Wilson Books

Every once in a while a book is written that changes everything. THE MORNING THE SUN WENT DOWN is one of those books. This autobiography written by Darryl Babe Wilson about his Achomawi/Atsugewi (Pit River) childhood in northeastern California is filled with wonder and lyrical beauty, and at the same time with painful tragedy and brutality. This is the masterful recounting of a personal journey that enfolds us warmly in a child eye's view of Wilson's family and tribal relations, as well as the intrinsic and permanent relationship with the land in its ancient and essential dimensions. This book is simultaneously literature, an autobiography and the history of a People. It is highly recommended.//This is a portion of the review by Susan Lobo that will appear in the journal NATIVE AMERICAS (Cornell)

Every once in a while a book is written that changes everything. This is one of those books. This autobiography written by Darryl Babe Wilson about his Achomawi/Atsugewi (Pit River) Indian childhood in northern California is filled with wonder and lyrical beauty, and at the same time with painful tragedy and brutality. This is the masterful recounting of a personal journey that enfolds us warmly in a child eye's view ofWilson'sfamily and tribal relations, as well as the intrinsic and permanent relationship with theland in its ancient and essential dimensions. This book is simultaneously literature, an autobiography and the history of a People. Thebook begins with a dream in which Wilson is tested and reminded by the Elders of his responsibility to his People. It combines observations both minute and practical with those that sweepinglyencompass infinate place and time, understood both by the heart and mind. We are deftly drawn into a world that is simultaneously rugged and sweet. The family tragedy, the death of his mother and baby brother, and the subsequent family separation are described in wrenching detail, mirroring and paralleling the descriptions of historic events resulting from the lethal coming of whites into his homeland following the discovery of gold in California. Wilson places us, as readers, in a spot that is at the same time ancient, historical and contemporary. This is a story of growingself-assurance and human understanding as Wilson matures and comes to see the world from a broader vision, as well as his place and potential role within that world. He says, "...we must seek a power or a series of powers outside of ourselves which we identify as 'helpers.' Helpers can be a tree or animals, rocks or mountains, stars or flowers, frogs or rainbows. Helpers come to us in our time of need, and they guide our dreams." This book is utlimately the story of strength and power. Near the end of the book, he says, "For it was a song, according to our narratives, that caused all of the universe to have a beginning. We must seek within ourselves the spiritual terrain from our watu/ah'lo (spiritual umbilical cord) to the Great Power, cultivating our personal power and creating wholesomeness with our thoughts and intentions...It is taught in our lessons and legends, and by our Elders, that The People are responsible for life upon earth. Honoring the lessons then becomes a mandate from Great Power/GReat Wonder/Great Spirit that we are bound to obey. All people must obey the Great Law, so the sweetness of life can continue."

from "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review): A slim, modest, and altogether extraordinary memoir of rural Native American life. Wilson, a poet and scholar from the Achumawe and Atsugewi tribes of northeastern California, came into adolescence in the mid-1950s, when his people had all but disappeared through assimilation or extermination. Blame for part of that disappearance he lays squarely at the door of whites; but, he adds, "the neglect of our Elders to teach us our traditions was equally damaging." His own parents did their best to teach Wilson and his siblings something of the old ways: how to hunt deer, how to tame rattlesnakes, how to listen for mountain lions, lessons that he imparts to his readers with precision and grace- and not a little humor. But when his mother and younger brother were killed in a collision with a logging truck, Wilson was sent off to live with white foster parents among unfriendly neighbors (he remembers, touchingly, one young girl "who did not accuse me with her eyes or attitude," principally "because we were not enemies"). Whe it appeared that his foster parents wanted to strip away his Indian identity, Wilson rebelled, for which he was sent off to a boarding school where the young California Indian charges were locked in their rooms at nights and punished by day for minor infractions. Wilson recounts these horros matter-of-factly but doesn't dwell on them; instead, he celebrates a teacher who sagely corrected his compositions, encouraged him to improve himself, and urged him to become a writer. Readers have reason to be grateful to that teacher as well. Wilson is a careful and compassionate obeserver of his life and those of other young Indians, and his book is a fine addition to the growing library of Native American autobiography.

I found the book gave a great insight to it's array of characters. Mr. Etherly allows the reader to dwell into the thoughts of the characters and how they react in the face of disparity. He draws you into the scenes, with the realistic dialogue, and you take an interest in the characters. It makes you think about why some people act the way they do, and will hopefully inspire tolerance of those we find indifferent. I would love to see this performed on stage!

I received this book as a gift from a friend and boy was I surprised. The author does a wonderful job looking into the cultural and generational issues within the context of each characters personality. I found the book hard to put down. It is a wonderful piece of work.

It was a great read! I thurally enjoyed the authors style of expository story telling. I found the blend of personal narrative and social history to be very compelling. It totally reminded me of the late August Wilson's 'Two Trains Running'. From what I understand, this play has not yet received a professional production...why? I have no idea.

John Pugh should be named a national treasure. His works are not only supremely well executed but also intriguing. So many muralists fail in their ability to render perspective both visually and mentally. You can truly "step into" Pugh's works and when you do, you enter into a new world.

This is simply a fantastic book of the art of muralist I've grown to admire over the years. After following his work on the web and around California and other states, I was very excited to find a book devoted to his work alone. And I was not disappointed. The quality of the text and images is superb as well.And as an artist I frequent the book to get those creative juices flowing.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Trompe l'oeil and murals.

Author Kevin Bruce writes that he first met John Pugh in a Los Gatos pub in 1984. The two became fast friends, and now Bruce has expanded his Stanford University master's thesis on seven of Pugh's murals into a breathtaking study of 35 of Pugh's finest works. "The Murals of John Pugh: Beyond trompe l'oeil" ($35 in hardcover from Ten Speed Press) features stunning full-color spreads of Pugh's art along with telling close-ups of areas the eye might well miss.

The term "trompe l'oeil" means "trick of the eye," and it's applied to two-dimensional art that fools the eye into seeing a three-dimensional space. Though such techniques were practiced in ancient Greece, as Bruce notes in his historical overview, Pugh's real precursor was the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, who in 1931 "produced a trompe l'oeil mural ... at the California School of Fine Arts" that saluted "the 'skyscraping' construction in the United States."

Pugh himself got his start at Chico State University majoring in art. In his senior year he received a commission "to create a mural on a wall of Taylor Hall, which housed, most appropriately, the Chico State Art Department." As Bruce writes, "Begun in the fall of 1980 and completed in the spring of 1981, this mural would receive international recognition and launch Pugh's career in a spectacular fashion." The mural was called "Academe" (acrylic on concrete, 24 feet by 36 feet).

Bruce writes that "at Taylor Hall, Pugh's first step was to establish a site-specific conceptual scheme: 'I kept looking at the wall thinking of how to best reveal in a mural the meaning of the art building both architecturally and conceptually.' He decided that the best symbol to accomplish this dual statement would be to 'go all the way back to the original Doric-style Greek column. ... My intention was ... to tap into the concept of the Greek academe as the essence of our western educational system'."

Rather than simply paint a realistic-looking series of columns, Pugh was influenced by a dream to "break open" the wall on Taylor and, as Bruce puts it, "fill this fictive space with relevant narrative creations -- intended to engage the viewer on deeper levels."

It is this narrative element in Pugh's work that sets it apart from mere trickery. Since his Chico State experience Pugh has painted many public art pieces, murals for hospitals, parking garages and libraries that attract the mind as well as the eye. Some are controversial, like his 2005 piece, "Drain," in Bishop, which evoked strong emotions about the "water wars" in the late 1900s. Other pieces, such as the mural in a San Jose café, "Art Imitating Life, Imitating Art, Imitating Life," are stunningly complex in their narratives.

"The Murals of John Pugh" includes chapters on his studio, techniques and future projects, a fitting 3D tribute to a visionary artist -- which is no illusion at all.

Copyright 2006 Chico Enterprise-Record. Used by permission.

This book is much more personal then the other wonderful book written about Bentley. I do wonder where the references come from, if the author had letters or access to family in some way? Beautiful illustrations and a joy to read. The book on the Bentley photos of snow flakes is a must with any of the books!

Wilson A. Bentley, the "Snowflake Man," (1865-1931) was born and raised in Vermont, or snow country...and he "lived his environment" to the hilt!
Every chance he got, he was out there in Nature, taking pictures of insects, water droplets, dew-covered spider webs and that for which he is best known ~ snowflakes and snow crystals.
He led a very interesting and, for the most part, misunderstood life, but he was not one to quit. No matter what the obstacle, he was determined to overlook and overcome it. And his brother, most admiringly, tells this story in a way that only a family member and first-hand observer can.
Even tho' the reminiscing is not his actual words, Charlie Bentley, Wilson's older brother, looks back with affection and admiration...and his words are made to warm the heart of the reader.
The illustrations are wonderful to behold ~ and if I were a young reader (I am in my late 50's now) I would have loved to have owned this book, even then. I am proud to have it in my library now, having a young Grandson who will learn about Nature at my own knee...I intend to encourage him to never be afraid of learning, of the wonders of creation, and of following his own star.
Wilson A. Bentley will be a perfect example of what one person can do to teach and inspire others to do what comes naturally to them, no matter what anyone else says, and in the end, that is always the only way to be, isn't it? ;)

The more well known children's book, Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal Book), may have won the Caldecott award, but I must confess to enjoying this book much more. "My Brother Loved Snowflakes," told from the brother's perspective, shows the human side of people who may be different than others, and makes the quest for knowledge about people, about us and our quest to learn about the world we are blessed with. Rather than playing up Willie Bentley as an eccentric, it shows him as unique, and shows children that for all his differences he gave much to our wealth of knowledge and above all the people in the story -- even the people who attend a lecture he walks out on without a word because of the snow, as very accepting that Bentley is who Bentley is and that there is nothing wrong with that. Since our children will meet so many other children who are vastly different than them, some of them seemingly eccentric, this is a subtle reminder that we all have value and that the difference is part of what makes the world interesting. We need that diversity.

This book will have an added interest to homeschoolers because Bentley and his brother are taught by their mother, a woman who encourages her son's love of learning -- and the father, though he doesn't "get" all this snowflake stuff, still strives to respect his son's desires and loves and encourage him and do what he can regardless.

We made this into something a snowflake learning fest. Bentley's photos of snowflakes are available in an inexpensive format, Snowflakes in Photographs. More modern and beautiful are the books by Kenneth G. Libbrecht. We chose The Snowflake. This had enlarged photographs and my first grader used pattern blocks to recreate some of them, as well as making paper snowflakes for the window. We also took black paper (left out in the car so it would be cold) to catch snowflakes and look at them with a magnifying glass. We will be revisiting "snowflake studis" later on when he is older to get more into the science of them, as is covered in the Libbrecht book.

Overall, this book was great for supporting our curriculum, which presents science and math in hands on ways and includes a lot of biography with explanations of how scientists go about "doing science" -- but which is to also remind us that science without the human element is purposeless, and sometimes even dangerous.

The journal gives you a nice neat way to keep track of your child's health.

I take it with me to the dr everytime and fill out all the info to see how he is growing. Then you can have it to compare to past appts. Also it has a great place to put questions for the dr, or notes...I've looked around and this one is great, and not "cheesy", with first this and first that! It has a place to note things if it's really important!!! I love it!

I took a chance in purchasing this book because there weren't any reviews for it. After looking at everything else available and reading the comments I thought this might be the best choice. I'm glad I went with this one. It's small enough to fit in a diaper bag and has an elastic band so it won't open up and damage the pages. It's spiral bound so it's easy to write in and flip through. It covers everything such as well visits, sick visits, places to write questions for the Dr., places to write Dr. advice and suggestions from appointments, illness records, milestones to look for, tooth chart with tooth names, dental visits, immunization records, x-rays taken, blood tests, other types of tests, allergies, accidents, surgeries, and growth charts. It also includes tidbits of information from what to have on hand for your first aid kit to baby-proofing the home. I live overseas and this is great for keeping my own record of my baby's health so no matter where we live I will know and remember this important information. Also because the book is small enough, I can easily take it with us on trips and have this information available should something happen while we're away from home. No matter if you move around or stay with the same doctor for your child's whole life, I think it's good to have your own written record of your child's health. The day after getting this book for myself I ordered another one for my husband's cousin who just had a baby.

Nikki has a good life. She has a supportive group of friends, there are only a couple of days left in the school year, and the guy she has been crushing on forever has just asked her out. Nothing she has ever experienced has prepared her for an encounter with an evil sorcerer or for the knowledge that her best friend, Robert, is involved in, what Nikki can only describe as, a nightmare.

Even though things are going good for Nikki, there are some problems she is dealing with. The biggest and most important problem she has is that any time a person of the opposite sex touches her, even if it is only her little finger, she feels excruciating pain and nausea. This is causing her some concern since she is supposed to be going out with Dale, the object of her longtime crush, to an end-of-the-school-year bash. How can you go to a party where dancing will probably be expected when you can't even touch your date without the fear of getting sick all over him? The second issue she has started dealing with recently is the fact that she's been thinking about Robert, her best friend since seventh grade, in ways that friends don't think of each other. For instance, how good he looks without a shirt on, or the way his hair looks when it sticks up in the
front, or how his sparkling green eyes look so bright. This problem only gets worse when she accidentally touches Robert one day at school and realizes that she doesn't feel pain when he touches her.

Her life gets even more complicated when her older sister, Andrea, invites her new boyfriend over to their house for dinner to meet the family. Alerro is captivating and seems to have a magical way of holding everyone's attention. When dinner is over and he starts to leave after a wonderful evening with the family, he stops to touch everyone briefly on the cheek as a farewell. Nikki was so entranced she couldn't stop him if she wanted to, but once his hand was on her face, she felt a slight tingle, but nothing like the pain that should have been running through her body.

The next day at school, the minute Robert saw her, he knew she'd been touched. Robert demanded to know who did it. Nikki was flabbergasted because there wasn't a visible sign of Alerro's touch at all. Robert told her it was a mark of protection and that she was in danger. Robert told her that Alerro was a werewolf and her and her whole family would be in danger as long as they continued to associate with Alerro. Nikki, of course, didn't take this news very well. There are no such things as werewolves, right? Robert asked Nikki to take a warning to Alerro, telling him, "Dominus knows he's here and that he wants Alerro back." Nikki refused to give such a crazy warning to her sister's new boyfriend, so Robert had to let Alerro know his protection mark was tampered with. Using some of his own power, Robert jolted Nikki with some energy that acted like a punch to the stomach. Their argument was heard by some teachers and Robert was sent to the principal's office and Nikki was sent to the nurse. Thinking Robert attacked Nikki, the principal expelled him from school. Nikki felt awful, but was also angry at Robert for making up such a lie about Alerro.

Nikki was relieved when she got home that afternoon. She just wanted to be alone in her room and forget about everything that had happened. Andrea was going out with Alerro, so she would have time alone at home with no one to bother her. Nikki didn't plan on talking to Alerro at all when he came by to pick up her sister. She knew what Robert was saying was outrageous, but when Andrea yelled her final goodbye, Nikki couldn't help but jump off her bed and run to the door to get a look at Alerro, just to see if he could tell Robert had messed with the so-called protection he placed on her and her family. The minute Alerro laid eyes on her he knew. He immediately came back inside the house and asked if she was okay and questioned her about the person who had hurt her. Nikki was overwhelmed with the fact that Robert had told the truth. She immediately told Andrea and Alerro everything Robert had asked her to say. After she finished, Alerro told them he needed to show them something. He went to the bathroom and came out with nothing but a towel around his waist. Shocked into silence, both Andrea and Nikki could only sit and stare as Alerro transformed before their eyes into a beautiful wolf. After changing back into human form, Alerro told them everything. How Dominus is an evil sorcerer seeking something that will help him to destroy the world. How Alerro's father Josef was his familiar for years. How Alerro was captured by Dominus in hopes of getting Josef to come out of hiding after he left Dominus' service. How Robert has been Dominus' familiar since Josef left. Nikki had a hard time listening to the story. She felt betrayed by Robert and wondered why he would pretend to be her best friend for so many years. Nikki knew there would be a battle; she just hoped Robert ended up on the right side. Truly, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.

Jenine Wilson tells a wonderful story. Nikki is a believable character that the reader falls in love with right away. MY FAMILIAR has a great balance of reality and fantasy that will appeal to anyone, even if they aren't a huge fantasy fan. Realistic teen issues like dating and social acceptance are intermingled with the larger problem of saving the world from total destruction. MY FAMILIAR wraps up nicely, leaving the reader satisfied with the ending. However, a case could be made for a sequel, but it definitely isn't necessary for the completion of this story.

Reviewed by: Karin Perry

My Familiar is a lovely work of young adult fiction. Nikki, the main character, is a high school student who, upon turning 16, finds that she can no longer touch any member of the opposite sex without getting violently ill-except for her best friend, Robert. In the early chapters of the book we get to see a slice out of Nikki's life as she goes through the last few days of the school year, deals with the gossip that flies after she has a fight with Robert, and later heads to a party hosted by one of the most popular girls in school.

Simple high school drama, right? Not quite. Remember that whole unable-to-touch-guys thing? Kepe an eye on the guys in this story, as they'e got quite a tale to tell about just why that is. I won't give away the details (you'll just have to read for yourself) but Wilson has woven an engaging story that leads up to a great ending. Her characters are interesting people to observe, and the story has some neat little twists in it.

I think my only complaint about the book is that the dialogue is sometimes a bit rough around the edges, and doesn't sound quite the way someone might talk. However, overall Wilson is a great writer, and she does an excellent job of creating a setting, placing interesting characters in it, and telling the story of what they go through in a way that's neither too brief nor too wordy. A touch of extra editing would probably help clean the dialogue up, and all told it's a good effort. It makes me want to at some point pick up Wilson's first book, "The Shadow Within", just for the fun of it.

Well written, and a great book overall!

Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (7/07)

"My Familiar" is about a girl named Nikki who experiences a lot of odd things before finding out what they all mean. Nikki cannot touch anyone of the opposite sex, except for her best friend, Robert, and her father; she has no idea why she can only touch him and her father. After her sister meets a guy, Nikki's life completely changes as she learns why things are happening. Robert tries to convince Nikki that her sister's boyfriend, Alerro, is evil and will put them in danger. He says that Alerro is not human. Nikki refuses to believe this, at least until Alerro turns into a wolf right before her eyes. Later, Nikki and her sister, Andrea, learn that they both suffer with the same curse. Not long after Nikki finds out about Alerro, she and her sister find themselves stuck in a room in a place they are not familiar with. Later, Nikki realizes that Alerro is not the evil one. Robert is. "My Familiar" takes you through a great adventure that you just can't miss!!

In my opinion, "My Familiar" is a great book. It is well written and very easy to read. It's also very easy to follow along with what is happening. My favorite part of this book is when Nikki had to kiss the frog at the end. This is because that part was very humorous and could make anyone laugh. I really like how "My Familiar" was one of the few books I have read that was not predictable. There are many twists throughout this story. This book is recommended for everyone! It's a must read!

What a cute story for the preschool set. It goes through all the first day school jitters,overcoming fears and obstacles. Classic illustrations. A very good storybook.

Book was great. Enjoyed reading it to my god daughter and her friends. It is good to have a book that a child can relate to in every fashion. And that is this book!

This is a great book, my daughter and I really enjoy it. I definitely recommend this book to those with young children.

Conrad Wilson has put together a series of brief introductions to major composers and their works. Already published books include Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, with more volumes on the way. These are put out by Eerdmans, one of the great scholarly publishing houses. This is a good series both for the music lover and for those starting out in learning about music; the books assume no particular technical training or knowledge about music, but do not 'dumb down' the material for the reader. Wilson will use the occasional musical term, but this is kept to a minimum.

The concept of the text is fairly simple - composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven produced hundreds if not thousands of pieces; how does the average music listener start to learn about these? Wilson uses the 'top twenty' device - the 'top ten' would be too limiting, particularly for prolific composers, and any more most likely ends up being less of a selective process. However, this is not a true 'top twenty' in terms of hierarchical ranking, but rather a representative twenty works from the range of the composer highlighted.

In the Schubert text, Wilson includes the following twenty:

- 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', D118
- Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200
- Piano Quintet in A major ('The Trout'), D667
- Symphony No. 7 (8) in B minor ('Unfinished'), D759
- Wanderer Fantasy, D760
- Die schone Mullerin, D795
- Octet in F major, D803
- String Quartet in A minor, D804
- Piano Sonata in D major, D850
- Symphony No. 8 (9) in C major ('Great'), D944
- String Quartet in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D810
- String Quartet in G major, D887
- Four Impromptus, D899; Four Impromptus, D935
- Piano Trio in E flat major, D929
- Winterreise, D911
- Fantasy in F minor for piano duet, D940
- Piano Sonata in A major, D959
- Piano Sonata in B flat major, D960
- String Quintet in C major, D956
- Schwanengesang, D957

Each of the essays included is in the terms of programme notes, the kind of piece one might find in a concert or opera programme booklet at a performance. Wilson intersperses brief, one-page pieces on Schubert with three to four-page pieces on the works themselves; while things are arranged chronologically, this isn't really meant to be taken as a definitive biographical treatment, but rather biographical sketch to place the music in context with Schubert's overall life.

Wilson provides suggestions for particular recordings/performances of the pieces, and provides a glossary of terms at the end of the text. Wilson is a good writer, and keeps the reader engaged. This is a very good series for those who want a quick, ready reference or a brief survey of a composer's life.

Conrad Wilson has put together a series of brief introductions to major composers and their works. Already published books include Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, with more volumes on the way. These are put out by Eerdmans, one of the great scholarly publishing houses. This is a good series both for the music lover and for those starting out in learning about music; the books assume no particular technical training or knowledge about music, but do not 'dumb down' the material for the reader. Wilson will use the occasional musical term, but this is kept to a minimum.

The concept of the text is fairly simple - composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven produced hundreds if not thousands of pieces; how does the average music listener start to learn about these? Wilson uses the 'top twenty' device - the 'top ten' would be too limiting, particularly for prolific composers, and any more most likely ends up being less of a selective process. However, this is not a true 'top twenty' in terms of hierarchical ranking, but rather a representative twenty works from the range of the composer highlighted.

In the Schubert text, Wilson includes the following twenty:

- 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', D118
- Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200
- Piano Quintet in A major ('The Trout'), D667
- Symphony No. 7 (8) in B minor ('Unfinished'), D759
- Wanderer Fantasy, D760
- Die schone Mullerin, D795
- Octet in F major, D803
- String Quartet in A minor, D804
- Piano Sonata in D major, D850
- Symphony No. 8 (9) in C major ('Great'), D944
- String Quartet in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D810
- String Quartet in G major, D887
- Four Impromptus, D899; Four Impromptus, D935
- Piano Trio in E flat major, D929
- Winterreise, D911
- Fantasy in F minor for piano duet, D940
- Piano Sonata in A major, D959
- Piano Sonata in B flat major, D960
- String Quintet in C major, D956
- Schwanengesang, D957

Each of the essays included is in the terms of programme notes, the kind of piece one might find in a concert or opera programme booklet at a performance. Wilson intersperses brief, one-page pieces on Schubert with three to four-page pieces on the works themselves; while things are arranged chronologically, this isn't really meant to be taken as a definitive biographical treatment, but rather biographical sketch to place the music in context with Schubert's overall life.

Wilson provides suggestions for particular recordings/performances of the pieces, and provides a glossary of terms at the end of the text. Wilson is a good writer, and keeps the reader engaged. This is a very good series for those who want a quick, ready reference or a brief survey of a composer's life.

This series of small but dense guide books on the Top 20 major works of the great composers is a welcome addition to the music literature. It is difficult for the average person to find many decent "guides to major works" beyond Mozart and Beethoven that is not like 30 years old. Enter this new series by the talented music writer Conrad Wilson, written for the new or average music lover. It makes interesting and educational reading with the freshness of a 21st century perspective and format. His selection of Schubert's top 20 would likely be on most classical fan's list and are all masterpieces that were never recognized until decades after Schubert's death.

I found Mr. Wilson's commentary quite in-depth and thought provoking. Here's a good example: in his analysis of the great Octet, the author goes against the mainstream view that this work was merely an innocent, lyrical work to make the case of a more personally-involved composition with several movements revealing a troubling and sometimes dark undercurrent - based likely on Schubert's deep sadness and illnesses at the time. I also liked having a few comparisons of the author's favorite recordings though, while not exhaustive of course, helped further elaborate on the music and give guidance for those looking to buy a reliable performance on CD. In short, a refreshing and well recommended series with new releases due Oct. 2005 including Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn and others. An alternative guide of similar temperment would be "The NPR Guide to Building a Classical Music Collection," which lists most major composers, their most significant works by category (Symphony, concerto, chamber, piano, opera/vocal) and recommended recordings in an entertaining writing style.

this is a very detail book, giving thorough explanation on hair mineral test results. I especially appreciate explanation of the rations of two minerals part, which I can not find it somewhere else.

as a orthomolecular-nutritionist that send a hair sample to a laboratory for a check as part of the routine precidure to every patient of myn,i can tell you that this 8th book on the subject (in my private book shelf)it is simply the best!!!. it starts with a complex,yet essencive and understandable that go further to the interpration principles wich gives the reader/practitioner a further gradualy understanding. the endocrine system, the metabolism type (according to the hair analysis),the nervous system,/cardiovascular,/repiratory and many other aspects that can be detect,classified,and be treated with the wisdom of the great system of hair minerals analysis medicine.pschiciatry,mood balance,are also explored in this book.energy level as a specific section that is worth of mention it. the author is also represent many cases of patients(with hair minerals analysis graphs),and a balancing nutrition plans and resoults.finally a very interesting chapters on nutrition aspects that do concern and correlate with harmony in this field of natural-medicine,in this so organised book that explines it from the begining (to someone that don't have a clue about this healing art ,and up to the highest levels for the best expirienced practioners). with all my expirience in this branch of medicine,-it gave me a lot!!!,thank you dr.wilson. read this book today! i know what i am talking about,i am in this field.

I had a hair analysis done by Dr. Wilson and I also purchased this book. After years of trying to figure out what was wrong with me and why I was so tired, I finally found light at the end of the tunnel. The book helped to explain everything that the analysis showed - it described my symptoms exactly. It was absolutely amazing. I recommend this book, and the services of Dr. Wilson to everyone.

Alex has had enough of his big brother, Andrew. Andrew gets his things without permission. Then, One day, Andrew loses Alex's bike!

Have to echo the teacher who liked it for a readaloud. My kids loved this one!

This is a wonderful book for a classroom read aloud. Children enjoy it and relate to it. Also, for the teacher who is tired of all the "good" books being so depressing, this is a wonderful alternative. It's light hearted and fun to read.