Shepard Books

my son received this book from his second grade teacher in 1981. i have 2 younger sons and we must have read this book a thousand times. at nite, while waiting for the school bus, and in-between. i had it memorized. now i want it for my granddaughter and cannot believe that it is no longer being published. and it is not in the library. what a crime to not have this book available.

This book is a tongue-twisting, ham-it-up with funny voices and sound effects, must for anyone who reads to children. The words themselves roll from the tongue in sheer joy; and although there may be deeper messages in the book, it's just plain fun to read. I've seldom found a book I enjoyed reading out loud more than this one, and I can't wait to read it to my granddaughter!

The book that I received was just like I thought it would be. I am very statisfied with this purchase.

This might be my favorite book of all time. Definitely at the top of the list when it comes to things I was exposed to before my 7th birthday. I keep mine on my bookshelf even here at college. It's a great story and I have never gotten tired of reading it.

This is a delightful book that children love. I have used this book as presents for children who have loved and read and read this book. I will continure to share this book because it is so wonderful.

Romaine Patterson has a nice way with an anecdote, though the book might be just a little too much about her own peregrinations for most readers. Her story would be an interesting one even if she had never met the young Matthew Shepard at school, but there's still way too much of it. She and her girlfriends have bigger and better breakups and makeups than most people have hot meals, and each time she meets a new girl it's almost like a little gift from heaven. She's adorable in her own way, but the tangles of her family life (she is one of seemingly dozens of siblings, all of them pretty much interchangeable except for Michael, who dies of AIDS early on in the narrative) are complications to a courageously simple life. I kept thinking, if only Kelly Clarkson could act, she would be the perfect one to play Romaine in a movie. (Unfortunately for her, she was played by none other than Christina Ricci, the poison dwarf, in the film version of THE LAEAMIE PROJECT. Ricci went on to act out some of Romaine's personality crises in a subsequent project, MONSTER, in which she played the love interest of Aileen Wuornos.)

She has been criticized for detailing Matthew Shepard's peccadillos in a matter of fact way. One does come away from this book not liking him much, though Romaine reports an astonishing turnaround in his final months. But before that, the drug use, the torpor, the way he spent money like water then mooched from working class friends, nothing was attractive about him. Did the rape in Morocco ever really occur? From Romaine's tone you get the hint that perhaps it was, not a fantasy of Matt's, but maybe an alibi? Nevertheless when she hears about his attack in Laramie, she rushes to his side, and when the trial begins and Judy Shepard is pestered by Fred Phelps and his band of insane rightwing creeps, Romaine comes up with a once in a lifetime plan to separate them from Judy by playing angels in huge dress up costumes, which catches the eye of the network news and becomes one of the most telegenic displays of our age.

Patterson also is able to diagnose what upset us about Matt's murder is a simple, yet logical way. "The brutality of his murder," she explains, "brought people together in an unprecedented way, and once they saw that they were united in their shock, they realized it might be possible to do something about it, to stop it from ever happening again." God bless her and the angels who, unrelenting, work night and day in invisible ways to one day rid our beautiful land of hate.

I didn't know who Romaine Patterson was until very recently and I didn't see the Laramie Project or anything. When "The Whole World was Watching"; I wasn't. I heard Derek and Romaine (Sirius OutQ 106) on the radio first. I knew about Mathew Sheppard, but didn't know much about it and certainly didn't know Romaine at all.
SO - I found the book interesting on many levels. Romaine seems extremely earnest and honest in this book about herself, her family, Matt - everyone; no B.S., but that's her personality; she'll tell you like it is. Romaine's self reflection throughout the book is really captivating, maybe even now still having to explain her motivations to be in the media. Also, the book forces the reader to ask his or herself, "What would I have done?" Was it youthful idealism or naiveté or somehow was Romaine prepared for this `role' through her unusual wonderful family dynamic, own self possession and survival skills? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you really do realize that Romaine could have been me and Matt could have been my friend. As big a story as it became and as much as Matt is now a symbol of 'hate crime victim'; he was still a friend, a son and a brother - an ordinary person as beautiful and flawed as me or you. And Romaine was a good friend; a brave friend with interesting growing up stories of her own. Read the book.

I received the book today and could not put it down. It really helped me understand the "real" story in Romaine's eyes and life. Thank you for bringing your story to mainstream. You are the best!

Matthew Shepard is looked upon as part of a context. The technique is really very interesting. For one would think that Matthew's story would be narrated in the usual manner, starting from the beginning and ending at the end. But this book is nothing like this. The book is about Matthew Shepard as much as it isn't. It is the story of an emergent identity (that of the author) precisely because of Matthew's tragic end. In this sense, Matthew's murder is an end but also a beginning. And this book warmly and objectively commemorates the former, and beautifully celebrates the latter. It avoids making Matthew an object of mere curiosity, and nor an icon. It keeps him true and warm and personal. A truely sensitive tribute.

The world shall not easily forget the memory of Matthew Shepard. Wyoming college student, so senselessly murdered on a cold October night, left to die alongside a fence with prarie lights visible in the distance, so close to help, yet so far. Much has also been said about the people in Matthew's circle; Laramie residents, all affected whether they knew him or not, and his friends and family, who formed a net to catch this falling star, only, not in time. One of these friends speaks in her frank and earnest memoir, "The Whole World Was Watching" by Romaine Patterson.

It would be too easy to see Romaine just through the eyes of the Matthew Shepard story, although it's obvious she will forever be associated with him. Romaine works to expand her own self by allowing us to see her grow up first. With three other gay siblings in her family, a new life opens up to her when she discovers her own sexuality. She writes fondly yet honestly about her older brother Michael's fight with AIDS. By the time Matthew enters the story, she's our friend and ally, as well as his.

Then Matthew comes and goes in the story, almost too quick. Perhaps we want to hold on to him, to protect him, but life must go on. Romaine is thrown into the media melting pot of instant celebrity-hood, and successfully manages to learning the ropes rather quickly.

The heart of the story comes with Romaine's decision to protect Matthew's somewhat distant parents at the trial of Russell Henderson, when a "he-who-shall-not-be-named" preacher planned to visit and protest. In a moment of inspired brilliance, the Wyoming Angels are borne, and with a few feet of PVC pipe, a cross-section of people, and hearts of gold, one of the greatest acts of peace was born. Romaine tells the story, downplays her role in it, and realizes how it becomes a defining moment in her life.

The book then becomes a journal of what happens after "the end"; a somewhat surprising and honest journey that Romaine takes, still the celebrity, yet still just a normal girl trying to grow up. She realizes she must find her own feet, and walk her own path; and what twenty-something doesn't realize that at some point? Her journey I must say was interesting, if not all too honest.

Romaine's journey is far from over, and after reading this book, I only wish her a few years of contented peace. In the meantime, I think I'll start a letter writing campaign. It seems that at least one of the angel costumes should be in the Smithsonian. And maybe some people in Sweden ought to have considered the brave actions of this girl when awarding their little peace medal.

I never finished this book. Perhaps my expectations were too high as I like Shepard. Perhaps I'll give it another go later. Maybe not.

i'm so glad there are sam shepherds populating our little planet earth...

I knew of Sam Shepard from seeing him act in movies, and was aware of his plays. Deciding to read some of his work, I picked up Motel Chronicles and found it deeply moving. His writing is very calming and free...just straight-forward without artifice. This collection of poems, short stories, observations and vignettes was published in 1982 and reminds of simpler times and places--but with hard-edged realities (as Shepard offers reminiscences of his childhood as well as his adult travels and experiences). Read this for its serenity and down to earth prose.

MOTEL CHRONICLES was recommended on a website devoted to journal writing. It is non-sequential and many of the entries have the shape of honed work but all the same it is a good example of a writer's sketchbook, one used for practice and inspiration. More importantly, it is a window on Shepard's frame of mind in the years immediately following the Pulitzer Prize for BURIED CHILD. The seeds of later works can be found in this book.

The entries swim back and forth from 1978 -1982, mapping the writer's peripatetic movement around the country, mostly in California and the west. It captures bits of his early identities, military childhood on the move, waiter, cowboy, actor, writer, friend, lover, husband, father. It is framed by portraits of being a child, the first entry is one of his earliest childhood memories in his mother's arms; the last is the adult caring for a mother felled by a brain aneurysm. This is no confessional or revealing autobiographical piece, however, just a writer at work pulling out inspiration from experience. Shepard is highly articulate, his portrayal of the contemporary west is priceless, and his poetry is not bad at all. The writing has an honest, non-star-turn quality to it.

One of my favorite collections of playwright-actor Sam Shepard (the others being CRUISING PARADISE and HAWK MOON). This is a collection of short stories, poetry, rants, observations, etc., from Shepard's own life. Each section is separated by date and city (though NOT in any particular order, as sections skip from the '70s to the '80s and back again to the '70s); my favorite is "9/24/80, San Francisco, Ca." (in my edition, pp. 43-46), a short story detailing a boy's train ride to his grandparents' home in Chicago, during which he meet a beautiful barefoot girl who looks like Tuesday Weld.

Some of the other stories in this collection formed the basis of Wim Wenders' 1984 film PARIS, TEXAS, which Shepard wrote, and which happens to be one of my all-time favorite films. MOTEL CHRONICLES would be a wonderful introduction to Sam Shepard; I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever wondered about the desert, the road, and America (the beautiful & the ugly).

My grandmother, Barbara Cohen, wrote this book in hopes that it would show that you don't have to be the same race in order to have an incredible bond. I think she did just that in this wonderful novel. Though she is not alive, she lives in our hearts, and can be remembered through this timeless classic. A must read.

This book, Thank You, Jackie Robinson is mostly about friendship. Well first of all I should tell you the character names, The main character is Sam and Davy and you can't forget Jackie Robison. Mrs. Cohen has expressed great description about the setting and everything she has to say. Sam and Davy love the Brooklyn Dodgers and they talk about the Dodgers all the time. Sam is especially attached to Davy because Sam doesn't have a father and Davy is like a father to him. Davy, first of all was the chef for thier Inn and Davy had a Daughter named Henrietta. Then Davy gets ill and sick and Sam wants to make him happy, so he goes to a Ball game and gets a ball that Jackie Robinson hit and got it adographed by all the players and in the middle Jackie says " Get better Davy." And then Davy dies. And I think mrs. Cohen made the reader want to read more because thier had a death. Now Sam has lost 2 great men in his life and has nobody to talk with about the games. But Sam thinks Davy is right next him in heaven and turns the game on after being in a misery and says " Hit the ball, Jackie, Hit the ball" And Jackie Robinson responses in a huge way when getting a hit and Sam rememberes Jackie rounding he bases, Oh does he remember!!!

I read Thank You, Jackie Robinson for a book report.This book was a really good book for a baseball fan, or just a sports fan.
This book not only talked about baseball but, it also had a great meaning. This book made me feel really great and happy when I read it. At one point in the book it was a bit sad but, I counld't stop reading it. The author, Barbara Cohen, wrote this book very well.She must haved loved writing this book because I really enjoyed reading it.Even if you don't like baseball or sports I still recomend this book.

This book, Thank You, Jackie Robinson is mostly about friendship. Well first of all I should tell you the character names, The main character is Sam and Davy and you can't forget Jackie Robison. Mrs. Cohen has expressed great description about the setting and everything she has to say. Sam and Davy love the Brooklyn Dodgers and they talk about the Dodgers all the time. Sam is especially attached to Davy because Sam doesn't have a father and Davy is like a father to him. Davy, first of all was the chef for thier Inn and Davy had a Daughter named Henrietta. Then Davy gets ill and sick and Sam wants to make him happy, so he goes to a Ball game and gets a ball that Jackie Robinson hit and got it adographed by all the players and in the middle Jackie says " Get better Davy." And then Davy dies. And I think mrs. Cohen made the reader want to read more because thier had a death. Now Sam has lost 2 great men in his life and has nobody to talk with about the games. But Sam thinks Davy is right next him in heaven and turns the game on after being in a misery and says " Hit the ball, Jackie, Hit the ball" And Jackie Robinson responses in a huge way when getting a hit and Sam rememberes Jackie rounding he bases, Oh does he remember!!!

You will miss out on a great read if you think this story is just about baseball. This is a compelling novel about an interracial friendship between a young Jewish boy and an older African American man. They find their common interest in a love for Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The story takes place in the 50's and the author, in subtle ways, shows the reader how things are dfferent for the African Americans in the U.S. at this time. Their friendship is believable and the story touching (I choke up every time I read it aloud). Although kids who enjoy sports will certainly appreciate the details, all kids will enjoy the message of friendship beyond racial barriers. I highly recommend this for every 4th-6th grader.

This book is an excellent resource and ignites the passion in those students who want more than just a "job"; it is for those who have that entrepreneurial spirit. Even if you were just tinkering with an entrepreneurial idea, "101 Businesses" walks you through each stage from conception to financing to location, to make your idea a reality.
While many young adults possess great business ideas, being an entrepreneur takes courage, ability and belief. "101 Businesses" tackles the hard questions, asking youth to look inside themselves and make sure they are ready to take this self-employment step and all the responsibility that comes along with it. It offers several checklists to determine your level of expertise in sales, organization, accounting and tax preparation - all items that come along with owning your own business.
More importantly, "101 Businesses" offers success stories from various business owners who believed in their concept enough to take the plunge into self-employment. These profiles illustrate what challenges each owner had to overcome, as well as what their likes and dislikes are of running their own business.
Amidst all of the advice, are pages and pages of businesses students can start for virtually no money up to $1,000. The resources this book provides the young entrepreneur are invaluable and worth the research before they decide to take their idea to the next level.

"Anyone who has devotion and drive, a passion for success, and an understanding of business concepts can run a business," according to Heather Shepherd, author of 101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars - for Students. Then why do so many fail? Inadequate or lack of a well-thought out business plan. But where to begin?
Ms. Shepherd demonstrates in her book that the first steps to creating a sound business plan are evaluating your own strengths and weaknesses. She has created check lists where you ascertain what you know and what what you need to learn. She teaches you to create your budget and how to get outside help in evaluating your business ideas. Intermittent case studies allow you to see the information put to work and clarify your understanding. Then the real fun begins.
The book contains hundreds of websites that you may contact to start working today. It lists 101 specific businesses you can initiate, their earning potential, level of ease of breaking into the business, and some of the equipment needed to get started. Once you have decided what you want to do, Ms. Shepherd literally leads you step by step through the process of writing your business plan. She lists what may be needed for your home office, for advertising and for getting your storefront up and running. You receive tips and pointers on where and how to get financing. She concludes the book with an entrepreneur's success story, leaving you with everything you need to write one of your very own.

--Alyson

Increasing numbers of people are taking the plunge and setting themselves up in business, so if you've got an idea and the motivation to get started, it's very possible to create a successful business. If however you know you'd like to run a business, but you're short on funds and don't really know what kind of business it is possible to start up on your own, then this book is going to be worth every cent you paid for it.

Aimed at students who want to start a business in order to make an income to support their studies, Heather L. Shepherd's book is easy to read, easy to follow and interactive. It doesn't just talk about setting up a business as if it's something someone else does. Instead this book makes the reader really think about what they want to do. From the opening chapter the book with its self evaluation quizzes and financial planning forms makes the reader seriously consider their suitability for running a business of their own.

With honest case studies of people who have started their own business showing what they've done, and what they've learned along the way, the book also gives two sets of possible businesses for readers to consider. The first set are for those who have no or relatively small start-up capital (under $100), and the second set are for those who have a little more (under $1000). Each of the businesses highlighted are a concise guide of what the business would need in terms of start-up such as a general overview, how to get started - including equipment required, advertising tips and further information resources.

Along with all of this information there are also chapters covering a more in-depth look at the legal, financial and marketing aspects of running a business.

Whether you're a student, or a stay-at-home mom, or just someone who is tired of the 9-5 routine working for someone else but don't have any spare capital to really sink into a business, this book is a great start to get you thinking about the possibilities out there for creating a business on less than $1000.

101 Businesses You Can Start with Less than a Thousand Dollars was a great read for the beginning entrepreneur. I was able to get some great ideas on what businesses I could get into, where to start, and where to go for online business resources. This book was also packed with great tips on how to succeed in your chosen business. You don't have to be a business student or graduate to be able to understand and use this information; the basics of business are covered within the book.
I loved the true life success stories included; as well as, the checklists on everything from self-evaluation to marketing plans, business finances to start-up procedures. 101 Businesses gave me the information I needed to choose a business, learn what that venture involved and required, and evaluate whether that idea was the right fit for me. It even provided money saving tips on starting a personal business. This book is a great read if you are looking to start working for yourself.

"Anyone who has devotion and drive, a passion for success, and an understanding of business concepts can run a business," according to Heather Shepherd, author of 101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars - for Students. Then why do so many fail? Inadequate or lack of a well-thought out business plan. But where to begin?
Ms. Shepherd demonstrates in her book that the first steps to creating a sound business plan are evaluating your own strengths and weaknesses. She has created check lists where you ascertain what you know and what what you need to learn. She teaches you to create your budget and how to get outside help in evaluating your business ideas. Intermittent case studies allow you to see the information put to work and clarify your understanding. Then the real fun begins.
The book contains hundreds of websites that you may contact to start working today. It lists 101 specific businesses you can initiate, their earning potential, level of ease of breaking into the business, and some of the equipment needed to get started. Once you have decided what you want to do, Ms. Shepherd literally leads you step by step through the process of writing your business plan. She lists what may be needed for your home office, for advertising and for getting your storefront up and running. You receive tips and pointers on where and how to get financing. She concludes the book with an entrepreneur's success story, leaving you with everything you need to write one of your very own.

I am no where near retirement age, but with my parents getting closer and closer to that phase out stage I am increasingly aware of the need for them to have something that they can call their own. An income producing business that will allow them the flexibility of long vacations visiting the grandkids, or just weekends off when they need it.

Heather L. Shepard comes to the rescue with her timely book, "101 Businesses you can start for less than One Thousand Dollars for Retirees". This book is informative while telling it like it is. Starting your own business is not easy and you are not going to get rich quick. And this is a good way to start the book because it's been my experience that any book that makes making money sound simple will not deliver between the covers. The meat of Ms. Shepard's book does not fail to deliver. Ms. Shepard gives an honest look into starting your own home business and goes on to give a step- by- step guideline for getting it done. She first explores whether or not starting a home business is what you should even attempt. After all not everyone is able to manage himself or herself. She then goes on to tell, in detail, how to do it. This is refreshing as so many how to books tell you what to do, but fall short on the "how to do".

The text is presented in a readable format that won't leave retirees bored or re-reading paragraphs over and over trying to pick apart the meaning. I am sure that this alone will make this book popular amongst the retiree set. My parents, who love to read, do not enjoy wasting their time trying to dissect verbose paragraphs that lead to nowhere.

The personal profiles presented in the book were a nice addition as well. Ms. Shepard gives an in depth look into how these people took their businesses from concept to reality. The profiles were interesting to read and encouraging to any retiree who is not quite ready to hang up their "work shoes".
What makes this book a jewel is that Ms. Shepard then goes on to give ideas for the kinds of businesses that retirees can start and provides detailed information on how much it will cost, how much you can expect to make, and how much time and energy you will have to put into making a go at each prospective business. She also references helpful websites and organizations that retirees can use for guidance.

This book is a must have for anyone who is ready to call their own shots.

Heather Shepherd's book, "101 Businesses that you can Start with Less Than One Thousand Dollars; For Retirees," is a handy little book that every entrepreneur should own. Even though the book is geared toward the retired community, it would serve just as well to anyone else trying to start a business, such as employed people, stay-at-home parents, and even students.

This thorough book is organized in an easy timeline format, from the seed idea to the grand opening celebration of your business. The ten chapters teach the would-be-businessperson how to choose the business that's right for them, how to create a business plan, how to obtain a business loan, how to set up a home office, and other important parts. Some of the chapters are interactive with questions to evaluate your business skills, with checklists and forms to help you on your way, as well as some success stories.

The book includes a lengthy alphabetized list of business career options, in case the entrepreneur is undecided about which business to start. Each business option is conveniently broken down into several sections, such as your main duties, how much will the business make, target clientele, and helpful online and book resources, to name a few. The list of businesses includes anything from an astrologer to animal trainer and beyond. Most importantly, as the author suggest, one must believe in themselves and in their product to make their chosen business a successful venture.

Sandy Eckert
Book Review 101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than $1,000: For Retirees ***** (5 stars)

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than $1,000: For Retirees is not an all-you-have-to-do-is-dream how-to. It is a well organized succinct book that tells retirees how to consider, invest in, open and operate a business based on an enjoyed activity, often a hobby. It is a think-invest-work book.
In good old plain English author Heather L. Shepherd describes every aspect of setting yourself up in business, from the pros and cons of self-employment and business plan to financing and expanding your retirement career.
That business plan can make or break you, writes Shepherd. In fact, "business plans are the most essential part of getting your business off the ground and in finding funding for your business." A lender won't even talk to you until seeing a business plan that contains all essential information, which Shepherd spells out clearly.
Of course you might not need a loan to start your business, but each element in a business plan will keep you on track, will remind you of your goals so you don't go off on a tangent.
Shepherd's two chapters that list business ideas are divided into those with start-up costs between $0 and $500 and those with start-ups ranging from $500 to $1,000. She also includes a list of what you need to start particular enterprises and how much annual income you can expect from each. For instance, if you want to be a cake decorator, you will need the proper kitchen tools in addition to the usual items, like telephone, fax, invoices and other necessities, and you can expect to make between $5,000 and $25,000 a year.
In those chapters listing business possibilities there are several you might not think of, like astrology, animal breeder and disc jockey. Every chapter also includes at least one success story that consist of hows, whys, highs and lows of people's businesses.
Overall, the step-by-step, clear instructions for every aspect of starting an inexpensive retirement business make this book a must-have for the new business person.

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars -- For Retirees
By Heather L. Shepherd

The author likens starting an entrepreneurial business to the process of making a cake. It takes a recipe, the right ingredients, a certain amount of time to bake, telling everyone the "cake" is ready, and then enjoying the sweet rewards.
Being your own boss, she points out has its pros and cons and sometimes they are the same thing. Shepherd speaks from experience, having started several successful businesses on her own, she is sharing information that she has garnered from the experience. The book will serve as a guideline to anyone considering entrepreneurship and is organized in easy to follow steps that can be applicable to someone starting from scratch or a person segueing from a hobby to a money-making enterprise.
Written specifically for the retiree who is contemplating a second career, either out of financial need or just the desire to remain active and involved, Shepherd approaches her subject with those details in mind.
Two of the most important parts of the book are devoted to self-evaluation and the importance of a business plan. The individual is directed to ask themselves the hard questions. What is it that you are planning to do and how are you going to do it? Are you prepared for the work involved? Do you have or can you acquire the business skills? What will be the right business for you? And are you prepared to invest yourself in the every day maintenance required to be successful?
Additionally, helpful resources and support for the small business owners are compiled in one section, which will save a person a lot of leg work, and a section on the kinds of businesses available is included.
For someone just starting out, the minute details can be intimidating, but Shepherd points out that there are ways to be prepared for what comes at you. From advertising to the IRS, nothing should be scary, she says, if you are prepared. And that's the purpose of the book, to give the fledgling entrepreneur the tools to prepare him or herself for the adventure ahead. The rest, she says, is up to the individual who wants to be their own boss.

By Marilee Reyes

Entrepreneurial endeavors are on the rise and this informational guide will undoubtedly provide a great resource to those interested in jumping on the bandwagon.

Throughout the entire text, the authors take individuals step by step. The process begins with the positives and negatives involved in self-employment. A list of reasons to start a business is included and a list of resources to help is thrown into the mix.

The two most helpful sections of this text are the self evaluation and the lists of business to start. The self evaluation walks the reader through a list of simple checklists on marketing, sales, administration, finances, and person characteristics. As you go through these checklists, you can easily see how qualified you are to start your own business. Once you're ready to move on, the guide gives a worksheet on calculating income needs and overhead costs; a checklist for building groundwork ends the self assessment.

Extensive detail is put into the two business chapters of this book. For anywhere between $0 and $1000, you can jump into any of the opportunities listed. Each employment option includes the duties and education necessary, the income possibilities, the required equipment, the business base, and the clientele.

Without a doubt, this is a fabulous resource!

Our 8 month old adores this book! She sits quietly on a lap, often taking Pooh out of his bed and helping. In the book, Pooh can look in the cupboard, put on his jacket, climb the tree, play with his friends and get stuck in rabbit's hole. An adorable interactive book!

My 21/2 still loves this book!!! She will sit with it for a good 1/2 hour. Wish I could find more books like this!!

This book is sooooo precious!! There is a little Pooh bear you can put in his bed, his vest, get him stuck in Rabbit's hole. My daughter loves this book more and more as time moves on ( she's 18 months and we got it as a gift when she was a newborn) and we put Pooh in the book's little bed each night and she says "Ni Ni Pooh" About the book being "stinky" like cheap perfume, LOL, this is TRUE!!! I thought the friend who gave it to me sprayed it to make it smell that way, so now I know it wasn't her!!! However, after washing it twice it no longer smelled. That's another great feature, you can wash this book ( zip it closed with Pooh inside first)

Re: Lesley's comment about this book being stinky. You must have a a one-of-a-kind book. Several of my friends have this book and none them experienced the "stinky" smell. The book is still entertaining to my 2 1/2 year old.

This soft, cleverly designed book is an entertaining and safe book for little ones who still like to chew while they read. However, the book smells like its been dipped in a vat of cheap purfune. I tried airing it out and washing it, but the book smelled worse, giving off a pungent, chemical odor. After handling the book, I felt nauseous! Unfortunately, this great book was ruined by poor packaging and/or carelessness on the part of the manufacturer. Do not buy this book!

Awesome book, especially considering when it was written. Bacon apparently was one of the first Europeans to re-introduce the materialism of Epicurus that had been suppressed by organized religious fanatics, aka the Church. Also, Bacon was a lawyer (before writing philosophy), and so he's the only lawyer I know of who has made a lasting contribution to the human race.

Francis Bacon is one of the authors whose ideas pervade society, but whose work very few of us have read. For example, many of us know of Bacon's saying that "Knowledge is Power" only through Economist Alfred Marshall. However, Bacon's analysis of how human science progresses is an essential classic. The modern scientific method owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Bacon's induction method. Bacon bases his induction method on observation and experiment. His Essays - this book - makes observations about life in all its varied dimensions. As an economist my reading focused on essays with a material content such as the essays "Of Innovations", "Of Riches", "Of Customs and Education", and so on. However, I have browsed or will soon browse other essays of the book.

Overall, it is impressive that one person did so much that has remained so insightfully informative for so long! Although the reading is slowed by the archaic and old style of the language of the book, I strongly recommend this book to all readers including young readers seeking to build their character.

Amavilah, Author
Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
ISBN: 1600210465

Why get just the essays from Penguin Classics when you can get Bacon's 800 page major works from Oxford World's Classics (which includes the essays) for pretty much the same money? The difference is in cents - and you get five hundred pages more with Oxford, in an equally sturdy, attractive, and well-edited edition.

It's useless to dig for just one or two epigrams to stand in for the totality of Bacon's penetrating genius in the "Essays." Though it is perhaps fashionable today to detract from him in order to praise Montaigne, it should be clear that Bacon is at least as indispensable. As terse as Emerson is expansive, Bacon's "Essays" are perhaps the most truly Classical (in spirit) prose in the English language. Fans of the Leo Strauss school should have a fieldday reading between the lines of the essays "On Atheism" and "On Superstition"; for the rest of us, nobody can come away from even one of these essays without gaining invaluable insights. Though Bacon is rightly heralded for the radical newness of his pragmatic methods, he is ensteeped in history-- those mindful of Napoleon's dictum that history is the only true philosophy will certainly respond enthusiastically to Bacon's approach. From the post-Machiavellian insights of "Of Empire" to the pre-Enlightenment ethics of "Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature", one will find in reading Bacon's prose what the youth of Athens must have found in following Socrates: the presence of a benevolent, worldly-wise, supremely rational mind determined to show you the order of the world.

When I was a very young person and a very great reader I thought that every book must be read cover to cover, and that to miss a page was a kind of sin. Coming across Bacon on reading I came to understand that not every book had to be chewed and digested, but that there were some to be dipped in and tasted. Bacon's epigramatic wisdom has a power , a poetic condensation. I do not know the essays as a whole , but I do have the sense of Bacon as a powerful intellect capable of providing insight into diverse areas of life. I do not however have the sense of a self , and one with humor irony charm of a kind one has with Montaigne who is a far more appealing figure.
I also believe the sometimes contradictory, and often ' broken' character of the essays do make them at times feel as if they are collections of individual apercus rather than whole constructions.
On the whole though this is a classic work one which I intend to look in and reread again.

This was a journey worth taking. From the first page of this book I was drawn into a well crafted fantasy world, believable enough to be truly compelling. I wait impatiently for a sequel.

I usually don't enjoy fantasy. But Kevin Howe's debut novel is far different and more exciting than any kind of fantasy I've ever read. A real page turner. How would you desribe it? Perhaps a cross between "Lord of the Rings" and the movie "The Usual Suspects". Stop reading this review and pick it up today!!!!

Set in a sleepy, oft-overlooked medieval village, Bone Walk: The Journey Of Thomas Shepard is the story of a warehouse keeper who sees terrible things happen around him due to an ancient book that has fallen into the hands of the counselor to the high lord. In order to learn the true nature of the deadly curse that has befallen his home, Thomas Shepard must journey with two companions into the forbidding Western Wood. Vivid, frightening, and filled with challenges to the human spirit Bone Walk is a fascinating, unforgettable, highly recommended debut novel by an obviously skilled and talented writer.

BONE WALK
By Kevin Howe
Published by: Firelight Publishing Inc.,...
Release Date: December 31, 2001
ISBN: 0-9707206-2-9
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
...
Format: Paperback
Stars out of 5: 4 ½

Kevin Howe�s stunning first novel is surely a sign that his future works will be even more unforgettable. His characters such as the Tree Walkers and Bone Eaters are straight from a creative mind. Tension explodes from the very first page, and the reader is able to become familiar with the conflict between the characters.
Main character, Thomas Shepard is a reserved warehouse keeper in a small, overlooked medieval village. His life changes when beautiful mysterious things start to emerge in his village, and at the same time as villagers vanish or end up dead.
Thrilling suspense engulfs each page as the reader learns of a book that is hard to decipher and that the book has landed in the hands of BONE WALK�S villain, Varden. Varden is the high Lord�s counsel, annoyed by the incompetence of three previous messengers.
Immediately, he influences his master into choosing Thomas Shepard as the next man to enter the Western Wood, where danger lurks, and he is to bring back answers that will ultimately decide what happens to his village. Thomas and two dubious cohorts do just as they are told and head toward the Western Wood, and soon find themselves surrounded by danger, and the unknown, which in the end leads to horror.
What will happen to Thomas�s village? Does he find the answers he is sent to search for?

Kevin Howe�s book is one I will never forget. His plot-driven characters and down-to-earth dialogue enhances the storyline, giving the reader a more pleasurable fantasy read.
Mr. Howe lives in Iowa with his wife and two daughters. Reading books and storytelling is a few of this corporate attorney�s passions. He is currently writing the sequel to BONE WALK.

I highly recommend Kevin Howe�s gripping book BONE WALK.

--Reviewed by Jennifer LB Leese...

While not what I normally read, I picked up Bone Walk because of the local buzz about it. The plot is complex but the author did an excellent job of keeping it all straight. Characters are well developed. It's a good novel, one worth your time.

Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady is a superb book. The story is for young and old, and definitely for those who are romantics at heart. I have used it many times as a gift for those who are newly married or engaged to be married. Since it's out of print, I need to locate some copies for the future!

This is a terrific book for young teen girls. They really get the message that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". They also love the answer to the riddle. ( I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't read it yet!) I am a therapist who works with emotionally disturbed youth and it is one of my favorite books to share with clients or in teen girl groups. The illustrations are wonderful. I actually think it is not for young children, but more for teens and adults! It is one of my favorites. ...

This is a terrific book for young teen girls. They really get the message that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". They also love the answer to the riddle. ( I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't read it yet!) I am a therapist who works with emotionally disturbed youth and it is one of my favorite books to share with clients or in teen girl groups. The illustrations are wonderful. I actually think it is not for young children, but more for teens and adults! It is one of my favorites. I am really disappointed that it is out of stock currently. I wanted to buy another copy for a library for foster youth.

Following a telephone conversation about "what women want" a friend told me the Sir Gawain story to which I listened while sitting in the car unable to stop the fascinating tale...then I just had to get the book and see the wonderful drawings by myself. Especially thrilling (you know the fascination kids and grownups have with disgusting things...) is the drawing of the indeed loathly lady. Boy, do you feel bad for Sir Gawain!! the book holds an ancient mythical charm, combined with the always true feminst (in its true sense) and human message. A lovely gift for women..

I had never heard this legend before I found this book at the library. I was glad I read it. The story is nice and the pictures are great! ( kind of gory). This an easy read, and a cute book.