Roberts Books

My five-year-old daughter was fascinated with this book even though it didn't include fairies, animals, or dinosaurs. I was very happy with the information they presented which gives some basic information about Dr. King while not treating his death in such a way that might overly upset sensitive children like mine. The illustrations are wonderfully done and my daughter looked them over carefully for a long time. It is a wonderful opportunity to launch more discussions about racism and the way we treat other people because of their gender, race, or religion.

I LIKE THE STORY BECAUSE HE TOLD THE LIFE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE BOY HIS FREINDS SAID THEY COULD NOT PLAY WITH HIM BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK.

Martin Luther King , Jr was born in Atlalta , Goagia. He was born on January 15 , 1929. He led the March of Washington on August 28, 1964 and gave his speech.
THe book was really great.

DR.king was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. He played football when he was a child. He couldn't play with his friends because he was black and they were white. He wanted to change this and changed the world.
I really like the book. He inspired me to keep the Golden Rule.

DR.King was born in Alanta Gorgia. He like to play football &baseball. He played football in his backyeard. One day his friends couldn't play with him because he was black. He wanted to change this and changed the world.

This is a wonderful book and a steal at the Amazon price. It has been as low as $150 but now seems to be climbing again. Don't be fooled and wait for the new edition coming out in October for $50 ($31.50 at Amazon). The new edition features approx. half-size reproductions of 12"x6" as opposed to the FULL-SIZE reproductions of the original gatefolds from the magazine (approx. 22"x11") in this pricier first edition. As a subscriber since the late 60s, this is a great trip down memory lane as well as a wonderful nostalgic look at the playmates that were before my time. It's a revelation to see those Playmates as they appeared for the first time full-size. And what a treat to have the ones I was familiar with and pasted on dorm room and bachelor apartment walls now preserved fold and staple free in a durable hardback format.

Awesome price from Amazon. Always the best deals and an excellent product that is worth the price. Beautiful photography and very sexy ladies. AA++

I had always thought of writing to Playboy to beg them to publish a book of their centerfolds. Nothing can compare to the awe-inspiring beauty that is captured by the full-sized centerfold images. This item is a must-must-have for any true Playboy fan. I will never part with this beautiful collection which was truly a godsend.

Just as Taschen are releasing a 2nd edition of the massive 'Stanley Kubrik Archives' on October 8, so too are Chronicle Books, releasing a 2nd edition of this huge book of Playboy centrefolds with a $50 retail and $36.50 Amazon pre-order price. - Oct.4
At this moment, Amazon has a very large discount ($150, not $500) on the first printing, probably due to the spreading awareness of the future edition. It is apparently not an up-to-date issue, including the centrefolds from Nov. 2006 until present, though it probably should be after waiting 23 months for the new edition. Wait till October, or 'get it while it's hot'.

This item is spectacular in every way. This book comes in a leather case that, by itself is truly amazing. As expensive as this item is, it is really worth every penny.

DOWNSIDE
This item is huge and weighs almost 40 pounds so Amazon charges like $12 in shipping costs. Thankfully, I was able to purchase this from a 3rd party seller on Amazon and saved quite a bit of money when I added up the item cost and shipping (the 3rd party seller only wanted $3.99 for shipping)!! It came real fast in perfect condition. I am thrilled with this purchase.

This book was recommended to me by a friend. The book starts off simple enough. You're introduced to the main character Art Hardin, private detective, tough as nails and to the point. Quickly an easy assignment for Art gets complicated. I was always caught off guard for what happened next. It was exciting and fun. Along the way you meet his wife, one of the few people Art fears, and his family. Great characters, the police he interacts with and work mates. Very exciting page turner! When I finished I couldn't wait to get his next book Dying Embers. You won't be disappointed!

Like a good old-fashioned detective story? You know, the kind with a likable Private Eye who reluctantly takes a case, then gets himself into a jam? Do you like the old masters, like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler? Then PRIVATE HEAT is for you.

PRIVATE HEAT is fast paced, and well written. Robert Bailey writes with a realism that shows he has walked the walk as a Private Eye himself. He writes with authority to create a credible story with enough red herrings and plot twists to keep even the most seasoned mystery/thriller reader at the edge of his/her seat. It is also a good example of a book that takes the reader to a new place, in this case Grand Rapids, and shows him around. He also presents us with Art Hardin, a wise cracking PI who seems as real as if he and his wife Wendy could be neighbors of the reader. Hardin is also as hard-boiled as he needs to be, when the occasion arises.

Overall, a good book by a good author. I'll be sure to read the rest in the series.

In this debut novel of a new series, the author has created a multi faceted private investigator, an intriguing cast of characters, and a complex ever changing mystery. Art Hardin is the middle-aged part owner of Ladin Associates, a detective agency. After the sudden death of his partner and the man the company was named for, his newly widowed wife Marg sold Art Hardin her half of the business and then stuck around to take care of the books, the phone and run her own small accounting firm out of the office. Marg pays a third of the rent and Art takes care of everything else as well as dealing with her at times shrew like personality.

A former counterintelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Service, he has had a few clashed with the local government. As a result of being sued for false arrest by Art some time ago, the county government hired the premier attorney firm of Van Pelham and Timmer. The case was ultimately won by Art despite being thoroughly trashed by attorneys representing the firm. Therefore, it is a bit of a surprise when Martin Van Pelham wants to meet with Art and wants to hire him.

Martin Van Pelham wants and needs someone who won't be intimated by the local law enforcement community. His niece is going through a messy divorce with her soon to be ex-husband, a city police officer. He has a history of assaulting her and the simple solution of serving him with divorce papers and a restraining order while she leaves town won't work. Martin Van Pelham grudgingly explains that his nice is the one "Karen Terisa" featured prominently in lurid detail in the local media as being deeply involved in a sex and money laundering scandal that resulted in the finding of her boss dead in a trunk of a car parked at the airport. The money is missing and she knows where it is among other things. At the same time, her soon to be ex is part of a very suddenly made public undercover squad cited in numerous civil suits regarding assault, battery and other less than savory things.

Martin Van Pelham wants Art to guard her and keep her safe from everyone for not more than two days so that he can get his niece into the witness protection program. Art has some financial consideration issues as well as making sure that the firm will pay for his defense should anything go wrong. Then he agrees to do the job and before he has cashed the check, he has walked right into a puzzle house of mirrors where nothing is as it seems and more than one party wants him dead.

Combining dirty cops, crooked feds, and scummy clients, this very enjoyable novel soon turns into a wild ride. Told in first person format, this novel sets up numerous secondary but very important characters in addition to Art Hardin for future books. Within a matter of pages the supporting cast becomes quite familiar as old friends while the overriding mystery becomes more and more complex.

While that is all good, the author also does one small thing, which lowered the book one level in my estimation. I slowly became somewhat annoyed buy his refusal to use the same name for the same person through out the book. Instead, sometimes he uses the first name, sometimes the last, and at other times, apparently the person suddenly sprouted a nickname hence not seen before. The naming issue became annoying, as occasionally I had to flip back to the first part of the book to make sure he was still referring to the same person.

One constant is the fact that action is the primary component of the book. Unlike many novels that are heavily action oriented as this one certainly is, character development and plot are not given short shrift. The book moves forward at a steady fast pace despite Art Hardin's occasional and very amusing wise guy humor. Not a word is wasted in the telling of the tale and the author spins a very complex tale in deed. As the pages fly by, the reader is quickly pulled into the author's world where the real world we all have to deal with does not exist. Simply good stuff.


Book Facts:


Private Heat (An Art Hardin Mystery)
By Robert Bailey
M. Evans and Company, Inc.
2002
ISBN # 0-87131-970-5
Hardback
$21.95 US



Kevin R. Tipple © 2004

Rejoice! The hard-boiled school of mystery fiction is alive and well and roiling over in...Grand Rapids, Michigan? Yep. That's the beat of Art Hardin, tough, smart, wise-cracking PI who takes the kind of unglamorous, gritty cases that pay the rent and put food on the table. Insurance fraud, industrial theft, maybe the odd missing person or philandering spouse are the usual bills of fare.

But not this time. For what begins as an ostensibly simple, straightforward two-day assignment involving protecting a divorcing woman from her potentially violent, soon-to-be ex(who happens to be a vice squad cop), rapidly mushrooms into something very much bigger, nastier and a whole lot deadlier.

In "Private Heat," author Robert Bailey reveals himself to be a writer of exceptional talent and a master storyteller of uncommon skill. He has managed to create a cast of fascinating, 3-dimensional characters with whom the reader immediately identifies, an intriguing plot-line of Chandleresque complexity, and does it all with dead-on, wry social observation, pithy dialogue and occasional side splitting humor.

It's a great read that I recommend wholeheartedly. Can't wait to start "Dying Embers!"

This book was recommended to me by a local independent bookseller who understands my tastes better than a computer program, and who also reads what's in his shop. Even so, I was a trifle leery at first because it's often the case that just because an author was once FBI or CIA or whatever, and can tell some great war stories, doesn't mean that same author can also spin a yarn with story arc, character development, breakneck pacing, and good dialogue. But Robert Bailey CAN do all of these things. Holy cow, can this guy tell a story! The surprises start coming early on and the action is constant. Keep your wits about you when you read this book, because if you think the author is about to throw a left jab, odds are he's gonna catch you with a right hook. One of the things I found fascinating is that with all the action going on, our hero, PI Art Hardin, still finds time to be a family man. And I fell in love with his sons, probably because Bailey captured to perfection the father-son relationships, as well as the brother-brother relationships. He does it in few words, too, creating perfect line sketches of some secondary and tertiary characters that blossom in the reader's mind into full blown portraits. That's a rare gift, and one that added enormously to my enjoyment of this book. I didn't even pause to write a review when I finished the book, I ran right out and got the next book in the series. And yes, it's terrific as well!

This book is more than worth its money in culinary gold. I recently graduated from culinary school and have started a catering business with my husband. I've read a number of books on how to start a catering business and have found this to be the best one yet. Lots of information and very good detail. Every caterer needs to have this copy in their reference library.

A must have book for a new Caterer starting their own business.

"THE PROFESSIONAL CATERER'S HANDBOOK: HOW TO OPEN AND OPERATE A FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL CATERING BUSINESS" by Lora Arduser and Douglas Robert Brown.

This book is an indispensable addition to any would be caterer's library. If you have thought about turning your catering skills into a full time business this book will open your eyes to all that is involved in starting and operating your own catering business.

Any and every aspect of operating your own successful catering business is included in this fabulous book. The authors start by talking about the skills needed to open and operate your own catering business, the give you a step by step planning guide to developing your business goals and plan.

Each chapter of this text skillfully builds on the last one to provide you with a comprehensive handbook to answer all your questions. Should you own or lease, what laws should you be aware of, how to market your company, how to set up the event, staffing, which equipment to purchase, and should you start as a home based catering company? These are only a few of the thousands of answers you will get from reading this handbook.

From the very first page of the book the author's are getting you excited about opening your own catering business. The tone of the book is uplifting and positive and will make you feel like you could do this!

The book also comes with a companion CD-ROM that will provide additional resource material including tons of business forms to get you started. This book is great for anyone in the catering business, weather a seasoned business owner or just in the contemplation stages of owning their own business; this book will be an invaluable source of information.

If you want to enter the catering business, there are plenty of lighter guides on the topic on the market - but if you're really serious about professionally entering the business, you can't be without THE PROFESSIONAL CATERER'S HANDBOOK: HOW TO OPEN AND OPERATE A FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL CATERING BUSINESS. A cd-rom supplements the weighty exploration which is actually a detailed manual of step-by-step instruction on all the basics. From bookkeeping and handling profits and loss to considering the pros and cons of professional equipment, there's no better guide on the market. College-level culinary schools in particular must have this reference.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The Professional Caterer's Handbook: How To Open And Operate A Financially Successful Catering Business (With CD-Rom), expertly co-authored by Lora Arduser and Douglas Robert Brown, is an informative introduction and comprehensive guide to properly establishing and managing a catering business. Comprehensively mapping out an easy-to-follow, "user-friendly" compendium of strategies and tactics for establishing a company name and reputation, The Professional Caterer's Handbook presents logical and effective advise vitally important for all aspiring catering entrepreneurs. The Professional Caterer's Handbook is very strongly recommended as instructional reading for all small catering business developers, those hoping to create a professional catering business, and for those seeking to expand their catering business.

I had only been on my pump for 2 weeks when I read this book. It showed me many things I would need to make this pump work best for me. I don't think we can EVER learn enough about ourselves, or diabetes. Since I have to live with it, this book enabled me to equip myself with the knowledge needed to get the most benefits out of being on this insulin pump.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.

We got this book in late March, 2001, shortly after our then-6 year old son who has Type 1 diabetes started pumping insulin. This reference explains so well how short-acting insulin is used in the body, how to calculate for it during exercise, how to make adjustments to the basal rates....it save our pump trainer many late night calls. It was a lifesaver in helping us get through the insulin pump learning curve faster. Only thing it doesn't handle in-depth enough is "surprise" infusion set changeouts & sensitivity to Humalog. This book helped us understand how to take better care of our son.

What in informative book! It covers just about every aspect of pumping you can think of, and instead of spelling it out in solely medical jargon it let you know the true story.
I am hoping that my son will be 'pumping' soon and have read this book so I know where we are going and what to expect. We already carb count to manage his Diabetes and are feeling really hopeful.
I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about a pump, anyone who has a pump already and doesn't own copy of this book and to close relations of the 'pumper' to enhance their knowledge.

On the advice of my PA, I read the book before going on the pump in October 2001 (22 years after my diagnosis with Type I diabetes). The book is written extremely well and provides clear and concise coverage of the almost every aspect of pump therapy. The authors highlight considerations to make before going on the pump, as well as circumstances you will encounter after beginning pump therapy. The book offers explanations and calculations to figure total daily dosages and advice on how to change dosages for exercise, patterns of high and low bg's, etc. The material included in the book is really valuable when you begin working with your doctor, PA, etc, to help you know what questions to ask. I felt like I had more confidence and knowledge in the transition to pump therapy. "Pumping Insulin" helped me to better manage the pump and my diabetes as soon as I walked into the doctor's office for my initial pump appointment. And for those that have already started pumping, the book's a great reference tool to have on hand.

As a young Internist, this book proved to be essential in my understanding of diabetes. Searching through my more commonly used references to include Internal Medicine and Endocrinology Textbooks I was unable to find a concise summary of the information and recommendations necessary to manage my patients with pumps. The 500 rule and the 1800 rule were just vague concepts found in obscure management articles and discussions with other providers. I did not have the benefit of a certified pump trainer or diabetic nurse educator. But with this reference as a guide I was able to develop a management plan. In 3 short months I dropped my patient from a HgBA1C of 9.4 to 6.3. Where there were previous highs in the 400's there are just now slight deviations from desired values. This reference and the bolus wizard on the Medtronic pump is all that one needs to demystify the management. And of course you and your patient needs to be motivated and dedicated.

Has proved to be a great read so far. My copy was signed by the author, not sure if he signed all of them or I was maybe lucky. Excellent shipping and packaging.

I haven't put this book down since it arrived in the mail! You will love 'meeting' several Rastas and hear their personal philosophies which are each unique and yet all based on One Love. Learn why Ital (natural and/or organic) foods and herbs are soooo important. Sychronicity happens!

This book is an amazingly written book that has you wanting to read more. The views and interviews of the Rastas will have you spiritualy moved and emotionally involved. One of a kind book that could never be duplicated.

I know Jahmayka and the Rastas... I love the island and its people, sweet reggae music ! Rastafarian is a system of belief that people living in extreme poverty have found to make their hardship tolerable.

Where there is no hope,
one must invent hope.
- Albert Camus

But to suggest that this is the way to a better soceity for the world at large is delussional !
Though Babylon ( Eurocentricism ) has played a role in much of the dark history and disparity that exists today, it has also developed many parts of the world that have just begun to show the potential we have as a species if we can get past our tribal differences. Rastas who are not all alike, ( very individual and varied personalities ) will reason about one love in many different terms however it may suit them at the moment but in general tend to smoke herb and commiserate about their situation. Creating these roles that are just as fictitous as the ones that they denounce is not uplifting at all. Read Eckhart Tolle if you want some insight into reality. Smoke a spliff and listen to reggae riddims if you want to escape it.

Otherwise this is a pretty entertaining book that I enjoyed. The historical accounts of Rastafarian beliefs and Jamacian history are consistent with other accounts I have read. Some of the statements about Marijuana are questionable.

Enjoy and immerse yourself in the ways of a Rastaman. The author literally makes you feel like your right there smoking a spliff with the rastas during a reasoning(conversation) session. This book is extremely inspirational you truly feel the love coming through the book. I reccommend it to all looking to learn about Rastafari and take a look at living FREE out of babylon!!!

JAH!!! RASTAFARI!!

If you want a book that's full of on-the-edge humour, action, and is NOT about elves and dragons, than CHERUB might just be the series you're looking for.

I give it a five star rating because CHERUB is a crazy book series that's full of guy humour and stuff teenagers are bound to love. Although most of the humour and content is intended for guys, a girl would have fun reading it just the same.

The first book, entitled The Recruit, introduces the main character, James. James is your typical kid who plays video games and foot ball and never does his homework. When one day, his mom dies, he is taken to live in a children's home. He soon escapes, getting involved in gangs, smoking, shoplifting and vandalism. After getting arrested, James is taken back to the children's home where he was secretly drugged during the night and taken to the secret base of government spy group, CHERUB. The story quickly unfolds into an explosive mission!

It may sound cheesy but it's actually really, really believable! I was addicted after reading the first two chapters!

Full of swear words and Pg-13 content, make no mistake CHERUB is a series teens will love. I think the reason why a lot of kids don't like reading, is that most stories seem so fake and child proofed; CHERUB is the exact opposite. It is so on the edge, it has a ¡§not suitable for young readers label on the back of the newer copies! You'll also find it in the 13+ section at Chapters bookstore. I guarantee that if you're an 11-16 year old who loves action, fights, and stuff that's really cool, you will love this series.

Each book is about a different undercover mission that James and his fellow agents go on. You can really relate to the characters and they all seem like real teens. There's a book about drug dealing, there's one about a prison break, terrorism, even murder. James gets into a relationship with a new girl in every book too:) .And trust me, they all really rock (the books I mean!).

Buy the first book! It's only $9.95! You will be addicted.

« Just to let you know this series is not intended for younger kids. I wouldn't let someone younger than 11 read it.

The Recruit
Robert Muchamore

James lost everything, his mom, his sister, and his home. His mom died, his sister was taken, and his uncle took the house he lived in because his mom died. Then he meets these kids and gets in trouble for trying to steal beer from a corner store.
He then gets taken to Cherub (missions for kids that are way too risky for adults.) he finds out that they are trying to recruit him into Cherub! Well, what he has to do first is Basic Training!
The things he has to do in basic training are excruciating. What he does to survive in the energy sucking, stress building, book is insane. I would never survive in the basically, death defying stuff he does. I recommend this book to people who like to the action right away and not a lot of talking!!!



Brad M.

The Recruit
Robert Muchamore


James gets anything he wants. That's because his mom runs a thieving organization, but all that changes when he finds her dead on the couch right after her boyfriend leaves. He is soon sent to a children's home where he will be kept till adoption. He feels like his life is screwed up and he's going down the wrong path. Also he gets in trouble for stealing. He is sent to jail and when he wakes up he is at a place called Cherub. His life changes when he finds himself at a spy organization where they train kids under the age of 17 to spy and fight.
This book is a powerful and exciting, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I think it is a great book and I would recommend it to boys that are in 6th grade or higher because it is brutal and has some harsh language at parts. This book is a thrilling book and you won't be able to put it down till the end. This is one of my favorite books and I hope you like it too.


-Bo K

The Recruit
By Robert Muchamore

James Choke was a twelve-year-old kid that lived a life of crime. His mom was a professional shoplifter and he has a huge temper that always got him into fights. But that all changed when his step dad came into town and drugged his mom.
After his mom dies James's sister, Lauren, goes and lives with her real father while James has to go and live in an orphanage. When he is there he meets a boy with a secret, Kyle Blueman. This chance meeting changes James's life forever and introduces him to the life of CHERUB, a young spy organization.
The Recruit is an outstanding book that grabbed me right at the starters. Each chapter ends with so many cliff hangers that you just don't want to put the book down for a minute. Robert Muchamore does such a good job describing that you can literally see ever detail, of every person and ever thing they do.
The Recruit is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. There is some much action that I got addicted to the book right at the beginning. I recommend this book to readers that love to get lost in their book and forget things around them

-Brian Frericks

First of all I am a kid but I read many an adult book. (mainly espionage). It's a good read if you don't read very much, need summer reading but havn't read alex rider books by Anthony horowitz. I wish the author would have talked a bit less like a teenager instead of using words like [...] Also, if James were real he would have been dead before the book even started because of the rediculous amount of bullying. Of course, I have never seen anyone bullied at my school so this seemed like a bit of a foreign topic. Robert Muchamore seems to know more about video games than he should. For example the only games that were on a jet were old n64 games. Plus, if your queezy dont read this book. James, at one point must kill a chicken. He does and blood and well, chicken waste sprays everywhere. There is a bit of romance but nothing to extreme. I was very surprised to see cherub agents which are all kids smoking and drinking whenever they please. Of course james gets terribly drunk and becomes nearly unconscience. There doesnt seem o be any real danger after every trap is either inefective or easily avoided. Further There is onl a very vague villian and the book goes without a true espionage ending. However this book was still very enjoyable

Polidori's work is not just about the places he photographs. This book is something to recommend to people with no understanding of Havana or it's history as well as those that do know the city. He has captured an eerie world, ghostly and abandoned, yet clinging to life. It's a dark tropical dream. If you find peeling paint and dark hallways strangely inspiring, you will treasure this collection of work from a masterful photographer with a great appreciation for decay and its warmth as well as sadness. Look at these photographs and enjoy their mysteries.

Being Cuban American and having visited Havana numerous times as well as having the opportunity to actually see firsthand, many of these grand interiors Polidori so eloquently displays for all to page through and imagine the events that have transpired in these interiors. The joys, the struggles, the rise and fall of a culture with all it's social graces. This book captures what I captured with my own eyes passing through those marvelous mansions of Cuba's golden age. Havana is truly a Paris of the Caribbean, although decayed and damaged, she is still beautiful, graceful and inspirational to all who visit her. Thus the term "Havana-itis", a disease thought to befall visitors who fall instantly in love with the grand ole dame. I believe there is still hope for her to be restored to her rightful brilliance one day, If only the current government would allow it.

There are two principal cities in the world where time seems to stand still. One is Pripyat' Ukraine which was abandoned following the Chernobyl disaster in April, 198. In that unfortunate time literally all the people left within 24 hours. The other is Havana whose middle and upper classes departed over several decades following the Cuban Revolution mainly to live in the United States.

Unlike Pripyat' where vegetation and wildlife replaced human inhabitants, the City of Havana lives on despite its painful decay.

Robert Polidori's Havana depicts several days in the life of the city in the early years of the new century. Probably by chance, the period he photographed represented simultaneously the zenith and nadir of the Revolution. His camera details the architectural heritage of the colonial era set among the blockish facades of Socialist reality. Even as neglect defaces these urban jewels, a certain spirit shines through recalling a city whose exiles in Florida still yearn to return.

As we enter the last days of the Cuban experiment in our hemisphere, the Havana so lovingly pictured here will not endure. Buildings and homes will be restored naturally enough. But the spirit of the urban caretakers of this legacy might have been lost forever if not for Polidori's lens. This is an amazing and dreamy work that belongs to a city and people whose heritage stayed behind.

These photos are breathtakingly spectacular. As soon as I saw this book, I had to buy it. It was the first time I'd ever seen anything that captures exactly what being in Cuba feels like: as if you were witnessing the beautiful ruins of a decaying Roman empire. It's the most spectacular, cinematic misery you could ever experience. And I'm glad that someone like Robert Polidori has captured it so faithfully before it all crumbles to the ground (or gets built over with hideous concrete Spanish hotels).

Visceral images of a unique city, in which splendor and squalor are juxtaposed, and the past is suspended within the present, decaying yet enduring. Robert Polidori has captured the beauty and melancholy of Havana, gazing unflinchingly at the ruins and the people who inhabit them. When the boycott is finally lifted, all this will be swept away by a tide of new development, so try to see it now and use this wonderful book as an introduction and a lasting memento. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

Roller Coaster is colorful and informative history of roller coasters by Robert Coker covers early models in an introductory chapter than focuses on the heart of the topic: innovations in roller coaster models and modern coaster innovations. The colorful coverage provides a solid, appealing leisure read which should attract a wide audience of those young at heart.

This book is basically another in a long line of coaster thrill books designed to prolong the excitement of riding these amusement park behemoths. This latest book is tastefully done and includes the requisite history with lots of familiar and some rediscovered photos and prints of old timers. A few of the newer beasts are included with enticing views of riders being turned in spine tingling directions. Coker's text is well written. This book has enough new stuff to warrant it's inclusion in your coaster book library.

This book is great.It tells really well about the rollercoaster itself and great pictures.(TWO THUMBS UP)

When was the last time you had so much fun screaming? Probably last time you were on a roller coaster, your hair tingling, your eyeballs popping, and your stomach churning. Robert Coker, a talented journalist, has been everywhere you've been and more, and he describes the different rides he's been on, whether wooden or steel, coaster or twister, with a different appropriate writing style that will make you feel you're in the same box, hurtling hundreds of feet downwards after a longslow climb.

Maybe the best part is Coker's sneak preview of coming attractions, rides they're building out there that we may not get to stand on line for just yet. But, a boy can dream, can't he?

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in roller coasters. It includes history of roller coasters, wooden roller coasters, steel roller coasters, and extreme machienes. It also has great pictures. Take my advice, this book is great!

I read the sparkling and stimulating "Science Firsts" by Robert E. Adler soon after it was published. I have found it so well-documented and lucid that I have recommended and ordered it for friends ever since. The author covers science AND understanding of nature admirably, from Thales and Pythagoras (6th-7th c. BC - Before the Current dating system)to Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi and to the bioscientists and cosmologists of the late 20th century. Minor points, such as whether Plutarch was a "Roman historian" (p.26) or a Greek writing in Roman times, is for scholars to debate. Impressively, ancient Greek science, as well as the dawn of modernity (Copernicus, Galileo, Newton) can be read as "news". Perhaps the author will consider a volume II, with another 35 "firsts" including philosophy (Socrates?) and the social sciences (why not Marx and Heidegger too).

This is a fastinating history of several of science's most important discoveries. It is written for the layman, and will be completely enjoyed by any science buff. I would make this book and Simon Singh's "Bing Bang" two required reading items for every high school and college student in America. Both books contain a history of science that everyone should know.

Robert Adler's book is truly an engaging read. Once I started reading it was a true journey through time and I could hardly wait to find out what "Science First" had occurred next. Robert Adler highlights the sudden brilliance of a select number of scientists, which actually seems to be a result of serious study and contemplation.

You can literally see how ideas evolved through time and how each scientist discovered inner genius despite immense discouragement and conflict, not to mention religious persecution and their own human foibles. You can see how humans started to observe the exterior surroundings and then started to delve into the areas of cell structure and the invisible atom.

This book presents scientists in all their human glory and the honesty gives each scientist a true personality. Many struggled to overcome physical and psychological adversities or were led to their death by their own natural curiosity. It was not uncommon for these individuals to be a living part of their own experiments. However, not even plagues could hinder scientific research and the work went on through time despite a seemingly eternal and chaotic war of life itself that seemed determined to thwart their efforts.

Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Aristarchus, Archimedes, Ibn al-Haitham, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Van Leeuwenhoek, Newton, Joseph Priestley, Humphry Davy, Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Dmitri Mendeleev, Marie Curie, Guglielmo Marconi, Max Planck, Ernest Rutherford, Albert Einstein, Alfred Wegener, Edwin Hubble, Raymond Dart, Barbara McClintock, Claude Shannon, James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Karl Jansky, Lynn Margulis, Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz, Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell all make their appearances.

Robert Adler shows how Charles Babbage (1792-1871) and Ada Byron Lovelace were at the cutting edge of technology and how Babbage designed a machine that functioned like a modern computer. If you become especially interested in any of the scientists or chapters, there is a reference section for further reading. The index is perfect for your own research or for locating a subject of interest. I thought each chapter was perfect in content and it definitely made me more interested in reading about additional scientific discoveries.

Quotes are found throughout the chapters and I was especially impressed by the letter Einstein wrote to Marie Curie who had to overcome great personal trials to achieve her goals. I liked how Robert Adler refutes the myth of Einstein being a slow learner and he makes his points most eloquently. Pictures throughout the text gives this book an additional dose of personality and the biographical information is especially interesting.

Robert Adler presents a scientific journey through time that is filled with insight and a depth of clarity that is stunning. This is one of the most highly crafted books I've ever read. Not only does Robert Adler delve into complex ideas about physics, biology and astronomy, he makes the ideas accessible to readers who may faintly remember these subjects from high school, college or the news. I can't wait to read his book about medical discoveries.

Science Firsts is truly a book about how scientific discovery changed the world. It is a fascinating read and I can highly recommend it to students of science, teachers and the casual reader who has an interest in progress itself. After reading this book, I think I might be ready to read about "the theory of everything."

~The Rebecca Review

You may also enjoy reading the DK e.encyclopedia

I wish I had known about this book last Christmas. I would have sent a copy to every nephew and niece I have, in an attempt to interest them more in science. This book is a great idea, tying the pivotal ideas of science to stories of individual discoverers. Very palatable for the young reader. I'm hoping it will be out in paperback soon, so I can send a bundle out this Christmas. A nice job by Mr. Adler.

Science Firsts is an excellent introduction to 35 major scientific discoveries and the people who made them. In addition to the expected names--Galileo, Darwin, Einstein--Adler discusses a number of lesser-known researchers who made valuable contributions (e.g., Claude Shannon and digital computers). Each chapter covers one person and one discovery in just a few pages. Adler's writing is straightforward and easily accessible to those with little science knowledge.

Unlike many other books on scientific discoveries, Science Firsts also offers a glimpse into the lives of the scientists. The best chapters are the ones on recent researchers whom it appears Adler was able to interview. But, even when writing about Kepler or Planck, Adler includes details that show the scientist to be first and foremost a human being. Science Firsts also provides historical and political context for the discoveries, for science is inevitably intertwined with government and culture.

My main frustration with the book was its brevity. I was left at the end of many chapters wanting to know more. I enthusiastically recommend Science Firsts as an overview of the history of science, but don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for full-length works on some of these researchers.