Scott Books

This book is interesting and gives the account of Gloria Jeans film career. It covers and talks about her experiences and goew over the plot of each film taking perhaps 2 to 4 pages per film.

She was in a lot of films, so remarks specific to films cover from 80 to 120 pages in the book.

One thing the reader might regret would be to hear about films that they have never seen. Some of these films are available from sources, well let me refer you to references in the IMDB database regarding her movies. I don't want to advertise videos in this review. But in the end, one problem the reader may discover is that they will wish that they saw the films in a very high quality state, which may not be available any more. Some of these films are lost and not available or a really good copy which would match her talent is not out there to be seen.

That being the case, there is some bittersweet memories or perhaps the lack of being able to even have them, when reading about some movies, if you've never seen them. The author makes every effort to describe the movies in details and the plots of each movie are talked about in detail (with spoilers). This helps the reader understand the movie as well as it could be understood by a written narration. That understanding unfortunately is not as good as experiencing the movie by watching it. So for those who have seen her movies and are her fans the book will have greater value than those unfamiliar with her or her films.

It's interesting and a candid account however from the inside of a movie star who had their ups and downs. And it would appear that the downside was not really due to her own fault or some "personal demon" that you'd read about when reading the accounts of many film stars. She seems to be a real nice girl and lady who kept herself from the corrupting influences of hollywood and her waning popularity was more of a matter of a changes in the movie industry and a focus on different types of actors than anything of her own doing.

This leaves the reader with a feel good feeling about the star rather than some wonderment and awe at how wild a star may be due to their fame. I wrote this review after reading most of her book. I have not read the last few chapters yet, but will finish it soon. Not bad and it would have been nice if she would have gone on in movies for a longer period of time, but these things happen and sometimes the public is the ones who lose when old movies are forgotton or not widely shown. The fickle new public often looses the ability or desire to watch the older treasures from any age and ends up missing something.

Her career really wasn't a tragedy that some might think, she just had an early popular career and it peeked fairly quickly and this was in an age when most stars didn't make a killing with huge movie deals. So when the star ride was over, it was pretty much over and she returned to a normal life. Pretty typical for most child stars, but she had a longer career and wasn't just a child star. Although it seemed that Hollywood treated her as such and didn't appreciate her enough. That's the overall impression I get reading the book.

Gloria Jean's winsome personality and knockout singing voice made her one of the most charming and talented performers of all time. She has had a life filled with peaks and valleys. Happily, one of those peaks is GLORIA JEAN: A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN, a new book that combines Gloria's personal memories with the input of her biographers, Scott and Jan MacGillivray. Their combined efforts have produced one of the finest, most comprehensive books ever written about a show business figure.

This volume is an engaging blend of biography, autobiography, show biz history, and film analysis. Gloria Jean's comments regarding her life and career (in movies, television, radio, concerts and live theater) are consistently fascinating; she possesses a real gift for storytelling, and brings a vibrant, you-are-there immediacy to each anecdote. (Additionally, Bonnie Schoonover, Gloria's younger sister, provides some of her own keen observations.) Gloria doesn't look back with bitterness; if some individuals come across in an unflattering light (and some do), it's simply a matter of documenting how that person's unfortunate behavior had an impact on Gloria's career. On the other hand, Gloria is quick to praise those who deserve it...and that includes familiar names such as Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, and W. C. Fields.

Gloria's insight as a show business veteran is neatly complemented by the writing/research skills of her biographers. The MacGillivrays combine an obvious (and infectious) affection for their subject with their exhaustive knowledge of the entertainment industry in general and Gloria Jean in particular. Readers will be amazed by the wealth of never-before-published material on each one of Gloria's movies...including production histories, summaries, critiques, reviews, theatrical and home-movie reissues, aborted projects, and lost films. The result is a meticulously detailed, well-organized and highly enlightening volume brimming with information that will surprise even the most seasoned film buff. (Has anyone ever detailed the production histories of WONDER VALLEY and LAFFING TIME prior to this?)

The book contains an equally impressive gallery of rare photographs: charming candid shots of Gloria with W. C. Fields, Donald O'Connor, and Elizabeth Taylor; Gloria posing with Boris Karloff and makeup master Jack Pierce; Gloria feeding birthday cake to Sabu; and even frame enlargements from screen tests and obscure films. (One of my favorite photos is a wildly incongruous shot of little Gloria posing with the giant robot from the Bela Lugosi serial THE PHANTOM CREEPS.)

The only disappointing aspect about this enterprise has nothing to do with the book itself. After reading about the movies, I was dismayed to learn that the majority of Gloria's films never made it to video, nor do they turn up on television anymore. Sure, NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK (starring W. C. Fields), her best known movie, rates an occasional TV broadcast, and COPACABANA (starring Groucho Marx and Carmen Miranda) is currently available on DVD, but THE UNDER-PUP, DESTINY, A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN, RIVER GANG, I'LL REMEMBER APRIL, I SURRENDER DEAR and the rest are missing-in-action, languishing in the film vaults. Her work deserves to be made widely accessible.

A handsome, smartly produced volume, GLORIA JEAN: A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN is a winner all the way. At last, Gloria's story has been documented in a manner worthy of her, and even if you're not already a fan, you'll find this book is much more than just "a little bit" of Heaven.

This book was a gift and was very well received. Loaded with pictures and information. Recipient enjoyed it very much and indicated she could not put it down until she had read it from cover to cover.

The Story of Gloria Jean, coloratura soprano at Universal from 1939 thru the WW2 and later a few at Columbia is an interesting and well written bopok withe the co-operation of Gloria and her younger sister Bonnie Schoonhover. The author, historically, details all the films and shorts and gives a rundown on the songs and cuts from the scripts he had access to for the original & susequent resissues. I have the Papercover edition and there are a number of good photos in sections in the book. Highly recommended!

FOOTNOTE: Gloria's only color film, Wonder Valley filmed in Arkansas in 1952 at 73mins, is unviewable today due to the producer's copy(all that is known) being badly deteriorated.

Gloria Jean is perhaps best known for co-starring with W.C. Fields in his absurdist classic "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break." She was once among the most popular girl-next-door icons among World War Two servicemen, and worked with such stars as Groucho Marx, Donald O'Connor, Jerry Lewis, and was even requested as a co-star by Elvis Presley in an opportunity that, sadly, never materialized. Her memories and anecdotes are a most fascinating look at wartime Hollywood moviemaking. Her candid admission of failed comebacks and missed opportunities display more courage than most entertainers are willing to offer. Highly recommended.

My husband and I are reading through these Advent meditations and they are rich and beautiful. Of course we're only half way through, so I can't review for the entire book, but we've shared excerpts with friends and family, and very much enjoyed these readings.

This book guides readers through the four weeks of advent with short devotionals and prayers that lead one into new and wonderful contemplations of the Incarnation. It also includes histories of feast days and every other page is illustrated with a breathtaking sacred masterpiece. I would highly recommend it as a rich pre-Christmas gift for any deep-thinking, art-loving individual.

One quote in particular by Neuhaus struck me with awe:

"God who is the fullness of Being infiltrated our world of beings in order that we might fully be. Christmas is about incarnation, and incarnation is God's becoming what he is not, in order that we might become what he is."

I was looking for a way to focus my attention during Advent this year and heard about this book from the journal Image. As promised, the book has beautiful reproductions of art to go with each daily reading during Advent. There are also scripture passages each day and a short reflection written by one of the six contributors. Information and reflections on feast days are included, and I really like the fact that the book continues until Epiphany. I've been able to keep up so far and have been challenged and encouraged by the readings to remember Jesus in the midst of what can be a very distracting time of year. This book will make a great gift for my friends and family for next year's Advent season.

I discovered this book while doing some last minute shopping on Christmas Eve day. I was experiencing that familiar feeling of "missing" Christmas again this year. I found it again in this book. It has inspired me to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas for the first time. The readings are timely, thought provoking, prayer inspiring, and quite simply BEAUTIFUL! I'm already looking for copies to give as gifts for next year. I hope the authors are planning on a similiar collection for Lent and Easter. I would order it sight unseen.

Every Christmas my wife and I think, "O my, we've done it again - Christmas is here and we've allowed the busy-ness of the season to keep us from preparing our hearts and our home for the coming of the Christ child." We started using this book at the recommendation of a friend and whole-heartedly recommend it to you. We are being prepared this Advent and this book has much to do with it. The paintings, Scripture verses, discussions and prayers have been a great help to us and those in our small group as well.

This book is an incredible resource for those of us play golf 'by-the-book'. I just cringe when I see another golfer in my group teeing up a ball on a clump of grass in the fairway or kicking a ball out of a bad lie. I generally try to avoid playing with people who can't seem to play by the rules. So if you're one of those people, buy a copy of this book and learn the rules. Pickard's book is probably the easiest way to get that done.

While the game of golf can be quite difficult to play, applying the rules correctly to any given situation can be even more difficult.
Mr. Pickard's book covers an infinate number of situations and lets the golfer know where to find the correct rule that would al]pply.

I highly recommend this book to anyone serious about learning how to correctly play the game of golf.

Want to try to understand golf rules from the USGA fine print book? Good luck! This book allows easy lookup of the most complicated rules. If you read Golf Magazine, they have a rules article every month. Use this book, and you'll always get the right answer.

After reading and reviewing Golf Rules Finder, my first reaction was "WOW" to the number of rules I've dismissed over the years...and I've been playing golf for a while. I feel that this book can be a very helpful tool to any level golfer, whether they are beginners or scratch golfers. This book was written in a way that makes it easy to navigate through the rules and quickly answer your question. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn and/or review the rules of golf the easiest and quickest way possible.

I felt somewhat apprehensive about using this book on the golf course. I found out it wasn't like any other rule book I had tried to use in the past. It was very easy to find the ruling for my situation. The concept behind Golf Rules Finder seems almost too simple. It amazes me that I haven't run across a rule book like this before.

Laugh out loud funny. Like any good conspiracy theory, some solid facts, well observed connections, and a lot of creative guess work makes this a perfect light summer read. As a stay at home dad, I alternated between cracking up at the depiction of how the mind of a married man works and sighing with resignation at the horrors of a life secretly out of my control. Sometimes I even "earned points" by sharing carefully selected parts with my go-to-work wife.

Best book of the year that nobody will ever hear about. Should be a mandatory read for guys flying home from thier Bachelor Parties. Funny how some people write down in publish what others just think about. I wonder if Oprah will have him on to discuss it with Jennifer Anniston?

B.Scott Taylor for President!

If you like a little truth with your comedy or a little comedy with your truth then you'll enjoy The Great American Stay-At-Home-Wives Conspiracy. A fast, funny, read that takes you inside a husband's head and inside the wives' suburbs -- you decide which is more frightening. The reversible cover is hilarious too.

I was really surprised that I liked this book. It is the funniest book I have read. Great humor and I think it hits to close to home for some of those women who don't realize how good they have it..

Couldn't put it down...read it in one sitting! Laughed so hard I cried. Loved the duel dust jacket. Would make a great movie!

This is a funny book. I love where the pancake turn into hats and wheels and they all come back in a big mess.

"The Great Pancake Escape" is an adventure story about magical fleeing flapjacks. This adventure starts on an ordinary day when three kids wait patiently for their father to perform the usual kitchen magic. As he juggles milk and flour and tosses ingredients into a bowl, his kids notice he is using the "wrong book."

Suddenly, amidst smoke and fire, the pancake batter leaps into the pan and the pancakes start to make themselves. This might sound like a good idea until they start to hiss, leap and hop. Then the kids shout "Watch out, Pop!"

In a "gingerbread boy" fashion, the pancakes leap onto their edges and roll out the door.

"We couldn't cry out "murder!" Yelling "Fire" would be rash. So we loudly bellowed "Pancakes!" then took off at a dash."

Soon, all three children notice that the pancakes have replaced wheels, a steering wheel, the traffic lights and even a manhole cover on the city street. This almost seems normal when compared to a few pages later when it is raining "syrup." I love when the pancakes turn into umbrellas. The kid in me loves the idea of the rain being made out of maple syrup. What a delicious idea and half the picture looks like it jumped right out of an art gallery. Scott Goto uses interesting perspectives. As a reader, you really feel that you are being pulled right into the story.

Finally, the children return home and after showing their "magician" father that he used the wrong book, they manage to call back all the pancakes. The only problem is that the pancakes turn back into batter.

Younger children will enjoy finding the "cute bunny rabbit" in each scene and looking for "circle" shapes. The art is stunning, imaginative and quite impressive. Each time you read the story, you see something new.

The entire story teaches children that even if you don't succeed at what you first started, you can always make waffles. Life is a recipe that might change at any moment, so they should be prepared to adapt to new situations. The children do however work together to retrieve the pancakes and therefore did persist in their mission until the end. The children didn't whine or cry about their lost breakfast, they just took charge and fixed waffles.

Paul Many has been making pancakes from the time he was ten years old. He was known for making pancakes with chocolate and raisins. Now he enjoys making blueberry pancakes.

Kids will probably want to make pancakes after you read this book, so look for " Maple Grove Breakfast in a Crate" right here at Amazon. If you are looking for a wonderful gift, you could include this book in a gift basket.

I'm going to go make waffles
with maple syrup and whipped cream!

~The "now hungry" RebeccaReview.com

"Our dad is a magician,/who can make a bird go poof,/but the day he cooked us pancakes,/he made an awful goof..." Poor Dad was working from the wrong book. He'd picked up his book of magic tricks instead of the cookbook and "Ka-Blam", everything went crazy. The bowl spun round and round, the batter jumped into the pan all by itself, and the pancakes leaped off the griddle and rolled out the door. "Where did they go?" cried little Ned./Louise had teary eyes./"Now don't be sad," I told them both./"Well catch those sneaky guys!" But the task turns out to be a lot harder than they thought, until the kids begin to notice that everything round...bus, car, even rollerskate wheels, manhole covers, traffic lights, frisbees... had turned to pancakes. And when those errant hotcakes take flight the kids rush back home and finally solve the problem in an ingeniously unique way..... Paul Many's manic, rhyming text is full of energy, rhythm, and motion, and complemented by Scott Goto's engaging, bold, busy, and colorful artwork. Each two page spread is jam-packed with clever, eye-catching details, that pulls the reader into the story and right along on the chase to save breakfast. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Great Pancake Escape is a rip-roarin', hilarious, crowd pleaser that begs to be read aloud, and a soon-to-be favorite at your house.

Just a note to let readers know that the Los Angeles Times has named this wonderful book as one (of only nine) of the "Best Children's Books of 2002."

It should have been another dull yawning in the dawning, slapping ingredients together for a hurried breakkie. Instead, Dad reads from the wrong recipe book, & all of a sudden Ka-BLAM! - batter is sizzling & pancakes are wriggling - off the kids' plates, through the house, out the door!

If the kids want their breakfast they're going to have to chase off after it - through town where the stampeding pancakes have glomped onto taxi wheels, skipped over ponds & tumbled mailmen!

THE GREAT PANCAKE ESCAPE is written in rhyming verse, & is a rollicking read with all the ingredients for a tasty feast of words.

Fun reading & laughing for the whole family & Scott Goto's lively illustrations are the maple syrup!

The Grumpus Under the Rug is written by multiple award winning author Ellen Jackson. Jackson has received awards for most of her books including, Earth Mother, Scatterbrain Scam, Looking for Life in the Universe and many more!

The Grumpus Under the Rug is about a strange Grumpus man who pulls silly tricks around the house while no one is watching. After he makes his mess, he runs and hides under the rug, where no one can see him. He does things like putting marshmallows in the typewriter and toothpaste in the phone! The boy's mother thinks her son is the one who is making these big messes. So she punishes him every time he denies he made the mess. "Oh mother, cried the little boy, I didn't do it! It was the Grumpus who lives under the rug!" But the mother doesn't believe in the Grumpus under the rug!

The artwork in this book is my favorite thing about it. Growing up, The Grumpus Under the Rug, was my absolutely favorite book. I loved the pictures because they were so silly. I remember thinking about how much trouble I would be in if I had tried to do the things the Grumpus did.

I think this book is terrific! I absolutely give it two thumbs up. It has a great story line, for kids of all ages to enjoy. I read it to every class I substitute for, and all of the kids have been crazy about it. If you're looking for a wise tale, it is a wonderful and fun way to explain where the moon came from.

When my 2 sons were young I got this book from the library and read it to them...they never forgot it...It is a wonderfully written book with great illustrations...Although my sons are now in their teens they still talk about this book...therefore I am online buying each one a copy for Xmas to take with them when they leave home and to read to their children someday...

My parents used to read this to me when I was really small. I remembered it for twenty years, and even when I asked them about a creature who was mischevious and got a little boy in trouble, they didn't have any idea what I was talking about. I realized I wasn't crazy when I suddenly remembered the title and found the book online.

Anyway, the reason I remembered it for so long is that it scared me a little... I started looking out for odd-looking creatures doing misdeeds. It has good morals and a sweet ending. A nice read-to-your-kids book.

This was my son's favorite book when he was a child. I read it over and over to him. The Grumpus is a wonderful character, very impish and fun loving. Incidently my son never did any of the things the Grumpus did , or that was his excuse. He is in college now and still remembers this fun loving book.

A wonderful, mischievous picture and story book to read to small children

Sir Walter Scott's second novel GUY MANNERING; OR, THE ASTROLOGER is built around three sets of incidents spread out between +/- 1760 and +/- 1782.

--First incidents: around 1760 Guy Mannering, English, fresh out of Oxford University and on a walking and painting tour, finds shelter from the elements in a manor house called Ellangowan in Galloway in Southwestern Scotland. There he is hosted by its Laird, Godfrey Bertram, who is dining with his companion, the absent-minded, taciturn Presbyterian non-pulpited divine, Dominie Abel Sampson. The night of Mannering's arrival, Lady Bertram gives birth to her first child, a son, Henry, later usually styled Harry.

As a joke, Guy Mannering draws on now passe astrological lore he had picked up from an early mentor. Mannering casts young Harry's horoscope. He had once before cast a horoscope: his girl friend's, and foreseen that that 18 year old would either die or be imprisoned at age 38. He now foresees a similar negative rhythm for the infant Harry: big trouble or great danger at ages 4, 10 and 20. Mannering's horoscope is wrapped up and hung around the infant's neck. It is still there to identify him 20 or 21 years later.

On that birthing occasion we also meet a six-feet tall, broad Lowland Scots-speaking gypsy woman, Meg Merrilies. Meg is come to keep away evil spirits from the first-born son of a family that has allowed loyal Meg's tribe to squat on Bertram land for centuries. Her first words are a chant:

"Canny moment, lucky fit;
Is the lady lighter yet?
Be it lad, or be it lass,
Sign wi' cross, and sain wi' mass." (Book I. Ch. 3)

Meg foresees that young Harry will live a full 70 years but with three major breaks in his upward course, followed by three re-stitchings of his predestined path. We also overhear a meeting between the gypsy woman and a smuggling German sea captain, Dirk Hattaraick.

--Second set of incidents: four years later, around 1764, the ambitious but impoverished Laird Bertram was appointed a justice of the peace. His devious estate manager and lawyer Gilbert Glossin was made a minor justice official. Good natured Bertram's new self-image required him to crack down uncharacteristically both on smugglers from the nearby Isle of Man and on the gypsies whose presence both his ancestors for centuries and he had tolerated. The Laird became great chums with revenue agent Frank Kennedy. Months later Kennedy snatched away from the boy's tutor, Dominie Sampson, four-year old Harry Bertram to let the youngster enjoy watching the arrest of Captain Hattaraick and his crew of smugglers run aground by a British warship.

Witnesses who arrived later found evidence of a scuffle. Kennedy was dead, the boy Harry Bertram had disappeared. The County sheriff (not named) did a thorough investigation and ruled murder. Meg Merrilies was suspected and spent some time in prison before being released. The boy was never found. Shocked by the news, his mother gave birth prematurely to a girl (not named) and died. The murder remained unsolved 17 or more years later. And we have read through the tenth chapter of Volume One of this Three Volume novel.

--Third Set of incidents: 17 years later or so, toward the end of the American Revolution, say 1782, the story resumes. Guy Mannering had married his sweetheart and become Colonel of his regiment in India, winning military fame. His teenage daughter Julia Mannering was wooed in India by a young recruit from Holland named Vanbeest Brown. Guy Mannering erroneously suspected this subordinate of wooing his wife, not his daughter. They fight a duel in which Brown is wounded. But bandits fall upon them and the combatants are separated. Mrs Mannering dies. Colonel Mannering resigns his commission and returns to England, enriched by inheritances. But the injured Brown has survived and eventually returns with the regiment to England -- unknown to Guy Mannering.

Taking leave, love-stricken Vanbeest Brown traces Julia Mannering to Scotland where her father is keen to purchase the old estate of Ellangowan. But immoral lawyer Gilbert Glossin has dispossessed his onetime patron, the old laird, of his ancestral holdings.

Meg Merrilies and Captain Dirk Hattaraick reappear, the latter, it develops, long protected by Glossin. New characters also make their appearance, most notably, the amiable lowland farmer Dandie Dinmont (the terrier breed will be named for him after Scott's novel). Dinmont provides an even warmer reception to young Vanbeest Brown than the Laird had given Guy Mannering two decades earlier.

An austere, wealthy aunt of Miss Lucy Bertram dies in Edinburgh, having been persuaded by none other than Meg Merrilies that somehow her nephew Harry Bertram has survived and will soon return to claim his ancestral home. Guy Mannering, Lucy's host after the sudden death of her father, volunteers to go to Edinburgh for the reading of Lucy's aunt's will. The current sheriff of the shire, Mac-Morlan, gives Colonel Mannering letters of introduction to his predecessor as county sheriff, now a prominent lawyer in Edinburgh. We finally learn that lawyer's name: Paulus Pleydell, Esquire. Pleydell in turn gives Mannering letters of introduction to David Hume and a few other luminaries of the Edinburgh enlightenment. Pleydell also agrees to represent Dandie Dinmont in a property suit.

All of the major players are now linked, in place and the plot gathers speed.

The greatest family of the shire, the Hazelwoods, also come into play. The wealthy Laird of Hazelwood begins to think highly of the crooked lawyer Glossin. The laird's son, Charles, falls in love with Miss Lucy Bertram. It slowly seems likely that Vanbeest Brown is Lucy's missing older brother Harry Bertram, though this is first surmised only by lawyer Glossin and Harry's loyal old protectress, the gypsy Meg Merrilies.

In a scuffle Brown/Bertram accidentally wounds Lucy's admirer Charles Hazelwood. All players shortly come together in a fiery ending so complicated that I had best leave its fun and denouements entirely to you.

Themes embedded in GUY MANNERING occur in other Walter Scott works as well: gypsies, inter-generational tensions, a missing heir, the role of cities and lawyers in accelerating the sunset of the "auld ways" of feudal Scotland, the virtual impossibility of a poor untitled man marrying a rich titled girl -- or vice versa. Once encountered, some of the characters can never be forgotten, notably Meg Merrilies, Dandie Dinmont and taciturn Dominie Sampson with his repeated exclamation of "pro-di-gi-ous!"

And we see old superstitions still holding sway a hundred or so country miles west of contrasting Edinburgh, with its immortal 50 year ascendancy in art, learning and science comparable only to eras of Periclean Athens and Medici Florence. -OOO-

There are some appalling cliches here - the mysterious gypsy, a lost infant (who turns up as a strapping handsome adult, but who still has the identifying talisman tied around his neck) - but my guess is that these weren't such cliches back in 1805 (so this predates Il Trovatore by a few decades). Even so I was completely taken with this, and found the last 100 pages to be very compelling reading, put down very reluctantly.

Scott's second novel Guy Mannering begins in the 1760s and concludes "near the end of the American war" in the early 1780s. Scott is deliberately vague about dates, as his focus in this novel is not on historical events or persons. The story begins with Guy Mannering's chance visit to Ellangowan the home of the Bertrams a noble Scottish family somewhat in decline. It is the night when Henry Bertram is born and Mannering an amateur astrologer sets out to make a chart of the boy's future. He is disturbed by the result however, and declines to reveal what he has foreseen, asking the family to wait five years before reading the prediction. Mannering leaves only to return some twenty years later to find that the fate of the Bertram family has become intimately connected with that of his own and that somehow, despite his own scepticism about his abilities as an astrologer, his predictions in an uncanny way have mirrored events.

Scott's skill as a storyteller is shown well in this novel. The story has a fast pace with lots of action and suspense. The major characters are confronted with the dangers of a lawless time, including murder, smuggling and abduction. Moreover, they must carry out their romances despite the disapproval of their parents. As is so often the case with Scott, much of the pleasure from reading the tale comes from the various minor characters he describes. Dominie Sampson is an unforgettable character hilariously awkward of speech and manner, constantly exclaiming "prodigious", but fiercely loyal to the Bertram family. Meg Merrilies, an unusually tall, mysterious gypsy fortune-teller, is likewise fascinating with her apparently supernatural ability to influence events. These and other characters, both the virtuous and the villainous, make the story continually interesting.

The best edition of Guy Mannering is that edited by P.D. Garside. This edition, based on the first edition and manuscript, provides the best possible text, restoring for the first time a large number of lost readings and indeed some quite extensive passages. It also has a full glossary, essential for understanding the Scots dialect and archaic words in the novel, and an extensive set of notes. Guy Mannering is a really enjoyable novel and good fun to read. It is also relatively straightforward and so would provide a good introduction to Scott's Waverley novels.

I read Walter Scott for atmosphere, for mood, for humor and characterization and perhaps most of all, to listen to his voice. Scott has an endearingly present narrative persona--he's that chatty, knowledgeable, and even slightly eccentric uncle, the one with all the hobbies and interests and entirely too many books, who seems to be a kind of expert on every subject. The best Scott novels tap into this feeling of cozy kinship and exploit it, and in the end this is often more important than the story proper.

More than many other Waverley novels, more than Waverley itself certainly, Scott's second novel, Guy Mannering (1815), excels at producing this complicated, friendly, peculiar narrative hodge-podge. There's a bit of everything here, from romantic scenery to sharp satire, from a bookish name-dropping to curse-muttering gypsies. There's smugglers and kidnappers, astrologers and cranks, the Scottish lowlands and the English lake district. Like all Scott, there's old and new joyfully intermingled--a birth mystery worthy of Tom Jones yet a good deal of what would become Treasure Island. More Gothic and less historical than Waverley, more fun than Heart of Midlothian, less forced than Ivanhoe, this novel was an unexpected treat. It remains underrated and understudied.

Consider that Scott dashed this novel out in six weeks, and you'll get some idea of both his own considerable talents and also the casualness, almost carelessness of its tone. Like all of his novels, Guy Mannering should be imbibed slowly, savored rather than gulped. Kudos to Penguin Classics for tapping into the Edinburgh Edition and providing us with a cheap, well-annotated text of this neglected classic!

Addendum: Someone asked me, so I thought I'd add: this is the novel featuring Dandy Dinmont, for whom the popular terrier is named.

This novel combines action, humor, unforgettable characters and intelligent writing. The author takes you into the landscape-you feel every bump in the road. A very accessible novel, considering Scott's other works. While I loved The Antiquarian, the Bride of Lammermoor, Waverly and Rob Roy, Guy Mannering is the best so far, with a plot that never falters and a few heroes that inspire admiration as well as inquiry. There is also little of the thick, unintelligible scot's dialect that can trip up the average reader. While Scott falls short on his female love interest,(she's only human) he excels in the character of the female lead, a brave gypsy filled with a sense of her own doom.
Please read Scott. He's good, and good for you.
Note to dog-lovers: the fun-loving Dandie Dinmont Terrier takes its name from this novel.

This is the only book I've found that makes programming Word understandable. The biggest stumbling block to programming in Word is not knowing what the terms are. I was very frustrated (as a programmer for 20+years) because there was no place to find what the elements were in a consistent fashion. Woody's book solved this! Projects that would take days (head scratching to figure out how to find what I needed)are now done in minutes. Only one problem with the book: WE NEED A WORD 97 VERSION!!!

This book is a must-have for anyone who REALLY knows Word back and forth and wants to tap into its power. It's NOT for people who use Word casually and/or only use its word-processing tool.

The only problems I have with this are as follows: The book was published in '94 and is very dated; people who don't know BASIC will have some trouble with learning WordBasic, which is the underlying program language of Word; and also the fact that 3.5" floppy in the back is IMPOSSIBLE to get out! It had to use sharp scissors and use them carefully.

However, if you don't have a problem with my above complaints, and you know Word inside and out, BUY THIS BOOK

As a professional software support technician specializing in Microsoft Office products, I've found Woody Leonhard's HACKER'S GUIDE TO WORD FOR WINDOWS (2nd Ed.) to be the single best book on Microsoft Word--period. While on the surface it is a guide to the WordBasic language, what it really is, is a look inside Microsoft Word, letting you see the nuts and bolts, the cogs and wheels--and the not-so-occasional glitch. My personal copy, sitting beside my pc as I type, is very battered and dog-eared, testimony to the hard use it has received over the past year. I can recommend it without reservation to anyone using Word, writing WordBasic macros, or just plain interested in what makes a word-processing program tick

This is quite possibly the single most useful computer book I have ever bought. My company bought the original first edition after I read the rave reviews in Byte and PC-Week. I was not disappointed.

The book paid for itself within two days. I solved nagging problems which had plagued my users for months, if not years.

This book is both an astonishingly good reference book (look up a problem in the index, and you'll likely find it points you to a page with step-by-step instructions on how to fix your exact problem) and one of the most entertaining books I've ever read. On any subject.

Woody is hilarious and irreverent. He makes what could have been dreadfully dry material into a very informative, VERY entertaining read.

I loved this book so much, I personally bought the second edition when it became available and I have recommended it to everyone I know who needs to support Word for a living

My experience with this book shows Amazon's strength. Having read the other reviews, I purchased this book, and found that it more than fulfilled my expectations. It has a simple way of doing pseudo-hypertext with Word. It tells what works, what doesn't, and what work-arounds to use to get Word to work for you.

Without Amazon.com, I would never have found this excellent resource among the dozens of books on Word and WordBasic. Highly recommended.

I covered racing in the late 60s and early 70s and watched Wendell Scott ply his trade against incredible odds as did, I must admit, drivers with skin color appreciably lighter than Wendell's. But never in my mind did I doubt the odds he faced and this instilled me with an admiration for the man I probably should have taken the time in the intervening years to express to him personally. I didn't and I regret it.

That said, Brian Donovan has captured the story of a unique warrior in the NASCAR wars and I have a two-word review to offer:

Buy it.

HARD DRIVING will open your eyes as to the many injustices suffered by Wendell Scott. You'll discover that many of these wrong doings were perpetrated by or overlooked by officials we have been programmed to believe always had clean hands. Mr. Scott's hands were virtually tied when it came to having anyone in the hierarchy of NASCAR fight for him. You'll also read about the many good guys in the sport who came to his aid. Many (Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, etc.) believed that he could have been a big star if only treated fairly. Read this great book both from a civil rights and humanistic perspective. I could not put it down!

Mr. Donovan has turned his reporter's eye on a dimly lit corner of the civil rights story and brought it to life. With superb story telling and exhaustive research, Mr. Donovan lays bare the racial hatred and bigotry rampant in the closed world of dirt track racing a generation ago. Jackie Robinson had it easy compared to the daunting wall of racist hatred faced by Wendell Scott. It's a true story that reads like a thriller. A story filled with the grit and determination of one man to overcome innumerable obstacles the only way he knew how--to win races. Its a factual account of a poor black man's rise from obscurity to the winner's circle set amidst the roar of engines and the dust of deeply racist Southern tracks. Through Donovan's voice, we get a whole new meaning of race in America.

I never knew or cared about race car driving (still think it's a waste of precious fuel), but when I was given this book to review, I couldn't put it down. It is the story of Wendell Scott, the courageous and remarkably dogged driver who broke NASCAR's color bar in 1952, and what it took out of him. It should be required reading for anyone of any color who appreciates the human spirit - and especially for teenagers who are too young to remember Jackie Robinson, and don't grasp what the Civil Rights Movement was all about. Read it, give it to your friends, your relatives, your kids' athletic coach. And make sure your library has a copy of the book. Richard Pryor starred in a fictionalized biofilm about Scott called "Greased Lightning" (1977).

Hard Driving is an apt title for the life story of Wendell Scott. Scott, an African American, was determined to race even though his efforts were thwarted by nearly every one involved in the racing industry of the 1950's and 1960's. The author follows Scotts travails from his youth in Danville, Virginia as a daredevil on bicycles and roller skates, through his brushes with the law as a bootleg whiskey runner, to his two decades running an unsponsored effort to race with the rapidly expanding organization NASCAR. Through his in-depth research, Donovan has put together the story of a black mans determination to do something he was very good at, despite the constant roadblocks put in his way. This book, like Scotts life, is inspiring, infuriating, and ultimately a heck of a ride.

"Remember, ghosts were people too" says Farwell and what a cast: frantically romantic lovers, dashing Edwardian gentlemen, poor pirates, southern belles, war heroes, war victims, and even--well, what other state would his ghost inhabit! --John Wayne...

What great stories!

For example: the story of the 19 year old boy who fell in love with a beautiful girl in the 1860's...she had not only the beauty but also the warmth of a diamond. He proposed, she declined, he shot himself...in a back room of the Texas Governor's Mansion. The boy was the governor's nephew; and shortly thereafter, the family was forced to flee because of the fall of the Confederacy. They simply shut the bedroom door on the blood, guts, fingers and toes. The mess remained until the next governor moved in. Witnesses say the poor spirit remains, still in love, still sobbing late in the night...

Cocktail-party-chatter-sized facts are also included: The average sighting is 15 seconds, ghosts usually have no sense of time, most ghosts are heard, felt, etc. but only rarely seen.

If you like a good story, you'll love Texas Haunted Vacations...Fun! You might not fall asleep so easily tonight, but who wants to sleep when spirits are walking the hallway and shaking the china...

this is the first book i ever purchased about ghost hunting exclusively in texas. i was impressed with the detail that the author included in her book. every bit of information that you need in order to conduct ghost hunting trips in Texas is included here. i have purchased a couple of books after this one that dealt with texas ghosts but they fall short of Haunted Texas Vacations.

This is a fun-to-read, informative book full of interesting ghost stories. It can be used for informative, historical reading or for pure enjoyment.

After reading "Haunted Texas Vacations," my husband and I set out on our own ghost hunts in San Antonio, Spring and Jefferson and, I'm happy to report, we were privileged to experience first-hand a couple of unexplained phenomena mentioned in Ms. Farwell's writings because we knew exactly where to look.

Please give us more, Ms. Farwell!

This was my first really good book on haunted places. Anyone who is interested in local (Texas) ghost stories just has to read this one. I am planning my vacation around some of these towns and I am very excited.

This book is so well written that it held my interest for hours and gave me quite a chill more than a couple of times. The way the author put Texas in sections made it even easier to find a particular area I was looking for. Although I was looking for San Antonio, I found there are all kinds of interesting places in between and beyond. I intend to eventually visit them all.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our haunted history or just a great ghost story.

This is a great book to take on a trip to add that extra worldly dimension to your vacation. The book divides Texas into six regions. Then the specific location is discussed there are key symbols to let you know about such things as "Ghostly Missions and Churches" or "Most Haunted Location." It includes such subjects as "What is a Ghost?", " Ghost Hunting", and "A ghost Hunter's Tool Kit."

A place that is eerie enough with out being haunted is the Monahans Sandhills state Park. When you get out the dunes they seem to go on forever. However I sounds like the ghosts are more interested in the "Visitors' center building".

"According to legend the visitors' center a Monahans Sandhills State Park is built on the sight of a nineteenth-center Comanche burial ground. In 1967, two boys digging neat the building unearthed a skeleton, lending credence to the ghost story."