William R. Hearst and his entourage spent only a grand total of four months at St. Donat's Castle in Glamorganshire, Wales, but they left a lasting impression on the historic castle and the local people. This book provides a brief look at the period in the 20's and 30's when the Hollywood set of Hearst and Marion Davies descended on a great Welsh home. Also detailed are the many changes Hearst ordered done to the Castle (some of which were questionable from a historic preservation standpoint). There are a number of photo's from the Hearst period. The book left me yearning to know more about the rest of St. Donat's colorful past.

This book has unusual insights into the life and times of William Randolph Hearst. The details are remarkable and the content is absorbing. So much has been written on Hearst's California Castle (San Simeon), that it is interesting to find information on St. Donat's of Wales. It is equally as interesting to find what became of Hearst's romantic interest Marion Davies. Rare photos of the individuals and contents of the castle. Very well written and researched.

This book covers the logistics of traversing the wild west. Issues from first aid to how hard to ride your animals are discussed. The value of this book is that it gives an insite into what it must have been like to pack a family up and move them to California or any point west of the Mississippi. I would say it is a must read for anyone interested in the pioneer experiance as it provides a background to further studies.

Marcy was a soldier, trailblazer, and mapmaker. He never gained fame although he conducted five major expeditions through the West and traced the Red River to its source. His task on the various expeditions was to describe the country and its resources for future travelers and settlers. Marcy's advice led to the establishment of five important forts stretching from eastern Oklahoma to western Texas. Marcy later headed a perilous march in 1857-1858, of 680 miles, through snow covered mountains to New Mexico to get supplies for Fort Bridger.

Marcy was very familiar with the West and this knowledge was evident when he wrote three interesting and valuable books on his travels and experiences including "The Prairie Traveler," in 1859. This book is one of the better emigrant guides unlike a similarly entitled book by Joseph Ware. Marcy favored the Southern route to the west coast and his expertise is evident when listing distances, camping spots, trails, water, and grass.

Marcy is less able in describing the route from Utah to the west coast having to rely, in certain instances, on phonetic spelling: Cahoon for Cajon Pass; Coco Mongo for Cucamonga Ranch; San Yenness for San Ynez River. Marcy probably used another explorer's descriptions. It is known he used information provided by Black Beaver on many occasions when they scouted together. Black Beaver was a Delaware, renowned as a scout, a trusted friend, and may have helped Marcy supplement his knowledge of the West and the Plains Indians.

The book is interesting, informative, and unexpectedly funny. Marcy cites medical authorities when warning against: The dangers of noxious airs rising from the ground; The use of Cedron, a Panamanian nut, as an infallible antidote for any snake bite including the bite of the deadly coral snake. Marcy mentions the doctoring used by a frontier mother when her child was bitten repeatedly by a rattler. She poured a huge glass of liquor down the child's throat, making the child very drunk but also curing her. Marcy suggests the use of Arsenic as a tonic for tired blood, that it should be mixed with Ammonia in a full dose and swallowed frequently.

Marcy had good knowledge, for his day and time, of the Plains Indians yet personally disparages them as inveterate beggars while praising them as perfect horsemen. He didn't think they fought fairly and thought it proper they were chastised through force of arms. Marcy quotes a friend (speaking about Indians) - "Tain't no use to talk honor with them, they hain't got no such thing in um. They won't show (a) fair fight. Ef you treat um decently, they think you ar afeard. Trash them well at first, then the balance will sorter take to you and behave themselves." Marcy's anti-Indian attitudes, imparted in his emigrants' books, contributed to their fear and mistrust of Native Americans.

Marcy's book was helpful to neophyte travelers on the Southern Overland Trail and to a lesser extent on the Northern route. There is good advice ranging from simple, but easily overlooked tasks, to unexpected situations such as Northers - ice storms sweeping south over the plains. This book is formatted according to 19th century procedure, each chapter listing is supplemented with descriptive information. Marcy eases a reader's search for information by headlining individuals pages throughout the book with headings such as "stampedes," "sanitary considerations," and so forth. The illustrations are excellent and prove helpful when wondering about portable camp furniture.

Marcy became a Major in August 1859, a Colonel Inspector General in August 1861, served in the Civil War. and ended the conflict a brevet Major General of Volunteers. He retired as a Brigadier General in January 1881. He is best remembered for his books such as The Prairie Traveler, which imparts a flavor of frontier days and is quite entertaining as it deals with the day to day concerns of emigrant travel.

I bought this book when I started teaching English and wanted something more comprehensive and rigorous than the textbooks that I was using (e.g., John Warriner's English Composition & Grammar). I quickly discovered a host of brilliant insights and clearly defined concepts that I was eventually able to put to classroom use and that immediately gave me greater confidence.

This is for the *serious* student or teacher. If you study this book, you will find answers to many areas of English that might otherwise baffle you. The authors are clear writers and generally provide appropriate examples with each explanation. For example, remember the textbook distinction between prepositions and adverbs, e.g., between "up" in "grow up" and in "climb up the rope"? As a boy, I always found this confusing. But when I read Greenbaum and Quirk, I realized that my confusion was natural -- the concept itself, as presented in my high school textbooks, was the problem. To clear it up, the authors clearly explain the concept of a "particle," which includes both phrasal verbs such as "find out" and prepositional verbs such as "dispose of." Once you read the section on complementation of verbs and adjectives, you will finally understand this distinction as well as many other points that you might have felt uneasy with. The authors take on the difficult subject of adverbs (a junk category of English if there ever was one -- but we're stuck with it) and break down each kind of adverb -- even the most obscure ones. For example, consider sentences such as "Oh well, we probably would have lost the game anyway" or "Why, I didn't even notice him leave the room." The authors explain that "oh well" and "why" belong to a class of adverbs called "initiators," and give lists of the other initiators. Nothing seems to escape their notice.

I would particularly recommend this for ESL teachers who want to understand how English really works, and also for native English speakers who are studying or planning to study a difficult foreign or ancient language such as Russian or Latin. If you are learning English as a second language or foreign language and have already mastered at least the basics, it might also prove useful to you. Finally, anyone who is interested in the English language as a joyful study would likely find this a worthwhile purchase, one to set aside Mencken's The American Language, the OED, Fowler, and other classic works that offer inherent interest over and above their practical value as references.

So why didn't I give it five stars? Simply because I think it should have even more examples than it does. As the book stands, students without a very good foundation in traditional grammar will probably find this a struggle, at least at first. I would therefore recommend using a good traditional grammar book, such as one of John Warriner's books (mentioned above) or any entry in the popular "English Grammar for Students of _____" series, and mastering at least seventy percent of it before taking on Greenbaum and Quirk. (I would say that you probably shouldn't put a great deal of work into mastering *all* of the traditional textbook, because the parts that confuse you might be inherently confusing -- just note the problem areas and then clean them up later by reading Greenbaum and Quirk.)

I find this book is very helpful for learning English as a Second Language people.

As a professional dog trainer I am frequently asked which books I reccomend. This is one of them! It is a very good book for solving problem behaviors. It is set up like a dictionary with the behaviors listed in alphetical order. It is a good companion to a good training book. Do a search of Amazon for "monks of new skete", to see what training books I am talking about. Good Luck!

Bash Dibra's "Teach Your Dog to Behave" covers all the problems a dog owner encounters -- and tells how to solve them! The dictionary format makes finding the answers easy as a-b-c! Dibra's newest book belongs in every dog-owner's library.

Given the very sick idea of an eternal hell, books like this pointing out not only the sickness of the idea, but contrary Bible verses as well, are sorely needed.

I say those that buy into the hell concept have a pretty ([darn]!) low God concept. If God is a "Father," then, given the threat of hell, the "parent-child" relationship is based on fear not love. Imagine a human parent-child relationship with such a fear basis.

Buy it for your favorite arrogant Xn fundamentalist....

Klassen writes a very readable book on the subject. He starts out on his research looking at each occasion in the Bible in which the Greek or Hebrew word is translated "hell." His approach is more of an exploratory as opposed to dogmatic. He asks a lot of questions. Surprisingly, he does not get bogged down in a lot of details, which makes the book easy to read. He concludes that while the Bible does teach judgment, it does not teach everlasting torment. An excellent book especially for someone just beginning thier research on this topic. I have also written an essay from my own research and would be glad to email it to anyone who requests.

Dr. Theron Randolph was the foremost pioneer in his day of allergy theory, diagnosis, and treatment. Over the years, much has changed in the world of allergy treatment. Dr. Randolph's theories are still pretty solid, and give the layperson or medical professional a sound foundation for understanding allergy and chemical sensitivity. Everyone should be aware of the facts presented in this book, because everyone in the world is affected by the pollution in our world.

That said, the diagnosis methods Dr. Randolph used, though a vast improvement over what else was available at the time, are nowadays unnecessary. There are very gentle and quick methods for diagnosing allergies, but they are outside the scope of mainstream medicine.

The treatment methods are challenging, to say the least. Avoiding what you are allergic to seems like a no-brainer these days. However, it is far easier said than done, in fact, it borders on the impossible. Strict diets like the rotation diet mentioned in this book are very difficult to maintain, as well as socially isolating and psychologically exhausting.

There are ways for completely transforming allergies without injections or dilutions administered as drops under the tongue. Mainstream medicine, however, will never help you find these methods! Whether or not you are interested in subjecting yourself or your loved ones to the diagnosis and treatment delineated in this book, the understanding of allergies you can find here is invaluable. Highly recommended reading, though the treatment and diagnosis methods are not neccesarily recommended.

T. Randolph's book is filled with interesting and provocative ideas about food, allergies and addiction, however, his version of the rotation and is just about impossible to implement, even for the most disciplined. Although I anticipated finding a book about how people are affected by and deal with common environmental allergens (dust, mold, cats, etc.) or the odd food allergen (peanuts, etc.) it is mostly a discussion of how we are affected by eating a limited and repetitive diet.

this book was written by the father of the enviromental and nutritional allergy.it represents the causes of allergy and shows how it began (from enviroment&from wrong nutritional habits as well as from the chemicals in food).there is also a chemical quastionary in this book in order to detect the poisionous chemicals and a rotatory diet plus other explained tips and strategies against allergy.headache/deppresion/arthritis/ are only some of the diseases that are considered symptoms of food and or enviromental allergy. the ways that the author is sujesting in this book are very practical,and eventhough they demmand (at the begining of the plan)a lot of attention,it is very practical for the allergy sufferers=i as a orthomolecular-nutritionist see the resoults with my patients.very highly recommanded!

This book made it's way into my life seven years ago, and I've been transformed. It is very well writen, easy to read and takes you step by step along a path of prosperity, wellness, happiness, success and fulfillment in life. A practical guide that shows you the way to your greatest dreams and also tells you how to get there.

I keep it next to my bed and take it on every trip. It's pages are held together with a rubberband. I've come a long way and I'm still travelling, so I just ordered the Audio Casette.

I read John's "Superbeings" many, many years ago and it effected me like no other book I have ever read in my life. I have read numerous books since on spirituality and while they all "sparked" something in me, none have touched me the way superbeings did. Superbeings motivated me to change my life and follow my dreams! It inspired me to write my own book on self improvement which is titled The Turning Point by Crystal Rose. Thank you John for sharing this wonderful book with us!!!

LIKE MANY READERS WHO SEEK TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES I OWN DOZENS OF THESE SELF HELP, PHILOSOPHICAL, INSPIRATIONAL, NEW AGE BOOKS AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THREE I CONSTANTLY GO BACK TO. I`M ON THE WEB NOW ORDERING ANOTHER COPY. MY ORIGINAL COPY IS SO WORN IT`S FALLING APART. AT FIRST THE NAME OF THIS BOOK KIND OF TURNED ME OFF BUT SOMETHING LED ME TO BUY IT (DIVINE INTERVENTION?). I`LL CUT TO THE CHASE AND SIMPLY SAY THIS BOOK IS FULL OF EYE OPENING, THOUGHT PROVOKING AND INVALUABLE INFORMATION. I CONTINUE TO USE IT DAILY FOR MEDITATION-INSPIRATION. I DON`T SUGGEST MANY BOOKS BUT THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR ANYONE SEEKING THEIR OWN DIVINITY. AS YOU READ EARLIER REVIEWS YOU WILL NOTICE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS HAVE REMARKED THE BOOK TO BE "BLASPHEMOUS", "TERRIBLE" AND "FALSE". MANY TRADITIONALISTS MAY FIND IT TO BE AND MANY TRADITIONALISTS HAVE SIMPLY ACCEPTED THEIR FAITH WITHOUT QUESTION. HOW UNFORTUNATE. THIS IS A BOOK THAT CHALLENGES YOU TO BE EVERYTHING YOU`VE EVER IMAGINED AND SHOWS YOU HOW. THE DECISION IS UP TO YOU. THE OTHER TWO BOOKS I SUGGEST TO READ ALONG WITH THIS IS, DISCOVER THE POWER WITHIN BY ERIC BUTTERWORTH AND MANIFEST YOUR DESTINY BY DR. WAYNE DYER. TERRIFIC STUFF. HAPPY READING NAMASTE

I received this book, the second edition, two months ago and I am very happy with the variety and ease of preparing the foods. While I could have done without the brief personal info of the author at the beginning of the book, her tips for dining out, and the typical grams of carb in raw foods (although not quite accurate), were very helpful.

The ingredients were easy to find at my local grocer, outside of the Atkin's Baking Mix - which I haven't tried. The average recipe is 3-4 steps and relatively easy to make with nearly any level of cooking skills.

This book is not without some minor (or if you count carbs closely, major) flaws. As I mentioned earlier, some recipes mention inaccurate carb counts. One example (however a personal favorite recipe of mine) is the Breakfast Custard Squares which appears later in the Desserts section of the book as simply Baked Custard. These are both the same recipe to the last measurement, except their serving sizes vary from 6 for the Breakfast Squares, and 4 for the dessert. According to Lauri's book, the smaller serving size Breakfast Squares claim to have more carbs per serving than the larger custard dessert of the exact same recipe! So, don't count on this book for accurate carb counting.

The only other issue I have is the number of recipes calling for artificial sweetners. I am not a fan of artificial anything, especially aspartame, and I find the number of recipes with Sweet 'N Low (saccharin) to be a little high for me. However, I use an "herbal supplement" (can't be called sweetner according to the FDA) called Stevia which can be found at health food stores (Whole Foods is where I get it) that seems to substitute well enough. Lauri mentions that she doesn't care for this herb, but this herb varies in taste wildly by manufacturer, so experiment if you choose to try it. Anyhow, my point is we're trying to wean ourselves away from sweet cravings (especially those with carb addiction), maybe reducing the amount of recipes that call for sweetners would be helpful.

In closing, despite this book's minor drawbacks, the recipes are really what I wanted to add some variety to the chicken and broccoli routine. This book satisfied my need and I highly recommend it for this purpose.

I just started Dr. Adkin's diet and I can already tell that variety is the key to staying on track. I have tried several of the recipes already and have liked every one of them. The directions are easy to follow and Lauri has a good selction of different recipes. The Custard Breakfast Squares are a wonderful alternative to fried/hard-boiled eggs. The Cheescake recipe is really good and EASY as well. I bought Dr. Adkin's Quick and Easy New Diet Revolution Cookbook at the same time I bought this book and I like this book better. The ingredients are not as "fancy" and, therefore, more affordable and easier to find in the local market. This book is really a winner!

Last year I watched a co-worker totally transform herself on the Atkins diet. So I went out and bought Dr. Atkins' book and cookbook, but didn't start the diet until the first of this year. The induction period (the first 2 weeks) were not too bad, I mostly lived on T-bone steaks, but the next 2 weeks were disasterous! To me, cooking is "throw it on the grill" or "pop it in the microwave". After the induction period, I was tired of steaks and so I gave my best shot at Dr. Atkins' recipes. Each night I sat down to what can not be called a meal. After a few bites, it usually got tossed into the trash and I would drive off to McDonald's or some other place not in keeping with the diet. Then the next morning I would vow to try again. I not only gained the 11 lbs I lost during the induction period I gained a few extra bonus pounds.

Not to be defeated, I talked to my co-worker and she told me about "Lauri's Low-Carb Cookbook" and I bought it immediately. She was right, there are plenty of simple and yummy recipes! I'm now back on track. In February, I not only lost 16 lbs but I'm also learning how to cook! Just as the cover says, Lauri's Low-Carb Cookbook is my constant companion in the kitchen. Thank you Lauri, for some simple and tasty recipes. Soon, I might even try some of the more challenging recipes.

If you too are "cooking-impaired" but want to lose weight on a low-carb diet, then this is the cookbook for you - I guarantee!

Like anything else in life, you often get what you pay for, and for the small amount of money you will have to shell out for this book, it is well worth the price. No, it will not provide hands-on diagrams on how to professionally and elaborately design your entire yard or house but that was obviously not the intent of this book. Pfeiffer's book is aimed at those who are into Hallowe'en decorating for the fun and enjoyment of it. There are some great suggestions here that can make Hallowe'en time, quality family time. The reader will find some very catchy ideas to stir up the spirits of all the little ghosts and goblins on Hallowe'en.

The book contains everything from magic tricks and costumes to building a Hallowe'en attraction and suggestions for your spooky party. The illustrations are quite good considering the cost of the book and there all kinds of tips and techniques among the pages to make your Hallowe'en a night to remember. Most children do not care how if your home or party is professionally designed; children are in it for the sheer fun (as Hallow'en was intended) and you are bound to find something here to please all your little creepy critters and fairy princesses (and Moms and Dads, too!)

This book doesn't have beautiful color pictures; it doesn't have a lot of pages (only 128); and it doesn't even have the greatest ideas. But it does have 3 things that make it worth buying: 1) Lots and lots of ideas (simple, yes, but some are worth noting). 2) Fantastic and silly sketches. 3) A cheap price. This alone makes it 5 stars in my book. Lots of ideas covering props, effects, costumes, scenes, tricks, and more. Use it as an aid toward developing your own, better ideas.

This book is ideal for home haunters or those producing a haunted fund raiser to collect ideas for developing the haunt. Written for the armature there are dozens of creative ideas to perform scares, decorate a room, party or front yard and ways to create special effects. The hundreds of humorous illustrations walk you through each idea. This book is an inexpensive way for any Halloween enthusiast to get started. It's worth the price of the book just to read for laughs.

I'm a big fan of junk! Whether it be creepy big-eyed dolls or funky tiki mugs, I love junk! So when I saw Mary Randolph Carter's book Garden Junk: How to Grow Your Garden Gloriusly and Uniquely with All the Right Stuff, I knew I had found the bible of garden books. Not only does the author show you everything she buys from flea markets and garage sales, she also tells you how much it was and what she did with it. Each chapter takes you into the realm of old tools, found flower art, bizarre pots and watering cans, funky pot holders, tacky garden hats, forgotten yard furniture, absurd-yet-endearing vases and hip-looking birdbaths. I love her addiction to kitschy amateur paintings of flowers and plants. And if you're just in the mood to create, Mary shows you how to restore old shutters, de-rust antique tools, build a gardener's bulletin board (one of my favorite projects), make a rake rack, makeover a windowbox and create a scarecrow from scratch! She also gives you the lowdown on how she transformed an old, boring barn into her fabulous Garden Hutte! Plus the lavish photographs and layout of the book makes it do double duty as a hipster coffeetable book.

I'm astounded at those who found no "substance" in this joyous and lyrical work. This remarkable woman's sincere and candidly expressed love of the old, the shabby, the discarded, ignored, and forlorn -- of things with honest character and a deep beauty when recognized by an open sensibility and given a proper home -- is a fun yet deeply moving (to me) expression of an overwhelmingly authentic heart.

Ms. Carter has a superb eye when she chooses to exercise it (check out which of those decrepit metal chairs on page 172-3 made it home to glory on page 42 -- not to mention the superb "city house" Adirondack chair on page 179, and many other "found" icons throughout). Her prose is both witty and chipper, yet deeply feeling for the simple things of the world, and the homely pleasures they offer.

Of course, everyone will find her accepting to a fault with regard to some item or another; but given her "whole greater than the sum of the parts" approach, its no surprise that these soul-invested objects all manage to find acceptance somewhere.

I feel that I've met a dear friend in the pages of this book; someone who lives the transforming power of love and has invited us into her very special world. To think that this exuberant spirit is not only a full-time junker, but also a wife and mother -- and a VP at Ralph Lauren! I'm curious to know what her husband is, besides one lucky hombre. I'd give a lot of stuff (and tolerate even more) to call a woman of this quality my own. And she takes excellent pictures, too....

I enjoyed looking at all the wonderful ideas that Mary Randolph Carter creates with her salvaged finds. She definitely gives junk a new life and the book will make everyone think twice before throwing out something. She has definitely opened my eyes. Simply, it is just plain fun!