Canada Books

This is an infinitely useful collection of primary sources. Any student of this period should have this on their bookshelf - they will get much more than the $23.10 worth of use.

The editor does a good job of including the best arguments of both sides and does not taint the actual debate with modern biases.

Love the book! Been looking for these debates for years. It's nice to learn the behind-the-scenes arguments for and against the Constitution. Also nice to know that partisan bickering is not new.

I've gathered other collections (i.e., The Federalist Paper, Constitutional Debates) over the years, but this collection (along with Volume 2) is by far the most comprehensive yet affordable collection to date. Given the fact Bernard Bailyn compiled the contents and wrote the background material, the reader can rest assured that a distinguished historian is behind these endeavors. Bailyn's commitment to detail and analysis of primary sources has always been one of his hallmarks. He continues that commitment in these two volumes.

There is more material here than the average person probably ever knew existed regarding the constitutional debates. Letters, newspaper articles, formal treatises, and speeches all provide the documentation. Bailyn wants to show the depth and richness of the discussion, which varies from those who feared loss of personal liberty to those ready to embrace the document. Anyone who picks up these volumes will come away with an idea of how complex the constitution really is - that it will never be all things to all people, but it does ground our national identity. It becomes the task of each succeeding generation to uphold the tradition yet strive to assure the Constitution carries out its intended purpose. Obviously this is no small feat to be taken lightly.

The books are arranged chronologically, more or less, divided into subsections. The reader will get the broad spectrum of constitutional debates (the Federalist Papers are included, the "antifederalist papers" are included) as are the fears, assurances, and the entire range of human emotion regarding the Constitution are all there for the reader to peruse.

The only spoiler I offer is the peculiar selection of a Benjamin Franklin letter as the very first entry of the set. Franklin fears the Constitution yet is willing to embrace it just the same. In a way, this might be the quintessential document of the entire collection as all Americans have reason to heed Franklin's concerns.

Unlike the political commentators of the late 20th and early 21st century (watchers of Sunday public affairs programs and AM radio listeners know who they are), the commentators of the 18th century actually had something of substance to say. This was a time when education was rare, but when done was done well. The New American Library does its usual exceptional job in assembling the material in this book including some of the more important selections from the Federalist Papers as well as some of the writings of the anti-Federalists. Here the role of the government and the nature of freedom are really explored. Life was better before politics became about feeling and emotion. Every American should read this book, but only if he wants to really understand the basis of the American experiment.

Study of the Federalist Papers, of course included in this two volume series, is a conduit for understanding the American ethic. When the Federalist Papers are viewed as included in this chronological deliberation between the Federalists and Antifederalists, they become even more profound than the enormous depth they can achieve when read alone. The concerns of Brutus and Agrippa are answered, the repititive call for a 'Bill of Rights' revealed. Madison wrote to Jefferson in 1825 defining the Federalist Papers as 'may fairly enough be regarded as the most authentic exposition of the text of the federal constituion, as understood by the Body which prepared & the authority which accepted it.' The enormous insight gained from tracking the arguments and concerns of the proposed Constituion , and the responses of the Federalist cannot be easily estimated, yet the result is a much more informed conscience of the American experience. Madison in the same letter mentioned above stated that Federalist Essays did not foresee all the misconstructions which to that date had occured, nor prevent some it did foresee. For the concerned and deliberate citizen of today many of these issues remain, issues such as Federalism are current topics and all too often the opinions of the few become the conscience of the many, examining these volume will do much to alleviate this vexing condition. More alarming is the realization that many of the fears of the Antifederalists have become a reality in todays polity. An excellent and comprehensive collection thank you Bernard Bailyn.

A wonderful book to read and a must read for anyone involved in rescue or thinking about it.

This little book follows the saga of Lucy Blue, puppy mill survivor, to Lucy Blue beloved pet with all the steps, heartaches and triumphs Lucy makes in between.
This book will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It's a book that truly touches the heart.

Little "Lucy Blue" has become quite the celebrity thanks to the endless patience and love of Janice Mitchell, the author. In painful and painstaking detail Mitchell documents the day after day (after day)crusade to bring the traumatized Lucy out of her fear and isolation. We're talking hundreds of days of trial and error, frustration and patience. I won't spoil the book but I will promise you a happy ending. The money from this book will help other puppy mill survivors like Mill Dog Rescue in Colorado Springs.

This story will warm your heart and teach you a few things in the process. You follow the story of a puppy mill Sheltie and her recovery. It will make you look at the world in a whole new persecptive! GREAT READ!!!

This book is a must for any animal lover regardless of whether you are involved in rescue or just want to be a better friend to the animals that we are jointly responsible to and for.

Lucy Blue's story is an excellent story about the resilence of our canine friends when shown love and understanding. You will cry at the trauma Lucy must have gone through and the inevitable set-backs as she tried to understand that in Janice's home she was for the first time being given unconditional acceptance for who she was at any given time. You will get mad at how humans can do what was done to Lucy Blue and other puppy mill dogs. You will smile and be enlightened by the progress Lucy makes, and even though you probably don't know her be proud of the wonderful and beautiful Sheltie she blossoms into.

Okay, it is apparent that Judy, the author loves and adores kids. What better expert to write a book like this. Her book is PACKED with tools and information that will leave any parent feeling very confident. She is an advocate of positive parenting and is an incredible asset to the field of raising kids in a humane and loving way. Two cheers for Judy!

Other books that you may find helpful are: Kids, Parents and Power Struggles, How To Talk So Kids Can Listen, Got the Baby Where's the Manual, Between Parent and Child,and Undconditional Parenting.


Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT
Licensed Child Therapist
Author, Mommy Confidence
founder, www.TheGoToMom.TV

Excellent resourse for those parents who's children are strong willed. Helps you to disipline without loosing your temper. Recomend for all parents.

"I love, love, love this book. I love it so much I wrote to the editors of our local paper recommending it to everyone who is a parent, a teacher, a caregiver, anyone who works with children. I have worked with children; running children's programs, working in the school system, raising my own children and now working as a nanny for two school aged children, for over thirty years. I've taken many courses, read many books on working, raising and helping children and this book is the best, bar none. I have given it to all friends and family having children, recommended it to friends who are teachers who love it, even the family I work for has read it, and it's so great to have a resource that's respectful and helps you raise courteous and responsible children. I feel it should be in every parent's library. I can't recommend it enough. Theresa, Calgary, Alberta, Canada P.S. I will continue to buy more copies to give to others, I may set a record.

I'm half way through the book, but starting incorporating the discipline tools as I went along...
This book has literally changed my life!
I'm less angry, less stressed, less frustrated, and so are my children!(ages 6 and 3). Respect works!
I highly recommended this book!!

This is an excellent reference book. It's written by a mother of five and deals with everyday parenting issues faced by parents of children of all ages. It contains not only highly helpful tips but also provides a framework for parenting.

For the basics on this great book, see Leslie Nelson's review -- it's spot on in describing its many strengths. I know nothing that touches it for Rockies edible & medicinal plants. Its pictures make gathering the most common plants quite easy, at least for someone used to identifying flowers, trees, bushes & other plants. Though for some plants, and if you're not used to identifying plants, I'd recommend getting a few other books for confirmation, such as Guennel's "Guide to Colorado Wildflowers" & Kershaw's "parent" wildflower book, Lone Tree's "Plants of the Rocky Mountains". If you're not sure on identification, another couple of books often help. For your area -- mine is Colorado -- you might go to your local National Forest bookstore or a State Park bookstore. If you're actually planning to use these plants medicinally (which I do), you might want something like Phyllis Balch's "Prescription for Herbal Healing", which has no pictures, but has a lot more data on uses, limitations & warnings.

I live on Pikes Peak and, during the season -- maybe April/May through October/November, I gather fresh greens, berries, bark, leaves, etc. on many, if not most days. I was raised with a grandmother who, back in Illinois, did much the same, which is how she helped feed a family during the Great Depression, 10 years before I was born. So I'm the "semi-serious" gatherer, who moved from Grandma to Euell Gibbons's "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" 35 years ago. (I learned to graze quite well, thank you, on the South Side of Chicago, much to the amusement & amazement of my friends.)

As a start to playful or semi-serious gathering in the Rockies, this book cannot be beat. It helped me adjust from my midwestern gathering to gathering in my new home. It added to my knowledge of which medicinal plants here were available & useful. Although always, ALWAYS follow the rule: If you're not SURE, never put it in your mouth!

But I have some minor (really minor) complaints: the book is weak in how and, especially, when to gather & prepare. For example, it talks about fireweed as a tea, both flowers & leaves, but it doesn't say whether this works with dried leaves & flowers or only fresh. And while the flower season is short, so any gathering time is obvious, when is the best time to gather the leaves -- young as they first come up or late in the season, after the flowering? Another minor complaint -- the book has a lot of Eurasian plants, whose uses are better documented, of course, and which are readily found in disturbed & more urban. But then it lacks any information on many really basic & common flowers, like, for instance, wild geraniums. (Infuriatingly, Kershaw does discuss, briefly, the uses of geraniums in her more general book -- VERY briefly.)

However, there's no doubt, this is absolutely the book to start with.

The real problem is there's no book to take us to the next level. And that's my real complaint.

By all means -- semit-serious, playful or casually interested -- buy the book. You'll love it!

I have really enjoyed this book a lot. I am very satisfied with the text and pictures. This book doesn't have a key so you have to know the name of the plant you are wanting to look up to find info about it.

I bought this book to replace one I had passed on to a young kid who wanted to learn more about his Rocky Mountain environment. I have owned this book for four years and found it to be the most educational book about edible and medicinal plants that are found in the Rocky Mountain region. The color illustration helps immensely. Any person who is inspiring to spend time in the Rocky Mountain back country should own this book.

I bought the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies book when we moved to the Rocky Mountains and it has been indispensable. It is a well written reference guide with lots of information about each plant and great color photos to help you identify them. A must for anyone wanting to learn how to safely harvest wild foods in the Rockies.

We've used this book on every occasion we've been either hiking and camping and that is quite a lot. We've found all sorts of edibles that we normally wouldn't have eaten.

the book was in excellent condition, and was shipped to my house right on time.

I have used at least 3 editions of English Simplified while going to high school and college. I have foolishly 'lent' each one to a friend who was in need for a paper they were working on and have never seen the book(s) again. I just recently completed my MBA and I used English Simplified constantly!! Again, I lent it to a friend and they moved out of town to work on their PhD. I'm buying the latest for my Middle schooler who is starting to write papers and buying yet another copy for myself to reference at work. This is a quick, concise, easy to use and understand reference.

This is the best concise reference for English grammar I have seen. It will get you through high school, college, graduate school, and life. Everyone needs to have a copy of this book.

Since I had been out of school for 20 years, I needed something to refresh my grammar skills. This is the perfect size handbook for all grammar and MLA needs.

I'm in tenth grade and am using this book in my English class. Take it from me, a girl who has lived through many a boring and completely useless grammar book, that this book is gold. Not only does it explain grammar and mechanics in a simple (hence the title) way, but it actually is interesting (well, as far as grammar goes...). It appeals to the average reader because it uses modern examples, not the junk from the fifties ("Julie helped her mother in the kitchen while Dan helped his father with the car"). For example, on the first "grammar" day, all of my fellow classmates were astounded that it mentioned "Shakespeare In Love" (the movie).

The book is also very well organized and it is easy to find what you are looking for. There is a good index in the back and a "Quick Locator Chart" on the back cover. Each section is easy to understand with useful charts and examples. And the book is very thin, so for all of us who are suffering from horrible backs due to our heavy backpacks, this book is a gift from heaven.

I urge all teachers to use this book in class, and students who need extra help with grammar of mechanics. Some of my friends from other schools actually use this book so that they can understand the grammar they are leaning from their grammar books.

I first saw this book and thought, okay, well, it's about some little Canadian hockey players in the eighties, that's weird. But having never played hockey nor lived in Canada or the eighties, I thought, well, I'll give it a try. And I loved it. Stephen Galloway's first novel is a remarkable story of two boys growing up together with a common love. The characters were wonderfully quirky. I've read this book about 3 or 4 times and I cry every time. It would make a beautiful movie as well.

Finnie Walsh. A book not only fun, but informative as well. This book, written by Steven Galloway is an awesome, book. Unlike the usual canadian books, it just great... If you like Hockey you'll love this book. If you don't like hockey you'll love this book. The book has relationships, between family, friends, and beaus. A wonderful, outstanding read.

Finnie Walsh in my opinion was an eye opening experience it is by far the best book I have ever read and everything about it made me feel more interested. There is not a single bad thing I could say about it! The characters alone made the book, how you understood how they felt at diferent times, how they were perfectly described! This book made me laugh, cry and made me feel emotions that have never occured before in my mind! I couldn't put it down and I will continue to read it over and over again because everytime I am sure that I will recieve more and more happiness sadness and information from the text! I am getting it for everyone for Christmas and I hope that everyone will enjoy this story as much as I did!

I picked up this book mainly because of my job working with high school teachers and students and ended up reading parts of it out loud to my own kids during a car trip. My 12 year old son was hooked, he read the book, then I finished it. It was amazing to have that 'secret book conversation' with my son. I/we both loved the book.

Are you looking for a spanky good read? Look no further than this sly little Canadian book about a couple of kids living in the middle of the province of British Columbia who play hockey. This book is a swift, delicious thing that has a devilish way of not letting you free of it. You'll want to read it until you arrive at the last page--it is, in the classical sense of the hyphenated word, a "page-turner". I loved it. It was touching, heartfelt, and uncommon. A novel with an elegant plot, developed synchronously with its characters' motivations. Galloway is a secret talent ready to explode on the scene.

I've read more than 1000 books over the years and this remains as one of my favorites. I love this book so much that I sometimes just read it out loud to myself. Seriously, the flow of the words is that good. It saddens me greatly that this book is somewhat difficult to obtain.

I bought this book at a discount outlet on a whim -- years later, I find myself suggesting it for class reading in graduate school. While the stories are playful, inventive, strange, the important thing to note is that the writing is beautiful, simply beautiful. I especially love her story, "How to Write a Serious Novel About Love," which will make you look at a teacup in a completely different way.

FORMS OF DEVOTION IS A WONDERFUL BOOK. DIANNE SCHOEMPERLEN TAKES THE SIMPLEST TOPICS AND MAKES THEM INTERESTING AND BEAUTIFUL. I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Diane Schoemperlen said she found inspiration for this book when her young son asked her how come her books never have any pictures. She then had the brilliant idea to wrap short stories around antique drawings, 100 year old catalogue pictures and illustrations from the original Gray's Anatomy. The results are stories that are compelling on their own but are perfectly enhanced by the pictures put in them. A great gift or coffee table book to be flipped through again and again.

It seems the earned province of Canadian women writers to cut to the heart of gender, race, and class privilege. In the title piece (I would not call it a story in the traditional character/plot sense) Schoemperlen explores a series of intangibles, among them faith, prayer, and hope, and very subtly weaves them into an indictment of middle class privilege. In a later story, "Count Your Blessings (a Fairy Tale)" Schoemperlen, in a twist reminiscent of the best Roald Dahl stories, cuts the heart out of the woman who has everything and is still unhappy. These stories are well-written, and are accompanied by clever old woodcut clip art. But unlike many short story collections, this is not an "easy" book, for the reader, and I suspect, for the author as well. The book jacket describes her work as "electric"--the prospective reader would do well to remember that electricity can shock as well as enlighten.

I read this fantastic book which helped me cope with my recently diagnosed cancer. It is a simple book to read with wonderful illustrations. It is a spiritual as well as an inspirational book to read. I keep it close to me and read passages from it daily. I recommend this book to anyone who has a life threatening disease.

I found this book to be a tremendous help to me, as I was struggling to come to terms with my own Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis. Its entries are brief, pithy, and flow forth from real patients' experiences. This is by no means a "heavy" book - it's the sort of book you can dip into, little by little, as you feel up to it. The graphic design is a bit unusual, but effective. What this book does so very well is to provide straight, no-nonsense advice about getting through what is, by all accounts, the most difficult time for cancer survivors: the days immediately after diagnosis. Hearing the words, "You have cancer" is not the end of the world - though many of us suspect it just may be, at the time we first hear them. This book will help you realize a cancer diagnosis is NOT the end of the world, that you're not alone, and that there are lots of resources out there to help you.

I read this fantastic book which helped me cope with my recently diagnosed cancer. It is a simple yet powerful book to read with wonderful illustrations. It is a spiritual as well as an inspirational book to peruse. I keep it close to me and read passages from it daily. I recommend this book to anyone who has a life threatening disease.

I read this book after a diagnosis of inoperable brain cancer at the age of 22. It gave me strength and courage to face my fears & continue living my life. Over a year later, I still flip through it when I feel like nobody understands how much cancer changes the lives it touches. This book is incredibly easy to read because of its bite-size words of wisdom - no endless paragraphs of text! Thank you Arlene for your honesty about the difficult times that we face & how to keep living despite them.

I was diagnosed with cancer less than a year ago and just read Arlene Cotter's book recently. At first I wondered how useful it could be, given that many of the book's affirmations have probably already occurred to many cancer patients. Then I remembered how I felt shortly after being diagnosed and realized how useful it would have been to have a book like this, filled with nonjudgemental expressions of support for the choices a cancer patient makes in living his or her own life.

For that reason, I think From This Moment On may be most useful to those who are newly diagnosed. Also, I think it would be very valuable for friends and family members of cancer patients, who often feel more helpless than the patient and could use a "window" into a cancer patient's feelings.

But I think the real affirmation has nothing to do with what's between the book's covers. Arlene Cotter was diagnosed with cancer; she then had the idea for this book, created it, and published it. That may be the ultimate inspiration here.

This is fantastic book. The threats to the Great Bear Rainforest are increasing in 2007 and support is vitally needed. To see what is happening, go to the Raincoast Conservation Society web page and see what major threats to the Great Bear are coming in 2007.

For years, I had always heard snippets here and there about the Great Bear Rainforest of Northwestern British Columbia, supposedly even more beautiful, wild, untamed, and much larger than other gorgeous temperate rainforest locales like Olympic National Park in Washington. But I didn't really know much about it. Where exactly was it? What does it look like? Is any of it protected in province or federal park land? And many more questions.

Then, years later, I stumbled upon this book. WOW. That about sums it up. This is an amazing book about a place of transcendent, almost ethereal beauty. This book is an enchanting mix of imminently readable and interesting text and absolutely stunning photographs. It almost makes you feel like you are there, immersed in this incredible rain drenched emerald cathedral of trees.

The Great Bear Rainforest is located on the British Columbia coast. It starts a few miles north of Lund and extends all the way north in Canada to the BC's northernmost limit, around Port Rupert, and extends only a few miles inland. It is home to the largest remaining contiguous temperate rain forest anywhere in the world. You probably already know this, but a temperate rain forest is much different than a tropical rain forest because of climate. Temperate rain forests are cool and moist, whereas tropical ones are hot and moist. Anyway, enough of the obvious.

What I really like about this book is that it isn't a condescending piece of fluff, and it gave me *exactly* what I wanted from it. Even though it's no easily readable, it is no fluff piece that waxes prettily poetic but doesn't really tell you anything. It takes you on an incredibly detailed tour of nearly every major rain forest valley in the Great Bear Rainforest. And it doesn't just name-drop valleys that have no meaning to you, it provides you with maps that show exactly where it is that they are talking about. I think this is the greatest feature of the book, I've read too many books about geographical places that tell you the names of certain interesting areas, but you don't quite know where they are. Not so with this book.

Not only that, the book covers a wide range of topics concerning The Great Bear Rainforest. Ecology, economic pressures, animal and plant life, geography, even a lot of interesting history and contemporary issues concerning the First Nation (who we in the U.S. refer to as Native American) tribes who traditionally lived (and still live) in and around the Great Bear Rainforest. I found the parts about the Haida tribe to be particularly edifying. All of these facts and themes are woven into the narrative of the authors' journey through the Great Bear Rainforest (which spans many years) incredibly seamlessly - you might think it's difficult to talk about the flora and fauna of the area while giving a history lesson on the Tlinglit people, but like I said, this point interweaves all points flawlessly. It also does social justice by presenting an unflinching look at the environmental horrors that await the Great Bear Rainforest through resource extraction and recreation at the hands of an apathetic public if current trends remain unchecked.

And then there are the photos. Gorgeous. Vast stands of huge, majestic trees, so much green it's almost blinding; a spirit bear chowing down on salmon in an unbelievable action shot; stunning shots of a coastline where fjord and mountain come together; and of course, the grand British Columbia ocean itself.

This book is a real gem. It's crime more people haven't had a chance to go through it. Read it. Take your time, don't just skim through it and goggle over the pictures. Trust me, the time will be worth it, you'll be glad you did. A must-have for anyone who considers themselves an environmentalist, a nature lover, and especially for people who have stood in awe in a temperate rain forest and said "I need to know more."

A powerful book on this special place. But, now she's discovered

This book is written as a journal of a sailing voyage. Although the authors had previously visited the remarkable areas they photograph and describe six times before, the seventh visit is chronicled in these pages. Thus there is a great depth of knowledge and experience inherent to this work which transforms a simple if elegant journal into a powerful, somewhat doleful, environmental monograph.

This is a beautifully done book with many fascinating photographs of rainforest topography and the diverse life forms which abide therein. The accompanying text is well-written and consistently informative and interesting. But the overarching theme here is that pristine environments which are critical to the survival of untold species of flora and fauna are in jeopardy. Grave jeopardy. Moreover, the McAllisters take great pains to point out that the small islands of preserved and protected ecosystem created in compromise between commercial interests and environmentalists are insufficent to protect wildlife (bears, for example) that depend upon an interlinked vastness of unspoiled terrain in which to flourish.

So this book is as much an alarm and a plea for action as it is a wondrous presentation of its picturesque subject matter. As such, it is urgent reading for those of us concerned about the ravages unleashed when a society values short-term economic advantage (as when untouched river valleys are clear-cut by logging companies) over the work nature takes eons to complete.

This is a wonderful book for both nature and bear lovers alike. It is packed with beautiful color photos. Many interesting facts about the wildlife & plants of the area are detailed in the captions.

The landscape photos feature vibrant wildflowers, ancient forests, & mountains. There are also many remarkable pictures of several bear types. I loved the close-up shot of a bear eating a fish & another of a sprit bear on a log.

Stunning photos of some other animals include a puffin close-up, a bald eagle mother with baby, & an elephant seal gathering. If you can tear yourself away from the pictures, the text is equally impressive.

The authors tell of their experiences while exploring the rainforest. They also discusses the environmental concerns of the area. Journal entries from the trip are scatted throughout the book.

I was given your book "Amazing Cat Stories" as a gift and absolutely loved it! I wanted to thank you for your wonderful talents and allowing me to go back in time. I had to send my "Buddy" to kitty heaven this past August and I can honestly say that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. After 15 1/2 wonderful years of companionship I felt lost without her. After reading your book, so many great memories came flooding back to me. I would defintely recommend this book to any animal lover or for that matter anyone with a heart! Thank you and keep up the great work!!

A wonderful collection of short but inspirational stories, reaffirming the indisputable importance of animals in our lives - both for them and for the human race. Made me cry - and made me laugh! A great learning tool - for all ages. I loved it!

This was a fantastic book by the highest standards. It was truly a joy to read. Especially high praise for the Simon story, it made me bawl! Amazing how touching a story can be, especially those of us familiar with the bond between humans and animals. Eagerly waiting for any other books by Roxanne Willems Snopek!

A wonderful collection of tales that will touch the heart. Particularly the tale of Simon, I found myself sobbing like a baby at the end, which is generally NOT a manly thing to do. The way Snopek write these stories, you can almost feel the characters come out of the pages and touch your heart, too bad they don't live long enough for those of us that love cats. I particularly loved it because of its Canadian content and origins. Well worth the price.

Incredible Tales About Exceptional Cats is a wonderful book for people of all ages. The variety of stories can make you laugh or bring you to tears. It also can make you appreciate and love your precious pets more and inspire you to take care of them as your most precious treasures., and not to disregard them as soon as they immerge from being kittens to adults. Unfortunately there are still some people who do that because they have neither the patience or the love to care for these little ones for the rest of their lives.