Shaw Books

I highly recommndthis book. It has some really beatiful
photos in it of lighthouses from Maine. I would give it ten stars if I could. It's a lovely book.

This wonderful book is a very useful "field guide" to the lighthouses of Maine. Any visitor to the Maine coast should make a point of seeing these sentinels. Courtney Thompson's book has excellent photos, maps, and descriptions. I always take it along, actively seek out the local lighthouses, and make notes in the margins about the date I visited each location and my reaction to the light -- and the book has become a journal of my lighthouse visits.

I recently completed a vacation in Maine, and as a shameless lighthouse junkie I went in search of a book that would tell me all I needed to know as I set out on my journey. That is, where the lighthouses are, how to get there, the history behind the lights, interesting facts, and great pictures. Courtney Thompson's book provided all of that and much, much more. Well-written, beautifully constructed, amazingly informative. This book is easy enough to use that even the most casual lighthouse seeker will be satisfied, but detailed enough that individuals looking for something more substantial and in-depth will be impressed. From the history of lighthouses in general at the beginning of the book to the discussions and numerous photos of each light presented and the excellent tips on where to head to find each one throughout, the book is never less than comprehensive. It's easy to see how much effort went into the book. I had doubts when I went looking for a book that I'd find what I wanted, but this went well beyond any hopes I had. It's THE best lighthouse guide I've seen. I can't think of much I'd even do to make it better. This was my field guide as I drove through Maine, and the directions were always dead on. And not only directions, but maps, too! I knew where to turn to find the best view of the Cape Elizabeth light. Where to go to see the Cuckholds. What's that light I see as I head into Acadia? Egg Rock, of course! Okay, I know I'm gushing here, but this book is that good. So good, in fact, that I bought the companion volume for the Canadian Maritimes. If lighthouses are a passion for you, this book is an absolute must. It truly made my trip. I can't wait to go back, book in hand, and hunt down more of the lights I missed. Thank you, Courtney Thompson!!!

This book has an unbelievable amount of information for the lighthouse enthusiast. Each lighthouse of maine is given from one to three pages each, with up to 10 photos of each light, plus a map, brief history, directions how to get there, how to get a water view, etc. This is undoubtedly overkill for most people, but invaluable for the true enthusiast. My only gripe: the graphic design is uninspired, and most photos are only 2x3 or so. Perhaps fewer, larger photos would have been better.

This book is obviously for the enthusiast. Plenty of pictures but just as important, accurate directions on how to get there. It even identifies those no longer open to the public. I purchased it while on vacation in Maine and found it to be invaluable.

Even if you forget the specifics of the story of Mr. Shaw and his shoe store, one of my favorite books as a child in the 1970s, you will never forget its title. I don't remember what happened to my old, beat-up hardcover version. I think my parents sold it in a garage sale when I was 12. But it's one of those books I want to pass on to my daughters.

This book came to me in a bulk lot of old books. My copy has seen better days, but the story is enduring. Mr. Shaw is a wonderful character who values being his own boss. It is a triumph for small business and is also a great way to help explain to a child why their favorite store went out of business, which can be traumatic for any child. It is a fun read, aside from the "sh" factor, but just for kicks, when people visit and want to do something for my child, I give them this book to sit and read aloud! I wish this book would come up in a more general search. What a great find and a childhood treasure.

This was one of my favorite books as a child. I LOVED it. When my niece and nephew were down we read it again and again. They love it too - so now I'm getting it for them!!!

My son loves this book. I pulled it out of some of my old books and read it to him for the first time when he was about 3. We had to read it every night for at least a week. At first I struggled with all the esses but now I can read it smoothly. It has such a happy ending and Mr. Shaw is such a determined man.

As a child this was one of my favorite books. Later on, it became very important to me as a therapy aid for my speech therapy. The therapist also fell in love with the book and I offered her my copy. Now that I have a child of my own, the story is still as wonderful now as it was then!

There are few things that inspire me more than a true story of a child of God who is faithful in the face of success and apparent failure. I see the reality of this woman's walk with God to be the challenge and encouragement. The accounts of her passion, travels, and encounters challenge my perspective on missions. I don't believe I had a real grasp on missions until I read this book. The quotations of her own journals and other writings bring a special feeling of knowing Lilias by the end of the book. This is a book I highly encourage all believers to read.

As the premier art critic in Victorian England, John Ruskin was the arbiter of taste. In 1883 he revealed a hard-to-believe prejudice: "For a long time I used to say . . . that except in a graceful and minor way, women could not draw or paint." Ruskin then discounted this view, based on his reaction to the art of a young woman named Lilias Trotter: "I'm beginning lately to bow myself to the much more delightful conviction that no one else can" draw or paint.

In a 1960s book, RUSKIN TODAY, Sir Kenneth Clark mentioned Trotter as someone lost to history. But Clark hadn't turned over every leaf, as has biographer Miriam Rockness, who discovered Trotter through bequeathed volumes of her out-of-print illustrated books.

A bright, talented daughter of a prominent stockbroker in London, Lilias Trotter (1853-1928) was comfortable in the company of privilege. At age 21 she was among guests, including George MacDonald and Bishop Wilberforce, invited to a religious retreat, the forerunner of the Keswick Conferences.

Spiritually stirred by this and the preaching of Dwight Moody, Lilias grew discontent with the in-vogue "charity from a distance." For more than 10 years in London, she devotedly worked to help establish a hostel for working women, the forerunner of the YWCA.

During this time, while on vacation in Venice, her meddling mother asked Ruskin to look at Lilias's watercolor paintings --- a request that led to art lessons, weekend invitations, and extended conversations and correspondence between the Miss and the Master, who claimed she could be the greatest painter of her generation if she would "give herself up to art." To the dismay of many, Lilias turned her back on Ruskin's challenge: "I cannot give myself to painting in the way he means and continue still to 'seek first the Kingdom of God.' "

When Lilias was 35, this whole-spirited commitment dramatically "called" her to mission work in northern Africa. With two female colleagues --- none knowing Arabic, none robust enough to pass physicals required by established mission boards --- she sailed for Algeria, where she lived a life of saintly proportions until her death, at age 75.

Two-thirds of Rockness's biography delves into the Algerian years. Learning Arabic was the first of many challenges: Muslim resistance to a Christian message, French resistance to British interlopers, male resistance to a female witness. And yet under Trotter's leadership, the original missionary band and later recruits translated portions of scripture, distributed literature, befriended women and children, opened cafés for men, and hosted summer camps for nomadic families.

There are no imagined conversations in this book; there's no mistaking it for a novel. This is history, relying largely on journals, with some analysis and helpful foreshadowing. Ever aware of Lilias the artist, Rockness faithfully describes the palette of the desert so well that it's hard to distinguish Lilias the missionary from Lilias the artist.

In time Lilias envisioned a "new approach to Arab literature": writings that would speak to Algerians, instead of what Trotter called the "hitherto translated stories of Jacks & Bobs whose surroundings are as foreign to children of the east as their names" and finding an affordable means of color printing, so as to attract people who delighted in color. To meet these goals, Lilias wrote and illustrated nature parables that may soon be back in print, thanks to Rockness's persistence.

Some of the biography's most interesting material comes toward the end. In her last decade, Trotter won the respect of a group of Sufi (male) mystics. "The artist in her responded to the artist in the Sufis," notes Rockness. "Yet she never lost her spiritual focus." Confined to bed in the last two years, she wrote THE WAY OF THE SEVENFOLD SECRET, explaining to them seven "I Am" claims of Jesus --- as she managed what had become an extensive mission outreach.

Trotter's printed word and art can indeed inspire a new generation. But only those who knew her can appreciate "perhaps her most palpable legacy": her love. As an obituary noted, "No wonder that Catholics and Jews and Moslems, as well as Protestants, are mourning her loss, for love, in the end, wins love."

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

This book does indeed weave a challenging and interesting tale of a pioneeer missionary, who for the sake of the gospel left a comfortable and gracious victorian life for a life of sacrifice in the northern deserts of Africa, among Muslim tribemen.It is carefully crafted and includes some prints of Lilias' own artwork, which from what can be seen, is lovely.I wish a book could be devoted to more prints and more about Lilias' travels!

I am a voracious reader of non-fiction (particularly Christian non-fiction), but out of thousands of books I have read, this biography captivated me like no other. Perhaps because I am a writer and artist, I could identify with Lilias and her passions. Ultimately, however, this is a story of adventure, sacrifice, surrender and uncompromising dedication to Jesus Christ, all set against the exotic backdrop of Algeria. I can't wait to meet Lilias in heaven and tell her how she inspired me. Of course, I also look forward to meeting the authors someday because they brought Lilias to life. The narrative is as lovely as Lilias' art!

I just finished reading this book and was so impressed with the astonishing results this woman achieved because of her total surrender to God's plans. An accomplished young artist from an upper class Victorian family, she left the comforts of England and went into Algeria, a country inhabitated by Arabs who were mostly Muslim. It was a slow but steady start, because of language problems, government interference (because of suspicions about missionaries motives), and just the differences in the different ways of thinking and lifestyles of the Algerian people.

Lilias spent several decades of her life doing the "basics" in securing the beginnings of a life long ministry among a people hungry for deep spiritual lessons, but finding ways to do this required much patience, thought and forgiveness. And on top of all this, she is dealing with a new language, both spoken and written.

The majority of this book is taken from Lilias's copius journals, letters and writings where she kept records of what she was involved in day by day.

I learned a lot about what the foreign missionary effort entails, and especially when you're the first to go into an area with some brand new ideas where life is so different. But she won them over slowly with her love. As time went on, she had much help from other women and men who worked with her in this cause.

The last couple of decades her health was not good, but she just kept on plugging away, even writing from her bed the last two years.
She wrote some beautiful booklets that have profound lessons of faith and obedience in them. "Parables of the Cross" and "Parables of the Christ Life" are just two of them.

She gleaned such meaningful lessons from nature, things that the ordinary person would hardly think of. She could see great lessons from a grain of wheat, a peach, a bee, etc. She looked deeply into the whys and wherefores of the lessons that nature has to teach us.

Lilias really had a heart for these people and she felt that God gave her that heart and she was to do what she could as well as she could for as long as she could. She was true to that effort.

One thing I wished this book had was a map of the area that showed all the little towns and outposts that were mentioned in the book, and were developed over many years and many travels.
This book is a good read, even though you are dealing with some new words and another way of thinking. You will learn a lot and wish you had known this woman who was totally devoted to God.

i have always enjoyed lee falks hero the phantom. it is nice to see many writers views on this character. there are 17 short stories and i enjoyed every one of them. it is good to see even though lee falk is no longer with us,his hero is still kept alive. thank you.

The reason I bought this book is because I've long been a fan of the Phantom via its comic strip even since I could remember. I have to admit that I've been hooked to the Phantom as far as I know, and couldn't get enough of him! Oh, WOW!! I also hope to obtain more novels of the 'Ghost Who Walks'!!

An ok anthology this one. A limited resources type publisher, so it is a trade paperback sized book, but a cheapish one.

The story average here is 3.24, hampered by the fact that a couple of the entries are not up to professional writing standard. If they were, this would be close to your solid 3.5 book. As it is, I'll give it a bonus for the cover, and actually having a go at a superhero anthology, which is certainly worth something for fans of the Phantom.

The other thing is that some of the takes can see The Phantom as grim and humourless, and far more aggressively violent than the comic strip version - perhaps taking their cue from Moonstone comics work, which appears to be like that.

The best work here is at the end, barring Henderson, Murray and Oliveri.

Phantom Chronicles : 01 White Knight - Mike Bullock
Phantom Chronicles : 02 The Ghost Who Dies - Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
Phantom Chronicles : 03 Debt Of Honor - C. J. Henderson
Phantom Chronicles : 04 The Fastest Animal - Ron Fortier
Phantom Chronicles : 05 Truth Or Consequences - Jim Alexander
Phantom Chronicles : 06 Stranger From Walker's Table - Will Murray
Phantom Chronicles : 07 The Servants Of Set - Michael Oliveri
Phantom Chronicles : 08 Here There Everywhere - Nancy Kilpatrick
Phantom Chronicles : 09 Bad Medicine - Mike Bullock and Ed Rhodes
Phantom Chronicles : 10 House Of Ghosts - David Bishop
Phantom Chronicles : 11 The Promise - Grant Suave
Phantom Chronicles : 12 Not That Kind Of Girl - Trina Robbins
Phantom Chronicles : 13 Lessons Learned - Richard Dean Starr
Phantom Chronicles : 14 Reflection Of the Ghost - Dan Wickline
Phantom Chronicles : 15 A Ghost Without Yesterday - Dan Michelinie
Phantom Chronicles : 16 The Hungry Swamp - Martin Powell
Phantom Chronicles : 17 The Ghosts Who Walk - Craig Shaw Gardner

Rescuing Diana and her driver, from Aid robbers.

3 out of 5


The only female Phantom's son is jealous and goes for the doppelganger act.

2.5 out of 5


In a big surprise, The Ghost Who Walks breaks a pirate leader out of jail.

3.5 out of 5


The Phantom comes across Diana and a young assistant who have been attacked by Aid robbers.

3 out of 5


The Phantom is involves in an anti-ratzi castle spy operation.

3 out of 5


The sixteenth Phantom has some land pirates to deal with in the Old West.

3.5 out of 5


Pirate and cultist, a hard task for The Ghost Who Walks, with many hostages to rescue.

3.5 out of 5


The only female Phantom comes out of retirement for Jack the Ripper.

3.5 out of 5


The Phantom has to stop an athletic poisoner.

2 out of 5


A girl will be pleased to see the big purple variety that walks.

3 out of 5


A slaver ship to deal with, for the Phantom.

3.5 out of 5


An actress looking for work ends up as a stand-in goddess in a nazi Xenium plot.

3.5 out of 5


Another impostor tries to kill the Phantom, this time a hitman with honour.

4 out of 5


A dodgy German is dealing in super ammo, but a tough woman helps out The Phantom.

3.5 out of 5


The Ghost Who Walks comes to New Orleans, to help an old friend who runs an animal shelter.

4 out of 5


A trap is laid at an old hotel for the Phantom, but he does have help.

3.5 out of 5





3.5 out of 5

As a dyed in the (purple) wool Phantom fan, any collection of NEW Phantom prose is welcome. The quality of the 17 stories easily matches the comic book series published by Moonstone.

With a forward by Valerie Falk, contributions from Phantom scholars Ed Rhoades (consultant/artist/author), Will Murray (Doc Savage/Shadow) and accomplished authors David Michelinie, Mike Bullock, , C J Henderson, Ron Fortier, and Craig Shaw Gardner, the variety is outstanding. Disney artist extraordinaire Ruben Procopio's art is a good addition to the tales.

It's hard to pick out a favorite, but many capture the spirit of the Phantom very succinctly.

Can't wait for the 2nd volume.

Tim Lasiuta
www.moonstonebooks.com

These stories are bringing The Phantom back to life and doing it very well. There is one story I found to be a long stretch, but I'm not reviewing stories, but a volume of stories. In this volume the Deep Woods call, The Ghost Who Walks remains undying, justice prevails over the darkness of the world, and even when The Phantom seems helpless, he is just about ready to make his next move. A must for any Phantom fan! Quoth the Raven...

This is one of my favorite books and I often give it to friends. Each page depicts a work of art together with a famous quotation. The peace and quiet atmosphere of the book is attributable perhaps to its Quaker origins. A lovely and elegant work of art in itself.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to this book by a friend who gifted it to me. Now I keep a stock of these books to give whenever the moment is right. The juxtaposition of quotations and images is perfection. Whatever I'm feeling, I know that a read through "The Quiet Eye" will make me feel better.

I have had this book for many years and still return to it for the peace and gentle guidance that come from the carefully chosen quotations. The images complement the quotations in interesting ways and are lovely in and of themselves. This book makes a warm and thoughtful gift for someone whose happiness you truly care about--without spending a fortune, you'll be giving something very much worth keeping.

This small book is so beautiful that it passes into the word "sacred." It doesn't do it justice to describe it briefly as a small book with photos of works of art (painting, sculpture, etc) on one side of the page, and a small quote from scripture or poetry, etc on the facing page. Each pair of art/quote is placed before us so that it may be a portal to meditation and conversation with God. In a way, it is an experiential course in lectio divina. This book is presented from a Quaker perspective, but is, of course, relevant to all Christian (and, really, other) faiths. A collection of this sort could easily have been banal; this one is not. It is a very deep and beautiful collection. I highly recommend it to anyone. It also makes a great gift.

This small, short book is great to have around for odd moments when you need a little tranquillity and beauty. Emphasizes the peaceful and meditative in Western and a little bit of Eastern Art.

We borrowed this book from the library and we will put it on our Amazon.com wishlist in hopes of getting it for Christmas. My 3 year old daughter loves this book. The illustrations are beautiful and entertaining. It is well written. My daughter loved the language of the book and had most of it memorized by the third night and would ask for it by saying "Moon light June Night Just right for Raccoon night".

We are very selective about the books we purchase for our kids. If I'm going to be reading a book over and over, it has to be entertaining. This one made the cut.

My 2 year old loves this book as well as I. Fun to read over and over again.

Howard Fine illustrates an engaging and zany story of a family of raccoons by Nancy Shaw. The raccon family prowl the neighborhood making a ruckus until they find just the right dinner dish. The whimsical drawings and trash can antics of the raccoons will delight a wide audience and Raccoon Tune is a very highly recommended pick.

Being a fan of "Sheep In A Jeep" and all its sequels, I waited impatiently for "Raccoon Tune". It was well worth the wait! I read this one often as a bedtime story and my children (aged 10 and 6) are giggling every time. Of course Mom is right there in the thick of it too! The illustrations really make this book! I'll use this one at the Nature Center where I work with my Preschool Storytime crowd - they'll love it!

Andy is and awesome lady. I had the privilege of attending a seminar with her and her husband Charlie Peacock. Her book is a very good read. Every woman should be encouraged and uplifted by it.

Andi clearly presents the biblical view that extending to others that gift of care is a gift of grace. She validates that being called to caring is as valid a call to any other vocation. Hes helps me percieve that caring, however simple, can be a form of art. In our world of great cruelty and suffering real hospitality becomes the very opposite of cruelty. Cruelty is about one having power over others that debases others. Hospitality is about mutual sharing in an interpersonal atmosphere of respect, love and affirmation. Our worlds cries out for more real hospitality. I encourage peolple to read this book to gain a genuine uknderstanding of this grace called caring hospility.

Andi Ashworth's Real Love for Real Life is an excellent treatment of the Christian call to hospitality. Subtitled "the Art and Work of Caring," the book is of particular encouragement to those who are serving as caregivers on a full-time basis. In a world that pushes efficiency, speed and uniformity, Ashworth fights for the personal touch, for giving others our time and energy. Through her wonderful anecdotes, she helps readers to understand the importance giving of ourselves to create beauty and to make others welcome.

Ashworth helps readers to navigate the path of hospitality not entertainment and of true caring and not martyrdom. She doesn't sugar coat caring or pretend that each day will be wonderful and feel fulfilling. She is also careful not to overwhelm readers and spends time explaining that giving care does not mean always saying yes or seeing yourself as the only one capable of caring. She emphasizes the importance of making room in our busy lives to care for others well.

Real Love for Real Life was a call for me to glorify God in the details, not to impress people but to show them that I love them. It was a reminder that even if I don't always feel validated or encouraged for what I do as a full-time caregiver, I'm valuable and my work is of tremendous importance. I'd recommend this to any Christian woman, single or married, stay at home or working. It will be a tremendous encouragement to you.

One afternoon while browsing around various websites, I landed on Charlie Peacock's site for a bit. While there, I discovered Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring written by his wife, Andi Ashworth. Intrigued by the title and idea, I placed an order for the book.

Andi begins by calling the work of caregiving a "misunderstood art." She says, "Full-time caregiving in its many forms can be difficult to describe in the usual introductory conversations when people ask the question, 'What do you do?' Most caregivers are at a loss to know how to answer. We know we're exhausted at the end of a day, but knowing how to explain the exact nature of our work is baffling. The work is varied, and each new day or season brings with it a different set of needs."

When I actually picked the book up and started reading it, I think I'd only read about three pages before I put it down, crying. I vividly remember saying out loud, "Okay, that's all the validation I can handle in one sitting, thank you!" It's not that I don't see the importance or value of what I do, or even necessarily that I need someone to say it all the time. But at the moment that I began reading her words of encouragement, I realized then that I really needed to hear them.

Andi goes on to say, "This idea [of success being equal to wealth or recognition] is so deeply ingrained in our thinking that people who are quietly and faithfully caring for one life at a time behind the scenes wonder if anyone considers the work of their hands and heart to be of value."

I've always viewed my role at home to be my calling. I'm supposed to be here with my girls. I'm supposed to take care of my family's daily needs. I'm supposed to, I want to, and, for the most part, I enjoy what I do. But not until I read this book, did I really consider that making an occasional meal for our church's benevolence freezer or hosting our annual "White Trash Super Bowl Party" or inviting over all of our friends without families in town to share a holiday meal with us were also aspects of my calling.

I had never before considered that spending hours painting giant flowers on my girls' bedroom wall might possibly matter in the grand scheme of things, but Andi reminded me that "we were created to love the beautiful," and "since we have been made in the image of God, the Creator of all the diversity and beauty in the universe, part of our image-bearing capacity is to create. We have an inner urge to do so."

Andi is quick to recognize the various seasons of life and their conduciveness (or lack thereof) to meeting extra needs. She talks about how different the needs are in a family with small children and newborns, as opposed to a family with older kids. The need to give care is still present, but the application is so drastically different.

There have been many times I've felt guilty for not being able to say yes to someone or something because I didn't feel I had the capacity to care adequately for the situation due to the stage of life of my family. Andi's words gave me the freedom to relax in my calling, my gifting, and my season.

Andi has written a call to arms. Let's not talk about "caring" and relegate it simply to the care of the elderly and emptying bedpans. This is a plea for us - no matter gender or age - to rise up and care for each other. The world would be a better place if this primer to living was read by all. Heartily recommended.

Rockin the Rockpile is a fantastic piece of work covering the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, 1960-1969. Author Jeff Miller has packed it all in here, game summaries, oral histories, and a fantastic narrative that leads the reader through the formation of the AFL in 1959, and the following 10 seasons. Great detail in the game summaries/recaps, and wonderful insight into the inner-workings of the team from the players themselves. Rockin the Rockpile is a must-read for AFL fans, regardless of what team they call their own.

Great book with amazing information and very well written. Extremely interesting to read and just be able to open it to any page and read some very unique information.

Great to remember those years at War Memorial. Could almost taste the Genesee long necks. Enjoyed the recaps of each and every game. Would have liked to see more pictures of the stadium itself however.

Incredibly detailed book, evoking fond memories of a football era gone by. A must for all football fans, especially AFL/Buffalo Bills fans.

As one of the worlds biggest Buffalo Sports Memorabilia Collectors I was very excited to see this book come out. While filled with great stories and tales of the old AFL and a veritable who's who of old Bills interviews I was disappointed to find very little in terms of memorabilia (programs, ticket stubs, pennants, bobble heads, gum cards, jerseys, helmets etc. etc.) displayed. I think a color center spread of all the old items mentioned above would have added to this book tremendously. Also, for a book that centered on War Memorial Stadium (The Rockpile), there's only one aerial picture of it. Some different views of that great old place would have been nice. Still the book is a great addition to a Bills fans collection and a very worthy effort. To the author: Please contact me if you decide to do another book on the Bills or even the Sabres, Braves or Bisons for that matter as my entire collection would be at your disposal. John B.

Excellent novel that takes the reader past the news headlines into the real life saga of the Palestinians, the heart of the Middle East conflict. Told in a way that is rarely offered in American literature and providing balance to the sometimes one-sided portrayal of the emotion-packed Middle East conflict. I loved it! Ray Hanania

While this novel is fiction, its author paints a picture of the Arab Israeli conflict that is immediately credible and fascinating to behold. His knowledge of history, geography, and psychology translates into pages of a book that captivates the reader from beginning to end.
Here is the story of an American torn between his love for his family in Palestine and his family in the United States. This is a novel about a people fighting for a home of its own.
This book should be required reading in every school, college, and university where students need to learn the true story of the Palestinian people. Americans need to know why we have violence in the Middle East, why people live in poverty and desperation because they have no home.

While it provides an easy and enjoyable read, Scattered Like Seeds is, at the same time, a thought-provoking work replete with contradictions and lessons about the power of space and place.

This historical novel evokes two emerging themes based on contradictory relationships, namely the immigrant's attachment to both the native country and the adopted country and, more importantly, the post World War II displacement of people from their homeland and the associated combination of cultural tension and understanding that is epitomized by the main character, Thafer.

The author's skillfully depicted narrative also points to a sense of powerlessness and isolation that is at the core of a displaced people's existence-a cataclysmic experience that forever touches the Palestinian immigrant's identity as he grapples with emergent contradictions of human emotions -- love, respect and patriotism-through the insightful prism of history, geography and culture.

One would also add that this book is about very relationships--both professional and personal-- in an area of the world that has long been overlooked. The events of September 11, 2001 awakened us to a new reality. It is time to revert our attention and begin to garner knowledge of our shared collective human experience with the peoples of the Middle East. Toward that effort, this book would be a premier introduction. I recommend it highly for both the general readership and for the classroom. It is a first-rate text promoting cultural understanding and much needed discussion about the intricacies of our changing global community.

I picked up this book by chance and could not put it down. The author writes about the on-going strife between Israel and the Palestinians over the past several decades, always optimistic that sooner or later, they will resolve their issues and make peace. And reading this book right after the September 01 tragedies shows how his optimism was unfortunately incorrect. But I learned so much more about the region and the conflicts while enjoying a very human family drama at the same time.

"Scattered Like Seeds" is a touching and moving historical novel of a successful Palestinian- American lawyer whose heart is torn between love for his native land of Palestine and his adopted land, the United States. Any first- or second- generation American with feeling for his or her own roots will identify with Thafer Allam as he returns to the Middle East to become Chief Consul for the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC). This book will appeal alike to lovers of human interest stories and history. Using Daniel C. Dillers's "The Middle East", Simha Flapan's "The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities", and Mohamed Heikel's "The Road to Ramadan" as sources, the book presents the little- known Arab side of the 1973 war and oil embargo.

Irwin Shaw was one of the best writers of short stories in the history of American literature. ( He was, incidentally, my father's classmate and acquaintance). His work has unfortunately not received enough attention in the 20+ years since his death. His clarity and the unobtrusiveness of his way of storytelling are examples of the best sort of writing.

The University of Chicago press should be thanked for making this collection of his stories so easily available. Some, especially earlier productions like Girls in Their Summer Dresses and The Monument, will ( or should ) be read as long as American literature remains a serious subject.

A poor man's Cheever, Irwin Shaw was a man of his times, and his writing reflects the issues faced by the "common man" from the 1930s through the 1970s. He reminds us that not everybody in America was rich and ennui-infected. "The Eighty-Yard Run" is his classic study of the effects of the Depression on one man's marriage and his sense of self. "Sailor Off the Bremen" depicts a brutal act of vengence committed under the guise of political activism, "The Passion of Lance Corporal Hawkins" shows us an equally violent incident in the birth of Israel, "Main Currents of American Thought" looks at a hack writer in the age of radio, and "Act of Faith" is an optimistic if cautious affirmation of American values. "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses," with its breezy prediction of a new husband's sad and faithless future, was said to have been John F. Kennedy's favorite short story. Shaw's words have a masculine beauty to them, while his plots are precise and honed.

I whole-heartedly agree with the first reviewer of this book - Irwin Shaw was one of the best (if not THE best) American storyteller(s) of the 20th century. Beautiful prose, great characters, lots of emotion - his books just seem to sparkle with life.

This wonderful collection of short stories - written between the 1930's and the 1980's - will leave you with even deeper admiration of his writing skills if all you've ever read of Mr. Shaw is "Rich Man, Poor Man" (which is an equally great novel).

Irwin Shaw's best work is found in this collection of short stories. From the "Girls in their pretty dresses" to "God was here but he left early," the reader is allowed to meander through the best short fiction of this century save John O'hara.

Why have we forgotten this guy? "The Eighty Yard Run" is the greatest short story ever written! And that's just one of the many wonderful stories in this big volume. To think that it's out of print is almost criminal. John F. Kennedy was a fan of Irwin Shaw and you should be, too! Irwin Shaw wrote "Rich Man, Poor Man," which became one of the first TV mini-series back around 1976 or 1977. It was the series that gave Nick Nolte his first break. Along with John O'Hara and John Cheever, Irwin Shaw is one of America's greatest story tellers. The stories in this volume deserve to be put back into circulation!