Scott Books

Even though tomes have been written on the American presidents, Dr. Smith manages to bring fresh insight as a result of painstaking research. ( It could serve as a model for any student looking to document his research) The book is not "light" reading....but the author writes with clarity and with as much impartiality as humanly possible. I found his distinction between the ways that these presidents' faith shaped their policies to be thought-provoking. This book provides a strong framework from which to examine the coming election season.

I encourage you to set aside a block of time each day as you loose yourself in the history and faith of each of these men. It is full of interesting faith facts that just a history of these presidents would never touch. I must confess it took me time to read and digest this book, but well worth the time. I look forward to reareading this book in order to grasp new facts that I did not glean from the first read. I would love to see it used in school class rooms everywhere. The research, notes and excellent writing of this work is outstanding!

A first-rate work in which eleven presidents are analyzed in terms of their religious beliefs and their actions. Solid framework of analysis. The work brims with new details, broad understandings, and sound and judicious conclusions. Impressive, varied bibliography. The copious notes, alone, are worth a close read. Sparkling writing and sound organization make this a page-turner.

Gary Scott Smith's Faith and the Presidency is fascinating to read and weighty in substance. Full of personal details drawn from the lives of various presidents as well as important observations about public policy and religious impulses, Smith hits the sweet spot between bold, exciting claims and strong supporting evidence.

I was particularly persuaded by the book's observation that the foreign policy of presidents more readily reveals their philosophical commitments because the U.S. presidency has greater latitude abroad than at home.

This is a book worth reading from cover to cover. Smith hits a home run with this exceptional book. A tour de force!

If you are looking for fresh information about the role of faith and religion in the lives of some of America's greatest presidents then I highly recommend purchasing Faith and the Presidency.
The author, Gary Smith has done his homework. His research is very thorough and his style of writing is clear and free of technical jargon.
I thought the book presented a balanced view of democrat and republican presidents; and the author covers each president's religious affiliation without bias. After reading this book I finally understand why religion is such a hot topic during every presidential election.
Reading about Abraham Lincoln and how his faith helped him address the crises of the civil war is the best I have read to date.
Students, teachers of history, religious leaders and those with a love of presidential history need this book to complete their library. A must read for 2007!

I thought this book did a great job at getting me up to speed on C#. I came from C++ and MFC development, so this definitely fit the bill for bridging me into C#.

Worth the read!

Excellent book. I am a VB 6 programmer making the jump to C#.

C# instead of VB.NET? Mostly because there seems to be more contract jobs for C#.

This is an excellent book. If you are a long time programmer like myself and want to get into C# programming I highly recommend this book. This book can make you a very functional C# programmer in a very few hours.

If you need to learn C# in a hurry, this is the book that will get you up to speed. The entire "Fast Track" series from Wrox were written to help you learn a subject fast and this is especially helpful if your employer decides to convert to C# or any other .Net technology or language. I purchased both Fast Track C# and Fast Track ASP.NET C# Edition together. I am impressed with both books. The Fast Track C# book is 413 pages and the chapters are not to long. This makes the reading very easy and the chapters don't take weeks to read. The book starts out with the basics of .NET and C# and then progresses to more advanced C# subjects. Note: The authors do not go into great detail on the various subjects and you should augment this book with a more advanced books on C#. There are ample examples but the authors do not provide the "results". This is a book for the intermediate developer making the conversion from Java or C++ but I think Visual Basic 6 developers will benefit from this book.

In Chapter 1 - Overview of .Net and the CLR (Common Language Runtime), the authors explain the fundamentals of .Net.

Chapter 2 - Introduction to C#, Chapter 3 - C# Basics, and Chapter 4 - Object-Oriented Features of C# provide the basics that you will need to know about C#. If you are coming from Visual Basic.Net, you might want to skip over these chapters but I read these chapters twice.

The authors explain the more advanced features of C# in Chapters 5 - Advanced C#, 6 - .NET Programming with C#, and 7 - Working with the .Net Base Class. These chapters will help you get beyond the "Hello World" type of applications. These chapters provide some real-world examples.

In Chapter 8 - Building Windows Applications, the authors explain all of the basics to windows development. The GUI or the presentation layer is what the end-user will be most familar with.

The next chapters will help you with real-world applications that you may encounter.

Chapter 9 - Assemblies and ILDASM.
Chapter 10 - Data Access with ADO.Net
Chapter 11 - COM and COM+ Interoperability
Chapter 12 - ASP.Net
Chapter 13 - Web Services

This is an excellent book for C#. It covers almost every topic in C# in a consie, to-the-point fashion. Whether you are new or experienced programmer, this book will give you a head-start on mastering C# concepts. If you are doing MCAD, this is the book you should read first for brushing your concepts. I like the portability of this book (400 pages). Big thumps up for Wrox Fast Track series.

Wrox guys, you have done it really well. I am a beginner to C# but have previous experience with C/C++. Really wanted to get into the C# field. Tried 2-3 books but was bogged down by details everytime. Then I got hold of this book. Man this is awesome...really takes no time if you have some programming background..esp. OO related.

Just devote 1-2 hours for each chapter..and this will cause the Sams 24 hours series some serious worries.

I liked this book - simple rhyming and bold colors in the illustrations make it appealing to children. It teaches a good lesson.

Front Frog Fred and Back Frog Jack is entertaining, a quick read and also teaches. My kids love this story!

This book is great for kids - it combines an interesting story line with practical lessons on life without being 'preachy'.

A fun, well paced book perfect for pre-schoolers and beginning readers! The rhythm, rhyme and message, not to mention the excellent illustrations of the story, will make this book a favorite for all young children! Dr. Seuss look out!

My first graders just loved the story line of this most enjoyable book about Fred, a little frog who became a leader.

This is an excellent book for reference. I've come back to it time after time over the years.

My copy of Mr. Ogden's book is already dog-eared from use. Any gardener in the South who is interested in adding perennial bulbs to the garden must read this book. The information on every type of bulb, tuber or corm, including those of wild Southern heritage, is generous, well written and easy to understand. Garden Bulbs for the South is useful not only as a gardening reference but as a field classification manual when trying to identify that lily blooming at the old farmhouse down the road. After reading the chapter on rain lilies, I was finally able to determine what that tiny little lily growing wild in my front yard really is. Highly recommend.

Garden Bulbs for the South is simply a great book. The vast majority of books on bulbs deal extensively with Tulips, Grape Hyacinths, Daffodils and other cold climate bulbs and only give cursory information about warm climate bulbs and the information often pertains to container gardening. Every northerner moving South is tempted to try growing cold climate bulbs. Reading this book is both a delight and a time and money saver. It will also assist you in trying a lot of bulbs that you might otherwise overlook. It has been one of the most read books in my gardening library.

This is by far the absolute best book for those who garden in the steamy south! I have the first edition and snapped up the 2nd as soon as it came out. I definitely recommend this book. Scott Ogden blends history and horticultural requirements into something that is far more than just a good read!

Author Scott Ogden, a freelance garden writer and photographer, lives in New Braunfels, Texas, near San Antonio. That's considerably farther south than where I garden in Charlotte, NC, but nonetheless, I believe the book provides a helpful resource for "historic, neglected and little-known bulbs whose beauties belong rightly and traditionally to the South" (2). Ogden contends--and I am in full agreement--that for the "average home dirt dauber there are more rewarding activities" than planting, digging, refrigerating and re-planting bulbs. Says Ogden, "The effort and expense invested in temporary bulb displays might as readily be employed on something new, exotic, or extraordinary--even on flowers that like the South" (2). Ogden provides us with a list of more than 200 warm-climate bulbs. Now, that's worth a closer look!

Following discourse on the traits and differences between true bulbs, tubers, corms, rhizomes and tuberous roots, Ogden organizes this resourceful book into nine sections, featuring: Rain Lily Day; Petite Afrique: Winter Blooms; Jonquils and Kin; Spring Treasures; Irises, Gladioli, and Shellflowers; Crinums and Spider Lilies; Summer Glories; and lastly, Cannas, Arums, and Gingers. Next, in the Appendix, Ogden distinguishes between Southern bulb culture, Mediterranean beds and hog wallows. The author knows and respects clay soil, a bane of Piedmont gardening. (See also his book, Gardening Success with Difficult Soils.) Finally, after providing a review of garden bulbs for the South where full botanical names are provided, as well as family designations and cultivars, Ogden closes the book with a resource list where bulbs may be ordered and purchased.

Ogden's remarkable color pictures abound, providing grand illustrations to the printed text. The text is exceptionally and beautifully well-written, easy to read. Despite its appeal, not every word needs to be read in succession, making the book a valuable resource for a gardener's bookshelf when specific research is wanted and needed. Descriptions and advice abound, including how and where to plant, water and sun growing requirements, soil needs and amendments, and periods of bloom. Just as Ogden shares his recommendations for bulbs "for any need and any season," I can also recommend this inviting and handsome book.

Deborah Moore Clark
August 14, 2006

This book is excellant!!!
I could not put it down.
Scott's writing style has matured during the writing of the Genellan series, and his characters have become more beleivable and human - not superhuman as some scifi writers perfer.

The reader can almost feel the tension and emotion throughout the book, as Scott takes his characters through events that are described in such a way as to seem almost lifelike. The events are described in such a manner that you can close your eyes and view the scenes as the occur. Scott's characters are as lovable and beleivable, with strengths and weaknesses, as those in the Star Wars universe. Even the unreal flavor of the aliens' (ullagi) thought processes seem to be accurately portrayed.

I look forward to Scott's next book; I hope it arrives on the market soon.

The book covers don't do justice to the content. This is the 3rd book in a series of 4. This is a great read, but don't miss the first 2. It has everything. the series starts with a mystery and crash landing in the first book. It develops into lots of great characters, Politics, seemingly genocidal ET's and successful first contacts and alliances against a common threat. Fans of David Weber, Heinlein, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, John Ringo, Lois McMaster Bujold and Anne MacCafrey will like these books. The themes are well thought out, and the characters all deal with the choices, sacrifice and agony of war, loss and hope in a realistic manner and sometimes with a little humor and romance thrown in.

The whole series is well written this one leads you on a non stop ride of action and science that keeps you turning the pages i cannot wait for the next one in the series!

Mr. Gier's work reminds me of Steve White's stories, told with a similar feel for the grand tragedy of interstellar war, mixed with the almost heartbreaking courage of the human defenders. Gier's universe is interesting, his science works well and contributes nicely to the flow of events. Good story.

This is an excellent story, and a great addition to the two other books in the series. This combines space opera, good believable characters, and a hint of mystery which kept me reading into the night. I just hope there is a fourth in the series, then a fifth, then .....

I was first introduced to this book in a graduate seminar in Old Testament Theology where it got panned by a fellow student. I said to myself, "It can't be that bad," and read it myself. Not only is the book not "that bad," but quite good. It takes what is definitely a key text, Exodus 5:22-6:6 (I believe), and uses that as an organizing principle for the rest of the Old Testament, as it encapsulates God's Design for Israel. In many cases the book works, and even in the sections where it really doesn't, such when discussing quite a bit of the Wisdom Literature, it still has good insight. It is from an evangelical perspective, which I appreciate.

Dr. Elmer A. Martens' book is my first choice when students wish to understand the messages of the Hebrew Scriptures. Martens writes from a positive, constructive viewpoint. The Old Testament will become "new" for you as you read and contemplate the message of this splendid book.

Anyone interested in OT theology should start here. As a beginner-level book it should give seminary students and laypeople no problems while it is still academic enough for the scholar as reference. Martens uses Exodous 5:22-6:8 as the center of OT theology (or "God's design" in redemptive history). He argues that the OT and the story of Israel are to show God as the Saviour and Redeemer of mankind and creation. He uses four themes to argue his thesis: deliverance, community, knowledge of God, and land. Martens shows that God's design goes through the three major periods of OT history (the Pre-Monarchy era, the Monarchy era, and the Post-Monarchy era) and up to the New Testament period (God's design being fulfilled in Christ for Jews and Gentiles). The structure of the book is well organized and each theme is discussed in each period of Biblical history. With so many OT theology books written by liberal/criticalist/modernist scholars it is very refreshing to see an OT theology book written from an evangelical and conservative viewpoint. This book is a must read and will give peace of mind to many who are looking for an OT theology book that sees the Bible as God's divinely inspired Word.

Great basic OT book which looks at themes, such as land, covenant, prophet, etc.

I especially like his treatment of Yahweh as warrior, which is often so misunderstood due to translation of "sabaoth" as "hosts."

Excellent sections on deliverance, salvation, promise, etc. Serious students and seminarians will profit from reading this as well as keeping it in their libraries where they will turn and find valuable inputs for their ministries.

Recommended reading on the Old Testament sacrificial system. I stumbled across this in a syllabus and decided to read the footnotes at the library---once I started reading, it was tough to put down. In a concise (though sometimes rather too concise) manner, he addresses a number of difficult-to-abstract topics and digs out helpful observations from the OT text. I liked it enough that I decided to get my own copy.

Berg does a great job, and the subject is absolutely a fascinating one.

A. Scott Berg does an excellent job in capturing the life of one of the American cinema's first industry moguls. From his tough beginning as an immigrant to his phenomenal success as an independent producer, this entertaining and fascinating biography delves deeply into the man with the "Goldwyn touch." Berg also effectively captures the spirit of early cinema and its rapid rise in American culture. Along the way, we also learn about many of Hollywood's colorful personalites, including Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford. This book is a must for any fan of early American motion pictures.

What a story! A remarkably easy to read account of Sam Goldwyn's rags-to-riches life. Did you know "Goldwyn" was not his real name? Did you know he was thrown out of the MGM company after a few years?! Goldwyn worked at some stage or other with just about every famous name in the business, and also fell out with just about everybody he ever met. A cantankerous and perverse character who loved contradicting people. When people quit because he made their lives intolerable, he sometimes felt personally attacked and betrayed. The book is full of colourful characters, and Scott Berg has done a wonderful job of using quotations and dialogues to really bring these people alive: Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lillian Hellman, William Wyler, Billy Wilder, and the remarkable Hilda Berl. It reads like a movie! By tracing Goldwyn's history, the book also covers the story of many of the other famous movie companies that are still famous today: United Artists, Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO and of course MGM. Goldwyn also came across many young actors and actresses before they were stars: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Marlon Brando, John Wayne, etc. And of course the famous Goldwyn malapropisms are here, though limited to the ones actually traceable (as far as possible) to Goldwyn himself: "Anyone who sees a psychiatrist should have their head examined! Include me out! A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on," to pick just a few.

A remarkably well-written and well-researched biography that brings this vigorous, infuriating, yet oddly attractive ugly duckling to vibrant life. This must rank amongst the best biographies, up there with Ron Chernow's book about the Morgans. Anyone at all interested in movies and movie history will enjoy this.

I picked this book up at the library not knowing what to expect and was amazed! Although it is indeed a biography of Sam Goldwyn, it is also a very well told piece about the studio system and Hollywood in the first half of the century (with an emphasis on the 20's) Not only insightful but entertaining; it makes for a read more gossipy than the trashiest celeb autobiography while maintaining class and style.

I recommend this book to anyone the least bit interested in the classic hollywood days. It is the best book I've read thus far on the era, and it will get you down to the video store hunting down old movies just to see the actors and actresses you've read about.

Great book! I enjoyed reading about a man who literally came from poverty to be on of Hollywood's pioneer filmmakers. He was a rough man to work with no doubt, but knew what worked and lasted in an industry that is hard to last in! A. Scott Berg did a wonderful job of writing a respectful book about this man!

Well written and wonderfully informed, this well designed book presents a comprehensive review of the appearance and use of the great cathedrals and abbey churches built across the middle ages in France and England. It also includes a wonderfully precise presentation of the social, economic, and political order of the time, and it discusses how the great buildings were built and what is known of their builders. Overall, it is the best general introduction I know of, easily accessible to non experts and a wonderful review for the better informed.

I would highly recommend Robert A. Scott's new book, The Gothic Enterprise. Although many books have been published on the topic of Gothic Cathedrals, Scott has approached his subject with a new perspective. He asks the reader to think as much about the "why" of cathedral building as the "how." The reader will still find lots of information about the practical aspects of cathedral building, most helpfully enhanced by a discussion of the social, political, economic, and even climatological factors that complicated such long and challenging construction projects. But above and beyond this, Scott is interested in the people who conceived, designed, and built these great churches. What motivated them? How did hundreds of people with varying and often conflicting interests work collectively over long periods of time? What did an individual or a community expect in return for their contribution to such a bold undertaking?

Scott answers these questions and more. In turn he challenges the reader to see the cathedral in a new light, not only as an example of great architecture, but as tangible evidence of the commitment, creativity, hope, and faith of the people who, against great odds, undertook such a bold and difficult enterprise.

Having visited dozens of cathedrals, I think Scott is right on target. A cathedral is more than an amalgamation of stone, timber, and glass. If we look closely, we can still see traces of the contributors: in a mason's mark, the carved face of an 800 year-old effigy, a bishop's ring, or an irreverent carving high in the rooftops. It is the collective presence of these long-dead individuals, as much as the grandeur of the architecture that makes a cathedral so memorable, so tangibly the result of a collective human enterprise.

Scott's book is beautifully packaged with many photos and charming illustrations. It would be a handy guide for a traveler visiting cathedrals or a great read for an armchair traveler. I suspect the reader of The Gothic Enterprise will never see a cathedral in quite the same way again.

This book is both a wondrous introduction to Gothic Cathedrals for those who are newly curious about them and a concise but thorough resource for those who have long admired and read about the Gothic Cathedral. The author often takes a personal approach in his narrative, which seems quite appropriate given the personal impression these buildings were designed to make (and have made on most who will read this book). The book is both well-researched and easy to read, a difficult achievement. Its description of the elements of Gothic architecture, for example, is one of the most complete and clear treatments I have read.

The broad perspective taken (historical, intellectual, religious, architectural, sociological) helps bring together into one coherent whole the many different faces of the cathedral. Even those who may know the historical and intellectual origins of the cathedral will learn much about its other aspects here. For example, some of the details on construction techniques and parts of the discussion of "sacred spaces" within the cathedral were new even to someone who has read many books on the subject.

Medieval intellectual history and its relationship to the cathedrals is explored, and the coexistence of the potentially conflicting reason and faith in a single building is explained. Some discussion of how the cathedrals and their attached schools gave rise to the medieval (and hence the modern) university would have been helpful.

Overall, though, the book provides an excellent introduction to the topic and a comprehensive explanation of the "why" and "how" of Gothic Cathedrals (in addition to the more mundane, but still important, "who", "when", and "where").

Before this book, one would have to read many volumes to get such a complete picture of the Gothic Cathedral. This book is appropriate for anyone with an interest in the subject. It is the book that I'm sure many Gothic Cathedral enthusiasts wish they had written.

Author Robert Scott had much the same the experience at Salisbury Cathedral as I had - a sense of awe and wonder, and a desire to learn more about it, not just as a place, or as an architectural wonder, or as a place of worship, or as a cultural icon. Scott wanted to get at the heart of the idea of the Gothic enterprise as a whole - a trained sociologist, Scott knew that the bigger picture is sometimes lost by too narrow a focus on particular details to the exclusion of others. The sociology background also gave Scott a sense of wanting to understand the hearts and minds of the people involved.

While the principal focus of Scott's travels started with Salisbury Cathedral (in full, the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Salisbury), Scott draws examples from the breadth of the Gothic cathedrals, churches and other buildings. There are literally thousands of such dotted across the European and European-influenced landscapes. Each building has its own unique characteristics, but they share a common spirit.

Church building in particular was 'big business' in Christendom for a long time. Scott quotes estimates of that there are nearly 19,000 ecclesiastical buildings in England and Wales, nearly half of which date to the medieval period. The first Gothic church was the Abbey Church of St. Denis, just north of Paris, built under the direction of the 'founding father' of Gothic style, Abbot Suger.

Scott's first major section looks at how cathedrals were built, in terms of materials, architectural design, settings, and workforce. With regard to the workforce, the numbers were large and the division of labour highly specialised. In the records of the construction of Westminster Abbey, there were fifteen different categories of workers listed in 1253. Workers were often local, but supplemented by those who traveled, particularly if special skills were needed. Construction was often suspended in winter months, not just because of the cold, but because the number of daylight hours greatly diminished (in England, there can be fewer than 8 hours of daylight in the winter months).

Scott's second major section explores the history involved. The Gothic enterprise grew up out of the feudal system as it was trying to define itself in a sea of shifting political structures. It is no mistake that the Gothic ideal was born in an Abbey rather than a Cathedral; bishops had become increasingly involved in secular and political matters, while the monasteries remained closer to the common people and closer to the spiritual ideals of the church. 'Monasticism was a continuous effort to surmount sense perception and intellectual understanding to achieve knowledge of God, to experience communion with God, and by so doing to reveal the divine mystery and achieve special favour in the eyes of God.' Still, the particular abbey of Gothic's foundation, the Abbey of St. Denis, had a particular attachment to the French monarchs, and for a time the Abbey enjoyed a supreme reputation, 'from 1124 onward the Abbey Church of St. Denis became the religious and, in an important sense, the political capital of France.' From this place, the influence of Gothic style spread through the Paris region, then outward into France and beyond.

In the third section, Scott highlights some of the classic details of what the Gothic look entails. There is a geometric symmetry involved, which, 'when followed consistently, gives Gothic cathedrals their characteristic organic unity.' There is a logic and harmony built into the design. High vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses, pointed arches are other features. However, the key element in Gothic design is light, and it is in aid of this aspect that the other elements are enlisted. Gothic cathedrals in comparison with the dimly lit Romanesque predecessors are flooded with light. Be it clear or stained glass, the incorporation of windows and lighting techniques hitherto not done makes the Gothic space a brighter surrounding. Heaven would be a place of light, and the Gothic cathedral is intended as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

The fourth section explores the religious experience in Gothic structures, and how liturgies and worship are carried out, how they serve as temples of the imagination in addition to being the centre of worship, and how they become a repository of history. Part of this history was the incorporation of the memory and power of the dead into the fabric of the cathedrals - many became pilgrimage sites or burial sites; royal and other notable society figures also became part of the structures of cathedrals and churches. According to Scott, the cathedrals provided the saints with a focal point of veneration, and the saints in return provided a steady income (from the pilgrims) for the buildings to be completed.

The final section looks at the community that surrounded the Gothic enterprise, be they parish churches, abbey churches or cathedrals. Scott explores the living standards of the time, the stratification and specialisation of people in the different roles in society, and the questions not only of how the communities built the churches, but how the churches and cathedrals in turn built the communities. 'We might ...imagine that the long time required to build Gothic cathedrals added to the depth of the collective identity they engendered.' Indeed, in some regards, the building of a cathedral was never supposed to be completed. Spanning generations (sometimes, as in the case of Canterbury Cathedral, nearly 400 years) such enterprises defined the community in ways that no building project in modern times could approach.

Scott ends with a small essay regarding Stonehenge, not too far from Salisbury Cathedral, showing some similarities and differences in the way people built and found identity then.

Scott quotes Samuel Johnson as declaring Salisbury Cathedral 'the last perfection in architecture'; however, it is clear that there is much perfection to go around when it comes to all things Gothic. Scott's passion for the material and love of discovery is apparent on every page. A good writer, he serves as teacher, tour guide, and co-discoverer of ideas with the reader. This is a wonderful book.

The people who reviewed this book before me did a great job of describing this wonderful book, so I'm not going to repeat their observations. However, one aspect of the work I personally appreciated was the way Scott examined the cathedrals as architectural responses to the cultural context. His analysis is clear and straightforward. Excellent book!

Thank you for sending the book so promptly and in great shape!

My son loved this book so much that he slept with it the first couple weeks that he had it. Three years later it's still one of his favorites. The pictures are really detailed and a lot of fun.

These books are great! The entire concept of the hidden picture gets the kids really thinking. The adventure of learning that follows each picture just amazes me. The Where's Waldo books did not appeal to our family. We love the " I spy " books and those pictures are magnificent! These books however, the pictures do captivate you but there is a learning process with each picture. My children are 10, 8, and 5 and I notice the difference in what each one asks from these pictures. I think this series is wonderful because it does combine the puzzle concept with so much else. The Great Animal Search is my 5-year-old son's favorite!

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This would have to be one of the best kid's books around. My 5 year-old just loves hunting for all the hidden critters and counting them off. Sometimes all you see is a tail, or an ear, or a familiar silhouette far off on the horizon.

There is no better way to get children developing a sense of the different environments around the globe and the animals that live in all the different habitats: from the arctic to the equatorial rainforests and from the mountains to the deserts; under the water and by the seaside.

We have only one criticism with this book. It was my budding, junior-zoologist that spotted it. Mr Ibex in not in the comprehensive index although there are ten ibices (?) to be seen on page 26. With 300 different kinds of animals in this book, we have to give it a score of 299 out of 300, that is, almost perfect!

In The Great Animal Search there are some 100 animals to spot and identify on every double-page of this oversized book. Each scenario showcases a different part of the world and the wildlife that lives there. In addition to countless hours of puzzle solving fun, there is a wealth of fascinating animal facts presented in succinct, easy-to-read captions.

Scott Fitzgerald, a monumental talent who only occasionally got things working right, made Gatsby great by the extraordinary invention of Nick Carraway. Carraway as narrator provided the exact perfect pitch: more awestruck than he would admit, more moral than it was fashionable to reveal -- always objective and distanced and subtle and charming, genuinely decent and impeccably well mannered, a little dangerously smitten himself by the lovely but corrupt Jordan Baker.

Alexander Scourby, one of the greatest reading voices of his era (overlapping Fitzgerald's enough to know and feel it all) here does Carraway in a way that cannot, therefore, again be quite equalled. Imagine having a recording of a great contemporary actor reading Ahab's speeches in Moby Dick, and one begins to appreciate the gift that we only now have in recorded sound, something we are already quite casual about. But there is much more here than historical accuracy. Scourby's voice wraps around every phrase of Fitzgeral's text with both an actor's professionalism and a good reader's care, making it not only uncannily his own monument but also a monument in audio book history. It sets the bar, and anyone interested in the recorded voice as an art form should own this for repeated learning.

I listened to this book over a few nights with my wife, after having read it first some sixteen years ago. It is a masterpiece, and known widely as such, but what surprised me on hearing it was how the book I'd remembered as terribly romantic was actually rather clear-eyed and dark. My wife, who had never read it, listened spell-bound, and at the end burst into tears at the sadness of it. A word about Scourby as reader - he is restrained but emotional, captures the personality of each character with a slightly different tone, and - most importantly for me - brings out the fact that the closing pages, which are often quoted out of context as deeply romantic, are in fact painfully cynical, a voice of disenchantment about the cost of America, not its promise. A masterpiece on the page and on tape. Can't recommend it too highly.

There is a reason why this is required reading in advanced literature classes throughout the country. This is without a doubt one of the best tales ever told. It should be used as an example to any aspiring writer of what great writing can be. The thing that makes it so great is Fitzgerald's ability to formulate characters, both large and small, and his ability to have them interact in a manner that is at once both imaginative and realistic. This makes the story, which in and of itself is not more amazing than other books, more amazing because you are compelled to believe the plausibility of a story that is incredible. Even if you are not a literature student you will find this book an enjoyable read that is intellectually stimulating, yet easy reading for those reading to relax. Many have copied this story directly and indirectly because of the lesson it teaches (that in the story about life and that about creating a story) and many will continue to do so in the future.

I am an English teacher, and I bought this to aid in my classroom discussion of the novel. After receiving this version of Gatsby, I discovered that our school library had a copy read by a different narrator. I listened to both, but Alexander Scourby's reading was much more entertaining to my 11th graders. The other version put them to sleep. I highly recommend Scourby's reading of "The Great Gatsby."

After living abroad in the Middle East for a year and traveling through more than twenty-five countries, I recently re-read The Great Gatsby, seeking the familiarity of America. The Great Gatsby captures what is different about Americans and the American experience. At its most basic, America represents endless striving for greatness. Whether in business, science, athletics or world affairs, Americans imagine and seek the best. Though we often stumble and fall short; though we often cut corners to achieve our dreams - striving for greatness is the essence of America. In Gatsby, we feel what it is like to want something so badly, to succeed in reaching it and to ultimately fail. How many of us have not shared these experiences in some way or another? American writings today, such as David Ebershoff's Pasadena (2002) and Scott Gaille's The Law Review (2002), continue to explore Gatsby's central theme of obsession with greatness. In this time of global uncertainty, we can get back in touch with what it means to be an American by reading such books.