Massachusetts Books

This is an excellent book. It tells the story so well, you feel like you are right there. This is a very interesting part of history for me, and this book makes it exciting to read about. You get drawn in by the excellent story telling. The horror the condemned witches felt. You also see the struggle in the main characters mind. To go along with the afflicted girls, or to tell the truth and possibly be condemned herself. This is a deffinate "don't miss".

During a long winter, one after another of ten young girls began having visions seeing the Devil and thrashing about in wild outbursts and conclusions. After a cursory investigation, the town elders quickly concluded that these poor possed children were under a dreaded evil influence..... Witches The narrator of this often frightening tale, based on historical facts. Mary Warren, a bound girl and one of the ten possed. In her vivid account, she tells of the semindly uncontrollable sequence of events, of which she was part, leading to the now-infamous Salem with-hunt and trials of 1692 andof how fear and imagination run wild brout an elding no one ever expected.

This is an excellent book! Very gripping. An wonderfully written account of the Salem Witch Trials. This book never gets boring. I couldn't put it down. The mian character is wonderfully portrayed. Her struggle with what is happening in here town, and with being a part of it. She must decide to tell the truth, or to keep quiet and go along with the other girls. She knows if she tells the truth, she could be condemned as a witch herself. This is a book you will never forget, and will want to read over again. A definate "DON'T MISS".

This is a beautiful book. it's written in the narrative form of a young girl in Salem, who finds the courage to stop helping in the accusation of inocent women as witches. If you are looking to research the Witch trials of 1692, or just to enjoy a touching book, this is a book you have to read.

I read this in early 1996 in the 6th grade. I still remember how I read it so many times and was fascinated and chilled by what it told. I'm in the 11th grade now, more than 5 years later, (a lot in a child's growing mind), and one of the few things I remember is reading that book for a whole semester, over and over again. The intrest stayed with me, and I have searched and learned as much as I can about this. I visited Salem itself in 2000 and saw the museum and memorial park. This year my term paper focuses on Salem Witch Trials relations to modren situations, like McCarthyism. I also just finished assistant directing a full performance of The Crucible. I'ver read so many books on the subject, about it and other witchcraft cases. I've even learned to preform an exorcism! Still, this book is the starting point in my memory and I learned more from it than all the texts and biographies. I have a fond spot for this book, and wish I could find that old copy I flipped through so much. I hope more people read this and relize it's not just a children's book, but a fascinating story you can't think is history.

Published by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, this thin (176 pages) paperback covers the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It's beautifully illustrated with examples of the art created by the featured artists in the various communities, with recommended walking and driving (where needed) tours to take you to their studios and galleries. The maps for the Cape are not much help--they only show driving routes which anyone with a map of the Cape would have anyway. However the town maps for Nantucket and Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard show exactly where the studios and galleries are located so it is easy to find them and connect them in walking tours. There are also maps of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard islands showing the outlying artists' places. Written directions aid in finding the locations.

The areas on the Cape feature 17 pages in a chapter including Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Osterville and Hyannis; a chaper with 23 pages covering Sandwich, West Barnstable, Barnstable, Yarmouth Port and Dennis; a chapter with 15 pages from artists in Harwich Port, Chatham, West Dennis and Dennisport; 16 pages for Brewster and Orleans; and 16 pages overing the outer Cape from Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro out to Provincetown. The Nantucket chapter has 19 pages on studios and galleries and a page on local festivals and special events. Martha's Vineyard earns 11 pages on studios and galleries.

Each article about an artist or gallery gives something of the artist's history and describes her or his work, highlighting the particular emphasis that artist brings to the pieces. There are also listings of museums and theatres and websites and phone numbers for them as well as for other art forms such as Opera and Chorale groups.

With the first edition printed in 2006, all the material is up-to-date, at least for the present.

Having been to the Cape a number of times, I was surprised to find out how much I had been missing.

Great organization and matter of fact accounting of great places to visit make this a very useful guide. Maps and points of reference help you streamline your travel, without missing a thing.

With more than can be accomplished in any one trip, it has been useful for many weekend getaways to Cape Cod.

As a frequent visitor to the Cape and islands over the years I was amazed to find the Arts and Artisans Trails guide book describing the roads and highways I've been traveling but with such insights into the history and Galleries hidden along the way. I can't look at the map or plan a trip without sneaking a peek at the Artisan's guide to see if I can include one or two on my next drive down to the Cape. This should be given to every visitor and newcomer to the Cape and islands. It's like having your own family or friends recommending things to do and see from an insider's point of view. Well done! Kevin Clancy Somerville, MA

If your summer guests don't know what to do or where to go, this is the book to have! It's full of wonderful studios and galleries, interesting information and lovely illustrations. I keep one on hand for my visitors and plan to give some as gifts. Even if you live on the Cape, you will find places you didn't know about...I know I did!

I highly recommend the Art & Artisans Trails of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The book is layed out nicely, with different walks for each area of the Cape (and one each for the islands). Each walk has a number of stops, including information on the artist, the hours, the website, etc. There are also lists in the back of artists by medium, by studio, and information on at guilds and fairs. A very comprehensive guide, and a fun way to see the Cape & Islands!

I was at a party where the hostess had this book out because she had so many different birds frequenting her feeders. Great book, great pictures and I love the way they categorized the birds. Yellow, orange, blue, etc. So you didn't have to know the name, but you look at the colors to find the bird you saw.

I must agree with all the other four reviews. I enjoy watching birds in nature, (Shore, ponds, Cape Cod and house yard), but I am not professional. I found this book (and series) very helpful; it is organized by color (birds that are mostly blue, green, etc..) so it is very easy to use. Each bird is pictured on the left side page. the right page has a small Massachusetts map in which season and where you can find the bird. It also contains description of male, female, juvenile - Information on nest, migration, etc...., then the author's notes.
I did not have difficulty identifying a bird yet, and the amount of information (each page is 4.5 x 6 inches) is just enough for non-professional bird watcher.

As we live a few blocks from Fresh Pond Reservation, my husband and I enjoy some of the best bird watching in the area & needed a simple yet informative guide for amateurs. Birds of Massachusetts is perfect for quick referencing and light enough to keep in one's pocket for daily walks around the pond.

I picked up this guide a couple of yers ago because I wanted to be able to identify birds in my backyard, in a suburb northwest fo Boston. It is incredible! Since it's only for Massachusetts you don't have to skim through a huge book with birds not from the area. I have learned so much and can now identify many birds that I otherwise could not have. Lost on concise info and facts about each bird per page.

Easy to use even as a novice birder. Love sitting out on the deck and being able to tell what is eating at our bird feeder. Love the book so much i'm going to buy a second one for my parents!

(My review is on Thoreau's Cape Cod rather than this specific edition).

While some literary critics seem to slight this work by Thoreau, saying that it is not as "powerful" as his other works, etc., I personally find this one very enjoyable. Sure, it does not have as much "philosophizing" as other books by him, but it is full of humor and very fun to read. The part where he describes the old man spitting into the hearth is particularly hilarious. The part about him sleeping in a lighthouse is also very funny. It lets us experience the more jovial side of Thoreau. This is probably one of the easiest to read among Thoreau's books.

Published posthumously, this volume is surprisingly consistent and complete (unlike "The Maine Woods" which is chopped into three different parts), it gives one the feel of walking along the entire cape, although the materials are quarried from several different trips. One only wish Thoreau had lived longer and had seen the West, imagine him taking a trip in the Sierra! Oh, well, meanwhile, we still have this one to enjoy.

Thoreau visited Cape Cod in 1849, 1850, and 1853. These trips formed the basis for a series of essays, several of which Thoreau published in magazines. After Thoreau's death, the essays were gathered together and published as "Cape Cod" in 1865.

Thoreau's "Cape Cod" is different in tone in theme from his earlier books. The tone is leisurely and light. Instead of solitude or the wild woods, the picture that remains with me from this book is that of a long walk, or, as Thoreau puts it, a "ramble" through the sand and dunes of Cape Cod. The book is picturesque, full of humor and wry observation. Thoreau unforgettably describes the ocean, in its storms, vicissitudes, and moments of peace, the fish and the fishermen, the sands, birds, plants and lighthouses of Cape Cod, and the people. I have visited portions of the Masachusetts coast, but I have never been to Cape Cod. Thoreau took me there in his book.

The book is arranged into ten chapters. It opens with a description of the shipwreck of the St John on a rock off the Cape. Thoreau then describes a ride by coach across the Cape. But the heart of the book lies in the following chapters in which Thoreau with a companion walks the 30 mile beach from Nauset Harbor to Provincetown with many stops and diversions along the way. I felt the salt air and saw the fishermen and the sandy beach as I walked with Thoreau.

The most vivid characterization in the book is in the chapter "The Wellfleet Oysterman", as Thoreau describes a grizzled, taciturn, and ancient native of Cape Cod and his family who offer him hospitality for the night. Another memorable chapter involves the description of the Highland Lighthouse, no longer standing, and its keeper. The stops with the Oysterman and the Lighthouse punctuate Thoreau's long walks through the day over the beach and his meditiations about and descriptions of what he finds there.

Thoreaus walk ended at Provincetown, on the northernmost portion of Cape Cod, with its wood walkway, shanty houses, and ever-present scenes of fishermen, boats, and drying fish. Thoreau offers what I found an affectionate portrait of these hardy fishermen and their families. Following a description of what he found at Provincetown, Thoreau offers a great deal of historical background on the exploration of the Cape, from the Pilgrims reaching back to earlier French, Icelandic, and English explorers.

Thoreau's "Cape Cod" is a worthy companion to his books describing his experiences inland, on Walden Pond and on the rivers and woods of New England and Maine. It is beautifuly written with unforgettable descriptive passages. It made me want to get up and go from my life in the city, and over 150 years after Thoreau wrote, wander and walk for myself along the dunes and sands of Cape Cod.

This hardcover edition from Peninsula Press is unquestionably the best available edition of Thoreau's Cape Cod, for these reasons:

1) While all other editions are based on Thoreau's journal entries from only his first three visits to the Cape, this edition includes an epilogue compiling Thoreau's notes from his fourth and final visit, in which he traveled south to Chatham and Monomoy.

2) This is the only edition to translate the many, many Greek and Latin phrases Thoreau includes throughout the work, and it is also the only edition to provide illustrations, maps, and sidenotes in-text.

3) This is the only indexed edition ever created.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of both Cape literature and Thoreau in general.

This book details the flora, fauna and people that Thoreau found in Cape Cod in the 1850s. Thoreau organizes the book around a single trip to Provincetown, although much of the material that he uses in the book came from various visits to the Cape, and to the ocean in general. He starts with a description of a shipwreck at Cohasset, then a stagecoach ride from Plymouth, then a walking trip with a companion along the outer shore to Provincetown. Along the way, he describes not only the plants and animals he encountered, but also the people who he met. The book finishes with a lengthy academic historical account of the discovery and mapping of the Cape.

I found this to be the most humorous of all Thoreau's work. The character sketches he provides in this book, sharpened with his trained eye for observation of natural phenomena, are legendary. The cultural description of the Cape and its environment is quite fascinating for those interested in the history of daily life in 19th century Massachusetts. As Thoreau describes the desolate, treeless desert that made up the far reaches of the Cape, one begins to comprehend what it meant for an economy to be based on wood and whale oil for fuels. Thoreau stresses how valued driftwood was for residents of the Cape, as one of their main sources of heating and cooking fuel. Doubtless, he would not recognize the Cape today with its lush new forests. Or its Wal-Marts--switching to an oil economy has brought mixed blessings for the Cape. For those who think Thoreau to be a humorless didactic philosopher, this book shows a very different aspect of Thoreau as a writer.

You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

What a mature, positive and loving book by an author who spoke so wonderously of her life.... indeed, of what life can be if experienced so profoundly and openly. It's a beautiful book.

I feel it's a privilege for me to have followed Gale Warner on her journey: What was her journey? A journey we'll all have to embark on, sooner or later (hopefully, later), since we're all going to die. Gale Warner was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 30 and lived 13 more months. In these months, she wrote in her journal about her thoughts, her insights, her struggle, her pain, and finally her acceptance and serenity: But it was never easy, never simple. Gale Warner saw cancer as the ultimate test of her faith (her particular, private sort of faith). She worked and struggled with her own mortality. In her own words-

"Limits. In order to boil water, you must put it in a pot. The pot sets a limit and so does cancer. When you learn you are not immortal, that you may only have a few years to embrace life, you start doing so. The photo of the Earth on my wall shows its beauty- and its limits. It would not be the same if those same colors and swirls were sloshed all over space".

"Dancing at the edge of life" is an important book, because in the end, everybody has to find their own answers or anyway, start asking their own questions. I would recommend this book to anyone and of course, not only to people with cancer. You don't have to get diagnosed with lymphoma to start thinking of the "big" questions, you don't have to wait to have cancer in order to learn how to live.

Another reason that makes this memoir important, is that Gale Warner must have been a very special, intelligent & sensitive person. She had worked as an environmental journalist & was also an accomplished poet. A person that fully embraced life was ultimately able to fully embrace the journey towards death.

By letting us into her thoughts as she moved from hope to resignation, Gale Warner has allowed us to witness close-up the emotional process of dying. I've read this book over and over, trying to really grasp what it must have been like to have understood, and written "We are entering a new reality" (the time when she recognized and had to fully comprehend that she was not responding, would not recover, and that death was imminent.) Whether or not you share her profound relationship with the natural world, her assertion that she has had sufficient joy and experience in her life really does ring true. I've never read anything quite like this: it is an amazing gift.

Gale Warner's story is positive proof that each of us, if we make a conscious choice, can see and feel the Spirit of God in everything and everyone, in spite of, and especially during, adversity and pain. It is the little moments, Gale's descriptions of that divine CONNECTEDNESS, consistent and enduring, that touches me the most. Her tender, poetic prose allows us to glimpse the radiant, spiritual essence that is the birthright we all share. During these troubled times, the world finds itself somewhat short of role models, but with the loving gift of "Dancing at the Edge of Life," Gale remains a lasting example. In her own words, she was and is "a daughter of the four winds, a child of the moon and rain and sun ... sister of the whale, and the juniper." I suspect that she now shines brightly in the heavens; each person who reads this book will feel the warmth of her glow, and best of all, will want to share it with others.

If ever a book had the potential to change lives for the better, it's this one. Gale's diary reveals a sensitive, intelligent and spiritual woman - whose genuine attraction to life reminds me of an infant's sweet, simple fascination with its newly discovered hand. I was most inspired by her courage during the final months of her conflict with cancer: it never faltered - even as she struggled to define her religious beliefs. This book leaves one with a rekindled passion for life. Tonight at dusk I'm going to seek out the sunset ...something I haven't done since I was a kid.

This beautifully written, lyrical book is genuinely scary in a way that puts much modern children's literature well and truly in the shade. Grandmother Oldknowe is protected by all the good things of the earth - stone and water, and all the deep things of nature - in her struggle with the horrible Melanie Powers. Aided by Tolly and Ping, it's a battle for the soul with moments that will make adults draw their breath sharply.
Not a book for those who are easily scared, nor for those with strong prejudices against the supernatural - but for the bravehearted reader, an truly thrilling ride awaits.

Why is this book out of print?

In this, the fifth Green Knowe book, Tolly AND Ping come to spend the summer with Tolly's great grandmother, Mrs. Oldknow, and do battle with the forces of evil as personified by a newneighbor, Melanie Powers.

Absolutely wonderful -- my favorite part is the very end, where everything comes together serendipitously to defeat Miss Powers, leaving you to feel that all is right with the world.

After "The Children of Green Knowe," this is my favorite of the five central books of the sequence. It includes all the elements that make the series immortal: the mysterious old Norman manor house with its lush garden and bordering river, the wise and wonderful Mrs. Oldknow who often seems to have more than one foot in any time but her own, her young great-grandson Tolly (now probably about 12) to provide the spark, tales of the mysterious past of the house, and magic--some of it not very nice. Kids who enjoy identifying with the juvenile protagonists of R. L. Stine's horror tales may be well served by being introduced to Tolly and his friend Ping, the Chinese refugee boy, and following along as they slowly become aware of the character and lack of scruples of "Dr. Melanie Powers," the sinister lodger at The Firs, who wants to acquire a gramarie (book of spells) said to have belonged to a tutor employed at the house in the 17th century. While Mrs. Oldknow quickly comes to agree that Dr. Powers is both powerful and evil, it's left up to the boys to beat off her nastier efforts and, ultimately, find a means of defeating her utterly. (Ping has an excellent heroic role when he summons the shade of the slain gorilla Hanno.) Mrs. Oldknow's lodger, the scholarly Mr. Pope, also has his moment of glory when, reciting an ancient Hebrew spell for his tape recorder, he unknowingly halts a spell that threatens to literally ruin the manor. Even the time-travelling blind girl Susan makes an appearance, though I wonder that Tolly's first ghost-friends, Toby and his sibs, are conspicuously absent, this being as much their house as Tolly's--perhaps more: they've been there longer! The one question that itches at me is what has become of Tolly's stepmother: her husband, his father, is mentioned and even arrives at the end of the book, but she isn't and doesn't.

Children like to be deliciously frightened, and this book is a superior title to frighten them with--though not one you'll want them reading alone in their rooms late at night! A superior entry into the series.

I remember reading these books on my summer vacations to my grandparents...I was bored and the local town librarian recommended them to me. Many years later, looks for books on mysterious houses for a nephew, I remembered and re-discovered them. My favorite is An Enemy At Green Knowe. The story is full of twists and turns and quite frightening events, with the excitement lasting just long enough to tantalize the reader. You feel the house itself is a living breathing character, as is true of the entire series. This is the kind of book an adult needs to put in the hands of the student -- as is true with A Wrinkle In Time -- and sit back while the child becomes wrapped in the world of Green Knowe. A superior children's book!

The fifth book in Lucy Boston's "Green Knowe" series finally brings together our two main protagonists: the house's blood relative Tolly and the Chinese refugee Ping, both of whom have featured in the previous books, but never together. Unfortunatly we do not see their meeting, but instead join the story half-way through the summer, by which time the two are already best friends.

As always, the mysterious Green Knowe is filled with ancient and semi-magical artefacts (all of which are actually real relics that belong in the author's home on which she based the books) and Grandmother Oldknow tells the children stories concerning the past inhabitants of the house. Now for the first time, she tells them a story that holds a more sinister edge to it. In the 17th century a young boy had a tutor that was said to dabble in alchemical practices, and have a number of magical books with which he created his spells. An author with astonishing vision for her time, Boston highlights the unfairness of such a man being thought of as noble and intelligent for following such a practice, whilst harmless women were often prosecuted for dabbling in herblore. Grandmother Oldknow tells the children that Doctor Vogel eventually burnt all his equipment with the help of the local minister (whose testimony was found in "The River of Green Knowe", but only now translated), but it is rumoured that one book of dark spells may have escaped the flames.

In typical Green Knowe fashion, in which the past regularly surges up to greet the present, it is not just a coincidence that directly after this storytelling a new neighbour comes to call: Melanie Powers, whose interest in the house and in the legend of Dr Vogel hints at her true intentions. She is after the missing book, and begins a systematic assault on Green Knowe as its first truly evil antagonist, whereas up until now the worst the children have faced is meddling adults. Like the Twelve Plagues of Eygpt, Ms Powers sends nasties crawling into the Green Knowe: maggots, snakes and bird-snatching cats.

But of course, Tolly and Ping have their own spells and allies, and with this comes wonderful reappearences from previous characters, including the spirit of the gorilla Hanno and the ghostly past-resident Susan. Even the starlings, who have been pests in previous books, prove their worth. It is stirring stuff to see the children fight passionatly for the home they love and attempt to reach the book before Powers does. I only wish Boston had taken the opportunity to include more characters: what about Ida and Oskar? Toby, Alexander and Linnet? Boggis and Feste the horse?

It is the first Green Knowe book to instigate a good against evil theme, and for that reason is sure to be a favourite among most readers since all the other books make more meandering and whimsical reading. In fact, one should be warned that this installment can get a little scary at times, and even gruesome, as in the case of Powers hanging dead birds on a clothesline or the sight of a horned ritual stick, which was described so evocatively that it sent shivers down my spine: "they recognized it at once as absolutely evil." I should also warn New-Agers and modern day "witches" that Ms Powers is a witch in the medieval description of the word - with black magic and links to Satan.

A great addition to the "Green Knowe" books, though often mistaken for the final installment. This is false, as there are six books in the series, and the last title is "The Stones of Green Knowe", an essential part of the collection. Boston claims that she wrote these books for her own amusement, and that has never been more apparent than in "An Enemy at Green Knowe" since many questions are left unanswered concerning the background of Mr Powers and the real intentions of Dr Vogel, yet despite that, this book is one of my favourites.

And as always, Peter Boston's illustrations are excellent, and I love Brett Helquist's new covers; let's face it, these books were in need of a face-lift.

As a kid of ten I rode out this storm in a car at Crescent Beach not far from where the high water and debris stopped. This book brought back vivid memories of that day and the days that followed.
If you are in any way connected to this area of Cape Cod or this time (1954) you will enjoy the many pictures and first hand accounts. What comes through is the way neighbors cared for each other in this time of need.
Mrs FitzGerald was a personal survivor of this storm and has done an excellent job of collecting the interviews and photographs that went into this book.
Thanks for the memories.

I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of the residents in the path of Hurricane Carol. As a resident of Florida, I have experinced numerous Hurricanes, ranging from Category 1 to Category 3, and I could not imagine having no foreknowledge of an approaching storm. The first hand accounts of the storm and the pictures of the subsequent destruction were amazing. This book is rich in both history and community togetherness and I highly recommend reading it.

A wonderful piece of work detailing the menace that was Hurricane Carol.

I laughed, I cried, I learned something about the people & history of the South Coast, Mattapoisett & Crescent Beach.

I am in love with this book. The photographs, the stories and the memories are just amazing. After living through Hurricanes Andrew, Charlie, Frances, Jeanne and Wilma, I greatly appreceiate and can relate to the personal accounts of the effect Hurricane Carol had on these people's lives. It is obvious that Ginnie loves this town, and this book is truly a wonderful piece of history that should be shared and not forgotton.

I found this book a fascinating collection of real stories! The "then" photos are fabulous and really give a sense of the damage! They were also incredibly well preserved for being 50 years old! ! I also liked the "now" photos! It made me feel there was a happy ending, because most homes were rebuilt! This certainly is a good piece of history that may have been forgotten had this book not been made. Great book!

This is a well-written and fresh look at John Winthrop, first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Bremer derives his view of Winthrop from the "Model of Christian Charity" sermon, which Winthrop delivered sometime around his emigration to North America. Rather than the stern, unbending, and judgemental character that is the common perception, Bremer shows Winthrop as a pragmatic leader who often worked behind the scenes to reconcile diverging points of view. As portrayed in this book, Winthrop was a man of humility who strove to include anyone with a "spark of godliness" into the community.

At 385 pages of text, the book moved along quickly. I was sorry to get to the end.

Thanks to an absent minded John Winthrop falling into a foul smelling peat bog and surviving (which he took as a sign that he should emigrate to the colonies) the settlers of the Massachusets Bay Company were blessed with a practical and efficient administrator. Elected Governor many times over, John Winthrop is portrayed as an honest and god fearing a man as any patriotic American would want.
Although a good third of the book describes Winthrop's life in England, it is justified and necessary to see the religious and social preparations for his career in America. Once he came to America, his life was devoted to the preservation of his religion, his family and his colony.
Those readers familiar with Boston and surroundings will enjoy the detail in this biography; the streets he lived on, the configuarion of the city, its growth during Winthrop's lifetime.
And how easy it is to forget how little in the way of goods and services was available to the settlers in the 17th century. John Winthrop was not in the first wave of New Englanders in Plymouth, but even 10 years later he had to bring with him wheat, barley, oats, beans and peas for cultivation, potatoes, hop roots, hemp seed, tame turkeys and rabbits, linen and woolen cloth, bottles, ladles, spoons and kettles, among a long list of other essentials.
In spite of harsh conditions and personal tragedies, Winthrop prevails and the reader will learn much about this "forgotten" Founding Father in this compelling and interesting biography.

This is a wonderful book. The author demonstrates a rich, nuanced command of the period and the players. I especially appreciate how he works to portray the characters from their own perspective instead of juding people who lived four centuries ago by todays ideas. I appreciate that he goes to great length to provide historical context. Indeed, he provides so much context, beginning with the subject's grandfather, that the book starts out a little slowly. But once the book reaches the point of Winthrop's departure for America, it remains compelling up to the end. A wonderful book for a more complete picture of the settlement of our country and a valuable addition to a balanced view of the puritans.

John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father

by Francis J. Bremer

Oxford University Press, published 2003

Millerstown University Professor Francis Bremmer's John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father is the first major work on the Massachusetts's governor in over fifty years. It is an engaging and comprehensive volume serving as the author's attempt to provide a more balanced view of Winthrop than has been seen in other works. Bremer writes, "The Winthrop of modern histories has been constructed to suit particular agendas. It is time for biography that is interested primarily in John Winthrop himself." (pg. xvi) Bremer is well qualified to take on this task, as he is the editor of John Winthrop's papers for the Massachusetts' Historical Society.

The narrative traces all of Winthrop's known ancestors in England. Almost a century before John was born, his grandfather, Adam, was a successful London cloth merchant. Adam profited handsomely from Henry VIII's reformation of the church. He purchased monastery lands from the government and established the family's seat in Suffolk. It was to this estate that Adam retired during the Catholic restoration of Mary I. The Winthrops were staunch Protestants and the move was designed to prevent retribution from the Marian government. The estate was to be the family's headquarters until John's departure for the new world in 1630.

The family estate was located in the Stour Valley, which was a hotbed of reformed Protestantism. Bremer deliberately avoids using the term Puritan because he feels that it carries to strong a connotation to the modern reader. "Godly" was the description used most often by the Winthrop family and their circle. Like many others in Suffolk, the Winthrop's were non-conformists to the Anglican model and hoped for continued reforms of the church.

John Winthrop was born in 1588. He attended college at Cambridge for two years and left without taking a degree. While he considered entering the ministry, his early marriage and family obligation precluded that career path. In 1605, he married for the first time. From 1605 through 1630, John Winthrop lived the life of the minor gentry. He was involved in running his estate, raising his family and practicing law. In 1615, his first wife died in childbirth and Winthrop soon remarried. His new wife died a year later in childbirth; John married again in 1617 to his third wife, Margaret Tyndal.

Winthrop became involved with the civil government when he was appointed to the Court of Wards and Liveries. It was at this time he grew increasingly displeased with the corrupt state of the civil government. After considering emigration to Ireland, he and Margaret decided instead to join with members of the Massachusetts Bay Company and move to the new world. The venture was seen as a way to serve God and to make a profit. The founders of the company decided on John Winthrop as Governor for the colony. This is a reflection of the modest nature of the project in the eyes of the founders because, "if Massachusetts had been a larger, more important venture, he would not have been entrusted with the responsibility." (pg. 170)

As Governor, Winthrop was responsible for seeing the colonists through the bitter early years and for establishing order among the colonists. It was at the start of the emigrating that his famous "Christian Charity" sermon was given. He compared the colonists endeavors to a "city on a hill" that all could see. This biblical reference is Winthrop's most enduring literary legacy and is often quoted by politicians to this day.

Winthrop strove to live a good Christian life and to ensure the others the opportunity to so as well. He sought unity amongst the settlers but was willing to compromise and attempt to reach consensus. He was unwavering, however, in his principles and showed no reluctance to expel Roger Williams or Anne Hutchinson from the colony when their unorthodox theologies threatened the stability of the society.

Winthrop served as governor for 12 of the 19 years he lived in Massachusetts. He was untiring in his efforts to promote the growth of the colony. In the winter of 1649, he became ill and died. Bremer sums up the man and his accomplishments, "Zealous but not a zealot ... he helped to prevent his colony from being blown off course by the winds of extremism and from being wrecked on the rocks of fanaticism." (pg. 385)

Accessible to all levels of interested readers, John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father is a valuable portrait of an important figure in American History. Sources are extensive and meticulously documented. They primarily come from the records of the Courts of Assistants in Massachusetts Bay, Official Records of the Governor and Winthrop's own papers and journals. In addition, a host of sources from both sides of the Atlantic is employed in the work. The in-depth coverage of the Winthrop family background can be tedious to readers only interested in American events, but they provide needed insights into the English Reformation and the events that lead to colonization of New England. Bremer's work takes its place as the definitive biography of John Winthrop for the next fifty years.

Bremer has brought us a sensitive and balanced portrayal of Winthrop, one that is at the same time truly gripping. One of the significant contributions of the book is Bremer's attention to Winthrop's forty or so years in England prior to coming to New England, which helps create the sense of organic development and shows points of continuity between English Puritanism and that of the New England colonies. The relationship between Bremer's presentation and other scholarly opinions is covered in many of the endnotes, which makes it useful to the scholar but not burdensome for the average reader. Scholars, history buffs, and even those just interested in the human experience of life, will find this book rewarding. Highly recommended.

I love Boston. I really do. This beautiful, progressive city known for being an academic, cultural and historical mecca is brilliantly presented in this delightful book.

This book will take readers alphabetically through the city that has long established itself as the Cradle of Amerian History. The alphabet format is good and effective as readers will more easily remember the sites in and around Boston. The map of the Boston area is also a good idea and an excellent added touch.

Using alliterative sentences is another good mnemonic device; readers will readily make associations with the places they are reading about in this delightful book about Boston. Readers also get text with chronicled detailed history about the places and historical events that took place in the Boston area. The lovely illustrations and rich history will delight readers of all ages. I highly recommend this one.

A wonderful book to see Boston and find out about Boston. I would recommend this to anyone (adults and children) about to visit Boston. I am looking forward to buying more books by this author and illustrator.

I discovered this book while doing a search for travel guides
to Boston. I was surprised when this book popped up 2nd in the
list, but since I collect children's illustrated books, I had to
take a look, and found it to be absolutely wonderful. I do have
to admit that it certainly would be for the very top end of the
picture book gang, not those just learning their ABC's. But so
what. It is wonderfully informative with beautiful illustrations.

Whenever I run into an ABC book, I first look to the X's to see
how the author handles that. I am pleased that this author
did not feel compelled to use X's in the beginning of the words.
Her X's became "Extraordinary Exhibits excite viewers." That is
so much better than yet another xylophone.

Perhaps my favorite page was "Y": Yarns have been spun at Ye Olde Union Oyster House for Years". The page was so compelling, I made special effort to get to the Oyster House though it wasn't
on my original agenda.

Besides a very attractive architectural illustration of the Oyster House, there is an insert that shows some of regional foods such as Boston Baked Beans and Boston Cream Pie. Below the
pictures is a short paragraph about the pictures. In this case
there is information about baked beans and why they were so popular with the Pilgrims. Below that is a wavy line (as there is on each page) with another bit of information, this time about
lobster which is usually available in the waters close by.

In September I am going to Cape Code and her A to Z book on
Cape Cod will be part of my planning. I hope she keeps this
wonderful series going, and if she branches out into Europe -
so much the better! If you are reading this, Martha, I am going
to London in the Spring next year and Venice in the fall, just
in case you are looking for your next subject.

Highly recommended.

It seems a bit strange to use an alphabet book format for middle schoolers, but the idea is well-executed in this nicely illustrated guide to Boston. The book begins with an undetailed map of the Boston vicinity, continues with a paragraph of introduction, and then moves on to the alphabet. Each letter gets a full page and has an alliterative title with a few explanatory sentences and some related factoids. For example, "M" is entitled "Minutemen made ready at a moment's notice"; text describes the events in Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775; watercolor pictures show the Minuteman statue in Lexington and the Old North Bridge in Concord; factoids tell us that British soldiers were called "regulars" and that the midnight riders (Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott) called out "The regulars are out! The regulars are out!" as they rode through the night. End pages depict an alphabet of objects other than those seen in the book, such as Magnolia for "M".

With nice art and layout, this book imparts quite a few interesting facts about Boston, though one thinks it might have benefitted from an overarching coherence with which to motivate the more sophisticated young readers at which it is purportedly aimed.

JOURNEY AROUND BOSTON is another title in the series created by author, artist and one time teacher Martha Zschock. Zschock was a third grade teacher at the time she wrote the book. As a teacher she has the respects both the natural curiosity and intelligence of children. A mallard, a duck often associated with the city thanks to Robert McCloskey's immortal MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, leads visitors on a tour of Boston and the vicinity. Her book includes the familiar tourist attractions as well as lesser known and perhaps even ignored places in Boston. It serves as a wonderful introduction to Boston and its illustrious history.

This book is a must for any family with young visitors coming to the city of Boston. It will also be of interest to the children of Boston who wish to learn a bit about the city and its history.

Vygotsky and Piaget are the forerunners in today's educational thinking. Even though they lived a long time ago they are still focused on in educational thinking. Piaget and Stern theories about language and development are included. The book is all emcompassing with language development and thinking . If you need to know about language development this is the book you should be reading.

Being a trainer and an academic co-ordinator, I find that Vygostky is an essential reader for all trainers / teachers. He helps you understand how to teach better, how to use peer learning and when used with experiential learning gives the best results.

A contemporary of Piaget (developmental psychology)and Watson (behaviorism), Vygotsky launches a cogent critique and synthesis of these two scientific schools. His asserting that learning leads development is as fresh and valuable today as it was when he first wrote the text. Secondly, his calling for a functional analysis of language has been pursued only by the behavioral schools; a short-fall of cognitive and developmental psychology which focuses on the structure of language and hypothetical constructs of brain functioning. Vygotsky relied on observable behavior under contrived and natural conditions in developing his model of socially mediated learning. Although he does a bit of theorizing, his view of learning speech and thought--a skill taught and mediated by social forces--is an excellent bridge between the two schools of thought mentioned above. This book should be required reading for developmental psychologists, educators and behaviorists alike.

The only thing I can say about this book and the author is that this man was a genius! Worth every second spent reading it!

Vygotsky, who was a contemporary of Piaget, unfortunately never received nearly as much attention while still alive. Probably due to the fact that he was working in Russia and had a relatively short career his work seems to have taken a very long time to even get published for 'western' consumption. His theories also go against the grain of the dogma currently in vogue in psychology.

This book gives a brief overview of Vygotsky's life and career. Then it launches into Vygotsky's original manuscript which begins with a critique of some of the central themes of that time; oddly enough those themes are still being pursued by psychologists today. Vygotsky's critique is very interesting and demonstrates a very broad range of understanding of psychological, physical and philosophical knowledge throughout the section.

The second part of the book then advances Vygotsky's theories of thought and language development. And that is the crux of Vygotsky's theory: thought and language each develop in a manner that one might characterize as partially self-catalyzing in addition to behaving as one. Vygotsky also advanced some important ideas about child potential with his "zone of proximal development".

Vygotsky pointed out that development hinges on the social structure surrounding the child and is not similar to the idea of some computer operating system simply requiring some type of "load" instruction. That is, Vygotsky's work seems to dispel some of the hot air surrounding Chomsky's ideas about "deep grammar" structures existing and just waiting for the instructions to start working; instead thought and language develop, sometimes separately and sometimes requiring each other to act as catalysts.

Given recent advances in primate language studies, complex adaptive systems and Wittgenstein's contributions to the philosophy of systems I believe Vygotsky's work becomes all the more important and relevant. We are only just starting to grasp the importance of thinking about development in a systems mode as opposed to the old way of reductionism (and the weird dogmatic offshoot of this: strict materialism).

This is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about how we develop. Other interesting ideas and overviews can be found in Bogdan's "Minding Minds" and Faber's "Objectivity and Human Perception". Then there is the burgeoning field of complexity where a good general overview can be found in "Signs of Life". And for those who really want to get deeper, read some of the recent work done in EEG and meditation to help kids with ADD and other problems.