Sheridan Books

I have just finished reading this great book. Sheridan was a British resident of Manila during America's victory over Spain and the subsequent annexing of the Philippines. Being British, he presents an unbiased view of the conflict. This book is part of Solar Books "Filipiniana Reprint Series." It was originally published in the year 1900. It should be rquired reading for any Americans who think that we did wonderful things in the Philippines at the turn of the century. America did horrible things in the Philippines and our government has never adequately addressed the atrocities that were committed in the name of benign assimilation. This book is well written and educational. It inspires anger, but it shows the indomitable spirit of the Filipinos who fought for freedom against incredible odds and brazen American duplicity.

Expert mechanical engineer Michael Naujok presents Fitting Out Your Boat In Fibreglass Or Wood, a plainly written reference for sailors and boat owners striving to renovate their prized vessel. Explicit color photographs on every page and step-by-step walkthrough instructions cover everything from insulation and interior linings to treating the keel of a wooden yacht to repairing a teak deck, underwater sections and bilges, and much more. A thorough, extensive, highly practical "must-have" for anyone contemplating sinking time, effort, and money into boat refurbishing.

This is perhaps one of the most compelling and life altering stories reflecting the influences and inspirations of an extraordinary friendship with a dolphin. The reflections made on humankind are humbling when compared to that of a dolphin's...and this story inspires a person to learn to be as free and truly altruistic to his own kind just as the dolphins are in their own world! Donald the Dolphin is a friend that only the few and precious were so fortunate to have had!

Throughout the two decades from 1964 to 1984, Fontana published a remarkable skein of ghost story collections, piloted by R. Aikman and later by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, no mean supernatural authors themselves. Some of the paperbacks in this series, which winds its way up to the "20th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories" are now collectors' items and worth over a hundred dollars apiece.

For this first book in the series, Robert Aickman selected eleven supernatural tales, including his own "The Trains." He also writes an introduction in which he states, "There are only about thirty or forty first-class ghost stories in the whole of western literature."

That's a challenge indeed, since this complete series contains well over 200 ghost stories!

These are the stories in the Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories:

"The Travelling Grave" by L.P. Hartley--This is definitely one of Aickman's 'first-class ghost stories' and it is funny in the full meaning of the phrase 'hysterically funny.' A man is invited to spend a week-end in the country, arrives late and discovers that his host and the rest of the guests are playing a game of hide-and-seek.

"The Ghost Ship" by Richard Middleton--This story is also humorous, but it lacks the hysterical edge of "The Travelling Grave." A ghostly galleon runs aground in the middle of a turnip field during a violent wind storm. Unfortunately for the peace of a nearby village, the captain and his ghostly crew are very fond of rum.

"Squire Toby's Will" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu--The roistering, hard-living Squire Toby dies, leaving his two sons at each other's throats through the provisions of his will. The younger son inherits, then discovers another will leaving the property to his older brother. While he dithers about what to do with it, the older brother dies. Two mourners enter the mansion but are never seen to leave.

"The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson--A ship becalmed in the Northern Pacific gets a strange visitor. The last line of this story is particularly horrible: "Then the oars were dipped, the boat shot out of the patch of light, and the--the thing went nodding into the mist."

"Three Miles Up" by Elizabeth Jane Howard--The English Canal System has some strange stories told about it, and this is one of the strangest and scariest. Never pick up strangers who want to hitch a ride on your boat, even if she's willing to cook and do the laundry.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence--In order to help pay off his parents' debts, a little boy gets racing tips while riding his rocking horse.

"The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood-- This author was a pantheist and a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, eventually branching out into Buddhism and Rosicrucianism, and his stories reveal a deep, mystical appreciation of Nature, with a capital 'N.' He spent many summers in the backwoods of Canada and "The Wendigo" is probably the most eerie creation of this idyllic period of his life.

"The Crown Derby Plate" by Marjorie Bowen--Martha Pym is missing one plate from her antique Crown Derby collection. She would do almost anything to complete her set, but when the plate finally falls into her hands, she immediately gives it away. So would you, considering the source.

"The Trains" by Robert Aickman--Two lost hikers on the moors are forced to seek shelter from a rainstorm in a mansion built right over the top of a railroad. MiMi and Margaret learn quite a bit about trains from their host whose grandfather built both the house and the railroad beneath it. A woman seems to be hiding from them in the upper reaches of the house.

"The Old Nurse's Story" by Mrs. Gaskell--Here's an old classic that all ghost story connoisseurs must read at least once. A young orphan and her loving nursemaid must go to live with a distant great-aunt in Northumberland. The five-year-old soon wins over her new relative and the staff of the once-grand mansion, but who is the little girl who keeps begging her to come out and play in the storm?

"Seaton's Aunt" by Walter de la Mare--A rather unlikeable schoolboy has a repulsive aunt who seems to despise him. This is one of those moody stories where I'm never sure whether ghosts or paranoia got the upper hand.

France,1001 Sights (Anderson & Lea, 2002, University of Calgary Press) will enrich your perspective on the country, its people and the evolution of their society. It provides detailed information about remnants of human activity in France from the dawn of man in Europe (about 900,000 B.C.) through the first millennium A.D . This window provides a glimpse of paleo-, meso- and neolithic civilizations through the Iron and Bronze ages as well as the Celtic, Roman, Gallo-Roman, Merovingian, Carolingian and Viking periods of the country's evolution. This interesting and compact book complements what is available in other tour books, which focus primarily on the heritage of late Medieval and Renaissance France, by providing an ancient historical background for those later periods. In addition, although existing books make reference to the most spectacular of the remnants of early civilizations in France (e.g., Carnac, Lascaux or Nimes), this book features not only those well-known sites but also many, many others of exceptional quality throughout the country.

Anderson and Lea begin with an efficient overview of human habitation, invasion, conquest and assimilation in France, with pertinent commentary on language, religion and governance as they influenced the country's architecture, roads, commerce and organization. This sets the stage for the detailed chapters that follow on historical and archeological sites across the country in which hundreds of individual sights -- dolmens, menhirs, bridges, aqueducts, baths, villas, forts, etc. -- are described.

The book is organized by regions, a presentation that fits well with the regional historical perspective provided at the outset. Then, within each region, sites are located within current French Departments and relative to major cities. Finally, each site is described thoroughly in terms of the sights it contains, their historical significance, and how to find them. Directions are explicit in terms of route numbers, compass points, landmarks, distances from local centers and relative difficulty of access roads and paths (e.g., where pavement may be lacking or some walking/hiking is required to reach a sight).

In addition to the historical context provided to enhance the reader's appreciation of each sight, other strengths of the book include a glossary for archeological and architectural terms that may not be readily familiar, numerous black-and-white and color photographs of many spectacular sights, a bibliography of useful resources and a list of additional sights beyond those featured, for those who cannot get enough of these historical treasures.

This book will enhance forever the way one looks at France and appreciates the ancient relics of its countryside and cities, its regional differences and the formative millennia of its history, which was influenced by so many cultural forces. Enjoy this guide before as well as during your travels in France, to make the most of your time there. And even if you cannot travel there, use this book to complement other historical accounts of French civilization from the dawn of early man through the influence of the Celts, the Romans, the Germanic tribes and the Vikings (among others). It is a fascinating history that the stones tell, and Anderson and Lea have translated it well.

Offshore Sailing can be an exhilarating experience filled with marvelous sights - "Further Offshore: A Practical Guide for Sailors" is a complete and comprehensive guide for any sailor who wants to start this practice. Covering everything and every detail a sailor would need to know, including topics such as seaworthiness, dealing with foul weather, provisions, and so much more. Illustrated with charts throughout, "Further Offshore: A Practical Guide for Sailors" is a top pick for community library nautical collections.

Attorney (and Social Worker) Robin Bodiford of Fort Lauderdale has been crucially instrumental in making her home county of Broward the most progressive in the red (or dare we think purple state of Florida.) By way of her efforts, gay citizens in Broward County have greater legal protections than in any other county statewide. This particular article of hers, points out most excellently the atrociousness (more to the harm of needy children than to the gay community,) of the present state of Florida Law. May such efforts as hers, which point out the backwards and cruel effects of southern bigotry, which continue alive and all-too-well in Florida, soon change the tide!

Poor Joseph Sheridan LeFanu, who died in 1873, long before the era of television, and even longer before the era of airheads reading the news on television, would have been astonished had he known that one day readers would be asked to boycott his work because a clerical error on someone's part added my name as the coauthor of one of his classic ghost stories.

LeFanu exerted a profound influence on horror literature. His novel Carmilla was probably one of the inspirations for Bram Stoker's Dracula. I'm sure he'll continue to be read long after the current crop of television airheads are forgotten.

In very clear language the Gift of Baptism helps parents and thoses who are working with parents who are preparing to have their child baptized, this easy to read book helps parents understand the importance of and the meaning behind the Sacrement of Baptism.

Folowing a user friendly format the reader is introduced to the key theological concepts of baptism, walking the reader through the history of the sacrement offering practical helps for parents and Godparents as they approach this important stage of their child's life.

I recomend this book as a must for all thoses who take my baptism and Godparent classes, or for anyone who wants to understand thier faith a little more.

An amazing collection of gothic horror! One of my favorite books, out-of-print for decades is now restored in a complete edition. Le Fanu is a master of horror, much in the style of HP Lovecraft or William Hope Hodgson (check out Gothic Horror 1 & 2 for the best of Hodgson, incl. "The Ghost Pirates").

Everyday happenings grow progressively stranger, with a heavy sense of dread, until events explode in unimaginable freakishness! Wow! A fantasy escape for those who like dark victorian tales of ghosts, goblins, & demons. Enjoy!