Spencer Books

The most amazing and life-changing book I have read in the past several years!! I realized that when I am silent and passive about racism, then I am promoting it, and I have since asked forgiveness of and reconciled with some of my African American friends. The authors were incredibly honest about the issues on both sides of racism and about the need of the church to step up and be a fore-runner in reconciliation. I can't thank Spencer and Chris enough for their work.....I'm sad that Spencer is not with us any more to continue in this minsitry, though I understand that God knows best. I hope and pray that Chris will find another partner in the reconciliation ministry.

What I'm about to say may be conflicting, but I believe this from what I've seen. Although that reconciliation was much needed in previous years, it has become something else today. Rather than reconciliation between blacks, whites, and all races, it seems that today it is more about pronouncing who you are and what race you're from, making yourself seem a little more ambitious than you'd like.
Coming from a Mexican cultured background, racial issues arise only when, well, racial issues are brought up. People need to realize that true unity won't happen until we stop looking at people by a certain race. This book tries to emphasize the importance of keeping close to your culture and how strange it is to integrate to another, when in reality it's not as strange as it really is.
Marrying people from other national backgrounds is not bad; congregating with other churches of different backgrounds is not bad either; black and white Christians can live together. We don't really need proof. It's not as relevant as it once was.

This was a required text for one of my graduate courses and I didn't expect to enjoy it much. It wasn't far into the book that I began to resonate with some of the struggles for racial harmony articulated by Perkins and Rice.

In Chapter 1, Spencer Perkins states emphatically, "The Civil Rights Movement has run its course, and we've gotten just about all you can expect to get from a political movement." I, a white guy, took offense at the thought that someone would declare the struggle for civil rights obsolete. His point is well made through the development of this and subsequent chapters. The move toward reconciliation must move from race to grace.

Regardless of your religious affiliations, if you are engaged in civil rights causes or racial reconciliation you would be remiss to neglect this ground-breaking tome.

PAX

Erik

The revised editon of "More Than Equals" updates this provocative work telling the story of Caucasian Chris Rice and African American John Perkins. Different by race and culture, God bond them together in ministry. Their developing relationship provides a path that all Christian can follow for healthy cross-cultural relationships.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.

This is the book that began everything for me. Okay, so I was already living in the city--I had moved in as poor college student--but I hated it. I wanted to move out of the hood as soon as possible. Reading this book convicted me of God's calling in my life to embrace the city as my home--and to love my neighbor as myself.

I read this book just in time; shortly after, I was raped in my home while my husband was gone to a meeting at church and my children were asleep in the room next to me. I wouldn't have made it through that trial without having been deeply rooted in the awareness of God's will for me.

It pretty much lays out all the extra powers and traits for creating a more developed character. It also gives the basics for creating other werecreatures (which I think is a bonus more for the storytellers).

If you have the first edition though, don't bother. The only difference is a hard cover.

This book is extremely helpful, especially to new players of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. It adds a lot to the game, including a variety of new merits and flaws, extra rites and gifts, and detailed information about the changing breeds other than the garou. A must-have for any player.

If you bought Werewolf: the Apocolypse, liked it, and want to start playing the game like a REAL MAN, then you have to buy this book. It has information than the Werewolf core rulebook. And it introduces you to each of the awesome Changing Breeds. Get the damn book.

excelent art, and an even more impressive storyline to go with, white wolf publishing combines (successfuly at that) real world concerns, environmental and the like, with the fantastic mythos (old world and original) regarding the werewolves.

I am the Storyteller to our werewolf games, and my players and I consider this book a nessessity! Werewolf the apocalypse just does'nt have all the info you need. This book contains merits and flaws (a way to earn more freebie points and to spiff up your charater by making it blind, double-jointed, or have a wonderful tolerance to silver, and many more), personality archetypes so that your character may regain willpower more easily, as well as making it more fun to roleplay. An extra list of metis deformities is in this book as well as new abilities (like klaive dueling, pilot, and demolitions), gifts, backgrounds, and rites. This book also contains extended information on ALL of the tribes AND "camps", including the Ronin(if you don't have this book, you've probably never heard of it)! More information for the Storyteller on Packs, Septs, Caerns, Spirits, how to crossover different white wolf games, dueling, new combat maneuvers, aging and it's effects, and the werewolf sickness of Harano. For everyone it contains new totems, and fetishes. But best of all, this book contains all of the changing breeds (like werecats, and weresnakes) except for the werefoxes! This seriously saves you much money if your players insist on being a weredragon!

The grandness of a piano poet is to convey us to unsaid universes behind, beneath and beyond the written score, is to create atmospheres, creating on this way a new level of interpretation. Jean Renoir said once. " We should remind that a field of wheat painted by Van Gogh can arouse a stronger emotion than a field of wheat in nature."

Camus stated "To create is living twice" ; on the other hand Richter himself said: "the role of any artist is to build an invisible bridge between the work and the listener", for example Velazquez and Goya, one disappears from the picture, while the other is present in it.

The extraordinary pianism of Richter is based among other supreme qualities in his fertile imagination and ability to create atmospheres, finding the keyed liasons between the spirit and the meaning of every score he played.

Here you have the basic element of his fabulous pianism.

I've enjoyed this book enormously and don't mind that, as Monsaingeon tells us in the introduction, this is not exactly a biography- the title of the book also makes that clear.
The style and tone of the book are wonderfully simple and direct, and many passages are very humourous. I especially liked Richter's description of Maria Yudina and the accompanying photo's (in the second photo she looks like a tramp in sporting shoes). It tells also of the eccentricity and powerful personalities (especially Yudina) that today would, I'm afraid, be ridiculed. The whole atmosphere of Russia, despite it's enormous injustice, seems ages ago from today's streamlined concerts, planned a year or more in advance, where pianists receive enormous salaries.
There was some discussion in Holland when the documentary came out about the title (the enigma). The original title in French was "l'insoumis", which, according to a French friend, means somebody (especially a soldier) not obeying the rules and following his own path (the dictionary gives the translation "unsubdued"). I think the original title is more in line with the book also.

If you are a devoted pianist this book will ring inside you, the daily arduous burdens of practice of interpretation, learning music,traveling. Richter was a fabulous deep thinking pianist,he knew how to tame/channel his emotions,serving the music but this lifeworld complexity hardly comes through between-th-lines for he was not a writer.If you are a performing musician you can finish Richter's thought. We cannot be all things to all people.

He reports on concerts, his own and recordings,his own(largely he was always displeased) The incredible scope of his career,traveling much after 1960 spanning decades,living through the darkest pages of Soviet Russia, all this comes through his directly functional words. His power as pianist was not forcing his career, allowing himself time to develop a repertoire and more importantly reflect upon it.His first teacher Neuhaus said his tone was brittle, to concentrated, it needed to "breath" more, and he learned this.His Schubert for example(a "breathing" composer) was come to very late, as the G major Sonata that befuddles many pianists. There is no substitute for what time and duration does to one's playing, this is something hardly ever learned by cigar-chomping agents. Make a quick Buck! Hell with interpretation and Hell! with music as it should be.

Richter had incredible power as a pianist, many conductors will reveal how he can consume the work,as Gennady Rozhdestvensky will reveal. The orchestra must hold its own, as in the Brahms Bb Concerto, or Tchaikovsky.Although Richter to my own ears, only found great interpretive conviction in Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, two composers he felt were very close to each other, and to himself. (although Prokofiev would never openly admit this. Scriabin and Chopin as well Richter had great strength under the surface ornamentations,extended colouful harmonies and brooding darknesses.

He claimed he only practiced three hours a day unless he was given a work to learn quickly as Prokoviev did with his late Sonatas. But given Richter's incredible memory I doubt this.

There is chronolgy(almost day to day) of Richter's life beginning in 1970 given here in concerts.

There are also nice vintage photos of his travels.

First off. I'm a Richter zealot. I own 200+ recordings of Richter. I went out of my way to acquire a collection of Japanese laserdiscs of Richter performances. Richter's performance of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto is for me a celestial performance. So...what about this book? I think unless you are pretty hardcore, this book will be a disappointment. It is not a biography. While I found Richter's ruminations on performances and recordings interesting, it is inconceivable to me that the average music lover would want to snuggle up with this book the way they might with a truly well-researched biography. Richter's life is fascinating, but I don't think it really comes across in this book. The author is honest in not portraying the book as a biography. And there's a great reference list of works that Richter has performed in public. What he didn't perform is almost as interesting as what he did -- e.g. he never performed Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto or Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven. I'd recommend waiting a year or so till someone does a great bio on this artist. In the meantime, watch the video that this book is based on. While everyone else seems to be giving rave reviews, I just can't see that. I gave my copy away.

I recommend this book, whether or not you've seen the companion documentary. However, as the film's title states, Richter is an enigma, and he still will be after you've read this book (or seen the film). With every page you get the impression he's keeping out as much as he's letting us know--and that's certainly his right. I'm not saying I'm looking for a "tell all" book about SR and frankly wouldn't want one. But there are times he stays frustratingly superficial about things: he denies he likes smaller venues for performing (I think it's kind of obvious he does), says repeatedly he does not like America "because everything's so standardized." Am I to believe that there's less variaty from Los Angeles to Maine than there is from Moscow to Odessa? He never really explains his beef with America or Americans, yet says being here made him "nauseous." His relationship to his wife and, of course, his homosexuality remain undiscussed. That's fine, except there's a lot of footage in the film where you find yourself wondering who took pictures of Richter that way, and why. (The scene of him wrapped in bedsheets running about is particularly interesting and humorous.)

The potential reader should also be forewarned that he reveals virtually nothing about his own art and insights. Anyone who enjoyed Joseph Horowitz's Conversations With Arrau and is looking for something similar will be disappointed. It very well may be that Richter was incapable of explaining or comprehending his talent. Or perhaps it was pretty much as he said, that it was pretty obvious to him how a piece should go because "all one has to do is read the score." He summed himself up with Kurt Sanderling's remark about him, "Not only can he play the piano, he can read notes too." To many such as myself who have been at times overwhelmed by Richter's mastery, that may seem too simplistic, and even like a veiled statement (deliberately simplistic, in other words), but that's what he says. And listening again to some of his greatest recordings, maybe it really was as simple as that.

He also clearly became a sadder and sadder man as life went on. There is some discussion in the foreward of health troubles and lengthy hospital stays, but this too is not really talked about in any detail, and we are left with a very incomplete picture. So if you buy this book you will have a fuller picture of Richter, but we are still seeing him through a veil, and I have a feeling the author wants it that way to protect some things he may not want to reveal, or that Richter may have asked him not to reveal before consenting with his cooperation. At any rate Richter is still an enigma after this book and the video, but a fascinating enigma nonetheless!

It is good for the purpose of learning Civ Pro as a 1L. Some hypos are good and others are questionable. But overall, it is good. Serves its purpose. I like Glannon's E&E and MCQ better.

This book was a lifesaver during my Civ Pro exam, which took place yesterday. I have all the other supplements--Glannon Guide (good too), E&E, Emanuel's, Gilbert's...the works. During the open book/note/everything exam I only really used this book. The checklists at the end of each section make it so easy to make sure you haven't missed an issue or just forgotten something. It is also an EASY READ...I can barely make it through 1/2 an E&E before finals. I have never reviewed a book before EVER, but if I had not had this supplement yesterday, I would have cried on the last question regarding the ERIE doctrine. It is worth it just for the checklists and sample (short) answers alone. Hope this helps!

The detailed checklists are very helpful additions to any 1L's study guides. They help to organize the case law and black letter law into easy to follow flow charts, which show how each builds on the next. My only criticism is that, since the law constantly updates, the guide should be updated. There were some more recent cases that were not included in the guide.

Each chapter has a useful short review and checklist. The book was a great help near the end of term, when broad checklists became more important than minutiae. I'd recommend getting this along with a more classic commercial outline, like Clermont Black Letter.

The Glannon books (especially the Glannon Guide q&a book) are more comprehensive, but when it comes down to the last week or two and you want to be sure you haven't missed the fine points hiding in the FRCP (and there are a lot of those) - this book is great.

Even if you didn't read a word of the educational information concerning the orders of insects this book is worth the photos alone. Outstanding as a field guide, the photos are excellent, and often include inset photos of larvae. Handy ID notes right on the photos point out details of the insect to make identification easier. A photo Table of Contents will help you zero right in on the order of the insect in question. This is not the only bug book I have, but by far the most used. Though featuring insects of all of North America, each photo and description tell you the range so you know if the insect you are questioning is even in your area. If you even have a mild interest in insects, this makes a great "picture book" to peruse, but for those who are seriously interested in ID'ing and learning it is an indispensable tool.

I really enjoy Golden Guide books from St. Martin Press. They have been around for a long time where I enjoyed their small, colorful illustrative books as a child. It is fairly accurate in illustations and a brief description of the various insects that can be found. For those children who enjoy science and the curiousity of insects, this book is handy and a nice presentation of introducing them to the world of insects.

Price and size are what makes this guide so great. It provides a good overview of insects in a very portable format, particularly for my young daughter to put in her pocket before we explore the great outdoors.

The small size, however, means that the illustrations are not as large or detailed as we would prefer. It also limits the amount of specific information that can be included. We recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and have found region-specific books (particularly from Lone Pine Publishers) to be superb.

I recommend this as a great resource at a very good price.

This is the first book I remember owning. Children are fasinated by insects and this book lets them see pictures of real insects which they can find them in their yards. I give a copy of this to anyone I know turning 3 or up. I have yet to have anyone NOT enjoy it. It is also a help to those childen (and moms) who fear bugs. It is a great way to teach respect for all creatures. Get this and an empty jar and you can have tons of fun with your child.

Almost the first book on insects that I ever acquired was a hardbound edition of this little guide in the early 1950s. Indeed, I wore out several copies before I graduated to Lutz's "Field Book of Insects" and later more up to date guides. While a bit behind in modern systematics, this guide still has enchanting pictures, mostly the same ones I poured over during my childhood. It was here I first caught the insect "bug" that eventually propelled me into a career in biological sciences. Zim's early "Golden Guide to Insects" was a magic carpet into the fantastic world of insects and I think that it must still be luring young people to at least appreciate the six-legged crowd. I know that the images in this book are still burned into my brain, especially that of the beautiful buckeye butterfly and the various horned scarab and carrion beetles.

I highly recommend this book for children as a first insect book, but I sort of wish they had kept the original yellow cover!

"It is remembered in my family that on Christmas Eve of 1933 my father was late arriving home. That, along with the love he and my mother bestowed upon their eight red-headed offspring, is fact. The rest is fiction."

So begins The Homecoming (Buccaneer Books, 1970), a homespun family tale set under the "cold Virginia sky" of Spencer's Mountain. Written by Earl Hamner, Jr., The Homecoming became the made-for-TV movie that launched The Waltons. It's a December staple around our house. But how close is the movie, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971), to the book?

Starring Richard Thomas as John Boy and (a hopelessly miscast) Patricia Neal as Olivia, the movie's storyline is quite close to the book. However, some of the names of the characters differ:In the movie it's Clay-Boy, Matt, Becky, Shirley, Mark, Luke, John, and Pattie-Cake Spencer instead of John-Boy, Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Elizabeth Walton. It's Misses Etta and Emma Staples sisters instead of the eccentric Mamie and Emily Baldwins.

The usuals in the book also appear in the film, sometimes in slightly altered form: Ike Godsey isn't a store keeper in the book, but rather a restauranter, chef, bartender, bouncer and pool hall owner (p. 76, 71). As in the movie, we also meet Sheriff Ep Bridges, preacher Hawthorne Dooley, the "backwoods Robin Hood" - Charlie Sneed, and even Chance the cow.

We meet a few characters in the book not appearing in the movie, such as Birdshot Sprouse, "a tall, obliging, not-too-bright boy" (p. 60) who tells the Spencer (Walton) children about the "city lady" with a Missionary Box of Christmas gifts "down at the post office" (p. 62).

All in all, the movie follows the book closely, at times lifting dialogue and plot right out of the book, verbatim:

- "I wish my daddy could fly" says little Pattie Cake ("Elizabeth") on p.13

- Olivia's Christmas cactus (p. 11, 12)

- Clay boy's complaint, "I'm an old mother duck" (p. 16)-

- "Son, you're goen to be sorry you did that" snarls Becky (Mary Ellen) on p. 19

- Olivia stirring her applesauce cake and singing/humming O Little Town of Bethlehem (p. 21)

- Bickering kids (p.p. 19-22, 48-50)

- "We don't accept charity in this family" declares Livy, p. 63

- "I wonder how news got all the way to the North Pole that you wanted to be a writer" observes Daddy Walton in both book (p. 121) and movie to young Clay Boy (John Boy).

Here's how the basic plot reads in the book:

While awaiting their Daddy's arrival on a cold Christmas Eve in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the Depression, matriarch Olivia Spencer sends 15 y.o. Clay-Boy out in search of his father. The clan patriarch, Clay Spencer, is a somewhat different man from the John Walton later portrayed by Ralph Waite:

"Clay Spencer was a hard man to measure up to. Like all Spencer men he was a crack shot, a good provider for his family, an honest `look-em-in-the-eye' man, an enthusiastic drinker, a prodigious dancer, a fixer of things, a builder, a singer of note, a teller of bawdy stories, a kissing, hugging, loving man whose laughter would shake the house, and who was not ashamed to cry." (p. 25)

There's no mention of a bus going off the road as a possible explanation for Daddy Walton's lateness, as in the movie. Clay Sr. is simply, inexplicably late. Olivia and her brood of eight - along with Grandpa Homer and Grandma Ida are newsless as to Clay's dilatory arrival and can do nothing but wait. Later, Olivia sends out young Clay Boy to search for Clay, Sr.

While looking for his father, Clay Boy runs into Sheriff Bridges at Ike Godsey's pool hall. The Sheriff has arrested Charlie Sneed for "hunten out of season" (p. 78) - not for relieving local merchants of their foodstuffs, as in the movie. The verbal exchange between Charlie and the swaggering Sheriff Bridges (p. 79-80) is almost word-for-word from the book (p. 78-80).

Clay-Boy gets a ride to the turn off of the First Abyssinian Baptist Church from Sheriff Bridges (not borrowing Sneed's car), and has to trudge to the church on foot in the dark due to road conditions. In the dark and snow, Clay Boy is guided to the church by the sound of singing It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (p. 85) and is invited in by black preacher Hawthorne Dooley. At the close of the Christmas Eve service, Dooley offers Clay Boy "a ride on General" - his horse - to the Staples' home in search of Clay, Sr. (p. 93).

After being regaled with a rehearsal of the charms of Ashley Longworth (p. 102, 103) and Enrico Caruso on the Staples' Victrola (p. 104), Clay Boy accepts a horse-drawn sleigh ride home from Misses Etta and Emma (p. 107-108). The sisters make Clay Boy a gift of "a Mason jar of recipe" (p. 110), not eggnog as in the movie. Arriving home, Clay Boy presents the jar to his mother who declares she'll use it "to make frosting for my applesauce cake" (p. 110). The recipe for both cake and frosting appears in the back of the book.

Daddy Walton finally arrives home after 1:00 a.m. on Christmas Day:

Snuggling with packages, Clay entered. He placed his bundles down on the table, knelt and opened his arms and immediately they were filled with chidlden, brushing the snow from his face, hugging him around the neck, crushing his chest with their frantic embraces. Now he rose and the chidlren watched with delight as he crossed the floor to Olivia. He kissed her tenderly on the cheek, but then, and this was what the children were waiting for, he picked her up and danced about the kitchen shouting joyously, `God, what a woman I married!' while Olivia shouted indignantly, `Put me down, you old fool!'"(p. 117)

...After the children open the gifts their Daddy has brought, little Pattie cake observes, "You didn't get nothen, Daddy." (p. 121)Gently Clay lifted the little girl in his arms and looked around the room at his family."Sweetheart," he said, "I've got Christmas every day of my life in you kids and your mama." He turned to Olivia. "Did you ever see such thoroughbreds?"

***

Good night Mama. Good night Daddy. Good night Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob, Elizabeth, Grandpa and Grandma. Good night John Boy.

Good night Spencer's/Walton's Mountain. Merry Christmas.

I'm looking for the movie version of Sepncer's Mountain. Any idea on how to get it?

Please email to myersrule@earthlink.net Thank you!

I picked this up at the library one day, being in a Christmas mood and after years of watching The Walton's "Homecoming" Christmas special and loving it. The story is quite different fromt the TV movie, somewhat more bleak in tone...Olivia here is worrying that her husband's delay in coming home is because he is off drinking somewhere instead of hurt in a bus accident. Probably a bit more accurate feel of the Depression here. Still very absorbing and touching, the characters are no less lovable. A nice short read for a rainy day.

For years I have loved the Walton Family.The Books on the Spenser family are delightful.Can anyone tell me how I could get the Movies The Homecoming.The original is Starring Patricia Neal,and then if I am not mistaken there is also a Christmas movie with the TV Walton Family.I would love to have these movies.Thanks for your help.

This of course is the beginning of the Waltons (TV). This book is now often overlooked, which is a shame as it is a well written piece of literature. This is the touching story of a typical mountain family during the depression years. I enjoy rereading this one ever so often, near Christmas. It is not a lengthly tale, it is one you can read on a snowy Saturday (get you in the mood). This is also a well crafted book, told my a master story teller. The author's character developement is absolutely wonderful. I hate to use the word "classic" as I feel it is quite over used, but with this work I am tempted. It is certainly a book you should add to your list.

That's it, I'm going to be a history major. I loved this book. Who says you can't write history in the first person? I laughed, I cried, I could relate to the author at times. I too love fine houses. I found it most amusing, all the tales he told about selling furnishings just to keep the house. I mean this book is part history, part autobiography, and it reminds us all of the bond we have with our house, our ancestors, our land, and the pictures we hang on the wall. I highly recommend it.

I have to admit I probably would have only been vaguely interested in The Story of Althorp had it not been for the Diana, Princess of Wales Factor. I still harbour some curiosity about her childhood and background. Funnily though Charles Spencer, Diana's brother who is the author of this book, points out early on that their were actually quite old (although still children) when they moved there - the Earl Spencer didn't inherit it from his father until quite late in the piece.

I didn't pick it up solely for Diana though - This was home to one of the most interesting families in the period that I am extremely interested in. The First Earl Spencer and his wife (eighteenth century) had two infamous daughters. Their eldest daughter, Georgiana born in the late 1750's who later married the 5th Duke of Devonshire She has been the subject of numerous biographies on her life. The second daughter led a quieter but only slightly less fascinating life - that was Henrietta who married Lord Bessborough. Henrietta's own daughter was the shocking Lady Caroline Lamb. So all in all this house has a wonderful coterie of historical 'ghosts' knocking around in its archives. All good material for Spencer to draw on - and he does.

Unlike a previous reviewer of this book I don't have any problems with the text and illustrations - the hanging of the paintings (the reviewer saw them turning up in different rooms) is fully explained in the text and it is easy to see which are the before photos and which are the after ones. This includes an explanation and reference in the text to which photo is the dining room before it was turned into the dining room.

What I found most interesting about this book was that it was more than just a history of the people who lived in the house, it was actually a history of the house. Of the changes which had been made over time, walls being knocked out, cladding put on, rooms covered over - all the things which happen to a stately home over 300 years of existence - and the effects which it has on the building.

Spencer is very personal in his writing, I don't think he lacks for self-confidence anyway and although it didn't detract from the book at times I found myself smiling and wondering did he really think he would ever fail?

On his step-mother, Raine. Well it has never been a secret the feelings that her step-children had for her. Given some of the things which have come out in the past I think he was remarkably restrained in limiting himself to some pithy statements on her handling of the design of the house - which I have to say seeing the photos of the rooms she decorated - I am in full agreement with him.

Still while I enjoyed the book immensely, and would recommend anyone with an interest in things English to read this book, it doesn't rate as one that I would keep on my shelves. There are books more specifically in my particular area of interest - Georgian House Style - a recent good one I read was by Henrietta Spencer Churchill which is also on Amazon.

This book is filled with historical facts and alot of pictures. Earl Spencer gives a witty and factual account of "Althorp" over the centuries. His knowledge of the former Earls and what they each contributed to the house during their lifetimes, make a great read. The family art collection is unbelievable a couple of his relatives were painted by Gainsboro himself.

This is a wonderful book! In particular enjoyed the way that Charles Spencer brought his ancestors "to life." He gave some very personal and fascinating ancedotes about his ancestors.

The pictures of Althorp were absolutely beautiful, and he went into great detail explaining the history of the contents of the rooms and the history that took place in them.

Charles Spencer stated that he was afraid, at one point, he would not make his mark on Althorp. He certainly has made a significant mark for the better. It is amazing what he has done in such a short period of time.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read. It is entertaining, funny, informative, creative and fascinating.

This history book of Althorp (pronounced Awltrupp - per the second chapter) is the kind you would expect to see at the house's giftshop. The publication date is 1998, but the thoughtful, researched text suggests that the Earl was probably writing the book before Diana's death.

The text describes the evolution of the house and grounds as they have passed from each generation, with the final chapter explaining the design of Diana's memorial. However, there is very little about Diana in the remainder of the book. Where she is mentioned, it is often but a sentence, as with this description of the family Bible: "...Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough's family Bible, which lists every member of the Spencer family after her, naming their date of birth, date and place of christening, godparents, date and place of marriage, spouse, children and date of death. I recently had to bring it up to date."

The book's pictures are of rooms on the ground and first floors (first and second floors in American), valued paintings, other art objects and the grounds. The Earl redecorated Althorp after inheriting it in 1992. I think his style is lovely. The house looks livable and the grouping of paintings, which he attributes to Edward Bulmer, is as special as the Earl describes.

However, it is with the pictures that I find a fault with the book. Under scrutiny, I noticed that some furnishings are in more that one room. Dated captions may have helped with this: Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait of Georgiana, Countess Spencer with her daughter Lady Georgiana, is seen hanging in the Marlborough Room as a drawing room (page 144), while it is also seen hanging in the South Drawing Room on page 11 (decorated by the Earl) and the South Drawing Room on page 128 (decorated by Raine). We know the Earl made the Marlborough Room a dining room. So what is the time period of the room on page 144?

The treatment of Raine, the Earl's former stepmother, is the book's other fault. The Earl has used this as an opportunity to criticize her, her decorating, and even her servants. He describes Raine among "short-termist stepmothers [who] have made massive inroads into once secure inheritances." The pictures of her decorating of Althorp are the most awful pictures in the book: the chapel used as a storage area ("never patient in those days with things Christian"), a library with little furniture, the South Drawing Room in poor light.

The Earl's criticisms do not seem to fit in this book when the prior 100 pages describe how generations of Spencers have sold art and land to maintain Althorp. The Earl himself rents out Althorp for corporate business entertaining.

(Raine's decorating was featured in an article in the January 1991 Architectural Digest. Yes, she used too much gilding; her style was that of an older woman. But her furnished library really does not look much different from the Earl's and the South Drawing Room is photographed in kinder light.)

However, these two faults, and the lack of a map of the grounds, did not stop me from enjoying the book. I look forward to seeing if the Earl's latest book, The Spencers: A Personal History of An English Family, is up to the writing standard he has established here.

The value of Spencer's Battle for Europe is in making the personality of Marlborough and the story of Blenheim accessible to the non-professional military history enthusiast. That's especially important here in the U.S., where outside of academia little is known or appreciated about the era of Louis XIV and his wars.

Like Lee, Marlborough reaches his peak in his fifties, old for a great general to do so. Like Scipio, his achievements stir petty jealousies and lead to intrigues that smear his reputation. Like Napoleon, he marches energetically and gives battle in textbook style: freezing the enemy's attention on fixed points, and just when the time is right, the decisive breakthrough.

All these things Spencer relates clearly and concisely. He can be forgiven for not turning over any new ground in Marlborough scholarship.

Other reviewers have noted that this is a well-written book, and it is. Having recently finished Winston Spencer Churchill's much longer life of Marlborough, it seemed to me that Mr. Spencer relied heavily on Winston Churchill's prior work for facts, and sources. However, this may be unfair since both Mr. Spencer and Mr. Winston Churchill meticulously mined and primarily relied on the private material at Blenheim Castle, and as long as both of them are honest and through, it would be more surprising if their tales differed, rather than the reverse.

Mr. Spencer does not feel as great a need as Mr. Winston Churchill did to defend the reputation of his famous forebear. These slights of earlier, also partisan, writers have in general stood neither the test of time, nor in particular, the exquisitely detailed, point-by-point, refutation contained in Mr. Winston Churchill's biography of the same man. If you have been a very active general, and John Churchill was very active. If you have repeatedly fought the best generals and best armies of your time, and, John Churchill fought them all except his friend and fellow genius Prince Eugene of Savoy. And nonetheless, your biographer can still say that you never fought a battle that you did not win, nor besieged a town that you did not take, then you are indeed a Great Captain and leader of men. The Duke of Marlborough was this and much more.

Unfortunately we do not get to see the "much more" in this book. As the title indicates this is a retelling of the story of a great, complex and important battle. Blenheim was not just murder by the thousands. Like the Greatest Generation, John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, accomplished something truly important with his victories, and particularly with this victory. Unlike Alexander who's empire immediately disintegrated upon his death, the political results achieved by John Churchill's military prowess survived his critics and, more important, his incompetent, if not quite treasonous successors. Marlborough's great services served England for generations, and ultimately provided the man, Winston Spencer Churchill, who would quite literally save England from her greatest, most powerful enemy -Adolph Hitler.

To soundly defeat the greatest army of the age, led by a competent, respected general is always memorable. However, it should be remembered that the purpose of war is political change, not victory per se. Probably the greatest military victory ever, Hannibal's victory over the Roman Legions at Cannae is instructive. Cannae, although it was the classic battle of annihilation, had almost no effect other than to kill a lot of people. After the tragic loss, the Romans reacted like they always had: they prayed to their gods, created a new army, and appointed a new general who decisively and permanently defeated their impertinent opponent.

Given the comprehensive excellence of this, his first book of history, I can only hope that Mr. Spenser will at some time delve more deeply, much more deeply, into the enigma that is John Churchill. Like George Washington, he is a man that defies routine, as well as exceptional examinations. John Churchill was so much more than a great general. He was in fact, if not in name, a wartime Prime Minister in a two-man cabinet. He was subject to fits of depression like Lincoln, and like Lincoln, depression, even the death of a son, never interfered with his duty. In an age where men married for money or property - he married for love, and they remained in love as long as they lived. Who was this man? I hope that Charles Spenser one-day answers this question as well as he has answered why Blenheim was, the Battle for Europe.

I had noticed this book while picking through works on the War of Spanish Succession here on amazon and I placed it on my Christmas list. I was surprised to open it and began reading it on Christmas day and couldn't put it down. I finished it the next day after reading through the night.

Spencer pens an amazing book that is said to concern the 1704 Battle of Blenheim in Bavaria. Instead, the book deals with a period of history of approximately 1670-1705, the time in world history where empires were rising and falling and what could be termed as the "calm between the storms" of the Reformation and Enlightenment. Spencer weaves and intricate and flowing tale of the great clash of arms between the marshalls of Louis XIV and the Duke of Marlborough, backing the narrative of the war and the battle with political intrigues, explanations of 18th century warfare, and a look at the three major characters of the book, the Duke, Louis XIV, and Prince Eugene of Savoy.

All in all, this book is an excellent first work from Spencer and I fervently await subsequent books.

The abundantly plain prose of Mr. Spencer, interrupted here and there with some sparks of brilliance an even humor, fully accomplish the task of NOT showing any novelty about an age that, granted, has been well trodden by myriads of historians of any and every caliber. He, also, hit the target in NOT making a convincing case of his main idea that the battle of Blenheim, the axis of his narrative, changed the course of european history stopping the run of Louis XIV to continental domination. Mr Spencer himself, in some of his best chapters, give a plenty account of how stretched and weakened France was after so many campaings, so how improbable was that Louis could ever sustain such an empire even winning in Bleinheim.
It must be said that in any case, never forgetting the moderate standards of the so called "popular history", Mr. Spencer can be read in a leisurely sunday afternoon and, with hope, better works can be realistically expected from him in the future. So I give him three stars.

Readable, effortlessly so in fact - I am not sure but I think Charles Spencer, or Earl Spencer, is actually a journalist - if so I think this book is the best of all worlds. It is a well referenced book which I think will appeal to academics and historians of English and military history - but his ability to tell a good story makes this a pleasing and easy read.

This books follows and really climaxes at one of the most significant battles in Europe at the time, and one which was really epitomised the animosity between the French and the English which was to finally end with Waterloo so 100 years later. The explanation of the background and the domination of the French in Europe at the time is well done. This is no dry-rendering of facts.

The book is divided into two halves, the first half backgrounds the politics of Europe and the various men who would later indulge in the war - and it seems it was an indulgence.

the second half takes us through the campaign, the life, and the major battles, including the battle of Blenheim which left several thousand British and allies dead and many more French.

John Churchill, who lead the British was later created Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne for his efforts and was granted Government money to build the immense palace which was named for his most famous battle. Charles Spencer and the Earls of Spencer are descended from the Junior Branch of his family and so I expect he may have had access to papers to assist in this. For whatever reason it seems appropriate that he should write this book about his ancestor.

A great book and a good read.

Hi everybody. I'm Savannah and I'm 13. I read Candy Lane Craze and my sister read it too. We like this book a lot because of all the funny stuff. We like the stuff about all the candy the cookies and the funny stuff about the giant bugs too. It was a cool story to read when the kids found all the yummy goodies and then they had a lot of fun when they stayed in sweet little. My sister said it was a dream come true because she wants to go to a place like sweet little so she can eat all her favorite stuff. I think thats funny. Btw did you hear my sister on the radio one time. She was 9 when she won some prizes on radio disney. See ya later bye everybody have a nice day.

Dear Mr. Spencer,

My young son, Jason, was diagnosed with a liver condition that led to multiple surgeries in the recent past. Amazingly, after all this little boy has been through, he's surprisingly happy and content. Partly because my job is to keep him happy during his challenging ordeal. He is also smiling again because of your children's novel, Candy Lane Craze. Your novel has made him so happy that his constant smiling is contagious and it brightens my day. Thank you so much for bringing such a marvelous and entertaining story to the children's book world. Your novel contains details about a fantasy world that every child would love. Your child and adult characters are funny and adorable, and the action-packed events are highly imaginative and very entertaining. I gave your book high praise to my son's physicians, nurses, and the social workers at the hospital. Hopefully your book will inspire my son to read passionately for the rest of his life.

Sincerely,

Craig Silverman

I read Candy Lane Craze during my last semester in college because my little neices told me about it. They found the book on the Internet and then I borrowed their copy when they bought it. Although the plot is not entirely a winner, it's clearly a book of funny events that make you smile as you read it. I truly fell in love with the main characters Johnny, Sara, and Sabrina. They're so cute together, and I have to admit there were moments where I teared up because of the happy and sad chapters in the book. It's magical, it's fun, it's easy to read. I think I read the entire book in a week or so, it's definitely a page turner for kids that like strange and funny adventure stories.

If you haven't read this book, I strongly advise that you do. This book is the perfect pick-me-up for anyone who is having stressful days in their life. I'm not saying it's a cure for the blues, it's just a great way to end a stressful day without DVDs, video games, and junk food (it's great for parents too). Anyway, Candy Lane Craze is truly amazing. You will absolutely love the charming details about Sweet Little. This town is dreamy, stylish, and fancy. It's a terrific magical get-away for the young travelers in this story. The good news is, despite all the luxurious surroundings and the humorous mishaps, the kids want to come home to their parents (my favorite part). It's a great way to say that the world today is filled with nice places to go and nice things to buy, but the best place to be is at home with your family and friends who love you. Everyone in my family loves this story and I believe you will too.

Candy Lane Craze is a truly funny story for elementary school kids. When I read it with my students, I thought it was an absolute delight. It tells the story of three siblings, Johnny, Sara, and Sabrina, who receive an unusual bag of lemon drops and experience a magical adventure to Sweet Little, a city where the residents have strange ideas about candy. Then, the children experience hilarious and outrageous events when the author describes the details about their unusual surroundings.

I truly believe that Spencer is one of the rarest children's authors in the comedy genre, and I hope to see some future children's stories from him. I want to mention the structure of the book. This book is definitely not for advanced readers because of its simplicity, it doesn't have any challenging twists and turns. It does contain big words throughout the book. However, I feel that children with advanced reading skills will be bored easily. I will keep this book in my school library for students who are struggling with their reading skills and have started to read full-length literary novels. It's really a book about funny, outrageous events that make you smile. The main characters, Johnny, Sara, and Sabrina, are very lovable. They don't have any special talents or skills. They're just cute typical siblings who find themselves in a strange predicament. And the plot is extremely easy to follow. My students read the book really fast because it was so simple.

Therefore, I'm writing this review to say that I love the book because it is extremely funny, it gave me a great escape from everyday reality, and I recommend it to struggling elementary school students to practice reading full-length novels and to middle school students who enjoy great leisurely and light-hearted reading.

Wonderful book of Vintage block patterns, makes cataloging some of those old orphan blocks great or making that wonderful vintage look quilt. If you like vintage designs you need this collection of designs.

If you are interested in quilt history or in the names of traditional quilt blocks, this book is an invaluable tool. Carrie Hall sewed and collected various quilt blocks along with their names in what is now an encyclopedia of quilt history. I have used this book both for inspiration in my own quilt block making and also for historical interest (which blocks were named after political events, etc). Definitely one to have on your quilt book shelf.

This is an excellent resource book for those interested in quilt history. The more than 800 blocks were made between 1900-1935. Both pieced and appliqued blocks are shown in color. The pattern section of more than 200 blocks range from easy level to difficult. The template section is very easy to use. Each block is shown in color and then in sections with all template numbers listed. All blocks in this section have been converted to more standard sizes and could be converted to other sizes with relative ease by any quilter. A fantastic book and a must for any quilter's personal library!

Carrie Hall Blocks are a great resource to have. There are 800 different pattern blocks to look at with 200 having the templates completed in the back. But if you wanted to make a block not templated all you would have it do is xerox the picture to a desired size and then draft it. But with 200 templated you have more than enough to chose from. I have made some of the blocks and used this resource to research block names. Not only does she have a copy of blocks, but she also will have copies of blocks that have the same name but different patterns. This one feature has cleared up many confused moments.

istanbuljoy

I like the fact that the book has a hard cover. And with 800 patterns, a person should be able to find something they like. However, I found other books on patterns that I like much better ("It's Okay if You Sit on My Quilt", "Once More Around the Block" and "849 Traditional Patchwork Patterns) and I have never used this book for a reference (yet) because I like my other books better. And I'm not crazy about the choice of fabrics that are used; there isn't much definition in value. There are quite a few applique patterns.