Wallace Books

This is a place for the NOVEL "Coming Out" by playwright Wallace Hamilton. It's NOT the same as the book "Coming Out: An Act of Love" which seems to be some sort of self-help book. The novel is a bit dated, but still an interesting picture of gay life in the 1970's. The main relationship is believable and touching.

I adore this book. When i needed it most, luckily it was there for me. This is a timeless book, truly, though written quite a while ago. I was saddened to know that the author had passed away, because i wanted so much to share with him what helpful perspective this has given me.

I recommend this book for people who are coming out, or thinking about it. It is gentle, and the stories of people are what make his idea about this process so alive and relevant. It is positive. It is loving toward those in ones life who may or may not struggle as we do with coming out.

I also recommend this to people who are trying to discover ANY issue about themselves and come to terms with it, and then trying to convey this to those in their lives. It is that kind of really awesome self-help book. Never preachy. Always thoughtful.

Get it!

It took me a long time to get started on this book, but once I did, I couldn't stop. Written in the late seventies, "Coming Out" remains timeless. The lives of Roger and Michael wind in and out of the lives of a variety of people in every class and background and deals with feelings and attitudes that are as real today as they were back then. This book is out of print, but if you find a copy used, snatch it up!

Rob Eichberg's straightforward, simple, writing style paired with his knowledge in this field makes for a book that is a must for every gay self-help library. This book helped me immensely in my own coming out process, and I have recommended it to friends who have benefited from it as well.

This book was not very helpful to me at all. I am a rather introspective and shy person, and this book gave advice such as "Now you should go meet some other homosexual people and becomes friends," which was extremely hard for me to follow. My advice to anyone coming out would be to start with the person who is closest to you and branch out. The first person I talked to about my homosexuality was my best friend. After I was able to talk to her about it comfortably, I decided to tell some of my other friends, and then after a few more months, I told my father, with whom I live. I learned that I was nevrous for nothing. He still loves me, and nothing has changed in our relationship. I feel as if a burden has been lifted, but I wouldn't account any of it to my book. If you are more of an outgoing person, I would recommend this book. For everyone else, start small and remember, if they don't like you because of your sexual prefence, are they really worth knowing?

This is a TOTALLY SUPER book! I just finished a book report about this book for school. I like it because I LOVE ANIMALS, and chapter books are my genre. So get your copy, I know it'll be your favorite book that you've ever read!

The boy gets to stay home from school because his parents and other teachers had a meeting to go to.So he gets to stay home.He goes outside he see's a blur in the corner of his of bis eye.So he goes inside and to get his dads binacularsso he see's something and it turned out to be 2 coyotes.He watches them play for a while then he hears something coming down the road.There are alot of truckd coming down the gravel road.When they pulled over he sees kennels in all of hte trucks and sees somehting in the kennels then a gray blur comes running out of the kennels. Then he looks for the coyotes and they were gone, he looks around some more and sees the big one trying to lead the dogs away from then smaller one. The bigger one ends up being killed so Brad tries to keep the little one and his parents end up findig the litte coyote but at the end the coyote stills the heart and Brad gets to keep the coyote.

Coyote Autumn is a book intended for kids in elementary school and middle school. All of the information in this book is age appropriate. There is no foul language or words that an elementary school student wouln't know. Coyote Autumn is written in present tense. This book has a lot of happy and sad parts.

There is a lot of information given in each paragraph. All of the information is given in order. Throughout the book, there were plenty of examples about what is happening.

I would reccomend this book to kids who are in elementary or middle school. This is a very exciting book. There are no boring spots in the book. it is not very long, so it won't take very long to read.

Coyote Autumn is about a boy who finds an orphan coyote. His parents won't let him have a dog, so he hides it in a pen behind his barn.When his parents find out, they fall in love with it. They name him Scooter and keep him.

If you have some spare time, you should read this book. You should read the book to find out everything else that happens. This is a very fun book to read, so you should give it a try.

C-Diddy

I'm in sixth grade. I needed to do a project and I hate reading. When I saw this book I said, "Let's give it a try". I loved it first because I love animals and second, because the book was interesting.

Twelve-year-old Brad has wanted a pet for as long as he can remember. Namely, a dog. But the fact that he was always living in a small apartment in a big city, with no backyard, always prevented him from having one. His parents were always saying "We'll see." But now that he's living on a farm in Oklahoma, on a sprawling eighty-acres, he doesn't know how his parents can refuse much longer. But they do, and continue with their "We'll sees." So Brad does something about it. One day, as he's fishing at the Pond with his best friend, and neighbor, Nolan, he stumbles across a baby coyote, whose entire family has been killed. Knowing that the little pup will die if he doesn't help it, Brad takes the coyote - who he's named Scooter - home, and, with Nolan's help, keeps him a secret from his parents, feeding him, and locking him inside the old dog pen behind the barn. Everything with Scooter is going fine. That is, until Brad's parents find the wild animal one day, and he steals their hearts, just as he's stolen Brad's.

I, like Brad, have wanted a dog my entire life, yet have never had the pleasure of owning one. I suppose that's why Bill Wallace's COYOTE AUTUMN appealed to me so much. Brad is a kind character, who will win over the hearts of all readers, as he is brave, and determined to save the life of on orphaned coyote pup, even if it puts him in danger. Scooter, on the other hand, is a wonderful example of how a wild animal can stay tame for a short time, but, in the end, prefers to live in the wild with more of his kind. Together, the two characters weave a heart-warming story that will put a smile on anyone's face. A marvelous must-read for all, whether you're an animal lover or not.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Genius in Disguise is the kind of biography which is entertaining beyond the limits of its subject matter. Even someone who would not think that they would enjoy a biography of a media figure should find a lot to like in this engaging book.

Using anecdote, history, and a wide range of sources, Kunkel paints a picture of Ross as a man, which in turn teaches us a lot about the New Yorker and the magazine industry. It is published with The New Yorker Prospectus, an article called "Theory and Practice of Editing New Yorker Articles", and Ross Query Sheets as appendices. Additionally, Kunkel provides a selected bibliography with helpful pointers to further reading.

This book would make a good companion piece to Remembering Mr. Shawn's New Yorker by Ved Mehta. I would recommend it for fans of The New Yorker, people interested in the Algonquin Round Table, or simply for anyone with an appreciation for well-written literary biography.

Harold Ross, a mostly forgotten man, gave his heart and soul to The NewYorker, and ultimately, to all of us. In this well-researched biography, we get a first-hand tour through the mind of Ross, a visionary/pessimist, described by James Thurber as "a man capable of mood-swings...from the wildest flights of fancy, to the darkest pessimism." It would almost seem Kunkel had ridden the rails with this "hobo", or had been a short-lived employee, perhaps one of "The Miracle Men." Ross's life was wonderful, full of the humanity of the day, and the pathos, the tragedy and heartache, the love and respect he enjoyed; albeit with great discomofort. Kunkel, himself a newspaperman, does not treat the editor with kid gloves, but with an honesty that is neither sensational, nor bludgeoning. Kunkel triumphs...

This wonderful biography tells the story of Harold Ross, The New Yorker's founding editor, and his making and management of this magazine from 1925 until his death in 1951. In the book, Kunkel often takes the position, popular in Ross's time, that Ross's success was improbable, since he was, basically, a tramp newspaperman with a poor education, before he came to New York to build his career in publishing. But throughout his life, Ross made great professional (not personal) choices. And, he had a formidable intellect and curiosity, terrific taste, integrity, and an eye for talent.

In part, Ross was underestimated in his lifetime because he had the unfashionable style in the office of a neurotic worrier. Here's Ogden Nash describing the publisher on the job: "His expression is always that of a man who has just swallowed a bug. Once a day at least he calls you into his office and says, "This magazine is going to hell." He never varies the phrase. Then he says, "We haven't got any organization. I'm licked. We've got too many geniuses around and nobody to take any responsibility. He has smoked five cigarettes while saying that. Then he takes a drink of water, prowls up and down, cries "My God!" loudly and rapidly, and you go out and try to do some work." A captivating book.

This book is a solid and readable biography not only of a man but of a magazine, for The New Yorker strikes many of us as a living entity in an age in which most magazines are stiffs. The most interesting part of it is the actual creation of the magazine, from the initial prospectus (still accurate of the current mag in many ways) to the gradual assembling of a poorly-paid but nonpareil team of writers nurtured by one of the most eccentric editors ever to helm a major publication. The rest is also interesting, if ultimately rather sad. Ross came from a modest background and got his feet wet in military publications. He was never easy to be around, and often bullied writers and friends and wives (several became ex-writers, -friends and -wives) over the course of his life. He struggled financially most of his life, and was cheated out of a fair amount of money by a personal secretary who committed suicide rather than face the truth. Yet he brought out the best in a cadre of brilliant writers and artists (Ross never thought of cartoonists who did interior drawings and covers as less than that), and the magazine, no matter what you think of it, changed what one can do and be. By the time that Ross died, he had become a legend. Kunkel does a fair amount of debunking of that legend, while making clear why Ross accomplished what he did. The overall view is one of guarded admiration of its central figure. The development is thematic rather than strictly chronological, so there are variations on certain themes as the story progresses, but I wasn't bothered by it. The book doesn't seem long despite its length. I recommend it for anyone interested in the people behind one of the publishing phenomenons of the modern era. (My subject line is something Ross said when complaints surfaced that The New Yorker was getting too liberal in its epithets. It's related to the statement in the original prospectus that The New Yorker is "not for the old lady from Dubuque".)

Maybe it's some kind of deliberate autodeconstructionism or god-knows-what, but this book is a poorly-edited and generally incoherent biography of a great editor who prized coherence. Ross would've been irked by it. The intent seems to have been to do something vaguely chronological, but "vague" is the key word here. Different chapters often cover the same ground in similar ways. The author will often mention something as if it were news, but the reader, if awake, will remember the same event having been covered in greater depth three chapters back. It's a mess. Kunkel is also fond of overusing idioms; five or six times, "foo 'allows as how' bar", and not in quotes, either. These things lunge forth out of otherwise normal prose. It's weird and distracting. After a few iterations, I really began to wonder if the book was edited at all. Another irritating little fact is that while there are photographs of most of the major people mentioned, they're scattered around almost arbitrarily. Wolcott Gibbs makes an appearance, and we're left wondering what he looks like for a hundred pages or so until Liebling or somebody turns up, accompanied by a very nice photograph of Gibbs. Sometimes the photos precede their subjects, leaving one wondering who these people are.

Of course, I did keep reading it. The subject matter is groovy enough to make up for the lousy execution, and Kunkel makes a valuable case for Ross as a serious person; not an idiot-savant, not a clown, but someone who got by on ability more than luck. Ross as human rather than cartoon? Why, yes. It's about time. There's also some fun coverage of Walter Winchell, which explains why Matt Drudge admires the guy so much -- Winchell was inaccurate, irresponsible, and vindictive, too :)

There is a lot to say about this fictional book. This book was like a rollercoaster. It took awhile to get to the top but once you get there it's an exciting ride down. The chemistry that there is between the characters is one thing that makes this book good, so different but yet so much the same. The way they make each other want to succeed because they push each other. This book is a proven fact of the saying "friendship is greater than fear". This book is good for younger people or some one that is not the best reader.

I liked this book because it was, like most of Bill Wallace's books, about animals! I recommend it! There are 2 other Upchuck And The Rotten Willy books, (by Bill Wallace) which I also recommend.

I thought this book was [too] similar to other books that have cats and dogs becoming best friends. This book was not good for me because it is [too] low in reading level. I recomend this book for a 4th grader.To me this book was boring. I thought the book would be good for elementry kids.

Bill Wallace brings our friends Upchuck and Rotten Willy back again for another fast-paced adventure. This time Rotten Willy leaves the safety of his backyard and gets in trouble each step of the way. Upchuck can't figure out how his lovable friend can get in so much trouble! But, he's there to rescue his doggy pal from danger. Good read for 3rd-6th graders and excellent as a book to read to children. Only problem, you can't put it down!

The title of this book is called Upchuck and Rotten Willy, The Great Escape. It is all about a dog named Willy, or Rotten Willy, and a cat named Chuck or Upchuck. They are trying to get Willy out of his yard so he can explore with Chuck. There is one problem though, Willy can't climb.

This book doesn't really have hard words. It would probably be for kids between the ages of 8 & 10. Older kids might like it but it would probably be a little easy.

I particularly liked it because it was exciting and hilarious. Not only that, but it shows two creatures (a cat and a dog) working together to get what they want. Will they succeed? Or will their life be the same forever?

This book is an excellent companion to other books by Wallce which address the relationship between science and spirituality.

This is a very good book with some great theories and science in it. Wallace really makes you think and analyze the world around us. It definitely doesn't seem to be for the layman. It helps to know some of what he is talking about before you read it! He writes very sophisticated and some of it can be confusing.

The author was a praticing Buddhist monk for many years, working with H.H. Dalai Lama, and when he left the monastic life he turned to the study of physics. In this book he brings these two worlds together in a convincingly intelligent way, presenting what is arguably one of the most comprehensive descriptions of the world around us (and in us).

He relies on the theories of physicist John Wheeler, and at the same time on his own meditative experiences. Emphazising the buddhist 'middle way'. Arguing for a world view that is neither materialistic nor theistic.

Considering the heated and rather depressiv debate between creationists and fanatic, fundamentalist neo-darwinists like Richard Dawkins, this is certainly a breath of fresh air. Making it clear that natural science has NOT been able to explain how life arise out of matter or how intelligence arise out of the material brain. And of course showing the utter lack of need for the postulate of a personal creator 'God'.

A beautiful book that should appeal to 'fans' of people like Osho, Stanislav Grof, Amit Goswami, Deepak Chopra. In many ways this could be seen as an updated version of "The Tao of Physics" by an author with a much more solid grip on the spiritual aspects than Fritjof Capra.

Intelligent arguments for not considering human 'reason' as the highest Intelligence in the Universe!

The Dalai Lama often refers to Buddhism as "the science of the mind". This book is very interesting even important by suggesting new research projects about how the minds work. Allan Wallace has deep knowledge about the latest developments in physics and has extensive meditation experience.
Buddhists consider that scientific investigations should contribute to the well being of people. Buddhists also believe that we would become more capable to act positively, decently, and be more satisfied with life if we would know more about how the mind works. His recommendations are therefore very important.
Alan Wallace presents convincingly that rapid progress can be made through scientific studies based on introspection. The experiments should be carried out scientifically with people having "perfectly trained minds".
For those interested in new knowledge in this area I recommend the " Society of Minds" by Marvin Minsky. He follows an "incremental" approach by analysing how different parts of the brain carry out different tasks. Minsky also gained important insights by studying the evolutionary development of the brain. Another complementary approach is "agent based modelling", a method used in complexity economics, as described in the "Origin of Wealth" by Eric Beinhocker. These studies expand the knowledge of what happens when a "group of brains "interact and show how this can lead to positive and negative results, referred to as "emergent properties" The evolutionary model is also used in these projects.
I have not studied physics at an academic level and some sections of the book I do not fully understand. However I understood enough to recommend the book to others that want to know more about the workings of the mind. After reading this book you will have expanded and refreshed your knowledge

I found this book to be a fascinating review of the evolution of Physics, the accomplishments of trained meditators, and how combining the learnings from both might greatly improve our lives.
Mr Wallace takes us on a grand tour of what current researchers are discovering about Quantum Physics and how difficult it has been to reconcile it's predictions with what Classical Physics says and what we are used to experiencing in our world. He notes that in the Quantum world everything is intrinsically related to the observer. This has some very strange and wonderful implications and is very different from our usual cause and effect notions of how things work.
He details how well science has described our external world but feels it has very poorly described our internal world. Buddhist meditators over many centuries have explored the inner workings of our minds and the nature of consciousness in a way that complements and parallels Western science. His central position is that consciousness is what ties everything together.
This was slow reading for me but well worth my time. The message is optimistic and very thought provoking.

Covers a huge breadth of topics in seismology, is written simply, has great diagrams from important papers ad books, and it's easy to find what you're looking for. I still use it for a reference occasionally, and I'm a 2nd year PhD student. No, it doesn't have the mathematical rigor of Aki and Richards, but when you're just starting out, or if you're more of an observational seismologist than a theoretical seismologist (like me) that can be a relief.

This is an excellent book in seismology. It covers all modern aspects of this science in a complete way. The main advantage for both undergraduate and graduate students in using this book is that the Mathematical aspects are treatised without heaviness.

Lay & Wallace is an excellent blend of theory and observation. Enough equations to get you started, but not the overwhelming number you see in other theoretical seismology volumes. The best part is the reprinting of important result figures from scattered scientific journals. It is wonderful to have all these in one place. The major missing material is a treatment of computational aspects. I hope they put out new editions every few years with new figures from the journals.

The Lay & Wallace provides a good starting description of global seismology. Chapter 1 deals with the historical development and the topics of global seismology. Chapter 2 concerns elasticity and seismic waves. The concepts of strain and stress are introduced. The mathematical content is limited (all you have to know is the partial derivatives) and a lot of figures help you to understand. By the way, this book uses the same boxes as the Aki & Richards to focus on a particular point. The equation of motion and the wave equations are derived.
Chapter 3 deals with Body waves and ray theory.The eikonal equation is introduced,and the body of this chapter concerns travel time propagation, partitioning of energy at a boundary,wave attenuation and scattering in really simple terms. Once again, a lot of figures and documents help the understanding.
Chapter 4 focuses on surface waves and free oscillations and starts with free-surface interactions, Rayleigh and Love waves and their dispersion. Tsunamis are also considered, with only two equations but 6 figures and documents. The end of the chapter is devoted to free oscillations of the earth with once again a lot of documents.
Chapter 5 deals with seismometry, that is what are the instruments used in seismology. This chapter provides differents maps of global networks of seismometers. Chapter 6 considers seismogram interpretation (identification of seismic phases). This is applied to source location. The concept of inversion is introduced with no big deal of maths. The end of the chapter concerns then the generalized inverse and requires more maths. Chapter 7 concerns the determination of Earth structure, and appears in continuity with the previous chapter. No less than 56 figures plus documents are provided to help the understanding of the earth's structure. Seismic tomography is described in simple terms. Then each "layer" of the earth is characterized in terms of seismology.
Chapter 8 focuses on seismic sources, and introduces equivalent body forces, elastostatics, elastodynamics in a very simple way. The seismic moment tensor is introduced here.
Chapter 9 deals with earthquake cinematics and dynamics. It describes the classical 1D Haskell source, the source spetrum. The concepts of stress drop, particle velocity and rupture velocity are explicited. The end of the chapter is devoted to magnitude scales, seismic energy, aftershocks, and the scaling relations of earthquakes.
Chapter 10 tackles the problem of waveform modeling. Finally Chapter 11 deals with seismotectonics and provides plenty of interesting documents.

This book provides an excellent overview of global seismology. It should be extremely useful to teachers (valuable source of documents for your class) and also for those who want to start seismology. Additional reading will be necessary, eventually.

This book is not for the casual reader. It is written for first year graduate students. To really understand it, you need to know some advanced math,at leadt through differential equations. However, with that background, this is an excellent book. Much easier to read than Aki and Richards. I only wish the book was published when I was a first year graduate student.

Wallace Stegner's first novel, short, direct, and powerfully written. Set on a midwestern farm around the turn of the twentieth century, fun-loving Alec is married to prim and proper Margaret. After Margaret's younger sister Elspeth comes to live with them, she and Alec have an affair, with devastating consequences for the three. A son, Malcolm, is born out of the affair, who is raised thinking Alec is his uncle and Margaret his aunt. He finally learns the truth at novel's end, which is the weakest section of the book: it all transpires too quickly which diminishes the force of the revelation. But Stegner's writing is strong and vigorous; he is especially good at portraying Alec's wit and playfulness through his use of exaggerations and folkloric "whoppers." The icy cold relationship between Margaret and Elspeth (reminiscent to me of that between the characters in Edith Wharton's ETHAN FROME), is truly destructive and tragic. A fine debut achievement.

Illustrating Tolstoy's observation that "all happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," Wallace Stegner's first novel, REMEMBERING LAUGHTER (1936), travels from the heighths of laughter (p. 13) to the depths of family grief in just 150 pages. Along the way, Stegner introduces us to Margaret Stuart and her younger sister, Elspeth, and then reveals the dark secret of infidelity binding them together in a constantly eroding relationship. While only in their forties, Stegner observes the twin-like sisters "were two old women sentenced to the prison they had made for themselves, doomed to wear away slowly, toughly; to fade and wither and dry up inch by inch in the silence of their house" (p. 150). Although it lacks much of the depth of Stegner's BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN (1943), ALL THE LITTLE LIVE THINGS (1967), and his Pulitzer-Prize-winning ANGLE OF REPOSE (1971), three novels which reveal a writer at the heighths of his talent, REMEMBERING LAUGHTER nevertheless offers a compelling tale you won't soon forget.

G. Merritt

On the front porch of their Iowa farm house, Margaret Stuart and her sister Elspeth watch the arrival of the funeral guests of Margaret's husband Alec. Having aged rapidly and before their time, they seem to be twins; although in fact there is a seven year age difference between them. Living with them, grieving alone in his room is Malcolm, their son.

This is the introduction to Wallace Stegner's first short novella, written in 1936 as his submission to a prize contest held by Little, Brown & Co. (Not surprisingly, Stegner won.) We next see the sisters 18 years earlier, at Elspeth's arrival in Iowa. Margaret and Alec are a handsome and, it seems, happy couple; although there are early warning signs - Margaret complains about her husband's taste for alcohol, he about her moralizing. Soon after the arrival of Margaret's younger sister, pretty and ostensibly much more naïve and innocent than Margaret, the relationship between the three begins to change; subtly but inevitably, until Margaret eventually stumbles into the discovery of her husband's affair with Elspeth. That discovery, almost more than the affair itself it appears, destroys the bonds between the sisters, between husband and wife, and between Elspeth and Alec. Yet, they go on living together, and together they raise Malcolm, the child born out of Elspeth's and Alec's relationship; held out as their nephew to minimize public shame. And while they keep themselves occupied with the farm business and with entertaining their neighbors, and even garner considerable outward success, inside they slowly dry up: Unlike in our end-of-the-20th/beginning of the 21st century culture, where "talk it over" and "bring it out" are the buzzwords of a society believing (perhaps rightly so) that for better or worse, problems not openly addressed will forever remain unsolved, an all-out display of the emotional turmoil besetting Stegner's heroes simply is not an option - in "Remembering Laughter" as little as in his later, Pulitzer prize winning "Angle of Repose."

Stegner's wife Mary revealed in a short afterword to Penguin's 1996 republication of "Remembering Laughter" that the story was based on two old aunts of hers, one a widow and one a spinster, who together had raised a son who could have been the child of either of them; Mrs. Stegner wasn't sure whose. Only 150 pages long, this first novella already has all the hallmarks of Stegner's later works - compelling characters and a keenly accurate portrayal of their social context, set in the vast, magnificent and often merciless environment of the Western prairies which Stegner loved so much. This novella is an excellent introduction to Wallace Stegner's work (Stegner also has to be credited with contributing to the redefinition of this particular art form in 20th century American literature) and a great morality tale condensed to its essentials; not easy to swallow but highly recommended.

Also recommended:
Angle of Repose (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Collected Stories (Penguin Classics)
The Big Rock Candy Mountain (Contemporary American Fiction)
Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Wallace Stegner : His Life and Work

About five years ago I stumbled onto Wallace Stegner, and I haven't been able to leave him behind. I just got around to reading _Remembering Laughter_ this past winter, mainly because it was usually not even listed among his better books; that is too bad.

Stegner is one of the best American writers that hardly anybody knows, and this is probably one of his most underrated works. "Haunting" and "poignant" are two words that I almost always find myself using when describing Stegner's novels, and this novella is clearly in that category. This book is a great intro to Stegner. _Crossing to Safety_ and _The Spectator Bird_ are better, but in economy of words, this one holds its own.

For those of you who have never read Stegner, this is a great place to start. For those of you who have read Stegner, this is a delight to read. It's possible to see in this book the genesis of all of the stylistic techniques that Stegner would later employ to such great effect.

I regularly give this book to friends as a gift, usually in the hopes that they will also discover the joy of reading Wallace Stegner.

I read Stegner's "Spectator Bird" about 20 years ago and loved that book. I wanted a quick read and stumbled on this one - originally written in 1937. Mostly soap opera, but oh-so tautly written. Very well-painted characters. If only all novels can be written with such power and economy as this one! I'll be looking for more Stegner to read now that my interest in this author has been rekindled by "Remembering Laughter."

"Warman's Jewelry," 3rd edition, by Christie Romero, is subtitled "A Fully Illustrated Identification and Price Guide to 18th, 19th, & 20th Century Fine and Costume Jewelry." The book is full of fascinating and useful features, among them an extensive bibliography, glossary, index, and chronology. There are also a number of appendices, including a hallmark identification guide and a guide to the marks and names on Mexican silver jewelry and metalware.

The 272-page book is full of hundreds of clear, beautiful full color photos of jewelry. Each photo is accompanied by essential information on each piece depicted. The items shown represent a huge price span; in this book you'll see a $336,000.00 gem-encrusted platinum bracelet, a $10.00 brooch shaped like a poodle, and lots in between. Many types of jewelry are pictured: necklaces, cufflinks, earrings, lockets, scarf pins, etc. Included are pieces representing a broad variety of artistic approaches: whimsical, elegant, gaudy, graceful, fierce, futuristic.

Also fascinating is the broad range of materials covered: diamonds, emeralds, opals, turquoise, gold, coral, agate, wood, rhinestones, plastic, brass, porcelain, etc. The photography is accompanied by an interesting, well-written text. Jewelry production is placed in historical and cultural context. There are also special sections devoted to jewelry of particular cultures (Native American, Mexican, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish). Interesting trends such as Victorian-era black jewelry and "eye miniatures" are also highlighted. Overall, this is an endlessly interesting and stunningly beautiful reference work.

A great book, with lots of valuble information, but the index, is not accurate.this makes it very frustrating to look things up....warmans should issue partial refunds to the dedicated customers who purchased the book...

AS AN OLDER PERSON, I HAVE 'LIVED THROUGH' MANY OF THE FADS WHICH JEWELRY MANUFACTURERS REFLECT. I STARTED COLLECTING JEWELRY, AND DECIDED TO WRITE A RESOURCE BOOK FOR THE NOVICE. WELL, WHEN I READ MS. ROMERO'S BOOK, I FOUND THAT IT WAS SO INCLUSIVE THAT IN ORDER TO FILL IN THE GAPS, AS IT WERE, MY WORK IS REALLY CUT OUT FOR ME. THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO ANY JEWELRY COLLECTOR'S REFERENCE LIBRARY. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE SPACE TO REVIEW IT.

Over the years, Warman's guides to antiques have established a reputation for reliability. This volume is the third (2002) edition of their jewelry guide. It's lavishly illustrated with examples from many styles, eras, and price ranges. It provides a feast for the eyes and a lot of useful information as well.

Romero divides the material according to time period and, when appropriate, according to style and material and country of origin. She gives concise summaries of the essentials of each and links jewelry fashions to world events and clothing styles. Sometimes her discussions are a little too concise for this curious reader ( to be fair, the book is a guide, not an in-depth treatment), but she provides a full bibliography at the end for those who want to dig deeper. There's also a glossary of jewelry-related terminology and a section on marks.

According to the introduction, this edition reflects the increasing globalization of the marketplace and the influence of internet buying. Romero has expanded coverage of Scandinavian jewelry and added discussions of Neo-Renaissance and Beaux-Arts jewelry. Every illustration is in color, and the captions are fully detailed. Several reviewers of earlier editions mentioned that there were problems with the index. These problems seem to have been corrected in this edition.

Any problems I have with this book are mostly quibbles. The author makes a point of linking changes in jewelry fashions to changes in clothing and in social conditions. I wish that she had put in a few period illustrations showing the fashions and the jewelry worn with them. This is probably a little out of the reach of an identification and value guide, but it would have been a nice touch. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful resource for jewelry collectors and, in fact for anyone who thinks they might like to become one.

As on online vintage jewelry dealer, Atlanta vintage jewelry dot com, Warman's book was one of the first in my reference library. Sure, it has some faults, but not to the degree to make the book 'useless'. I used to spend my evenings in bed reading through the pages, getting familiar with the vast array of information.

The book includes excellent pictures with clarity, and lots of them. It covers jewelry designs from various eras, beginning in the mid-1700's through present day.

Many people in the vintage jewelry circles may refer to Warman's as the 'bible' of vintage jewelry as it also covers both fine and costume.

In spite of its somewhat unreliable index referred to by others, this hefty book is well worth the purchase price. I'm glad for mine.

Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth.

A great study of Oil Lamps and will be looking forward to other publications and updates from Catherine Thuro. A wonderful display of illustrations and photos.

Oil Lamps I has become the standard reference book on kerosene lamps. It is by far the most comprehensive and definitive book to cover the kerosene era. More than 1,000 kerosene lamps and accessories are shown in over 900 studio photographs. For the historian, student and collector, there awaits a carefully researched and organized visual record. First published in 1979, this newly released 1998 reprint is complete with an updated price guide. Often the first reference I choose.

This is an updated printing of the original book. I have the older one and it was nice to review the new updated information. This is a great book for any oil lamp collector, and it has a very reasonable discounted price. Betty Lonsdale, Florida

One book can't possibly cover every manufacturer, even the big names. However Thuro has provided history, research and extraordinary detail to offer well over 300 pages of pictures, descriptions, old advertising and assorted information that educates the individual on oil and kerosene lamps from North America.

Of particular interest the author delves into specific new patents such as adding handles or modest change in designs to demonstrate how improvements were made over the years. Thuro covers railroad lighting, ships lamps, whale oil lamps and provides an excellent chronological history of lighting as it progessed through the years.

In addition to dozens of color and black/white photographs, the author provides drawings and old advertisements to give the reader detailed information on dates and lamp design. Values are updated to 2004 but with the changing markets these become fluid rapidly. For education, collecting and identification this book will serve most collectors and dealers well.

This book was a big disappointment. I have several Bradley & Hubbard kerosene lamps, and there is not one word about them in this book. Bradley & Hubbard were one of the largest manufacturers of kerosene lamps during the 19th century, and are very popular with collectors today. The Smithsonian has a collection, with a curator and a web site, of B & H lamps and other items made by them. Strangely, there is one brief mention (with a photo) of a Rayo lamp, and the author fails to mention Rayo lamps were made by Bradley & Hubbard for the Standard Oil Co. I was considering buying Oil Lamps II by the same author, but I'm afraid it would be a disappointment also.

They're simple. They're informative. They're cheap. If your child is too young to read, they're perfectly good read-aloud books.

What more can you ask for when stocking your kid's library?

This one has a simple story indicating the steps it takes to turn a factory into a park. Plenty of new vocabulary for any child interested in construction - and I don't know of one kid who isn't ultimately interested in construction!

Children have always adored watching "big machines doing big jobs," and this book provides ample opportunity for both boys and girls to read about these machines and the jobs they do knocking down an old building and creating a new park where people and animals can have fun.

Although boys will be sure to read this book over and over again, make no mistake -- many girls adore watching construction equipment and all the noises they make!

This is a good book for the little guy (or gal) who is learning to read and who justs loves Big Machines (like my nephew!) Ordinarily I prefer illustrations, but this book shows photographs of big machines which is good for showing kids exactly what they look like so that when they see one passing by they will be able to identify it thereby reinforcing their learning. It also defines certain relevant words about each machine which I really liked.

Okay. My girlie-girl wasn't interested - at all (lol) -in this book. But I'm sure that plenty of other girls and boys would be. There are lots of bright photos of heavy equipment: crane, bulldozer, dump truck, excavator, tipper truck, concrete mixer truck, water tanker, roller, forklift, panel van, big truck.

Plus there is something to learn. For example, I never knew that the big trucks that flattened asphalt (rollers) had their rollers filled with water.

I particularly like that all of these machines are shown in the context of a project. In this case, an old factory is being torn down and replaced by a park (something I think will engage the interests of quite a few children.) Because of this format, children will see (if it's pointed out) that projects take shape in stages. First, for example, the old building needs to be torn down, the rubble taken away. Then paths need to be laid and a pond dug out. Once the pond is dug, it needs to be filled with water. Sod and flowers need to be brought in and planted... and on and on.

Four Stars. [B-]. There is a concept here and not `just' heavy equipment. The text is not for those seeking a first reader. While the vocabulary is not overly difficult, there are frequently more than two sentences per page. This might be good book for readers with a little experience under their belts. The text from page 18 follows so you to judge for yourself.

The pond needs concrete
to line its base.
A concrete mixer
brings concrete.
It's drum goes
around and around
and concrete pours out
of a special chute.

We first found this book at the library. We read it so often that my 2.5 year old son can finish each sentence and page. Great book for reading to kids and teaching them basic construction vocabulary! The pictures are great and easy to use to engage the children in a beyond-the-book discussion.