Shepard Books

BRAVO! Rush out and buy all Mr. Dennis' recordings

Mr. Dennis has a exemplary way of charming young and old alike with his renderings of the works of A.A. Milne. No wonder the U.S. Government considers him a national treasure. Anyone will treasure owning his entire collection.

Peter Dennis is extraordinary as the interpreter of these classics. I've seen him perform as well as listen to all of his tapes and I am charmed more each time! He is warm, subtle, whimsical, graceful, and funny all at the same time. 5 stars!

Perhaps, at one time or another, each of us has read Winnie the Pooh aloud. We may even believe we did it rather well, but the experience you will have with Peter Dennis reading Winnie the Pooh is simply stunning; quite more than you expect.

The CDs [there are two sets of two] are accompanied by booklets which introduce you to all the major characters who had a part in the creation of these classics--A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin Milne, E.H. Shepard [the illustrator], Peter Dennis [the actor] and the inimitable Pooh.

But of course it is the stories of Pooh and his friends, and the poems of A.A. Milne, which are the substance being reviewed, and the voice and magical depth which Peter Dennis gives to each of the characters which I commend. I cannot imagine any two qualities meeting more harmoniously--Pooh's words and Dennis' voice--nor with greater power to sweep you off to the 100 AKER WOOD and to the world of Pooh.

For each character Dennis has devised a "voice" and other sound characteristics which identify the players and help to move the stories/poems along. These are certainly the essence of the magic; you cannot hear these sounds and words and be the same.

Winnie the Pooh has been around since the Christmas season of 1925. Some years ago Disney acquired the rights to all the film and television presentations of Pooh, so the compact disc is our only access to what is surely the most splendid merger of word and voice in all these many years. It is not only that the words are those of A.A. Milne and are the Finest of all Words, nor that the voice is a British voice, which is much the Best Way of sounding, but that the combination is like a kind of enchanted music, which Accounts for a Good Deal. Indeed, It Explains Everything!

Initially we purchased the"Winnie-The-Pooh and When we were very Young " cassettes for the children to listen to on long car journeys; I vaguely remembered the stories from my own childhood in England and it was a delight to find that the extremely talented Peter Dennis has a wonderful English voice (call me biased but Winnie-The-Pooh is a very British bear!). Peter Dennis totally captures the characters and nuances of A.A. Milne's delightful creatures; we may have bought the tapes for the children but the adults share equal pleasure when listening to them. To anyone who wants to journey back to a time of simple pleasures and pure enchantment I thoroughly recommend "Winnie-The-Pooh and When We Were Very Young" performed by Peter Dennis.

Women in Scripture is just the resource I have been waiting for; in one volume I can find brief, but thorough, well written articles on all the women of the Bible, which incorporate the insights of the best of contemporary critical biblical scholarship. And don't miss the introductory articles. They are worth the price of this book by themselves. This book is a must for all pastors, serious Bible students, and all laypersons interested in learning about the women of the Bible as they are presented in the Bible, not as they have been culturally presented. I highly recommend it!

This book is rigorously researched and very readable. It is a fantastic reference book for anyone teaching Bible or writing homilies or sermons. It is on my shelf for ready reference, and it can be bought new for as little as $21. I know of no other compendium that covers the content of this book as deeply. I only wish there were an equivalent volume by these authors on the men in the Bible. As stated by other reviewers, the articles at the beginning of the book are excellent.

Leading Biblical scholars provide the best, latest scholarship on biblical women and provides an important volume bringing together the works of over seventy scholars who provide entries on over two hundred named and six hundred unnamed women. All the women of the Bible, from deities to personifications of symbols, are represented in a fine dictionary reference.

This is not as specialized a reference work as you would suspect from the title. The six introductory articles are among the best I have read on the development of the canon, hermeneutics, and the status of biblical scholarship. These run a mere ten or sixteen columns each, yet feel comprehensive. They reveal the editors' infatutuation with statistical information (numbers of male named in the Bible vs. the number of females; the number of named women vs. the number of unnamed women; names that recur most frequently, etc.), and their interest in exploring what these statistics hint at. Clearly the editors and authors enjoyed creating this landmark publication. While the authors are not timid scholars, they seem to know when they have reached a dead end or hit an informational barrier. When the Bible is silent on an issue, they are comfortable acknowledging it.

Also worth praising is the organization of the book. Part I consists of all the women named in the Bible (including the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books) in alphabetical order; Part II lists all the unnamed women (or groups of women, such as, "Daughters of Lot" and "Women at Vashti's Banquet") in Bible book order (following the NRSV sequencing) by their earliest significant Scripture reference; Part III, perhaps the most fascinating section, is a compilation of female deities and personifications (such as, "Asherah/Asherim," "Female Images of God in the Hebrew Bible," "Woman Wisdom," and "No 'Male and Female' in Christ Jesus"). While great care has been made in providing cross-referencing, there is no general index to the volume. Readers will need to be very intuitive (and perhaps keep a concordance handy) if they want to find entries in Part II (the largest section of the book) by any method other than Bible book order. The volume is completed by an annotated listing of "Additional Ancient Sources," which directs the reader to some important texts that never made it successfully through the maze known as canonization, but which are sure to provide some interesting information on the status and role of women at different points in the ancient world.

I regularly conduct Bible workshops on the topic of Women Prophets and frequently recommend this dictionary to my audiences. This book is easy to use and is an update of the classic by Edith Deen.

It may sound weird to compare a book about a Jewish playwright's memoir about his career and working with famous director Joe Chaikin to Erica Jong - however, that's what came to mind. I remember when I first read "Fear of Flying" I was so taken with the character, so intrigued by her life and her adventures, that I took the book everywhere with me. This book has Chinese food all over it because I would cross the street from my home to the local Chinese restaurant, sit at the table each night, and spill food on it while enjoying every single word. It is hysterical, very moving and gives one a great deal of insight into the world of a neurotic playwright who is struggling with personal demons - and having the ride of his life. I'm glad the author took us with him.

This is a terrific book. It's a great read, a marvelous look at the struggles of an artist trying to make a living in the theater, and a must buy for anyone who plans to make the theater his or her life.

This book may seem at first glance like something for a "niche" market -- people in the theater or the like -- but it's actually so entertaining, funny, skillfully written, moving and wonderfully offbeat that it speaks to any reader no matter what their interests. Fife has found a way to resonate with the universal experience of success/failure that we all share while still remaining excrutiatingly personal, honest and true to his own real story - and that's what memoir should do! All students of the theater should read this, but so should all students of life. And if you do, I guarentee it won't feel like "studying"...enjoy!

I know that a book is good when I have to put everything else on hold until I finish it. This one grabbed me right from the beginning. On the very first page I felt as though I was the playwright, experiencing the highs and lows of being accepted, rejected and accepted again as an artist. This book was a lot of fun, full of dry wit and good humor. I especially enjoyed getting the inside track into the world of Broadway and film and finding out from a first-hand source what some of those Oscar-winning superstar actors are REALLY like.

superb program. good general information. program focuses on overall athleticism/power, including reasonable agility, stretching and plyometric regimens (which is rarely seen but a necessary part of a premiere program). program is applicable to nearly all athletes (perhaps not ideal for a pro/college athletes, solely because they would have programs designed to peak at the season of their sport).

I am a Division one track and field athlete. I have been looking for an out of season lifting program that will help make me stronger and faster. I was never a fan of these core lifts until I bought this book. The variation that is available really caught my attention. For example, the power clean has been an exercise that I refuse to do and this book offers many other options. Instead I perform a hang clean. So far, I think that this program will do nothing but improve my athletic ability.

This is a great book for any athlete out there high school or college, it teaches great techniques for lifting and also gives great variations on the already well known core lifts. This book is not for the weak or undisciplined it should only be used by people that are willing to work hard and give everything you got to be the best.

My degree is in physical education and I have been teaching for 11 years. Shepard's Bigger Faster Stronger program is among the best I have found. The biggest benefits of this program are in sports requiring explosive strenth such as judo, wrestling, boxing, field events, and sprints.

This is an amazing book, heralding from an age where absolute safety was put second to creating excitement and wonder, and real learning. If your prime concern in choosing educational materials for your child is that they be hazard free, then this book is definitely NOT for you. Actually, it goes a bit beyond the edge even at that (the original at least had an entire chapter on how to build your own x-ray set and fluroscope by getting an x-ray tube "which can be purchased for about four dollars and a half at the local electrical supply store", and which gratefully was no longer possible in the late 1950's when I was introduced to this book). But if your goal is to create excitement in your child for engineering and science, there is not book I have ever read which is better. Although I built only a few of the projects myself, I spent endless hours thinking "wouldn't it be cool....." It influenced me for life.

I'm an engineer today probably because of this book which I borrowed several times from the library when I was 10 or so.
I never had the equipment to try any of the experiments but they inspired me nonetheless.

This book was written before the age of thinking that invention could be accompished on paper alone. Hands on experimentation was the order of the day. Real understanding was the result. The world we live in today is a direct result of those who marched to the beat of Alfred Morgans' drummer. Of course, if he published this book today, he would be shot (in California, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusits) for suggesting that "boys" actually go beyond safe video representation of physical science, and try to really build working devices. "Time out" parenting is not compaible with this book.

On the other hand, I first read this book in the late 60's, and built a few of the projects therein. My parents didn't quite understand, but they tolerated my enthusiasm, and my understanding of our world was better off for it. Get this book. Even if you are a boy that happens to be over 50, you will enjoy many hours of adventure and new understanding of things that have been with you from your beginning. I am thrilled to find a reprint after so many years.

The classic how-to book, first published in 1913, is filled with dozens of electrical projects and experiments for the young and old alike.
Learn the principles behind radio and other early electrical wonders.
Build a spark coil, a crystal radio, even a toy train with the easy-to-follow instructions contained herein.
With the original long out of print, this modern paperback reprint may be the only affordable way to obtain a copy of this wonderful classic.

I recently passed the Oral Assessment portion of the Foreign Service Exam and can attest to the relevance of William Shepard's experiences in "Consular Tales" to the type of hypothetical situations raised by the examiners. A Foreign Service candidate will learn not only from the specific examples cited in the book, but more importantly from Mr. Shepard's thought process while handling a wide variety of issues facing members of the diplomatic corps.

Page for the page, Consular Tales is the best study guide for preparing yourself to take the Foreign Service Exam.

I have been thinking about joining the U.S. Foreign Service and this first-hand account was absorbing and illuminating. I found the personal insight into an often challenging and dangerous career most impressive. It is written in a forthright manner with welcome touches of humor. I would recommend this book to anyone interested not only in traveling and working abroad but also to those who have already done so. It is also for those who like adventures and enjoy autobiographies. More from this author, please!

I thought that Consular Tales was a delightful book. It was fun, and imformative as well. It was the kind of book that I didn't want to put down and was sorry when it ended that I read it so fast. So many books nowadays are not well written but this was obviously written by a scholar and seasoned auther. Is this someone who has previously been published under another name? I hope that I will be able to read more fiction or non-fiction from this very accomplished author. Do we have another Sir Jeffrey Archer in William Shepard? I think Archer is a suburb storyteller as is Mr. Shepard. Lets have somemore tales from Mr. Shepard soon.

William Shepard tells us that when a colleague in the Foreign Service once asked him why, with a Harvard Law School degree and the prospect of a highly lucrative law career, he'd chosen the consular life, he said that it was because he "didn't want to wake up one morning later in life and wonder what living in Singapore would have been like." How fortunate for the United States that a man with Shepard's intelligence, compassion, humor, and grace chose the path he did, and so clearly relished it. This fascinating view of the consular life takes us around the world and across the decades: from Budapest, where Shepard regularly strolled the American Embassy courtyard with Cardinal Mindszenty during the prelate's years in residence there in sanctuary from Hungary's Communist regime; to Saigon, doing staff work for the secret negotiations that led to the Paris Peace Talks; to Singapore, where he tossed back a few San Miguel beers with the original Bill Bailey of the song; and finally to Bordeaux, where as Consul General he found money where there was none to fund a commemorative plaque for a French Resistance fighter by holding one less Consulate dinner party.

What struck me again and again in my reading was Shepard's commitment not only to the welfare of his country and its citizens abroad but his understanding, sympathy, and affection for the countries in which he served and for their citizens. This is a vivid tale of a life lived well and vibrantly, recounted with wit and elegance. It's sometimes surprising and always instructive, not only about what a consular job requires but also about the way to do it right. Shepard says that his hope in writing this book was to inspire young people to take the path of service he'd traveled. If I were a few years younger, I'd be filling out an application and packing my bags.

Daughter of Shiloh is a great book which I found hard to put down. Those who like history and Indian folklore will appreciate the time the author put into this book. It is evident that she did a great deal of research and has passed on her knowledge to her readers.

There is a great amount of history in the story and those who live in the Smoky Mountain region will readily recognize places, names and events. Names such as Davey Crockett and Andrew Jackson appear several times as well as towns and cities in the Kentucky and Carolina regions. The book gave me a better understanding of what it must have been like to be an early settler to this region. It will mean a lot more to me now when I visit the areas where the story takes place.

I truly enjoyed this book. It has adventure, a love story and suspense all wrapped up in the book and I found it to be a wonderful read.

Normally a slow reader, I found myself moving through the pages of Daughter of Shiloh at a rather fast pace. Written in an easily readable style, it held my interest from beginning to end. Smiddy reveals yet another side to the conflict between the newcomers (the settlers in America) and long established resident s (the Indians). My wife also found the book absorbing and she was impressed with the determination and skill of the Daughter of Shiloh.

NOTE: Ford Boyer is co-author of "Listening to the Soul".

Normally a reader of suspense and adventure, I was amazed to find I really enjoyed this book. The authors presentation of history in an easily readable, enlightening story made this book hard to put down. The characters come to life through vivid descriptions. If you like to feel a part of a story, you'll enjoy "being there". I've gained a new respect and appreciation for a part of history I knew little about before reading Daughter of Shiloh. It is obvious that many, many hours of research went into the backgound of the book, before the story unfolded. It's informative as well as enjoyable...truly a good read, by an excellent author!

This is the true, little-known story of Clarinda Allington, her life on the Kentucky frontier, her life among the Cherokees, and her eventual return to Kentucky with her Cherokee children. I don't want to give too many details away lest I spoil the book for you, but suffice to say that this was exhaustively researched and well told by this author.

I highly recommend it.

I was definitely not raised a pagan or wiccan, but loved this book series growing up. This is a good book for any child because it's opens up a wonderful world of imaginary characters. It rates right up there with HR Pufnstuf as good things that have stuck in my brain all of these years.

I grew up reading the Dorrie books & loved them. I do not feel that they represent or advocate any sort of wiccan or pagan lifestyle. They are merely fun books in which the main character is an earnest little girl who just HAPPENS to be a witch.

Christian, Jewish & Buddhist or parents of any or no religion can feel good about giving this book to their children.

Books that Pagan parents can feel good about giving to their children are few and far between. The Dorrie books are definitely among these few, portaying a community of witches (largely female, but with some fine male witches too) in a refreshingly positive way. The bad Blue Witch in this particular book is an anomaly and is defeated by Dorrie's ingenuity and Dorrie's mother's magic. These were my favorite books when I was a goofy little witch, and my daughter loves them as much as I once did. Amazon only offers two of the books, but I'm sure if you harass them enough they can find the rest. Wiccan parents will find the effort well worth their time.

When Big Witch has a very important witches meeting. Dorrie and Gink are left home alone! Dorrie still manages to stay sweet and polite to a very rude and impatient guest. When the Blue Witch tries to kidnap Dorrie, Dorrie takes care of herself and Gink in a very clever little witch way. One of the best Dorrie books by Patricia Coombs, I should know I own 6 of them.

When I went to introduce my preschooler to Winnie-the-Pooh, I bought the big book with the complete stories and poems. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it wasn't quite right for my 3-year-old. Reading a story out of the original works takes a good 15-20 minutes, which is more than one can really expect from a preschooler or toddler. Also, the original Pooh is a bit like Sesame Street, in that there are phrases and indeed entire sections of the stories that adults will find amusing but which will just go over a child's head.

And yet, I didn't want to break down and go the route of the Disney-fied Pooh books, with their cartoonish illustrations and watered-down plots and characters.

That's why I was so pleased to find the Easy-to-Read series. There are six easy-to-read titles from two publishers. They are:

Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees
Pooh Goes Visiting
Eeyore Has a Birthday
Tigger Comes to the Forest
Christopher Robin Leads an Expedition
Pooh Invents a New Game

Each book is based on one chapter from the complete works. These little books are divided into four chapters, although it should be no problem to read one from start to finish in one sitting.

The print is large and well spaced, and there are ample illustrations (the original drawings by E.H. Shepard) on every page spread to keep little eyes engaged in the story. Most important, the editor has removed most of the passages that aren't so kid friendly and has simplified the stories without giving them a Disney style candy coating. One could read the original story and then the easy-to-read version and get the same basic plot; when going from the Milne works to the Disney versions, the same is certainly not true.

I didn't give these books five stars because the editor retained some language and dialogue that may be a bit confusing for children in the intended age range. Nevertheless, these books are a wonderful introduction to a classic cast of characters for the preschool set.

I love eeyore he is my favorite charter. I loved his book. It was neato.

When all the characters in the imaginary world of Winnie the Pooh go on their day to day mischiefs, forgetting a friends special day, it makes one see how cartoon characters really portray real life situations. The full page of colors allows one to sit back and get the satisfaction of a children's book. Yet this book not only addresses a child's awareness nor is it an entertainment instrument but as well as a joyful piece of literature for any age group to admire

This little book is an exact reproduction of a chapter 6 in the original book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, with the original illustrations by Shephard enhanced by judicious watercoloring. All the charm of the original, in a perfect size for reading to littler kids, who can feel satisfied at having been read "the whole story." Also good for children just starting to read all by themselves.

Beautifully bound and illustrated, this little book is part of a series of 10 such Pooh books published by Dutton. Don't confuse these 10 "storybooks" with the even smaller and abridged board-books for infant/toddlers.

My son received Halloween Pie for his 3rd birthday and it's become a family favorite. In fact, for Halloween this year, we purchased two new editions. We replaced the wornout original in our home library and donated the other edition to our elementary school's library. Both my boys, ages 9 and 6, love the book. And the recipe for Halloween Pie is truly fantastic. The six-year-old makes it himself and brought it into his class for his 'star student week." And when we needed to contribute a traditional American dish to UN Day at our international school in Panama, we made Halloween Pie.

I really enjoyed Halloween Pie. It was funny. I highly recommend to anyone who likes a good book. What will happen to this halloween pie?

My daughter loves this book and is making me do a review on it! She loves the bright, contrasting colors of the excellent illustrations. I appreciate the colors too with the fine use of chiaroscuro and the hungry fiends after Old Witch's Halloween Pie and yes, of course, the silly tombstone epitaphs. The recipe in the back is such an intelligent hook to get the ones that do the buying, us parents, to say yes to this one! I appreciate an entertaining book with clever marketing. You have to not only sell the kids but the parents too--Tunnell and O'Malley--GREAT JOB!
Note: This is a great bedtime story book because all of the culprits that ate Old Witch's pie fall asleep in her house. They aren't scary and my daughter scares pretty easily. I highly recommmend it! Great price too! 9/10 stars.

We discovered this book two years ago in our public library and fell in love with it. The story is clever and the illustrations are excellent. Even though the book is filled with ghosts and zombies it's not too scary to read to my 3, 4 and 6 year-olds. My favorite thing is how FUN it is for the reader. You can't help but almost perform the story as you read it with witchy and windy voices. It has become a new family tradition for us to read Halloween Pie for the weeks leading up to Halloween each year. And of course, we make our own Halloween pie from the recipe at the back of the book.