Richards Books

It is somewhat of an unspoken rule that the title and the cover can be instrumental in the success of a book, especially a new novel by an unknown author. Those two elements are crucial in drawing the reader to pick up the book. Next, might be the story synopsis on the back cover, the `hook' that grabs the potential reader as a `must read'.
As a reviewer, I chose "3 Aces" from the list offered me based on the `hook', so the third element of this equation was, indeed, instrumental. I was fortunate as the title and the cover simply do not do this book justice. "3 Aces" is a five-star `sleeper' which shuns even a designated genre. It's too all-encompassing for that restricted labeling.
Richard Ide's writing talent is immediately apparent in the page and a half prologue. Four pages later at the end of Chapter One, there was no putting this book aside. I was hooked. I was also in for one hell of a road trip; not just in the cab of a flaming red Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler, but through a man's tortured mind and compassionate heart. What Mr. Ide was able to do in "3 Aces" is a rare accomplishment in creative writing. Three in-depth stories, each one almost capable of standing alone, have been skillfully woven into one epic chronicle.
Enticed to choosing this book for review by having spent two years on the `road' in a `big truck' myself, I anticipated a trip down memory lane; of revisiting the majesty of the land, the routes, small towns, truck stops and the politics of the loading docks. I got all that and so much more.
Abner Weaver and Dawn Carlisle, the two protagonists, take the reader on a journey not only across country and the perils of life on the open road, but into the frightful world of the Viet Nam jungles, the seedy practices of power brokers, and the pitfalls of gambling and alcohol. Thrown together on a chance happenstance, bonded by a terrified, injured dog on an interstate highway, Abner and Dawn's individual stories begin to entwine. Their trials and challenges, their strengths and weaknesses, their `ghosts' hiding in shadows, evolve into a page turner for almost any kind of reading preferences.
"3 Aces" reads like a memoir, a mystery, a thriller, a romance. It's historical, it's an adventure, and it's informative and thought-provoking. It belies any one category. It's life and it's genuine. As an author myself, Richard Ide has been yet another teacher in the craft of writing. And, in the joys possible in reading. My kudos, sir.

Susan Haley, Author
RAINY DAY PEOPLE
FIBERS IN THE WEB

Three Aces is a wonderful book that held me spellbound from beginning to end. An offbeat romance that ends just the way I like. Full of expectancy, action, romance and of all things-lots of long haul trucking facts and fancy. Highly recommend this book.

I found I had a hard time putting this book down. Mr Ide has kept the reader engaged through out. Wonderful read.
david stiteler

I started to read this book expecting to learn about what it is like to be a truck driver. I was not dissappointed but in addition I learned about Viet Nam, Post Traumatic Shock Syndrome, early American/Native American history, financial matters involving gold, silver & currency, the many aspects of poker philosophy and about love in the midst of this multi-topic mixture. And I did learn about the driver/dispatcher relationship. Well written, Richard Ide.

This one rips and rattles like a Jake break through a mountain cut - and covers a lot of ground in a hurry. PTSD, road cowboys and worse, high-stakes gambling, SOG in Vietnam and world monetary policy! There's a lot here and skillfully connected into a compelling first novel by Richard Ide. Fun imagining who you would cast in the leads as Abner and Dawn - be a heck of a movie. If Ide has another book in him, you can sign me up now.3 Aces

A fascinating story, told with brilliant photos and a pleasant CD of music. Makes a good gift, and a sure pick-me-up for your own coffeetable.

I was thrilled to read Richard Sobel's powerful story of the Abayudaya. I had the opportunity to visit this community in May of 2002 on behalf of Heifer International. At the time I did not know of Sobel's book. It has made my visit all the more meaningful. Now I want to return.

The Abayudaya Women's Heifer Project is located in the Mbale district of Eastern Uganda and Heifer work with them was started in 1997. A group of seven women became the governing council. Twenty heifers were originally distributed and to date there have been 5 pass-ons. There are now 22 persons ready to receive Heifers.

This group is one of the poorest groups that Heifer works with in Uganda. However, it should be noted that the assistance of the Abayudaya Women's Heifer Project extends to those who are Christian and Muslim as well as Jewish.

We visited many of the farms and then visited the people gathered at the synagogue. They shared their story and we felt the power of their faith. The cows are helping the move toward self-reliance, but it is their own strength that is so empowering.

This book is the fascinating and bizarre true story of a small group of rural Ugandans who got the idea to convert to Judaism about 75 years ago. The prose part of the book is actually quite brief, but the pictures are beautiful, and the CD that accompanies the book (their prayer music) is a musical treat.

I first heard about the Abayudaya in 1996, through the work of "Kulanu," an organization working in support of isolated and marginalized Jewish community around the world. In September 2003, Rachel Namudosi Keki, a 21-year-old Abayudaya woman visited our community. It was a remarkable event.

Rachel highly recommends this book (which includes many pictures of her father, J.J. Keki, and a few of Rachel as well, although she is not identified by name) as the best available resource for understanding the history, reality, and day-to-day life of the Abayudaya.

The audio CD is a vital part of that understanding. (More Abayudaya music is available on the Kulanu-produced CD, "Shalom Everybody Everywhere;" Rachel is the soloist on these recordings, mostly recorded when she was around ten years old.)

Among the many unexpected revelations in this visually stunning book is the fact that J.J. Keki was visiting America in the late summer of 2001, and witnessed the first plane striking the World Trade Centers on September 11th. If you review film footage from that day, you can catch a glimpse of a tall black man wearing a kippah among those running from the scene.

Richard Sobol has just come out with Abayudaya: The Jews of Uganda, an exquisite volume of photographs with text about this remarkable group, and a CD of Abayudaya music is included in a pocket attached to the back cover. The music was recorded and annotated by Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, an ethnomusicologist at Tufts University.
Those of us who have lived and traveled in sub-Saharan Africa universally bemoan the fact that our pictures cannot capture the color and contrast, the rhythm, the unique beauty that is Africa. Richard Sobol, a seasoned pro, has captured the essence of these African scenes as few others can (Carol Beckwith comes to mind). Views of the Ugandan countryside and towns, of Abayudaya prayer and study and feasting, of women washing dishes and carrying water and preparing food, of elders in contemplation, of adults and children at play, of vendors of colorful housewares, of stunning posed portraits - it's all there, and each photo is a masterpiece.
And Sobol's 18-page essay about Abayudaya history and life and Jewish practice is a fine summary for those who have not been introduced to this unique community before.
Summit has written a five-page text to introduce the CD, which is entitled Abayudaya Music of Worship and Celebration. This essay is both informative and poignant. It reviews the various influences on Abayudaya music - Zulu music, church and Salvation Army music, Bantu folk music, Western visitors, and Nairobi (Kenya) synagogue melodies - often learned from recordings or the radio.
Summit recorded this wonderful sampling of Abayudaya music in informal sessions in Uganda in 2000 and 2002. The first half of the CD includes unaccompanied traditional hymns and psalms, some dating back 20 or 30 years, one composed by the community's founder, Semei Kakungulu, in the 1920s. The annotations themselves make fascinating reading. One note explains that Psalm 136, heard on the recording as a responsive "reading" with soloist and chorus, reminds the community of the downfall of Idi Amin since it recounts God's deliverance with the splitting of the Red Sea. A particularly precious rendition is Rena bat Esther's solo in Psalm 121, used by the Abayudaya to provide strength and comfort when a person is ill. This is one of the few compositions on the CD by a female composer. Another woman's composition is the melody to Psalm 130, which is sung repeatedly during a burial while shoveling earth and filling up the grave. Women seem to specialize in consolation.
Twagala Torah ("We Love the Torah") is a charming children's song composed by one of the youth leaders of the community, Moses Sebagabo. The text, in Luganda, English and Hebrew, is sung by Abayudaya children who attend public school.
The more upbeat second half of the CD features guitar accompaniment by Gershom Sizomu and electric keyboard by John Mark Nkoola, musical director of the Abayudaya high school. In an interesting contrast, Summit placed the a capella rendition of Psalm 136 in the first half and the electric version of the same psalm in the latter half. J.J. Keki's song "Ali Omu Yekka" ("My Only One") sounds like a standard love song: "I have one chosen one. I only have one love. I'm warning those others, don't come near me, she's enough...." But Summit points out that the Torah is the object of the songwriter's love, and the song is a veiled warning to Christian and Muslim proselytes in Uganda!
John Mark Nkoola wrote a modern song about the feeling he has when somebody has died. The words are particularly poignant in this place where deaths from AIDS and malaria are not uncommon: "The time has come. We must be going back where we have come from, to dust... When I think about death, I become afraid. I wish I had somebody to explain why this happens. Perhaps I may settle my mind. Let us enjoy life... Enjoy life in the right time, place and with the right people before you disappear like a shadow."
A few of the selections were heard on the community's first recording, "Shalom Everybody Everywhere!" produced by Kulanu with the Abayudaya in 1997. It is particularly satisfying to hear the beautiful, mature voice of Rachel Namudosi, in "Adonai Mukulu" ("God Is Great"). We heard her lovely child's voice on earlier recording. Happily, more recordings are in the works.

Matthew A.B.C. is an absolutely adorable book. It is a fun book to read and is full of memorable characters all named Matthew, but with vary different personalities. The artwork in this book is amazing, and I definitely recommend reading it!

This wonderful, witty book has enchanted and amused my three boys aged 8, 5 and 2. The "Matthews" in the book are all quirky characters with hilarious idiosyncracies. It's a warm and entertaining ABC book, seemingly simple yet successful on many levels. I don't want to make it sound heavy at all because it is so light and fun, but "Matthew ABC" says a great deal about acceptance and tolerance, and is great for vocabulary extension. A school teacher friend recognised the characters instantly - they're in every classroom!

"Mrs. Tuttle has 25 children in her class. They are all named Matthew. Principal Nozzet wonders how Mrs. Tuttle tells them apart. She finds it quite simple..." Starting with the letter A, meet each Matthew, and find out what's special about him. For example, Matthew A is extremely affectionate, Matthew B loves Band-Aids, Matthew C has cowlicks, and so on, letter by letter, through the alphabet. Peter Catalanotto's easy to read, spare text is complemented with clever, bold and bright illustrations, filled with eye-catching detail and humor. Matthew G has trouble with glue, and Mr Catalanotto shows him stuck to his chair and covered with school supplies. Matthew I is incognito, wearing a fedora and fake glasses, nose, and mustache. And Matthew R, my personal favorite, is freckled with a rhinoceros, and if kids look closely they'll see the outline of a freckle-made rhino, horn and all, on Matthew R's face. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, Matthew A.B.C. is a creative and imaginative learning tool that both engages and entertains. As classmate number 25, Matthew Y, yodels, Principal Nozzet brings a new student in to join the class. Can you guess his name? Here's a hint, he's covered in zippers!

Poor Mrs. Tuttle. She has 25 students in her class and all 25 are named Matthew! As a children's librarian, I want my students to ask questions. They ask how 25 Matthews can end up in the same class and say they don't believe it. That's when I spring the news: Illustrators can do what they want in their books! You can watch their puzzled faces then see the light. Oh, yeah, it's the illustrator's book. Then I say, Let's find out why he has 25 Matthews.

So what does Mrs. Tuttle do? Illustrator/writer Peter Catalanotto has Mrs. Tuttle make an alphabet game out of it. Fancy this: All the Matthews have last names, each with a different letter of the alphabet. In reality, students who are reading or listening to the story learn, not only the alphabet, but words that match the action. For example, Matthew A is Affectionate with the picture showing him hugging the teacher. Matthew C has a friendly cowlick, showing the boy's hair spelling words through the use of gel. In fact, his top-knot spells "cowlick." Matthew R "is freckled with a rhinoceros." Sure enough, there is a rhino across his face--in freckles!

How do first-graders like this book? One little boy who never smiles and always seems too timid to even look at anyone, laughed out loud and got up on his knees. If you know body language, you know he just joined in. (I have asked his teacher about him and learned he participates in her class. She thinks he may be shy around me. I was thrilled I found a story that caused a reaction from him.)

Matthew I likes to go Incognito. Students are so quick to make life applications. I explained that if a famous person did not want to be bothered at the grocery store, they wore sunglasses and a hat. They immediately began telling me specific stories about famous people dressed incognito. At the end of the story the principal brings in a new student--you guessed it--Matthew, number 26, whose last name starts with, again you guessed it, Z. Know what he was wearing? Yes, meet Matthew Zipper.

What a fun book that teaches alphabet, then vocabulary. We all love it! I think your children will, too!

This is a story about a teacher with 25 Matthews in her class. Some of our favorites are Matthew C. who has cowlicks(look for the words his cowlicks form throughout the book),Matthew H. appears to be headless (ever know a boy who pulls his shirt over his head), and Matthew K. is unusually fond of ketchup (He dresses like a ketchup bottle). Matthew Z. (dressed in zippers) transfers into her class at the end of the book. I puchased this book after reading a rave review in the chicago trib. I looked in every bookstore I could find before finding it cheeper at amazon. This is a wonderful book for any child preschool thru 1st grade. My 5 year old has it memorized! I sent it to school with him and the teacher just loved it, we are going to order an extra one to donate to his class.

"Accidental Death of an Anarchist," by Dario Fo, is adapted by Gavin Richards from a translation by Gillian Hanna. The Methuen Modern Plays edition contains an introduction by Stuart Hood; Fo himself contributes an author's note and a postscript. The opening pages note that the original Italian edition had a copyright date of 1970. The author's note describes how the play was inspired by the death of an anarchist being held in police custody.

This outrageous comedy opens with a character known as the "Maniac" being brought to a police station. It's a very "metatheatrical" piece; Fo warps theatrical conventions and makes jokes in a way that reminds me a bit of Luigi Pirandello's "Six Characters in Search of an Author." There are some really funny scenes, but a very serious vein still runs throughout the piece.

Ultimately, this is a thought-provoking piece about truth. What is the true story, and how do you discover it? Fo's satiric wit explores police brutality as well as the relationships among the police, the media, and the political establishment. I recommend this piece by the Nobel Prize winning Fo to all with an interest in 20th century drama and/or political activism.

There has been a long debate about the death of the theatre. And that debate still continues, but plays are nevertheless being produced, actors are playing Hamlet over and over again, and directors are staging everything, from timeless classics to newest avant-garde. Even so, death of the theatre seem iminent. New methods of expression appeared which drove public fromt the teatre seats. Nowadays, in those seats you can only find aged critics, younger men and women still posessed by the power of art" and some older couples which have no place to go. Can there be future to such setting?
Whilst future reamins obscured in unsettling clouds, past looks glorious and full of appeal. Not only in works like ones of O'neil, Brecht, Pirandello or Shakespeare but also in the ones that have more modern" sound, whatever that should mean. Dario Fo is one of those men who brings with himself entire glamour of theatre together with precise sharpness of satire and political subversion.
Upon reading this play, you cannot but think of Groucho Marx and his extravagant style, high intelligence and unparalleled big-mouthedness. All of those characteristics were incorporated into the Fo's character called Maniac. But such comparison might not be entirely fair, having in mind what was said before. Still, Death of an anarchist" functions as classic farce, with what it seems as a total anarchy in script and staging, anarchy that is apealing in such a way that you simple cannot put this book away.
Magic of the theatre shows itself in the best way on these pages. You are being drawn into the world wihtout rules, which scarringly resembles our own and which we can relate to. That kind of identification puts us on the edge. And Fo is aware of that and uses that fact in such a brilliant way, that you have to bow to him.
It is quite unnecessary and to some extent impossible to retell the story of Death of an anarchist". It would be exactly the same as if you were going to retell the Marx brothers film and expect that it would have the sam impact as seeing and hearing Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo act themselves crazy.
When you're feeling sad or you would just give up on everything and go with the flow, forgeting that posibility of rebellions ever existed, you should reach for this book, and it will charge up your dead batteries, making you feel the joy of existence and laughter all over again.

I saw a small production of this play a few years ago in downtown Minneapolis and was most interested in what it had to say about police interrogation techniques. This is not a topic which I would expect to be popular now, as most emphasis has been shifted to deadly confrontations, and the only major death in this play is of a suspect who was hanging out of a police department window before he dropped to his death. In the history of people being pick up for interrogation, this might be as famous someplace in Italy as the Biko case in South Africa, where police in Port Elizabeth picked Biko up and slammed him against the wall because he was not cooperating fully in their investigation of his attitude toward law and order.

I thought that the theme of the play was that the police get overly zealous in trying to pin a crime on a particular person once the police have made up their collective minds who they think should have committed the crime, as the defense allegations in the famous O.J. murder case seemed well founded when the methods of the L.A.P.D. were subject to the scrutiny of attorneys who are aware of how these things are usually done. In the case of the actual event upon which the Accidental Death of the Anarchist was based, the police techniques were subject to an official investigation, and the play was written as on ongoing farce which kept Italy informed as more facts came to light. The play may be way beyond the Zen of any audience, but if people think that something about the nature of the police is revealed in it, I don't think that those people should be considered as paranoid as they ought to be. Anyone who loses sleep over this kind of thing hasn't adjusted well to modern society, so they can probably find a shrink to give them pills that will put them to sleep, but that is a different topic, but not much different, really.

I truly enjoyed this play and again am wondering why it is not put on more often. Granted, it has a specific political objective, due to its timely plot and circumstancial event. Yet, as a performer, I find the quality of writing to be extremely wonderful. Interestingly, I also discovered that Fo's viewpoint on comedic and political theatre to be very similar to my own:

(It) grabs at the heart and guts, but attempts to get there by a violent moment of laughter. Because laughter does not remain at the bottom of the mind, leaving sediment which cannot be wiped off. Because laughter helps avoid one of the worst dangers, which is catharsis. (5)

Fo wanted the reverse of catharsis, the emotional release, and it is very apparent in Accidental Death of an Anarchist. He seeks to provoke, debate, to arouse feelings and to challenge ideas while inviting his audience to consider new points of view. I respect this form of theatre, for it is the hardest to write, collaborate, and present clearly to an already cynical audience in this day and age. By using an absurdist/satirical/farcial approach towards the issues of power, its abuse, and political stations, he creates sense out of nonsensical characters and situations. The maniac, a harliquien like character, leads the members of a police station somewhere in a city, in this case we assume New York or London, through a dizzying investigation around the questionable death of an anarchist from years before. Mysteriously, the anarchist had "thrown" himself from a four story window during the course of police investigation. We, the audience suspect foul play for the cause, and in effect we see the maniac give nothing but insane play to the accused. He is quick witted and incredibly dynamic with language and vast information. The maniac flaunts with their pride and guilt, causing mass confusion. The audience cannot help but love his crazy ways. In true satiric fasion, just and darkly comedic rewards are served to all characters by the end. The audience is left wondering how these events effect them. The ever present window in the scene is the only realistic element that the audience must contend with. It reminds them of the reality of the crime, how it really took place, and yet they are forced to laugh at it and find disgust in that humor. It is this form of satire that provokes thoughts and action towards change, which is what Fo wanted. It is this subtle stealthiness of dark humor that creates the desired effect of political theatre: change, perhaps for the better, or in this case, for the playwrights cause.

In the age we're living in today, this is the perfect satire of police departments. We always here in the news about some cop in some city getting caught framing someone innocent (or sometimes worse). Fo does a wonderful job of humorizing that situation. Some might call the play over-the-top, but they're just missing the humor of it all. I've read a lot of plays, and this is definitely one of the best modern plays out there. Everything about it screams "wit." The characters are great, and memorable too. If you have the chance to buy it, don't miss it!

I bought this book for my niece and decided to pick up a copy for myself. This is a great story about kids growing up in the days of the great depression and their adventures, with lots of unexpected twists and turns. I found myself not wanting to put the book down until I had read the last page. My niece also liked this book, and it was fun to discuss different parts of the story with her. We're both fans of this fun and entertaining book!

Wow! What a creative story. I'm an adult with neices right in the 9-12 year old age range, and I look forward to sharing this book with them. This is a really creative story that may open up their horizons to literary classic characters and storylines, some of which they may or may not have heard of yet, and it does so by combining in other famous characters with whom I'm sure they can relate and are attracted to. I personally was quite impressed by the plot that unfolded in an unexpectedly pleasant and VERY imaginative manner, and of course I enjoyed the special theme of FRIENDSHIP the book created. I will share this book with my family.

This is a great book. I enjoyed reading it from cover to cover. I was sad to see it come to an end. Hopefully there will be more adventures for the Book Battling Kids. This is a must read book for any child or adult that loves adventure and fantasy books. The description of the characters and the settings made you feel like you were right there in the middle of the adventure. What are you waiting for? Stop reading the reviews and read this book.

My daughter, Dee, and I began reading this book every evening and both of us got hooked. We've devoured all the Charlie Bone, Harry Potter and Artimus Fowl series, but this one is something special. So many of the fantasy-based books are about boys, so it's nice this one is about a bright, caring 12 year old girl named Alice. The characters are engaging, the plot moves very fast and the addition of classic literary characters gives it a few twists and turns not expected. This book has a great story, a few good scares and a lot of heart. It's funny and very touching. I have to admit I got a tear in my eye at the end. It's well worth the price. Dee is already asking if there is going to be a movie--she wants to play Alice in the film!

This is one of the most imaginative and spell-binding books I've read in quite a while. I could actually SEE the characters as Mr. Harvell described them. I could also see the settings. There was so much action I had to stop and take a deep breath so I could keep reading. I was sorry when it was over. I'd love to see a sequel.

This book is a good overview of the main events of the period. Dunn does a great job explaining each event.

Reads like a story, instead of a series of "facts", like most history books. Highly readable. Very interesting.

When my son began the study of Modern European History in college I decided to reacquaint myself with the subject. "The Age of Religious Wars" is a good place to start. Covering the years, 1559-1715, this tome takes the reader from the End of the Reformation to the beginning of the era of the 18th century balance of power.

This book focuses on the big themes of history. It tells the stories of Kings and warriors, merchants and clerics, artists and philosophers, but very little about the common people of the era.

This book is very well organized. Beginning with the situation in Europe in 1559, the first chapter gives the religious lay of the land in the countries of Western Europe at the start of the era. Chapter 2 outlines the beginning political situation in Eastern Europe.

In Chapter 3 the author studies the economic theories and commercial forms which fueled the economies of the age.

Chapter 4 introduces the reader to the political ebb and flow between absolutism and rising constitutionalism. Although the dominant figure of the era was France's Sun King, Louis XIV, he was the architect of a system which would die in a sea of blood before the 18th Century was out. In his day, Louis XIV lead the superpower of the age, but, toward the end of his long reign, he overplayed his hand, losing much of the territorial gains which he had temporally enjoyed.

The political upheaval of the era which was a harbinger of things to come was England's Glorious Revolution of 1688. For perhaps the first time in history, a monarch's right to reign was made dependent on the support of his subjects. Protestants William of Orange and his wife, Queen Mary, daughter of the late King Charles II, were invited by the nobles to challenge Mary's brother, the Catholic King James II. The resulting overthrow of James, in clear contrast to Louis' absolutism, laid the groundwork for the concept of government by consent of the governed, which would receive expanding application during the succeeding centuries.

In Chapter 5 Prof. Dunn reflects on the Age of Genius which truly this era was. Emerging from the intellectually stagnant Middle Ages, Europe erupted into a creative age virtually unique in history. Science was advanced by the likes of Copernicas, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Newton. Renaissance art bust forth under the creative genius of da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Durer and El Greco, to be followed by Baroque masters such as Rubens, Van Dyck and Velazquez. Europe still glories in the architectural heritage of Bernini and Wren. Our philosophy and political science still draw inspiration from the writings of Montaigne, Pascal, Hobbes Sponoza and Locke. Theatres of the world still interpret the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe, Lope de Vega and Calderon, Corneile, Moliere and Racine.

The book concludes in its sixth chapter with an analysis of the new balance of power which would carry Europe into a new age. A series of wars, Sweden's moment in the international spotlight and giant personalities such as Peter the Great would all combine to make Europe the place it would be in the 18th century.

Overall, this book is a good survey of the Age of Religious Wars. I had not read a college text in a long time and I had more acclimated to learning history in biographies and books more focused on specific topics. I am glad that I read it and give it 4 stars.

This is the second book I've read in the Norton History of Modern Europe (the first was Eugene F. Rice, Jr.'s "The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 1460-1559"), and I've been highly impressed with both of them.

They both cover the basic events fairly thoroughly and simply, presenting the background but not getting lost in details. Although focusing on political history, they both cover many other aspects of history--military strategy, economics, demographics, art and culture, philosophy--briefly at least.

Speaking as someone who occasionally has to teach the subject, in my opinion organization is the greatest challenge in presenting history, and one of the greatest compliments I can pay to any history book is to call it well-organized. Dunn's book is generally very well-organized; I have only a few minor quibbles, and I doubt that I could improve on his organization without introducing bigger problems.

Other quibbles are much less significant: I would have liked more detail regarding the War of the Spanish Succession, more information about changes in military strategy in this period (since firearms underwent constant improvement, and the nature of seige warfare changed dramatically--but how exactly did these change the strategy and nature of warfare?), more on the culture of Restoration England, maybe something on the culture of the Puritans (he tells us nothing of John Foxe, and almost nothing of John Milton or John Bunyan).

However, I am fairly familiar with the cultural history of Europe (by which I mean art, music, literature, philosophy and religion), so in reading these books my main concern is to fill in the political, military, and economic background, which I don't know very well. If your situation is similar to mine, I guarantee you will find these books very rewarding.

One other thing I find most gratifying is the well chosen illustrations: although printed in black and white, they are often obscure enough to be new to me, while perfectly commenting the text. For instance, the closing pages show a woodcut of Peter the Great cutting a Russian nobleman's beard, in which Peter (actually an impressively large man) is portrayed as a giggling, child-size pest to the large, dignified nobleman; the opposite page features a print from 1698 showing Peter's execution of the streltsy (his elite guard) rebels: row after row of hangings and beheadings on edifying display for the passing carriages. You didn't see it in your art history survey course, but it reveals the nature of Peter's Russia far more effectively than anything that you did.

The maps are also perfect, which enhances any history book.

If you are looking for a history of modern European culture, I do not recommend these books, however, as their focus lies elsewhere. For that purpose, I suggest starting with Jacques Barzun's opinionated but thorough "From Dawn to Decadence," supplemented with a good art history textbook such as Jansen's History of Art. If the religious issues that attended the religious wars are your concern, you should consider the 4th volume of Jaroslav Pelikan's "The Christian Tradition," which is titled "Reformation of Church Dogma."

After this book, if your thirst for early modern European history has not been quenched, I recommend turning to Diarmaid MacCulloch's "The Reformation."

Dunn is an excellent writer. He is not flowery like the Durants, but his prose is elegant and to the point. He covers a great deal in a fair amount of detail. His book is very well organised and full of well chosen illustrations. The book is an easy size to carry around and very competitively priced (this kind of book is often very expensive, this one is not). If you want an introduction to this period, I do not think you could do better than this book. I could not put it down (Dunn knows how to be entertaining) and since completing it have referred to it often.

There exist in the world perhaps a dozen books on native fish keeping, perhaps less. This may be discouraging to the budding native fish enthusiast but you need not worry, there is only one book you'll need on the subject. "American Aquarium Fishes" is best described as a literal native fish Bible. Truly no book compares. The first few chapters go over various topics such as collecting methods, native plants and distribution among other things. One useful chapter goes over the rules and regulations concerning native fish collecting in each state, information that is often difficult to find. Granted these regulations are likely outdated every year but still, its a useful starting point. Of course the best part of the book is the pages of profiles on just about every native fish species suitable for aquarium life. These profiles mostly outline how to breed the various fishes in captivity but also go over other need to know facts about the fish. The book does however neglect to mention many popular game species such as yellow perch, largemouth bass and bullhead catfish. The author purposely does not include them because according to him these fish grow too large for the average aquarium. Strangely he still deems it necessary to go over sturgeons, bowfin, gar and other fish who are among the largest on the continent. Despite this the book still is the best on the subject, a must have for any native fish enthusiast whether you intend to keep them in aquaria or not.

Great book fo native fishes written for the beginner and advanced hobbiest alike. Easy reading with many color photos.

I recently managed to buy a copy of this book and from what I have read so far it is a book that should be on the shelves of fishophiles everywhere, aquarist or not. The book covers a wide range of species, mostly darters and cyprinids and goes into good detail on how to keep and breed them. With native fish keeping resources being rare this book may very well be the best of it's kind. One feature I really liked was the chapter covering the laws and regulations of various states, something that many people are curious about when out collecting. About the only thing I didn't like was that it neglected to mention many of the larger species. Bullheads, perch, bass, trout and many others are not given a lot of attension if any at all. The author deems them either to large or to dificult to breed in captivity so he leave them out.

The book in its entirety is fairly good. The authors tried to cover a broad scope. This book may be useful for the breeder in that there is specific information on each species. Please note that you may need to combine the information in this text with information from other sources (print, web, etc.) to take complete care of your native fishes.

This comprehensive reference volume will appeal to both specialty and general-interest libraries: American Aquarium Fishes provides over 118 color and over 200 black and white photos of various species of aquarium fish, providing detailed discussions on where to find native fishes, how to collect and transport them around the globe, and regional rules of collecting. The depth and detail and the vivid photos are impressive.

This collection of cryptic and oblique pronouncements are from a man who is someone other than the "connoisseur of despair". Cioran's erudition is vast; this is not some guy who whips off nihilism like it was some intellectual flash-in-the-pan.

These laconic and sometimes witty, sometimes caustic aphorisms alternate with terse personal essays on friends and influences: Valery, Samuel Beckett, Mircea Eliade, Henri Michaux, Borges, and Scott Fitzgerald (?!).

Some of these thoughts and fragments seem like non-sequiturs generated in the darkness of lonely insomnia plagued Parisian nights. Many are so obtuse that comprehension is left scratching its head. Still, like one who finds a gold nugget in the streambed, the rare saying makes the search all worth while. Here are a few of the nuggets I found:

"Our place is somewhere between being and nonbeing - between two fictions"

"To die is to change genre, to renew oneself . . ."

"Writing is the creature's revenge, and his answer to a botched creation"

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Compared to his early, tortured writing this collection of later pieces is warm and funny. Not to say that Cioran has dropped his nihilistic stance, but a laconic, slightly more personal and witty voice predominates. My favourite book from Cioran.

"The principal defect of philosophy lies in the fact that academic philosophy is too bearable..." wrote Cioran (too bitterly for the general main stream); born 1911 in Romania, died 1995 in Paris: these two basic data of the CIORAN-curriculum vitae already are marking the subtle personal traumata: being divided by two very different cultural identities. Still loving Romania but emigrated and living safely in France, however not willing to integrate with French society he remained stateless not accepting any national identity. Obstinate he refused to receive the highest literary awards of his host country. Lost in exile - this was the everlasting frame of his mind. In an enthusiastic manner in his early years he engaged himself politically defending his Romania. Later on he was ashamed of such affectations and classified such poses as delirium, "kitsch", scrupulousness. High-skeptically he wrote, referring to the possibility of finding the real truth: "After all I know, that all these ideas and dogmatic thoughts are wrong and absurd. At last only human beings remain. And they are what they are. I am cured of the illness, to follow any ideology." Cioran liked characters as Nietzsche, Beethoven, Luther, Rousseau: He adored their individual strength to resist against the surrounding societies - he loved the stubbornness of these famous thinkers - though sometimes obstinacy seemed to be a subject for psychiatrists. During all his life in exile the backbone of his Romanian identity was broken and Cioran did not allow himself to use Romanian language any more (remember Elias Canetti and his metaphor of the "robbed tongue" and the phenomenon of hating fragments of the own identity and history). Cioran was attracted by the chronic despair of Soeren Kierkegaard and the nihilism of Friedrich Nietzsche. His university diploma he wrote about the thesis of the "Elan Vital" in the writings of the French existence-philosopher Henri Bergson. "Elan Vital" for Cioran indeed did not mean cheerfulness - but alike an Arthur Schopenhauer or an Ambrose Bierce, filled with a badly mixture of too much brain and bile, he enjoyed to produce cool, relaxed and slyly cynical aphorisms ...

Suspicious words are necessarily those that would try to qualify Cioran's life and works. Contradiction in the act of writing and thinking is one of Cioran's accepted facts.

His name should be futility, what an elegant, lush and ethical futility.

I miss you Emil... so much!

Each has his own ratio of universal fear embodying soul and mind. We cannot escape otherwise but deepening ourselves in it as much as each of us can. Thus, the fear gets tired of itself and this is what Cioran teaches us. Never avoiding the fear. Face it!

A definitive work on the phenomenon of petrified wood. Ancient Forrests focuses on the science of petrified wood. It has an amazing wealth of photographs. Many focus on the grain patterns and the amazing detail that can be found in the many different species of petrified wood. There are also many whole specimens and overviews of famous wood collections such as the Murphy collection at the Rice Museum in Portland Oregon. If you are at all interested in Petrified wood, this is a must-have book, Beautiful!

This is a magnificently produced book with splendid photography of petrified wood. It is like the earlier book, but more so (it has a narrower focus, on wood only, and is a lot bigger). Essentially this is a coffee table book on a grand scale.

It does include information on wood identification, but of present day wood only.

This is a wonderful book. A photographic and scientific masterpiece. The print quality is excellent.

This is a great book for information on petrified wood. We found it very valuable in identifying several of our specimens.

American Forests and his earlier book Petrified Wood are amazingly beautiful books. I have seen a few of the petrified wood samples in museums which are shown in these books, and the photoimages correspond to the authentic samples. I have two other petrified wood photo books that I have loaned out but I don't remember their titles (mostly chapters by German authors). Daniels two books are the very best. Howard McPherson

This is the only book that I have ever read that has made the sacrifice of Jesus so real. Actually seeing His supreme sacrifice through the eyes of actual eyewitnesses, makes the event more personal. Because I've read about these characters through the gospels, I know they are every day people like you and me. But I have rarely taken time to think of how they must have thought of or personally saw the events accuring before them. The true heart felt emotions of seeing, not only a person they loved and adored being sacrificed in innocense. But a stranger you don't know, but had the priviledge to see, being killed in your place. The book is awesome. I will be giving this away for Christmas to all of my loved ones.

An accounting of the last days in the life of our Lord. These accounts are written as if they were true. While reading them you are drawn into the time of the real events; you feel the wonder, pain, confusion and love that the Lord generates during His passion. The explanations in the back help to explain those things that perhaps slip past you. It is a book that totally draws you in; you can't put it down.

This book brings the crucifixion alive. I learned things about the death of Christ that I never learned growing up in my Church...it deepened my perspective on the death of our Savior. I would love to share this book with anyone that would take time to read it.

My husband and I read Richard Exley's And Then He Called My Name last year for the first time just before Easter. We read one chapter a night outloud together and finished it just in time to celebrate Easter Sunday. If you're feeling like we did that the real meaning was being lost by the commercialism of a giant Bunny Rabbit, please read this book.

This book made me experience the emotional impact of all those who were in contact with Jesus at the time of his walk up Calvary Hill for our sins,people such as Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, Barabbas, and even our Heavenly Father himself. I couldn't finish a single chapter without tears streaming from my eyes. It made me see how much I truly loved Jesus and what a price he paid for my sins.

Thank you, Richard Exley, for bringing the true meaning of Easter to our family. It's now a family tradition to read And Then He Called My Name every year at Easter to bring the love of our Savior closer to our hearts.

One of the most profound books I've ever read. If I wasn't saved I would have committed my life half-way through the book. Mr. Exley took me to Calvary vicariously, I experienced the feeling of every person involved with Christ.

I cried with Mary, being a parent of a son I envisioned this was my son and how I would feel. As my tears flowed I thanked God that he loved me enough to send his son to a dying world, I could never do that.

Anyone who reads this book will have an exprience of a lifetime, nothing will get you closer to Calvary than, AND THEN HE CALLED MY NAME.

I have allowed others to enjoy this novel, unfortunately I have not received it back. However, I will purchase another because there are others I feel could benefit from this book.

This is a must read for every Christian, and then they should share it with any non-believeing friend. It is a true witnessing tool.

No matter how many books you read, don't let this one pass you by. Praise God for Richard Exley