Stevens Books

Books surveying anomalous experience have tended to come from the skeptic side of the fence and have leaned toward the debunking end of the spectrum. While they have their uses, there's always the nagging suspicion that they might not be fair to all the evidence. While this book isn't as easy reading as those of the skeptics, it really shoots at being a balanced examination of the evidence, pro and con, with intelligent discussion about where the weight of what we know falls. Each chapter tackles one anomalous phenomenon and follows a consistant structure. First, the experience is clearly defined so that we know what is and is not being addressed. Then, the actual phenomenology of the phenomenon out in the field is surveyed. Since the book is geared toward those in the psychological and helping professions, the emotional, physical, and mental aftereffects of having the experience are then examined. The range of differences between experients is presented,then issues involving psychopathology, clinical assessment, background theories, and methodology of research are shown. Each chapter is written by an authority on that specific phenomenon and they provide a summation conclusion at the end where they render their professional judgment on the topic. If you're looking for a sensational or spooky handling of the subjects, this isn't your book; but if you want a very level headed analysis of what is happening in these fields of research, you need to be familiar with this work. Even better, each chapter provides pages worth of bibliography, pro and con, on each subject, that will keep you going for years.

What a delight, I first became interested in the paranormal and this weird stuff after reading Jerry D. Coleman's "Strange Highways" and was very glad to see that another book such as "Varieties of Anomalous Experience" could be on the same tone, meaning, well written, informative and most important left up to me to decide and draw my own conclusions! Great book, a wonderful read!

Excellent book. I never thought that it could have been posible to explain parapsychology and psychology in the light of each other. It has been a great text book for one of my courses. It has helped to create a more in depth vision of the relationship between both areas.

How fortunate we are to now have in one volume a comprehensive and scholarly review of the scientific evidence for anomalous experiences. The fascinating subject matter of this book includes such diverse phenomena as lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, past life experiences, and alien abduction. What makes this book different from other treatments of some of these topics is that the authors have no hidden agenda or viewpoint that they are trying to put forth. They are not trying to convince you that something does or does not exist. Instead it is an even-handed look at the available data and various competing explanations. And even though it is a scholarly review, it is well written, engaging, and easy-to-read. Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examining the Scientific Evidence belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who has an interest in understanding and explaining these unusual phenomena. You won't be disappointed.

Vizcaya is one of the great Gilded Age estates, build by an heir to a huge fortune, who had no family or children, so he devoted all his time and wealth to this palace on Biscayne Bay..and if you've ever layed eyes on this pile you can appreciate it was money well spent. This book is the best resourse I've seen on Viscaya; the text is scholarly and extremely well researched. The images are very well realized, and frankly in a book like this, great images are a must, because you can't imagine a place like this, unless you can actually see it, no description, no matter how articulate can do this place justice. If you have any interest in great residental architecture, or the history of south Florida or just appreciate great books, then I can't imagine you not loving this book.

In my opinion, Witold Rybczynski is the best observer of architecture writing today. Laurie Olin is in the same class as an observer of landscape architecture. The chance to read the two of them writing about this estate is an unusual treat. This is the kind of book somebody might give you and although the cover is attractive, you give a small inward sigh, knowing you will never read it. Not with this book. The writing is simply vastly better than books like this usually are. If you are at all interested in the design process either in landscape or residential architecture you will not be disappointed in this book.

And if you like this book, check out the two books I have linked to which are classics.The Perfect House: A Journey with Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio Across the Open Field: Essays Drawn from English Landscapes (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture)

This book by two architects that is the story of Vizcaya, the James Deering Estate built in the early twentieth century in Miami as the lavish and sumptuous expression of the great wealth of its tractor-manufacturer owner, is an exceptionally first-class literary production from every point of view that could have a bearing on its subject. Written in the technically precise phraseologies appropriate to architecture and interior decoration, its prose is free of and stands above the contamination that abounds in the otherwise usual debasement of modern literature, and it is illustrated with a landslide of stunningly magnificent photography in both color and black-and-white. But something else with which it is illustrated is what recommended this book to me. I am neither an architect nor an interior decorator, nor has the stuff of those callings ever engaged much of my attention, but as soon as my eye fell on the watercolors painted of Vizcaya by John Singer Sargent when he was a guest of Deering's there in 1917, while I turned the leaves of a friend's copy of the book, I knew immediately as one with a profound attachment to watercolor painting that I must own this book for myself. For although I have held perhaps a hundred Sargent watercolors in my hands in the Metropolitan, Brooklyn and Boston Museums, and seen many more besides in other books, I had never before seen these, as they have lain quietly in private collections without ever being published to my knowledge until now, and they are among the finest examples of Sargent's amazing wizardry in this medium, which defies belief that a human being could have painted them. And the rest of the book is a plus even for one not particularly attracted to matters of residential design or interior décor, for it is a record of an era of refinement, gentility and taste, a belle époque in American history that is gone.

An impressive architectural achievement of the Gilded Age when country manors and their gardens were a conspicuous documentation of personal wealth and power by their owners, the Miami estate of Vizcaya was the equal to such famous contemporary structures as the Bilmore and the San Simeon. The collaborative work of Witold Rybczynski (Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor of Urbanism, University of Pennsylvania) and Laurie Olin (Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania), Vizcaya: An American Villa And Its Makers" is the complete story of how this magnificent building came to be constructed, landscaped, and utilized as a 180-acre estate on Biscayne Bay complete with lagoons, canals, citrus groves, a farm village, a yacht harbor, and a 40-room Baroque mansion. Enhanced with a wealth of seventy color and 96 b/w illustrations, "Vizcaya" is an informed and informative body of impeccable scholarship presenting a seminal study that is very strongly recommended as an addition to professional, academic, and community library American Architectural History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The authors of this thoughtful work begin with the proposition that there is no precedent for the expenditure of blood and treasure for the last six years of warfare in the Middle East while cutting taxes at the same time. Then, by going all the way back to the War of 1812, they candidly demonstrate that Americans have not always been especially willing to pay higher taxes to finance the nation's wars. Only with the two World Wars and the Korean War were most Americans readily prepared to make the financial sacrifices required to pay for these major wars. Implicit, but not as explicit as it might have been, is the conclusion that citizens are more easily persuaded to pay for wars involving national survival than limited wars with more ambiguous aims.

One of the authors' central themes is explaining how the income tax assumed a role of primacy among the various other forms of revenue raising. They note how during the Civil War a perception arose that the income tax was the fairest means of financing that war in response to complaints the rich were exempt from sacrifice. Even after the income tax was legitimized by the Sixteenth Amendment just before the United States entered World War I, it remained a tax imposed on upper income citizens until World War II. This book includes a good description of FDR's successful resistance to a national sales tax to pay the skyrocketing costs of that war in favor of a broader use of the income tax. The authors also provide excellent background on how withholding and the standard deduction first appeared at this time.

In the interest of a balanced view, there appears to be an error on page 95. The percentages of the income tax as a share of total revenue match exactly the dollar figures in the next sentence. After half an hour of attempting to trace the vaguely cited source in the footnote, I abandoned the effort. On page 109, the fine quotation should be attributed to Speaker, not Senator, Sam Rayburn. Then there's the cover art. This is a book about American wars and American taxes. The WWII vintage tank appears to be a Sherman, but the ship silhouette is unquestionably one on the Royal Navy's King George V class, and the plane looks like an RAF Mosquito.

These minor flaws should not deter anyone from reading this book. The information is generally quite sound and the analysis is very informative. The time spent reading it will be rewarding.

While acknowledging the Bush tax cuts marked an "abrupt departure" from our tradition of wartime fiscal sacrifice, the authors of War and Taxes demonstrate that such sacrifice hasn't always been all that willing. (Typically, business interests have patriotically chest-thumped while acting sub rosa to minimize any tax effect.) Now often, the Civil War serves to open our tax history, with the establishment of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the imposition of a recognizable income tax, but the authors appropriately focus on the War of 1812 in pushing the nation toward increased reliance on internal taxation, as opposed to tariffs and loans, thereby placing war finance on a sound footing. The contrasting fiscal strategies of the Union and Confederacy are clearly laid out. Further, the recurring relationship between conscription and taxes is well introduced in the Civil War chapter. (One frequent populist refrain: Draft wealth, not just boys of 18.) The authors deserve particular credit for sorting through the various iterations of the excess profits tax proposals in both world wars, as well as for highlighting the tax forgiveness feature of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943, which was effectively a wartime tax cut. Naturally, we learn the critical impact of World War II in laying the foundation for our current tax system, especially withholding, but also how close we came to a national sales tax. Hardly a dry text, the Vietnam chapter, for example, is almost sad to read as Lyndon Johnson's presidency unravels from a tax/budgetary perspective. War and Taxes is an important contribution to this field of study and one that succeeds in ably interweaving decisive historical events (e.g., the New York Draft Riot, unrestricted submarine warfare in 1915-17, Chinese entry into the Korean War) with the contemporary legislative atmosphere and the pertinent technical tax issues.

There are so many books that dissect how and why we fight wars, but this is the only book I have found that analyzes the other half of war: how we pay for it. This is not an academic issue, because ordinary citizens can change the course of a war by deciding to pay for it or to not pay for it. War and Taxes provides a fascinating history of how our country has paid for its wars, and it disproves the myth I was taught in high school that wars must lead to higher taxes. This is the first time that a book on taxes has made my summer reading list, but this book is very timely and eye-opening.

Joe Thorndike is a genius. This is the best book on war and taxes yet! Bravo.

This is really a great read. Every child and adult I know who's picked this up can't put it down. Weather Boy is the story of a 10 year old boy who plays an important role in the landing of D-Day. The book is full of adventures (including an exciting parachute jump with his father, who is a paratrooper), humor, poignancy and, of course, history. My grandchildren have learned a lot reading Weather Boy, as have I. I recommend this to all. Enjoy!

History and fun in the same book - what a concept! My kids, and my friends' kids, couldn't put it down. Weather Boy is the story of 10 year old Frankie who is shocked while listening to a weather report on the radio. The U.S. Army finds out and brings his family to England, where Frankie helps predict the weather for the D-Day landing. I loved his adventures - especially the parachute jump with his dad - and the characters. Be sure to share this book!

A wonderful read for kids and adults. The story has everything - great character development, a powerful father-son relationship, humor, adventure, and of course an important historical event. I wish Middle Schools would pick this book up, particularly for those kids who are still struggling to read - the book presents a lively history in a fun, easy-to-read manner that doesn't talk down to anyone. And as this generation of WWII vets sadly dies out, we need to pass this history along. I recommend the book highly to anyone and everyone!

What a find! I was looking for something for my 8-year-old to read when I came across this fantastic novel. The protagonist is a young boy, Frankie Brown, who lives in Cape Cod in 1944 and who magically can predict the weather. Word gets out about Frankie's "gift" and pretty soon General Eisenhower is enlisting his services to help the Allied Forces in WWII. I bought this for my son and we couldn't put it down. Suspenseful (wait to you see what is in "the magic case")! Great characters (like Dr. Proctor, Dr. Stagg, and Cap)! Tremendous climax (Frankie helps to rescue his father who is behind enemy lines)! Funny! Educational (readers learn about Churchill, Normandy, the London Bombings, and Paratroopers)! I would recommend this book to readers of all ages, not just kids. My son always asks me to read it to him and to be honest I think I enjoy it more than he does.

Written by Book of the Year award finalist Steven Gills, The Weight of Nothing is a novel about money, regret, revenge, and forgiveness. Two friends, each carrying a burden that has haunted him for years, resolve to travel to Algiers and confront their demons. When terrible tragedy strikes, it poses a difficult question - how resolve years of squandered ambition, lost chances of love, and continue living past unspeakable violence? A poignant and memorable chronicle of the long, difficult journey of the human spirit.

The Weight of Nothing is a huge novel. While you could read it in a leisurely fashion, enjoying the characters and the plot at a superficial level, there is a wealth of appreciation for art, music and philosophy. After a few pages I picked up a pen and started highlighting passages I liked and wanted to mull over later.

The two central characters are connected by an act of violence when the office building that Niles father works in is blown up by Bailey's brother in a terrorist bombing. Niles not only loses his tycoon father, but also the love of his life who was on her way to confront his father. A strange sympathy develops between Niles and Bailey. Bailey tries to save Niles from the somnambulant masochism that Niles tells Bailey he's developed, and Niles tries to keep Bailey from losing Elizabeth, a pianist who has lost her arm.

I love Elizabeth--she is the first real challenge to Bailey's self-protective philosophies. "You're all gusto and wild performance," she tells him after hearing him play piano. Her bluntness is offset by how deeply she cares for Bailey, evidenced not only by many of the things she says but also by her willingness to put up with Bailey's emotional stagnation. Bailey's determination to "want for nothing" eventually sends Elizabeth away though. While in general Gillis complicates issues very satisfyingly, it is clear that the philosophies and attitudes Bailey has cultivated to protect himself are the very things that will hurt him the most in the end, if he cannot overcome them.

Bailey and Niles are both deeply wounded characters, who cannot stop wounding themselves. They creatively, endlessly, try to work through their problems. Both have lost their girlfriends, and both have overbearing fathers (who Gillis manages to paint huge in only a few brushstrokes). In the end, they travel to Algiers for what proves to be a life-altering--and for one of them, life-ending--journey.

I found myself not only enjoying TWON for its plot and characters, but also for the philosophical questions which were explored throughout the book. The author developed certain themes and questions over the course of the novel which I poured over after reading it. Besides those themes in bold on the inside cover (Memory Regret Revenge Forgiveness) there were several passages about time that I loved--some related to memory, "There's no order to memory after all, is there? I mean, once something happens, it's there in your head with all the rest," and others about the weight of time and its effects. In the end an unusual therapy is used on Bailey to undo this weight, and after this Bailey reestablishes contact with Elizabeth. As with all of the rest of the book, this attempt to reach out to Elizabeth is strange, compelling and beautiful.

Steven Gillis' novel, The Weight of Nothing, explores complex and deeply personal and painful issues, and he does that through wounded characters struggling to find answers to those issues. However, the answers they are searching for may not exist.

Bailey Finne is a talented musician who doesn't fully develop or use his talent. What he does is become a professional student of Art History and makes excuses to the PhD. Committee about why his dissertation hasn't been completed. His problems revolve around the death of his mother, and his father's inability to move on after her death, as well as a troubled love life.

Niles Kelly was born to a wealthy man via a surrogate mother that he had no contact with following his birth. Niles rejects his wealth but is haunted by the violent deaths of his father and his lover.

Bailey and Niles travel together to Algiers to confront the ghosts of their past, hoping that the journey will help them excise those ghosts.

The Weight of Nothing is well-written and a deeply moving piece. Gillis' prose is compelling as he weaves the characters through the labyrinth of life.

"There's a point in every piece of music when the melody completes itself and what's left is a final refrain. Occasionally an aria will vary its rhythm just enough to reinterpret the music through a less predictable finish, and other times an arrangement ends so suddenly the audience isn't quite sure the music's over until the last echoing notes have faded and the room falls eerily still. Either way, the song is done."


Steven Gillis quietly set the literary cognoscenti on alert with the publication of his first novel WALTER FALLS last year. As always the question arises when a `first novel' suggests a talent of depth: Is there more? With the writing of THE WEIGHT OF NOTHING Gillis proves that his prelude, no matter how accomplished that was, served as only as intimation of the talent of this new American writer of substance. Gillis is that rare breed of writer who understands how to grasp the reader's attention, secure a train of thought in content and technique, assuring that once the written journey has begun, the only choice is to hold on with mind and emotion to the anticipated conclusion.

THE WEIGHT OF NOTHING intertwines the lives of several young people in quest of the answer to the universal question of `Who Am I?' in a way that avoids the predictable and in essence incorporates their ephemeral acts with paired explorations in philosophy, art, music, religion, and global socioeconomic problems. In short, this is a story of two men whose early lives were set in motion by traumatic confrontations with loss and the aimlessness that accompanies that unleashed spectre.

Bailey Finne is a gifted natural musician, Secretly learning piano from his musical mother until she is lost to him in childhood in a freak death that pushed his alcoholic father further away from his two sons (Bailey's older brother Tyler responds to this death by fleeing into a life crime, the military, and eventually terrorism). Descrying his father's flaccid, empty life, Bailey embraces music, being able to play all manner of music by ear but settling for entertaining folks in a bar rather than pursuing a career in classical music. He eventually becomes an art history major in college and blithely approaches his dissertation on an obtuse recluse of an artist (L.C. Timbal) with the same glib attitude that has become his life signature. He has girlfriends who try to encourage his gifts, but none more significantly than Elizabeth, a music major/pianist/composer who lost her right arm in a vicious dog attack. Bailey's obsession with her after she leaves him because of this immature, slothful attitude towards things she considers important propels Bailey on his journey to discover what is meaningful in life. "It's the conflict between what ends and our need to continue that causes trauma."

Niles Kelley is the only son of a megalomaniac capitalist who unsuccessfully attempts to mold Niles into a template of his design, seeing no value at all in Niles' preoccupation with literature and philosophy - especially his `hero' the nihilist Camus - nor his relationship with Jeana, a free spirit who encourages Niles' dreams and sees the evil in the capitalistic empiricism of Niles' father. In a auspicious moment of time Niles loses Jeana as she enters the building where Niles' father controls industry: the building is exploded with terrorist bombs placed there by one Tyler Finne and his roommate, the Muslim Oz, a lad who loathes American capitalism and has grown disenchanted with his own father's superficial use of religion to camouflage his own power brand of capitalism. The result of this tragic loss of his beloved Jeana and the collapse of his father's influence drives Niles into a state of self-mutilation, an illness for which he seeks the advice of a Muslim philosopher/healer who encourages Niles to go to Algiers to better understand the writings of Camus and find healing for his malady and his need for forgiveness for Jeana's useless death and his father's `part' in that calamity. In Algiers he hoped to find "the surrounding silence Camus wrote of as weaving together the hopes and despairs of human life."

Bailey and Niles, fellow students at a university, grow close at the funeral for Jeana and eventually accompany each other to Algiers, Niles to seek forgiveness and healing through Camus, and Bailey to finally focus his diasporic creative mind on finding the elusive painter Timbal - the subject of his long avoided dissertation. Bailey tends to Niles' somnambulistic wanderings and self-mutilations while Niles encourages Bailey's efforts to bring closure to his fragmented life. As Bailey discovers Timbal and confronts his own vacuous artistic and spiritual life, Niles wanders the desert and encounters Aziz, a man who assists him in finding the perpetrator of Jeana's death and Niles' life ends in a way that brings him into the ring of closure of his author hero Camus wrote in A Happy Death. Devastated, Bailey returns home, begins therapy with Emmitt who slowly helps Bailey become grounded into finding peace through a long series of self-imposed deprivations meant to clear the slate of his life and allow him a starting point afresh - "to achieve a point of nothingness and return to a natural state of being." "The idea that examining our past will lead us to a clearer understanding of ourselves, and in turn a more constructive life, is egocentric....Self-knowledge is unreliable at best and at times a danger. The emphasis should be not on remembering but forgetting and returning to a point where no wounds exist."


Steven Gillis draws such exquisite characters that each becomes wholly believable, even at their obtuse edges. The story is told in a series of explanations introduced very slyly by a page or two of what we eventually realize are on-going therapy sessions with Emmitt for Bailey and Massinissa Alilouche for Niles. But the real wonder of Gillis' writing stems from his obviously profound depth of knowledge about art (here is a fine synopsis of the works of Bacon, Gorky, Diebenkorn, the abstract Expressionists, etc), of music ( Bailey's turning point in his break with Elizabeth is his ability to play an Etude by the obscure composer Nikolai Roslavets (1881-1944), a Russian composer who did exist and married the styles of Debussy with Scriabin and Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich with his own Messiaen-like sense of atonality), of the very current schism between American imperialism and the view of the Muslims we are now breathing, of the great literature of the 20th Century, of terrorism, and of world politics. He writes poetically about the smells and vistas of Algiers in a way that would suggest that he has lived there extensively. At the same time he is able to make wry tongue-in-cheek diversions by naming the buildings that housed the fathers of Bailey and Niles "Ryse and Fawl" and "Reedum and Wepe"! It is this sophisticated mixture of parody, metaphor, depth of factual material from disparate fields of knowledge, and impressive sense of structural detail that makes his fascinatingly unique and timely story and characters burst off the page. Steven Gillis enters the ranks of the important writers and thinkers of the 21st Century. With THE WEIGHT OF NOTHING he assures us his future is solid.

This book brought back the wonderful world of Big Biba. I was 19 and in London for the first time when my friend and I walked into Big Biba. What an amazing site--I felt like Alice in Wonderland just stepping into a fantastic new world. We had never seen anything so splendid, creative, beautiful. We didn't have much money to spend but I bought eye shadow, lipgloss, and grapefruit face toner. I kept the bottle for years as a keepsake. I wish the book had even more photos but the ones that are in it are wonderful. What a great way to relive these memories! I recommend this book for anyone interested in fashion, design, the 1970's, or if you were ever lucky enough to have visited Big Biba.

This book makes me want to go back in time and step out in 60's London and experience Big Biba. Such a great story with so many fantastic photos that really capture the punkiness of the atmostphere. Great book. I highly recommend experiencing Big Biba.

What else can I say but buy this book to travel back to a time when fashion was fun! A great read and a treasure to own.

For those who were there, it brings back memories. For those who were not, "Big Biba" shows what you missed. For everyone, a look through this over-sized picture book will fill you with awe-- how could this have been???? But it was... Although, as a transatlantic visitor, I had mixed opinions about Big Biba (see reviews of "The Biba Experience"), it was still a wonder to behold. Time has done nothing to dilute that wonderment. In fact some of the most successful retail concepts (Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters for example) lightly but lovingly tiptoe down the Biba path. "Big Biba" is a classy 96 pages of heavyweight stock including a repro of the 16-page Opening Day Newspaper and a garment hangtag for use as a bookmark. Barbara Hulanicki herself writes the forward and doesn't dwell too much on the crash-and-burn aspect of the Biba phenomenom. As she shouldn't. Biba was obviously a product of its times, and now we have this lovely book for all time.

WHITE DARKNESS, by Steven D. Salinger, is an up close view of unabashed evil perpetrated by sociopathic mercenaries lacking empathy or compassion for fellow humans. It's about Haitian history, Haitian voodoo and the impact of diverse cultures and adjustments that result as life pursues happiness and the American dream.

WHITE DARKNESS is painlessly education, a college course one can attend in your nightie, snuggled in a sleeping bag munching trail-mix and listening to Buddy Guy at the same time. Upon completion, you can wow your erudite friends by asking them if they're familiar with the 4C's of evaluating the quality of a diamond or the definition of words like "naif," and "zabocah".

My only complaint, I couldn't get this book in large print.

Otherwise, I wish this tale could have continued for at least a thousand pages. WHITE DARKNESS IS A MASTERPIECE!!!

Steven Salinger's second novel, White Darkness, is a very strong follow-up to his highly praised debut book, Behold The Fire. White Darkness is an exciting urban-Caribbean thriller that represents a refreshing and interesting introduction to the genre. It grabs hold of your attention from the first page and doesn't let go until the last page. It's the type of book that you just want to keep reading to see what happens next -- but also one you don't want to see end. White Darkness is more than just a very good thriller with characters you really feel you know, it's a story of the American Dream, the new immigrant experience and an evil that transcends peoples and cultures. I would have, if possible in Amazon's system, rated this book 4 1/2 stars. I didn't rate it 5 stars because some of the plot was too contrived and because Salinger didn't tie together some of the plot twists and relationships tightly enough. Nonetheless, these minor flaws should not deter you from putting White Darkness high up on your To-Be-Read list. Enjoy!

It is a pleasure to find a book that far exceeds one's expectations for the Thriller Genre. In White Darkness, Salinger has created believable characters moving through a world which might best be called Caribbean Gothic. How else to describe a story that takes the reader from Haiti to Brooklyn, from the utterly evil Colonel Ferray to the good natured jeweler Moe Rosen? Salinger weaves a tale where we meet Miz Ark, Moe's neighbor and owner of the gathering place of Brooklyn's Haitian community, her employee, a goddess-like waitress, Marlene, who proves to be a passionate love interest for Moe, and a truly delightful character, Fabrice, the Haitian house boy , a brilliantly created naif whose Candide-like adventures and misadventures connect the rest of the cast. Salinger's knowledge of Voodoo brings considerable verisimilitude to much of the action. We are led through a world where things aren't what we expect them to be, a world filtered through the perceptions of a community most of know little about. In a curious way, the Voodoo vision adds a reality to the horrors, the escapes, and rescues that punctuate the book. The observant reader will also appreciate Salinger's subversive sense of humor. But to say more would give away too much and spoil some of wild incongruities and sheer delight intersperced in this world of terror and intrigue.

The Brooklyn jewelry store once was exclusive during his father's ownership, but now after a decade of trying Moe Rosen knows he is nearing financial failure. However, every morning he arrives at his store in the changing neighborhood, but now he mostly sells junk. While unlocking his door, he notices a man coming towards his neighbor Miz Ark, owner of a restaurant he has never visited. The man attacks Miz Ark so Moe, ignoring the voice of his father inside his head, rescues the woman.

Though Miz Ark is injured, Moe is a hero among the Haitian population that frequents her restaurant. They begin showing up at his store making purchases and he starts to go next door to eat. Moe even takes out a waitress (from Queens). Moe is unaware that his action of interceding leads to fulfillment for the first time since he returned home from California, but danger that started in Haiti has flowed into the streets of Brooklyn.

WHITE DARKNESS is an exciting urban thriller that provides readers a glimpse of Haitian beliefs, which still hold sway even in Brooklyn. The story line works because the key cast seem genuine, the romance real, and the voodoo and related beliefs intermingle and propel the plot to a rousing finish. Different and refreshing, Steven D. Salinger provides a thrilling tale that will send readers seeking his previous work, BEHOLD THE FIRE.

Harriet Klausner

I had trouble figuring out what to do to teach a multi level ESL class. In this book, the vocabulary is so diverse and detailed that even the higher level students have something useful to learn and it's still not over the head of the lower levels. However it is almost pure vocabulary learning with a bare minimum of dialog activity. You'd have to supplement this with something else like the Word by Word workbook for practice and reinforcement. Also may need a supplemental book that focuses in on grammar. If your class is level specific, the Side by Side book for your level or Foundations for ESL Literacy would be my advice. BTW both are by the same pair of authors. I think Molinsky and Bliss are demigods of ESL!

I tutor English to ESL students and combine this workbook with the Word By Word Picture Dictionary. This workbook is perfect to those between beginners and intermediate levels of English proficiency. The workbook has helpful exercises and helps the student apply the vocabulary learned in the dictionary. I especially like how the student is forced to visually associate words with meanings rather than jump to their native language for a definition. I highly recommend this book!

Un libro para hispanoparlantes muy util para comenzar nuestras primeras herramientas del ingles.

Excelente libro para comenzar a aprender el idioma Ingles y aumentar el vocabulario con dibujos y las palabras en nuestro idioma, ademas contiene un glosario de terminos en ingles y español donde podras encontrar muchas palabras facilmente.Tambien en cada pagina hay ejercicios para que comienzes a practicar tu nuevo idioma, muy util lo recomiendo para hispanoparlantes.

Donna is a fountain of copywriting and DM knowledge. I've found her to be a great resource--and I've been an advertising writer for almost 30 years. Good stuff here.

Write on Target is filled with sound ideas and guidelines for direct marketing creatives. Frankly, I wish I had this information when I was starting out. It definitely belongs in every marketing library and right next to the computer of every copywriter!

Write On Target: The Direct Marketer's Copywriting Handbook by Donna Baier Stein and Floyd Kemske will give you an excellent understanding of what direct marketing copy is and isn't, how to write good copy, and how to tell good copy from bad.

I really liked it because it has lots of sound, practical advice, tips, and checklists. It also has many examples of real campaigns covering all types of direct marketing copy from letters and brochures to the hot topic of writing for online media such as Web sites. Many examples are reproduced from the originals, showing parts of the package with graphics. It always gets my creative juices flowing when I read what the really greats in the industry are writing.

Even though I'm an experienced copywriter, going back for a "refresher course" is always helpful. For the person just starting out or with a couple of years' experience . . . this book is a must! It's also very valuable for anyone who has to hire copywriters, teach cop! ywriting, or approve copy.

This book covers mainly the topics direct mail (mail package, letter, response form ec.). It also covers topics like brochures, print ads and catalogs. But there are also some additional chapters on the radio ads and the internet (aka online media). The later one was highly stimulating and provoked a partial redo of the website I build as part of my work as a centermanager....

Every year I purchase a 365 Days in Italy calendar for my office. I've spent over three years in total living in Italy, and I love the pictures and how they evoke my memories of the places. It's actually hard to discard them at the end of the year!

Love this calendar! Hangs in my kitchen to organize my retirement days. After the year is over, I cut out my favorite pictures to make my own note cards to keep in touch with my more active friends abroad.

The calendar is so beautiful and it is filled with pictures of Italy and anything associated with Italy. It should be wonderful to look at all throughout the year-