Western Books

The Western Writers of America awarded "Leaving Missouri" the 1998 Spur Award for Best Paperback Original! Since only 6 or 7 Spurs have been given to female authors of book-length fiction in the past fifty years or so, I thought this was worth mentioning. "Leaving Missouri" is a hoot! It's funny and charming and scary and sad, a book you'll want to read over and over. Bring Kleenex!

A good story of "Hush Up Clutie Mae Chestnut" Initially, the dialect was a bit overpowering, but the storyline soon puts that out of mind. The book reads quickly and well; I found myself amazed at the number of events occuring within a short period of time. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Recknor's works.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It made me sad and made me laugh- what a good book! Clutie Mae is quite the character and her story is unique

Ellen Recknor's "Leaving Missouri" has surpassed standard western fare and shapeless pulp fiction, and has earned the right to keep company with the great literature we remember from the good old days (the quality of which we were sure would never again be found in the new release section). The lushly detailed characterization and slick-as-a-whistle comedy, go hand in hand with an immensely moving story. This young heroine moves not only beyond the state line, but beyond her small-town ideas and limitations, as she gains wisdom and strength on the journey to adulthood. You will laugh, you will cry, you will cheer. And by the end, you will have lived a lifetime through the eyes of Clutie Mae Chestnut.

I've bought copies for everyone I know who's interested in westerns. Leaving Missouri is a genuine hoot.

This textbook is required for an online class I am taking, but it is so well put together and interesting that I would recommend it to anyone interested in a business law crash course!

The product arrived next day as I had paid for it to do so. The condition was good. I would buy from them again.

This book was one of the best Business Law books I have ever read. The authors write the book that makes Business Law easy to understand. It is very well written and once you start reading it, it is hard to stop. I highly recommend this for any Business Law Course or if you want to skim the surface of the subject, then this book is the proper gradient.

This was an interesting textbook. I almost decided to keep it for future reference. Some of the material did not go into the depth I would have preferred, but it was still a really good read for a textbook.

This text was actually enjoyable to read most of the time. There is a lot of good information, and the presentation makes it easy to digest. It is still a text, and there is a lot of information. Still, when compared to most textbooks, this is among the best for both coverage of the material and ease of reading.

The media has so saturated the public with Asian martial arts stories that the western heritage of combat has been forgotten by many people. Lessons From The Western Warriors provides a new perspective by taking the reader on an exploration of effective fighting moves and tactics used in the western world. The author Fred Neff, who is both a Kempo master and a lawyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides a fascinating history of western fighting going back to the ancient Hebrews, Egyptians, Babylonians and Greeks. The author Fred Neff's explanation of the Greek art of pankration, which encompassed both striking and grappling was intriguing. Also, very interesting was the development of boxing and wresting throughout history as explained in the book. I really enjoyed the author's straight forward way of presenting little known history. Author Fred Neff's book is divided into chapters on Common Questions, Physical Conditing, Stance and Movement, Punching, Kicking, Dodges and Blocks, Combinations (of blows), Combining Boxing and Grappling, Strategy and Suggestions for Enhancing Training. Learning how to out think the adversary comes through loud and clear in this presentation. The strategy section helps provide guidelines for doing this that should be adaptable for anyone. I like the flexibility Fred Neff provides by teaching moves and tactics that can be adapted for use in a variety of different situations. From Fred Neff's narration to the safety guidelines for practice the book emphasizes the avoidance of excessive violence and respect for other people. The broad base of experience of author Fred Neff as a teacher, Kempo Master and accomplished Minneapolis, Minnesota, lawyer no doubt played a part in the new perspective provided in this unique work. Fred Neff has received many awards for his active community involvement including the City of St. Paul Citizen of the Month Award, a Commendation for Distinguished Service From the Sibley County Attorney's Office, and the Lamp of Knowledge Award from the Twin Cities Lawyer's Guild that are reflective of his interest in helping other people. Lessons From The Western Warriors is not only very interesting, but is helpful to readers in a number of ways. It provides a fresh historical perspective on the fighting arts, teaches the use of western fighting moves for self-defense and emphasizes the need to out-think the adversary rather than just rely on powerful or exotic moves. Just as a powerful swing of a bat in baseball does no good if it is not timed correctly, similarly a powerful or exotic blow is not effective unless it is tactically timed to hit the adversary. Lessons From The Western Warriors is a book that provides valuable information, methods and tactics in a straght forward and interesting manner, so it earns my unqualified recommendation.

This book is recommended by Ned Beaumont in a couple of his books. This book looks like it would be good for a kid dealing with bullies, like the other reviewer. The techniques aren't hard core and brutal, it's stuff that shouldn't get you in trouble with the law. It's got some pretty good basics, the grappling could have had a couple of joint locks added though. It should have been a little bigger and a little more detailed. I'm going to give it to my little brother, I think it'll help him. I ordered mine through amazon from Adsrus on a Saturday. It shipped on Monday from Iowa and arrived at my home in south east Texas on Thursday. The total cost was $6.42. It's definitely a good deal.

While browsing, I happened to find a truly unique and dynamic book entitled Lessons from the Western Warriors by Fred Neff. The self-defense techniques included in the book are from the western world as opposed to the usual rehash of Asiain fighting arts. As I looked through the book, I found it interesting to find reference to the ancient art of pankration that was practiced by the Greeks. I was fascinated to discover that people in the west had their own martial arts history. I ended up buying the book. Once I got into reading the text, looking at the photographs and practicing the techniques, I found that they were both effective and efficient. I think this book is simply terrific and heartily suggest that anyone with an interest in learning really effective self-defense and fighting techniques get a copy of the book.

This book on western fighting tactics is truly unique. After reading Lessons from the Western Warriors I could only conclude that this book is a very well thought out approach to showing the core fighting methods that has emerged over time from the western world. Many of the punching techniques were familiar to me based on my experience with boxing. I have personally used some of the same techniques shown in this book both in the boxing ring and in more than one fight outside the ring. From my experience, the fighting moves shown in the Lessons from the Western Warriors really work! I like this book by Fred Neff very much and give it my highest recommendation. (Even if all you are interested in is basic self-defense, this book is a must.)

During my senior year in high school, I hit upon a book at the library called Lessons from the Western Warriors by Fred Neff. I took it out and started to practice the techniques in it. A byproduct of my practice was that I started feeling stronger and more confident. After graduation, I was at a party where the "jock" who had the reputation of being the toughest guy at our school was, as ususal, picking on my friends. He was big and powerful with a very intimidating way about him. I always tried to avoid him, becuase of the beating he had delivered to people I knew. That night he added me to his list of potential victims, when he purposely bumped into me and ended up challenging me to a fight. Having studied and practiced from the Lessons from the Western Warriors book, I carefully sized up this tough guy and accepted his challenge. Despite my nervousness and to the surprise of everybody at the party, I won the fight. After that time, he never bothered me again. I credit the book on Lessons from the Western Warriors for that win. In April of this year, I came upon and bought this great book. Lessons from the Western Warriors shows realistic fighting techniques and strategy that can be used by anyone. The book provides tremendous lessons on fighting techniques and strategy that should be useful in mounting an effective defense against all types of antagonists. This book is really worth reading.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) wrote "Leviathan" in 1651, it was his most important philosophical work. I think you should know something of Hobbes to understand how his thinking was influenced by his experiences. He was born 2 months prematurely on the day the Spanish Armada approaches the English coast. His mother's fear of invasion caused the premature birth. Hobbes remarked late in life, "his mother brought forth twins-myself and fear." Fear seems to be Hobbes life long companion and the key passion in his political system, which uses human passions as its foundation. He was a child prodigy reading Latin and Greek at the age of six years old. At fifteen, he entered Oxford University and hated his educational experience there. He thought the curriculum was too immersed in the ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle. He called them "erroneous doctrines," and throughout his life he railed against English universities for there stodgy curriculum.

At the age of 22, he graduates and takes a job to tutor the son of the Earl of Devonshire. It gives him the opportunity to travel throughout Europe where he meets with Galileo in Florence and Descartes in Paris. Descartes calls Hobbes the greatest political philosopher of his day. During the British civil war, Hobbes flees to Paris because he is a well-known monarchist sympathizer. In 1651, he publishes his monumental work "Leviathan." He returns to England, submits to Cromwell's government, and withdraws from politics. He is on friendly terms with Charles II when the Stuart's are restored to the throne.

Hobbes philosophy is "materialistic"; he is greatly influenced by Galileo's mechanistic approach to science, and Euclidian geometry. His ambition was to explain all phenomena, man, and government with mathematical precision. In "Leviathan," he explains human conduct is a product of human passions. The most dominant passions are fear of violent death and desire for power, both are manifestations of man's most basic impulse, "self preservation." Hobbes asserts that the basic impulse is the right of the individual; he calls it a "natural right." All men process this natural right equally. This theory leads Hobbes to believe man's natural state to be one of constant conflict with each other. This leads him to write the following quote he is most known for: "men's lives are solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." So as not to have to live in constant state of fear or conflict, men make a contract for protection with the state. Hobbes believes that the best state is one led by a single sovereign whose power must be unrestricted with all three branches of government devolving to him. A single sovereign who has absolute power and cannot be replaced by the people.

His political writing had immediate influence in the world and influences other philosophers like Spinoza, Hutcheson, Locke, and Hume. Hobbes is the first man to write about political philosophy in such methodical terms. He is an excellent writer and his theories are easy to understand by the laymen. As a graduate student of political philosophy, I recommend if you have an interest in politics, philosophy, or government then you must start with reading Hobbes "Leviathan."

There are lots of editions of Leviathan around, so why buy this one? The things the editor, Ed Curely, has done to make this edition accessible yet scholarly, like:

1. Updated spelling and punctuation. Although I personally miss Hobbes' original spelling (see the Penguin edition for that), as a teacher I appreciate Ed's making it easier for beginners to read Hobbes' words.

2. Index. Most editions do not have one.

3. Glossary. Hobbes used many terms that are now archaic, and Ed's brief but clear glossary helps clarify the text.

4. Ed's Introduction. Curley is one of the most careful and knowledgeable commentators out there, and he briefly but expertly introduces some of the major themes of the book.

5. Latin variants. Hobbes wrote Leviathan in English and in Latin, and there are some interesting differences between the two versions. Ed presents many of these in the footnotes, plus he includes English translations of the Appendices of the Latin version.

This is one of the few books in western thought that cannot recieve enough praise. It is all at the same time a compilation of classical and medieval thought, a biting commentary and critique of 17th century Europe (England in particular), an exploration of philosophy as science, and to top it all off the first truly modern work of political philosophy. This is one of those works that anyone who truly wants to call themselves educated must read, whether their focus of studies is philosophy, politics, literature, science or even mathematics.

The fundamental nature of this work is to construct a reasoned materialistic account of human behavior starting from basic definitions and postulates (very similar to geometry). From these basic principles Hobbes constructs an account of human physchology based on human desires which then culminates in man's need to leave the natural state of the world into the constructed society, which Hobbes calls the leviathan. I cannot even attempt to give a summation of the steps of Hobbes's argument here that would do him justice, but suffice it to say that Hobbes's conclusion is that in order to be happy and safe man must give up his rights to a strong soveriegn. This is a conclusion that may not look modern or attractive at all to most readers, but Hobbes's reasonong is so clear and detailed that it forces the reader to, if not agree with all of his principles, at least take them very seriously. This is one of those books that forces one to reaxamine all of their assumptions about the world. Hobbes is also one of those misunderstood authors who are portrayed as being cold and ruthless, but are simply trying to provide their readers with an accurate and analytic account of humanities problems and hopefully providing solutions.

If all of this hasn't scared you away yet I do have to say that Leviathan is not an easy book to read. Its thought is difficult and its language is archaic, but for those who are willing to accept the work this book can be very interesting and rewarding. Hobbes might be a dense writer, but unlike many philosophical writers, he is a very clear and concise and often surprisingly witty and wry.

There are two editons that I recommend. The first is the Hackett edition. Not only does it take the liberty of changing the veried spellings of Hobbes's 17th century english, but it also includes textual variances from the earlier Latin edition of the work. Some of these variants are significant and should be takin into consideration by the serious student. The other is the Cambridge Student Edition, which is the edition I used because I'm one of those students that enjoy reading the early english texts with their strange spellings. The disadvantage of this edition is that it does not include the latin variations. The introductions and suplementary material in both of these editions are fine, but my personal favorite is the introduction written by Michael Oakeshott which can be fond in a collection of his essays entitled, "Hobbes on Civil Association". Another work which greatly elucidates some of Hobbes's strong almost vehement reactions to anything democratic is Hobbes's "Behemoth" in which he provides his account of the English Civil War. If you are really interested in Hobbes I also highly recommend his work "De Cive". Hobbes is hard, but he is unavoidable for anyone interested in understanding our modern world and our world in general. You may even find that, like myself, you just can't get enough of Hobbes.

Hobbes is a misunderstood philosopher. He envisaged that executive power would be based on the will of the people who allow it to be exercised. In this way Hobbes saw the development of a social contract between members of society and those who govern, based on individual rights not to subsciptive service as vassals. He also warned that agreements (or covenants) without either armed or moral right to be enforced would remain simply that - words. Hobbes does indeed speak to all peoples who live in our society - white, black and any shade in between.

Why Absolute Sovereignty Can Not Offer Perpetual Peace
-On the Desires of Men

In the Leviathan, Hobbes brings forward the theory that Commonwealths arise because without governments, people live in a state of nature with the constant danger of death. Furthermore, he believes that the best form of Commonwealth is one ruled by a monarch with absolute power; just like a person with two brains will not function, if the power of the monarch is not absolute, the commonwealth will fall back into the warring state of nature. When the sovereign power becomes truly absolute, Hobbes believes the Commonwealth could "live as long as mankind" unless attacked by foreign powers (p210).

Indeed, Hobbes is right in that life under any government is better than life with no government, and also that multiple powers inside one commonwealth will cause an end to the commonwealth. Nevertheless, he is wrong in asserting that absolute monarchy is the panacea for perpetual internal peace. There are two intrinsic flaws in the his system which are bound to push the commonwealth into the state of nature: one flaw is the unchecked greed of the monarch, another is caused by the unfulfilled desire for power of the subjects. Although this paper can not offer a better formula for governments, it will show that absolute monarchy does not provide the perpetual security that Hobbes promises.

First of all, extraordinary greed of the absolute ruler can break the Commonwealth. A ruler's greed can impoverish his subjects so abjectly that they no longer have enough food to survive on. Since the purpose of the commonwealth is to guarantee the security of life, and without food there is no life, the greed of the ruler will force the absolute Commonwealth to fall back into the state of nature.

Hobbes believes that the interest of the ruler and the interest of his subjects are so interdependent that the actions of the ruler will always be in the interest of his people. He writes,

"Now in monarchy the private interest is the same with the public...the riches, power, and honor of a monarch arise only from the riches, strength and reputation of his subjects." (P120)

Hobbes is right; the sovereign is the incorporation of its subjects, and so any injuries to the people are collectively an injury to the sovereign. Nevertheless, arising out of the great complications of the businesses of state and the wide expanse of a Commonwealth, there will always be a lag between when acts of the sovereign takes effect with people and when the sovereign feels the reactions of his people himself. A ruler with perfect prudence might be able to see through the gap and act in ways that are only ultimately good for the people and himself, but as Hobbes rightly observes, no one has perfect prudence (P14). This imperfect prudence becomes especially short-sighted when the ruler's reason is clouded by his present desires. Hobbes acknowledges these desires, for he says:

"And hence it is that kings, whose power is greatest, turn their endeavors to the assuring it at home by laws or abroad by wars; and when that is done, there succeeded a new desire, in some of fame from new conquest, in others of ease and sensual pleasures, in others of admiration or being flattered for excellence in some art or other ability of the mind." (p58)

So clouded by the lack of prudence and by excessive desires, the monarch might take actions that seem good at the moment for himself, but which turn out harmful for himself later. To illustrate this, let us observe the following scenario:

The new ruler of a poor but secured country builds a modest palace, for he has learnt from history books that he should not splurge. A couple years later, however, a desire for great things tempts him, and he wants to build a winter palace. He seeks advices from ten advisors, who had all the qualities that Hobbes praises (Chapter XXV); nine out of ten advisors privately dissuade the king from this luxury for a flood is raging and their nation is poor. Saddened, the king turns to the last advisor, who, seeing an opportunity to gain favor with the ruler, loudly exclaims that the other counselors do not love their king who needs a winter palace to escape the cold. The king happily agrees with him as his reason becomes clouded by desires; and soon, the construction begins.

Having gained favor, the 10th advisor convinces the ruler to imprison the other advisors for their "bad mouthing" of the king, making him the sole voice by the ruler's ear. As time goes on, the king exerts ever greater taxes on his people to pay for ever grander palaces, and every time, the advisor not only finds more elaborate excuses for the king but praises him for his greatness and also funnels some of the money for construction into his own coffer. The affairs of the nation are in utter neglect.

One night, the king remembers his father's warnings against indulgence, and he shakes with fear; but when he sees his gardens filled with singing girls half naked, lacking the prudence to see the future awaiting him, he says to himself, "I have been endowed differently by God, the fate of others can not be my own."

The poor people of this nation become more desperate by the day, yet the ruler who lives deep inside his palaces can not know their suffering. Some years later, the harvest is so bad that people have barely enough to feed themselves, yet the king sends his money collectors for even higher tax quotas. Realizing that they could either die of starvation or die fighting against the dictator with at least a chance to live, the farmers revolt. Hobbes would support them, for he writes, "the obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth by which he is able to protect hem." (P144)

When the farmers' army charges into his bed chamber, the king finally feels the injuries that he has done to the people and to himself, yet reason and prudence are too late.

Absolute sovereignty means absolute power, and as the old saying goes, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." In fact, Hobbes acknowledges the greedy corruption of the monarchs, and even gives his justification. He writes,

"A man may here object that the condition of subjects is very miserable, as being obnoxious to the lusts and other irregular passions of him or them that have so unlimited a power in their hands...not considering that the estate of man can never be without some incommodity or other, and that the greatest that in any form of government can possibly happen to the people in general is scarce sensible, in respect of the miseries and horrible calamities that accompany a civil war." (P117)

Hobbes makes no mistakes here. Any government is better than no government, but as mentioned before, he makes the claim later that Commonwealths, "by the nature of their constitution they are designed to live as long as mankind" unless attacked by foreign powers (210). In the same chapter (XXIX), Hobbes attributes all the internal infirmities of the Commonwealth that shorten its "natural" life to variations of the lack of absolute power, but describes no infirmities when the Commonwealth is ruled by an absolute monarch. He thus makes it clear that if there is absolute power, then the commonwealth will "live as long as mankind" even if the monarch is corrupted. However, as shown in the illustration above, Hobbes' absolute monarchy does have tremendous infirmities.

Hobbes can, however, still argue that the previous illustration is an extreme example that barely happens in reality. Hobbes might say that if only the absolute sovereigns all studied the Leviathan carefully, they will always initiate policies for the interest of the people. Granted, Hobbes' excellent book can convert many, yet, even when the absolute sovereign is good and strong, the Commonwealth can still fall back into the state of chaos.

To Hobbes, the foremost law of nature is to find security ("a man is forbidden to do that which is destructive to his life" [P79]), but is survival the only thing that men search for? No. As Hobbes points out himself, survival is the means and not the ends of life. And while people all want to survive, they live for different ends of life as influenced by their education and upbringings. Hobbs indirectly talks about the fulfillment of some ends life when he writes,

"In such condition (of war) there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently, no culture of the earth, no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea, no commodious building" (p76)

For certain people, the end of their life lies in gaining political power-to be the ruler instead of the ruled. Hobbes indirectly recognizes people's "unnecessary" desire for power, when he writes (OL) "there are those who, from pride and a desire for glory, would conquer the whole world, which they pursue farther than their security requires." (P75)

This kind of desire, nevertheless, can not be fully satisfied in a state of absolute sovereignty. For one, the greatest prize of all, the prize of becoming your own sovereign is off-limits. Additionally, although those borne with the heart of Napoleon might be few, lower offices and positions in a state of absolute power come merely at the mercy of the sovereign-for one eager for any honor and position, his dream may never fly high because the sovereign can give the honor he deserves to someone else. As Hobbes says himself, "a man may be worthy of riches, office, and employment, that nevertheless can plead no right to have it before another, and therefore cannot be said to merit or deserve it." (p57)

For some, the limitation on of the fulfillment of their political dreams results in nothing other than the acceptance of their fates, yet history never fails to produce some who have the eagerness and bravery to challenge the ultimate authority and break the bondage of power.

Hobbes would call the act of such eager men anti-nature, since dissenters will almost certainly face unnatural deaths by the sword of the king, or face the danger of death by returning to the state of nature. However, again, survival is the means, not ends of life. The following example illustrates why people might endanger their means for their ends.

Colonized people have throughout history fought for independence against their colonial sovereigns. To Hobbes, these wars for independence must be irrational: for one, the colonized people could be enjoying many benefits either from direct aid or commercial links with their colonizer; additionally, hundreds of thousands of colonized people might die in the immediate war or during the consequent internal power struggles caused by the revolt. Yet, despite the "practical benefits" and the peace that the colonial sovereigns bestows upon the colonized, this smooth highway of subjugation is not the one that the people want; they desire for a road, smaller and rougher maybe, but one that is built by themselves to a destination that they determined for themselves. Thus, in their search for the power that is forbidden to them, they set out for the "unreasonable".

To be sure, Hobbes' Law of Nature still holds: on the battle fields, those who fight against the sovereign will always do all they could to triumph over their enemy and avoid death, but again, the need for survival is only a part of the story.

Regarding this fight for independence, Hobbes might say, as he writes, "those men that are so remissly governed that they dare take up arms to defend or introduce an opinion are still in war." (P113) This means that since the any revolutionaries must never have been a part of the commonwealth, and hence the commonwealth was only attacked from the outside and did not fall internally. Nevertheless, Hobbes also says that a monarch's "subjects" are delivered from their former obligation, and become obliged" to the victor in a war against their original sovereign. (P145) The new subjects of the monarch might have a high tendency toward revolting against ruler for the same reasons mentioned before, and in this case, Hobbes must certainly recognize that the revolutionaries are a part of the Commonwealth.

In the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes dedicates himself to finding the best form of government, that perfect house which can last forever and provide eternal peace for all. The book is quiet admirable with its precise arguments and high ideals. Nevertheless, Hobbes ignores the fact that people will always willingly take actions that might hurt their security because they are either short-sighted or desire for something other than mere survival. Still, the Leviathan is a work of Epic proportion, and this essay does not find a form of government better than absolute sovereignty.

This book has it all! Immediately after finishing my copy, I ordered a bunch for friends and family. I wanted everyone to enjoy the delightful stories and whimsical humor. It's a wonderful glimpse into a largely vanished era and lifestyle, a peek into the past. All of that, in combination with simple homespun wisdom and tasty recipes. And yes, I've actually tried some of the recipes!

LifeSpice is not only packed full of delicious, easy and one of a kind recipes like Old Fashioned Sugar Cream Pie, Purple Cow(an ice cream treat your kids will LOVE to make and eat!) Heritage Yeast Bread...and an incredible dessert recipe for a pie that uses Pinto Beans ( Coconuty, chewy, nougat center-delicious and your guests will never guess the secret ingredient!)...LifeSpice is a good read! Not only has Daina gathered some of the best recipes in Indiana, she includes a specific story or saying to go along with the dish- giving it extra meaning for both the cook and the diner. My favorite, "Don't waste your time wrestling with a pig. You'll both get dirty and the pig will like it!". Don't miss this gathering of great food and wit!!

You know, when you've had a rough day, nothing's better than talking with your family and eating a heaping plate full of food that will make your heart beg for mercy. Lifespice is filled with the kind of stories that get passed down for generations and changed a little bit with each telling. They're the kind of stories that get told around the family dinner table over a damn good hearty meal.

Sure, the recipes are the kind of thing that would make Wolfgang Puck hide under the couch and burst into tears, but who names their kid "Wolfgang Puck" anyway? They're simple, traditional, fattening, and very, very satisfying.

The food is delicious, the stories both warm and touching. If you grew up in the midwest, this book will feel like some home. It's like having you family over for dinner except there's no eucre game afterwards and nobody's whining about Bobby Knight.

If ya can't tell, I loved this book! I left the midwest years ago and this book really makes me feel at home, no matter where I am. It's a great gift for midwestern escapees!

This is a delightful collection of recipes spiced with the author's personal memories which mixes to make an unbeatable combination. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and particularly love the recipes for beef stew and cornbread sticks. This book is a keepsake which I know I will use over and over. This is an author that bears watching--she is obviously going places! I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Daina Chamness combines down-home common sense with a delicous helping of fantastic recipes. If you like cookbooks, you will love this wonderful collection of Hoosier dishes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I purchased in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Being a woman living in the Southwest, having a true love of the wide open spaces, guns and westerns that do not cover the same old territory already visited by thousands of writers, this book was tops with me. I felt the feelings of the main character, Janice McCord, and could ride along with her on her trail of revenge.

Every location in Thompson's novels are true and may be visited today. The Littlest Gun takes place in the beautiful state of New Mexico, which was still a territory in 1878. The Rio Hondo Valley, Silver City, Lincoln, Fort Sumner, White Oaks and Las Vegas are just a few of the locations in this novel.
This is a review from a serious western novel reader.

I couldn't put the book down without knowing what happened next. Some gritty scenes that remind us of how life was back then and how far we've come. Easy flowing dialogue that makes me feel like he's sitting here telling me a great story. The descriptions of the landscape remind me of the true beauty of the desert. I would like to read some more by this author.

The Littlest Gun carried me along over the vastness of New Mexico. I could see, hear and feel the landscape. The characters Thompson peoples his tale with are real. His dialogue makes each character a unique individual. You can hear them speaking. Lots of action and a tale well told!

It's like taking a trip thru the southwest past. So vivid you feel like your there. I couldn't put it down. My friends who have read it said I would enjoy it. I did and I'm looking forward to something else Paul Thompson puts out.

This book is classic Dobie in style and is "the" book on Texas Longhorns. Dobie takes us through the history of the breed, through the animal, through the men and women that loved, used and abused them, and through the many tales that surround them, both fiction and fact. The animal stands large in this work, but the flavor of the old days, of the hardships, of the ranch life, of the love for the land of the people who lived and died there is a part of it too. For anyone with an interest in this breed, this book is a must read. For anyone else with a feel for the Southwestern United States, Texas, cowboys, or the land, it's time well spent.

As horses were introduced to America by the Spanish, so too were cattle, and both species became feral, then wild, and learned to survive on their own under extreme conditions in the west. Not infrequently some retained some of their domestication. Texas was the land of their beginning as catalysts to a lifestyle peculiarly western because of how they developed. The Longhorns were tough individuals as well as part of a breed apart, and Dobie was just the sort of person to describe them for what they were, and the men who made it their purpose to use them. Dobie is a story teller of exceptional talent as well as an historian of necessity if his stories are to carry any weight. Each Chapter deals with an aspect of the beast and its habitat from which they were removed to form enormous herds driven north by cowboys over tractless miles to railheads when they arrived or to distant markets before their coming. Cowboys were tough, but also gentle as they crooned softly to the cattle on a stormy night hopefully to prevent "stompedes." Dobies' tales of individual Longhorns illustrates that within the being of some was a spirit that exceeded normal expectation, and contributed to human emotions in spite of themselves. The Longhorns began to fade as bloodlines were mixed to improve the breed, and as railheads came closer to the herds. For "improved" cattle had not the prowess or the ability to survive without the help of man as did the pure Longhorns. They were a breed in transition from one life style to another, but their memory remains because of Dobie and his tales. Fascinating reading.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT COLLECTION OF STORIES ON THE LONGHORN. IT STARTES WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF CATTLE AND HOW THE LONG HORN CAME TO BE. THERE ARE A FEW TALES OF THE LONG HORNS LONG HORNS,AND AFEW ON WHY IT WAS THE PERFECT ANIMAL FOR TEXAS CATTLEMEN.THE BOOK IS ENDED ON A SAD NOTE THAT TALKS ABOUT THE LAST OF THE WILD LONG HORNS

Frank Dobie, a University of Texas professor, spent years collecting stories of the old southwest. Many are tales that he wrote down of 19th Century life. Several are collected into volumes about important parts of life at the time, including "Longhorns" and "The Mustangs".

They provide great insight into the origin of those animals and their importance to people who lived in those times.

Another excellent Dobie book is "I'll Tell You a Tale," with excerpts from these two books and others. The anthology includes tales of gold, stories of irony, Old West characters, and saddle stories.

J. Frank Dobie spent his life documenting the grassroots history of Texas and this book is probably his finest examples. I've read all of his books and found this one to be the most informative. There's also a wonderful collection of photographs of many of the different variations of horn and hide at the rear of this book. You'll learn how the cattle came north from Mexico in the beginning and how early settlers rooted them out of the thickets of East Texas to start their herds. You'll learn about many of the principal cattlemen of early Texas including their drives north to the Kansas railhead.

If you enjoy Texas history you'll really enjoy this book.

If you like christian fiction, cowboy stories or a good mystery this book is for you. I have read a lot of his books and all are wonderful. The book was in even better condition than discribed. It got here very quickly.
Thank you!!

Brady Stoner makes me cry when I think of his manly sensitivity to the women in his life. The characters are so real and inspiring, yet great fun too. I'd love to be like Lynda Austin. I understand there's two more books in the series and definitely will be looking for those too!

Love it! Love it love it loveit!!!!!!!!!!:

The Lost Manuscript of Martin Taylor Harrison is one of my favorite books. The other two books in this series are my other favorites. I like this book because it is real. It is about real people with real problems which is a quality sometimes hard to find in books. Love it!

I think Stephen Bly is a great author. Unfortunately these books aren't available in my language yet, so I have to keep reading him in English. Comparing to anyone else? Zane Grey - but from another viewpoint. Being the first book in the "Austin-Stoner FILES" this book has good plot, a good story, powerful for your imagination - and not only that, but it even has a surprising end to it. My advice to those that bought it: Keep on reading it: You'll enjoy it. And to those who hasn't: Buy it! You won't be disappointed!

this is a good straight forward text that does not get bogged down in the unecessary details for an introduction to the subject. It is simplified, and straightforward, while trying to be enjoyable reading.

Very fast transaction. Happy with the transaction

I think this introductory econ book is exceptionally good as a text book; a book that truely deserves 5 stars. If a book explains things clearly, I usually give it 4 stars, but this book goes beyond that. The authors made a concious effort to make learning easy and meaningful.

Right at the beginning, the authors will tell you that they don't expect you to be a econ fanatic and remember every little detail - in fact, the authors seem to completely understand why we students forget most details soon after the final exam. So, right a way they list out the main ideas - in their own words: "ideas for beyond the final exam". Not only did the authors filtered out the most important material, they also truly believed that the material will be improtant beyond the final exam - in life that is. It is the first text book I saw that has such a candit and honest attitude because so many books and so many people talks down to me rather than at me.

Also, for each chapter, the authors always begin with some kind of "bait question", something that the reader understands but usually can't answer right a way. This is a great way to focus the chapter and entice people to read. And all the examples the authors use are either famous or recent (or both). One effect is to make you think what you are learning is truly useful because you can use it to analyze so many things from the news. A more subtle impression is that the authors really did update the book every few years to reflect important events that just occurred. As a computer science engineering major, I have seen countless "8th editions" that's just like the prior ones - but I seriously doubt the prior editions of this econ book talked about Asian economic crisis or the booming economy of the 1998 / 99

clear book + impressive effort = 5 stars

Baumol and Blinder explain all the important concepts of macroeconomics with tremendous clarity. Students with little or no knowledge of economics will find this book most straight-forward. Interesting real world examples are given to reinforce key ideas. For example, the authors describe the Asian crisis of 1998 to illustrate the shortcomings of a fixed exchange rate system. Secondly, unlike other econ. textbooks, this one is filled with colorful graphs and even photographs. I wouldn't be too surprised if this book succeeds in piquing the interest of those students, who are averse to econ. Finally, the attempts at humor are generally unsuccessful but provide a refreshing change from the unceasing monotony of most college textbooks.

"Increasing demand leads to rising interest rates which leads to reduced investment spending and appreciating currency exchange rates..." The authors of "Macroeconomics" effortlessly provide the economic reasoning that underlie events like these such that they really make common sense - and without the need for rote memorization on the part of the reader. A previous reviewer from Los Angeles did an excellent job in praising Baumol and Blinder for their clear and concise teaching, and I strongly agree with his comments. Instead of going into abstract theories and ideas, Baumol and Blinder focus on making the reader understand the "real world" implications of macroeconomics. For example, each chapter in their book introduces a different contemporary economic issue as a way to illustrate the ideas being described in the text. Additionally, the authors outlined eight take-home messages that they believe the reader should remember after finishing the book. Although the authors label these take-home messages as "Ideas for Beyond the Final Exam", these ideas are equally relevant for student and non-student alike.

It should be kept in mind that the eighth edition of this textbook was published in 1999, so most of the "contemporary" issues that are discussed within are now out of date. In one chapter, for example, the authors' upbeat commentary on America's 1998 budget surplus seems sadly ironic considering the large budget deficit that we are currently dealing with in financing the War on Terror in 2003. Additionally, I thought many of the examples in the book were a bit "pro-Clinton", and depending on one's own political orientation, that may or may not be welcome. I have not looked at the ninth (and latest) edition of "Macroeconomics", but assuming that the fundamental principles remain the same, I would encourage the reader to pick up that copy in order to have a more current and up-to-date illustration of ideas.

Readers looking for mathematical models and equations to play with will be sorely disappointed, as the only foray into mathematical analysis involves deriving the demand-side equilibrium condition of the Keynesian economic model (a simple algebraic equation). But considering that the slant of this book is towards "real world" understanding, I think the authors were probably justified in keeping the mathematical equations to a minimum.

All in all, I think "Macroeconomics" by Baumol and Blinder would be an excellent introduction for the economically-illiterate person (as I was before reading this book). Although many of the examples in the eighth edition are a bit out of date, it is true that the fundamental economic principles that are discussed endure throughout all of the editions of this textbook.

There are so many stores selling crafts across the Southwest that it is overwhelming. I love the look of the Southwest, but I never know what to buy--and you see so much tacky touristy junk out there, from dream catchers to turquoise jewelry that is actually plastic. I'm so glad I ran across Laura Morelli's Made in the Southwest, because it helped me cut through the trash and go straight to the real deal! In addition to being user-friendly, Made in the Southwest is beautifully photographed, a pleasure for the armchair traveler as well as those of us who like to indulge in retail therapy!

My friends and I just returned from a girls' getaway in New Mexico and Arizona. Thank you, Laura, for this fabulous book! We road-tested Made in the Southwest from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, then on to Sedona. Following Laura's recommendations, we found some beautiful and fascinating crafts, but mostly we just had lots of fun looking! The information was comprehensive and accurate, a real time saver for us since we had limited time. Plan to use it again next year when I go to Phoenix and Scottsdale.

I collect Native American crafts, and this is the only book I have found that explains in simple, layman's terms what to look for when shopping from everything from baskets to pottery. The author distills a huge amount of information down into easy to use guides on pricing, quality, and history. The listings of shops are right on target--only the best of the best!

If you are in the market for Southwestern crafts--anything from Navajo rugs to cowboy boots and turquoise jewelry--you'll want to take this guide along. It includes invaluable tips on pricing, quality, and value. Don't get ripped off by the cheap imitations you see in stores all across the Southwest! Use Laura Morelli's Made in the Southwest to make sure you're getting the best deals on authentic Southwestern crafts.

I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and know many of the stores and craftspeople listed in Laura Morelli's Made in the Southwest. The author has really done her homework. This book includes only the best of the best! If you stick to Laura's recommendations you can't go wrong!