Scott Books

My five star rating comes with a single caveat: I don't believe this book, or any discussion of slavery, is appropriate for fourth graders, as has been suggested. This is a really well-done book, but despite the fact that it is a picture book, I feel it is better suited to grades 6-8, perhaps the occasional mature 5th grader. The topic is a painful one, especially if you are talking to large numbers of African-American children whose far-back families may well have lived in the quarters (kids like my history students). The thing I love about this book is that it doesn't try to present the slaves as essentially happy and festive, which is how they were depicted when I was growing up in the '60s. Instead, it is understood that they endure their position only because it is strategically the wrong moment to rise up and resist; you don't get the feeling these folks would really mind seeing the owners drop dead in their Christmas feast, but it isn't possible to make that happen right now, so they make the best of a bad situation, but only for the moment. The cluelessness of the white owners is beautifully rendered. That said, if you are shopping for a Christmas book to read with your young child at Christmas time to get that glowing, good-all-over feeling, this isn't the book you are looking for. Save this one for a serious discussion of slavery and the American Civil War.

This book describes the customs, recipes, poems, and songs used to celebrate Christmas in the big plantation houses and in the slave quarters just before the Civil War. I was filled with great trepidation after seeing the cover of this book. It was a relief to me to find that, fortunately, the text was respectful and historically accurate. But observe, as I did, this cover. We know, after reading the book, that this picture symbolizes the rare moment when the slaves were invited into the "Big House", or home of the white slave owners, to view the Christmas trimming. Yet it cuts too closely to the ancient inaccurate image of plantation owners and their "happy" slaves (ala Gone With the Wind) for the casual person browsing this cover. The back cover does little to alleviate this fear, showing a scene of black children skipping merrily with a white child. Inside, however, the authors deal deftly with the subject. Making it very very clear that certain positive traits exhibited by the slave owners during Christmas towards their slaves were the exception and not the rule, the book gives carefully annotated scenes from the lives of white plantation owners and slaves. The pictures accompanying the text are, most times, beautifully presented. There is a shot of a bonfire that is one of the most impressive drawings I've ever seen of fire. Unfortunately, some of the models for these pictures undoubtedly suffered from hair circa 1994, since it is obviously permed to perfection in a couple scenes. Please note that the authors have a keen sense of irony that plays well. After hearing the slaves sing a song that is code for someone escaping to freedom, the plantation owner's daughter writes in her diary that the day has ended with, "the sweet sound of a happy, contented slave singing a carol". This point is not elaborated on, and is exquisite in its simplicity. The endnotes found in the back of the book, annotated per page, are excellently done. This book is a valuable part of any collection, and would read best to children a little older. Kids who read this book on their own may not catch all the references and points that the book brings up. This would pair well with Mildred Taylor's "The Well", as a before and after to the Civil War.

This beautifully illustrated Christmas story explains the origins of many African-American Christmas traditions.

This is quite a fascinating book. Like another reviewer here, when I received this work I groaned inwardly, particularly when I noted the cover. I should have listened to the old saying "never judge a book by it's cover." This hold very true with this work. The book is the story of and a comparison of Christmas in the old south and how the folks in the "Big House" celebrated in contrast with the folks in the slave quarters. I found this work to bee extremely historically accurate. Social issues are meet head on with little or no surgar coating. The art work in this book is worth many more times the price of the book. It is truely well done. The only critical thing I might have to say here is that everything was depicted as rather clean and neat, a little too perfect. This includes the white owners living quarters and dress along with those of the slave. Things just were not that nice in those days. Other than that, I felt this was a very, very good work. I did enjoy the various recipes, discriptions of customs and songs. All in all, recommend this one highly.

If you had a jar of cookies you wouldn't want to eat them all in one day! This book requires patient study over a longer period of time. I would suggest that you aquire other important books in the Tibetan tradition to cross reference this book and to offer more substantiative exegesis. This book is a must for anyone following the non-sectarian path. JB

I personally found this book to be very helpful in dispelling my own ignorance in many aspects of Dharma.
Sakya Pandita's straight forward teaching gives clear and precise view on practices of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sakya Pandita was one of five legendary founders of Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He is highly recognized by all 4 schools of Tibetan Buddhssm, and he was an emanation of Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri.
Sakya Pandita clearly points of many traps that an ignorant practitioner can get into without understanding of all the aspects of Dharma and the consequences of breacing the vows even due to the simple unawareness.
Sakya Pandita's teaching is like a clear and powerful light and should be studied by all, interested in Dharma.
In this book,Sakya Pandita explains how an ordinary practitioner can really breach all of his vows and connections with Dharma by misinterpretting its meaning. He clearly warns of danger of teaching Dharma by unqualified person, he clarifies all possible confusions about 3 vehicles of Dharma and honestly warns us to humbly study Dharma without creating any false fabrications in our own minds...
Sakya Pandita points that with many benefits of practicing Dharma, comes the great responsibility. And if we will not become aware of those, we can easily slide into many traps of our own ego and grow in huge, and create even more ignorance than before by feeding it our own misinterpretation of Dharma.
Even now, after many centuries, this teaching was given by this great Teacher, the hair on my body stands as I read his clear and meaningful instructions.
It is sort of like a father instructs his children on how to avoid all possible dangers and traps while travelling by foot at night in the mountains...
The least we can do for ourselves now, that we are attempting to understand deep meaing of the Tibetan Buddhism is to simply read this book and try to comprehend its meaning.

This book is the first English translation of the "sDom gsum rab dbye"--one of the most famous and controversial doctrinal treatises of Tibetan Buddhism written by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen (1182 - 1251), a founder of the Sakya school and one of the Tibet's most learned sages

The author discusses the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Tantric vows of Buddhist conduct, which often diverge and contradict each other. He also points out how later practitioners of almost every lineage (including the Kadampa, Kagyupa and Nyingmapa) for contradicting the original teachings of their own traditions.

A very good book which provides much food for thought. Anyone contemplating on the Tibetan Buddhism path should read this first.

This book is the first English translation of the "sDom gsum rab dbye"--one of the most famous and controversial doctrinal treatises of Tibetan Buddhism written by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen (1182 - 1251), a founder of the Sakya school and one of the Tibet's most learned sages

The author discusses the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Tantric vows of Buddhist conduct, which often diverge and contradict each other. He also points out how later practitioners of almost every lineage (including the Kadampa, Kagyupa and Nyingmapa) for contradicting the original teachings of their own traditions.

A very good book which provides much food for thought. Anyone contemplating on the Tibetan Buddhism path should read this first.

I ordered this book to help trouble shoot starting problems I was having with the bike. It gave me very precise instructions, and easy to follow illustrations.

I was able to find and fix the problem in no time. I recommend it if you have this bike.

Shima.

Great packaging, fast shipping, and really was brand new with the correct item sent! Would buy from again!

Top quality routine maintenance and repair manual. The pictures with the text and the step by step format is a home mechanic's "right hand" tech manual.

This is just one of many Clymer manuals I've had over many years. Always top shelf material.

Having a slightly flakey Honda Rebel it became very important to me to be able to find my way around the bike. This manual is extremely informative and extremely accurate. It does detail just about everything you need to know.

However for a relative neophyte such as myself it has some significant deficiencies:
1) The photographs are black and white and quite low contrast, you cannot always quite see what they are pointing at and thus finding it on the bike is tough
2) I think these manuals are designed for a motorcycle repair shop, they often assume too much. 'Quickly check the compression before reseting the timing' is not detailed enough for someone that is proud he found the ignition switch ...
3) They were only half updated for the newer model. The 199x model rebels are different to the older ones but all the differences are contained in a seperate chapter

As I say, I don't think there is anything any better ... but this manual will be a little intimidating for a newbie ...

When you want to know about baseball in its most fundamental and basic form... Ripken is the name you turn to. Easy to read and understand. Every Dad struggling to instruct a child or team can feel safe to turn to Cal Ripken Jr. This book coupled with his previous book are perfect source documents to increase your baseball IQ. I highly recommend this book.

An excellant book for new and experienced coaches. Full of great drills, practice plans, and advice on how to motivate your players. There is even a section on dealing with parents, a very useful section if you want to enjoy coaching for a number of years.

The drills and practice sections are broken down by age group, not many books do this. The Ripkens stress teaching the fundamentals which is missing in todays high profile sports. They cover it all: hitting, pitching (Cal used to be a pitcher), fielding, time management, game situations, etc...

A must read for coaches who want to succeed!

I bought this book to help with specific tips for coaching my daughter's softball team. Although softball pitching is not covered (after all, this is a bok on coaching baseball) the book provides a multitude of teaching points for teaching kids of all age groups. Although there is some overlap, I would strongly suggest purchasing Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals also. That title breaks down the necessary skills by age groups and provides a series of drills that can be brought right to the diamond. Both of these books seek to instill the Ripken Way - a philosophy of how to approach youth sports (with obvious emphasis on baseball) with a focus on making the game fun for the kids, while teaching the fundamentals.

Very well written book on coaching baseball for all ages. I read this book to get more informed on how to coach 5-6 year old T-Ball. This book provided a very good framework for this age group. Many well timed photographs used to describe practice drills.

Table of contents

Part 1
1 Responsibilities of Coaching
2 Realities of Coaching
3 Reasonable Expectations
4 Baseball Practice Basics

Part 2
5 Hitting and Baserunning Drills
6 Throwing and Pitching Drills
7 Fielding drills

Part 3
Practice Planner
8 Practice Particulars for Ages 4 to 6
9 Practice Particulars for Ages 7 to 9
10 Practice Particulars for Ages 10 to 12
11 Practice particulars for Ages 13 to 14
12 Practice Particulars for Ages 15+

Favorite parts of the book:

Page 6
As coaches, we need to be able to cater to the needs of the kid who can't catch one ball and still make baseball fun and exciting for the kid who can. It's a difficult balance but one that's important to understand at all levels.

This book shines with an exquisite simplicity and straightforwardness. The authors' knowledge in using colors will enhance and bring passion to any relationship. Gloria Van Dam, R.N., BSCN.

This book shines with an exquisite simplicity and straightforwardness. The authors' knowledge in using colors will enhance and bring passion to any relationship. Gloria Van Dam, R.N., BSCN.

This book made me take a critical look at my underwear! I became aware that the colour of your undies has an effect on the mood you exude! Gone were the white comfy cotton knickers and sensible sports bra if I wanted to send out a beckoning message to the opposite sex! Not only that, what you wear is what you feel. If you want to feel sexy, this book is a must read before you do anything else!

This book really opened my eyes and my awareness for betterromantic strategies. I loved the "MASTER STROKES" chapterwhich gives the reader great new ideas for color, sex and clothing toset the scene for a successful romance.

After many, many years of studying and trading the commodities markets, I have come to recognize Scott Barrie as the leading authority on market cycles and seasonal tendencies. There really is no better source in the trading world for this kind of information than the traders almanac, and the kind of inherent value possessed by this easy-to-follow and remarkably expansive collection of market data is rare in the industry. I cannot even fathom the amount of time and expense which it would take for me to compile this kind of knowledge on my own, so I consider the almanac to be an extraordinary value to myself as well as my associates.

All too often, the wide array of trading paraphrenalia pushed onto the market is "all hat and no cattle". The Trader's Almanac is "all cattle"- this is the kind of information that can make a real difference in a trader's bottom line. The dog-eared and well-worn pages of my 'nearly retired' 2006 grain trader's almanac have about had it, but I'm already laying the groundwork for a successful 2007 with a little help from this new expanded edition.

The one most single thing that makes trading commodities exciting is the fact that they are so seasonal in nature. Think about it, commodities are basically consumable items, such as corn, wheat, beans, gold, and silver. These items are consumable items, and have a very seasonal nature to them. Take wheat for example, we plant it at the same time each year, we harvest it at the same time each year, its open to damage at the same time each year, we take it to market and have storage fees all at the same time each year. This book, The Commodity Trader's Almanac, is the key to being able to take advantage of these trading strategies. Due to these seasonal reoccuring price patterns, we have the ability to profit from such moves each and every year, as markets repeat themselves time and time again. You don't find this type of characteristics with Stocks, you can't do this with Forex, its all about commodities, and this amazing book brings that information out and available to the average trader, information that's only been available to the professional hedge fund traders until now.

I highly recommend this book, I wouldn't even think about trying to trade the commodity markets without it.

Lan H. Turner, CEO
Gecko Software, Inc.
[...]

As a floor trader we are always looking for that "edge" that keeps us ahead of the crowd. I have always used Scott's other works when trading the Ag markets. Now I have that edge for all the markets I trade. This is one of the most useful and concise books on seasonals and fundies I have ever bought!

I traded commodities in the 1990's. I have always complained that there is, "no central source for commodity fundamentals!" I found this publication through the recommendation of a highly regarded (and profitable) futures trader I know. I was delightfully surprised to find that it has everything I have ever wanted but never had on commodity fundamentals!

IF YOU PLAN ON TRADING COMMODITIES YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK ON YOUR DESK!

-Dr. Scott Brown, PhD, a.k.a. "The Wallet Doctor"

this was in great condition and my daughter loved it would work with this seller again

First of all, my favorite person EVER is Corbin Bleu. I mean,he has mad skills! This book is my favorite! When I was on his website, I realized that Corbin Bleu: Up Close, had come out without me knowing. I had been waiting FOREVER to buy this book! I rated it a 5. Do the same. Corbin loves us all.

If you haven't heard of Corbin Bleu, I'm guessing you're either older than 132, or you've been living in a cave high up in the Rocky Mountains, where satellite reception isn't all that great. For those few human beings who don't know who Corbin is, I recommend picking up a copy of CORBIN BLEU: UP CLOSE, which will give you all the pertinent facts.

I first saw Corbin, a 17-year old actor, on the Discovery Kids show Flight 29 Down, Vol. 1. Although I didn't follow the show every week, I was always impressed by the acting and storyline. In a nutshell, it's a lot like the television show Lost - The Complete First Season, but for the teen and pre-teen set. Not long after that, though, I saw Corbin in High School Musical (Encore Edition), which, without a doubt, is one of my favorite movies.

What I didn't know about Corbin, though, was that I'd also seen him in a number of big-screen movies, without even knowing it! Corbin had parts in Mystery Men, Galaxy Quest, and Catch That Kid, all of which I've seen. In the case of Galaxy Quest, I've probably seen it way too many times!

Whether a die-hard Corbin fan or someone who is just discovering this talented teen actor for the first time, CORBIN BLEU: UP CLOSE is a great resource. Filled with pictures from Corbin's family photo album, shots from the different television and movie sets he's been on, and candid snapshots, you'll be happy to see how this actor has grown. The book also contains a rather detailed biography, how Corbin started out in modeling and commercials, and about his shift to television and movie acting.

If you're interested in learning more about this very talented actor, you won't go wrong by picking up a copy of this reference guide. We also get a peek into Corbin's upcoming projects, which include High School Musical 2, the Disney Channel original movie Jump In!, a music CD, and college.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

I love this book i learned so much about him and the pictures are nice to .

Although out of print and somewhat out of date, this book still offers some helpful hints for Corel users. The section on perspective and fountain fills is good for reference. If you see this one out on the discount table, grab it!

I loved this book and read it from cover to cover. It's hard to find the time to try out every project but they all seem really worthwhile and I've referred to some of the hints/tips when I'm starting one of my own projects and know that a particular end-result can be achieved, if only I could remember how. This is not really a reference book however - more of a cookbook. Beautifullly illustrated and clearly explained. One of the best 'how-to' computer graphics books I've ever used.

This is the perfect book for anyone looking for the hidden trick to using Corel Draw. Clear examples with full color illustrations showing step by step the tricks to making stunning vector illustrations. The introduction alone has saved me hours of time and money in wasted printing simply by understanding the tricks to calculating blends and fountian fills. I don't start a new project without refering to this book just to make sure I'm using the most effecient method to creating a desired special effect. I only wish a book like this was made for Corel PhotoPaint

I purchased this book on my own (was using 6 then); got so frustrated that I quit half way through. Am now taking a course on 7 and using this as text. Thank goodness my instructor has rewritten the directions for those exercises used. When I try to go ahead on my own, it is extremely confusing.

I love working with crystals and this book has shown me how best to utilize their healing capabilities. I especially like the layout sketches in this book. It took nearly six weeks to get the book, but it is well worth the wait.

I stumbled upon this book on a trip to Lily Dale, New York. The ideas about crystal healing for animals are a natural extension of my learning about the same for people. I'm anxious to try crystal essences, and enjoy reading about crystals for specific conditions. Our animals deserve this type of energetic healing without the side effects of medications.

We have dogs that are of different ages 1,3, and 8. This book helps pick out certain stones for particular ailments, behaviors, and protection of self. Would recommend this if you are getting the Reiki for pets.

Well written, and a very good book with lots of information however a basic understanding of crystal medicine is necessary.

This book was so helpful. I love it, and use it all the time. It lists many problems with animals and the gemstones and crystals to use in their healing. I would recommend this one by far!

I have bought & tried several D'Nealian handwriting books with my son and this one is BY FAR the best I've seen! It doesn't just have letters to trace & practice like the other books, it also works on other skills. It starts off by showing pictures of children sitting correctly in their seats, how to hold your paper & pencil, etc. The book provides various exercises to work on good penmanship, including circling letters in a paragraph that are formed incorrectly. Later, they edit their own writing. Since trying this one, I've bought the 2nd grade level book for next year (which introduces cursive gradually) and the K book for my daughter...I wanted to be sure to have them on hand!

This book is wonderful for someone who has not written in D'Nealian before because it does not proceed alphabetically. It builds off of each letter. For example, the letter "d" follows the letter "a" because the motions are almost the same and the child can build the words "add" and "dad" in the second lesson. Very well thought out.

Once I found out what book my son was using in school. I had to purchase for home. Since the teaching of printed letters has changed since I was in school. I figured it was time for me to learn all over myself. So I purchased the Independent practice book/1. This way I was learning as well as my son. I found once I knew how to print, I then could help him a great deal more. Thanx D'Nealian Books

This is an excellent practice book with well-spaced lines, clear starting points, and easy-to-follow samples.