyone wished to know what their handwriting says about them will find the skills they need in Between The Lines. It's interesting, comprehensive, and practical. Sandra I. Smith, Reviewer

It's remarkable how well Reed's lyrics work as poetry. These lyrics encompass his work from 1965 to 1990, from "I'll Be Your Mirror" (Velvets) to "A Dream" from the Songs For Drella album.

Many are illuminated with notes, eg. "PR shoes" in I'm Waiting For The Man refers to *"puerto rican fence climbers", All Tomorrow's Parties, *"This was Andy's favorite song", Candy's Song (with a short biographical note on Candy), Pale Blue Eyes (written for someone whose eyes were hazel), How Do You Think It Feels ("By speed I mean injectable liquid Methedrine") and so forth.

Many lyrics are from albums panned by the critics (Legendary Hearts, The Bells, Sally Can't Dance, Mistrial, Growing Up In Public). The poem The Slide comes from the literary magazine Unmuzzled Ox. Then there are the interviews with Vaclav Havel and with Hubert Selby. The Bells ends the book, in Reed's own words: "... it remains my favorite to this day."

The discography/index lists all the lyrics and the albums on which they appear. The hardcover edition has a classy black & gold dust jacket. This book is essential for all Lou Reed fans, for enjoyable reading and as a reference.

The Poetry of Delmore Schwartz

The Velvet Underground & Nico

Songs for Drella

Sally Can't Dance

Growing Up in Public

I know the writer of this book and it gave me tremendous insight into her personally. Everyone should read this book-you will come away with great admiration for those who truly and obediently follow God's calling and faithfully serve Him where ever it may take them. This recap of reaching the Tawbuid people with the gospel is truly an inspiration, an example of perseverance with both great sacrifice and great joy.

Terri MacNicol and her husband spent many years on the Mount Aurum Sheep Station in the NZ South Island High Country. Mount Aurum station is at the end of the Skippers Road, an old goal-mining road built late in the 19th Century. It still exists, as does the old Mount Aurum homestead - now a historic building and one which I visited a few years ago. It's a hair-raising drive in, albeit incredibly spectacular. It's a remote area, and forty to fifty years ago it was even more so.

This book, and it's sucessor, "Echoes from Skipper's Canyon," tell the story of the author's association with this rugged, islolated and historic area of the South Island high country. Terri Macnicol tells stories of her neighbours and the generations of roadmen and goldminers, farmers and shepherds, who along with their wives and families, have lived along the road and at the Mount Aurum station. It's a well-written and very readable account of an isolated and rugged way of life which has all but disappeared. Well worth the read. There's also quite a collection of black and white photo's included and if you're interested in reading of life in the NZ High Country in the 1940's and 1950's, this is a good book to start with.

An often moving account of the lives of a group of young mountaineers at Mount Cook in the 60s and 70s. This autobiographical book can be enjoyed on two levels: at one level, the reader can read about the lives of those who struggled so hard to make a living out of doing what they loved - climbing - and at another level, the author's reflections on what mountaineering means to those who are involved. Anyone who climbs, who knows someone who climbs, or struggles to understand the rationale behind this activity in the light of the recent disasters on Everest, will find this book deeply rewarding.

The author looks at 52 High Country Sheep Stations of the top half of the South Island of New Zealand, including Molesworth, Lake Coleridge, Mount Algidus, Erewhon, Mesopotamia, and Mount Peel, and gives the history and ownership details of each. He also talks of the land and the stock.

Among the many interesting photos are: stock; homesteads; Pigeon Bay c1910; pack team Mt White; threshing with a traction engine Eyrewell; Jollies Pass Hotel; Cob House, Quail Flat; workers (named) Richmondale 1910; Waitai, D'Urville Island

Very good interesting childrens books. I had the whole set, but think my daughter took them and sold them. I'd like a new set of these books PLEASE HELP