Helen Glidden wrote this gem for the amusement of her children. Lucky for us, she was persuaded to have it published. Now, happily, 50 years hence it's back in print. It's an enchanting story (mostly true) about a large family (13 children) of light house keepers posted to tiny Patos Island in the San Juan Islands of NW Washington State at the turn of the century. It is told through the eyes of the five-year-old, middle daughter and comes complete with smugglers, heroes, a murder or two, colorful characters, whimsy and plenty of humor. Glidden masters the tricky business of writing from the point of view of a youngster growing from five to 13 who, for example, thinks the bushy bearded man living on the lam in their forest and know only to her is God. The author was this girl.

This book if fun to read, Good writing, Makes you laugh and cry. You will have a great time with this book.

In 1953 as a 10 year old living in upstate New York, I read The Light On The Island and was mesmerized by the adventures of Angie and her family on Patos Island. Living on an island with a lighthouse, surrounded by marine animals and birds, rowing about in boats, exploring the beaches, coves and woods of Patos was a dreamworld away from mine. The book remained one of my favorite childhood books,[ I still have the book---its dustcover in tatters] so imagine how I felt when 16 years later I met my husband, who was from the Seattle area and we eventually moved there and Angie's world was in my backyard. Four years ago we took our sailboat up to Patos and we walked the beaches, "the petticoats" of Patos Island. For young and old alike, The Light On The Island explores the world of a child, the dreams, the harsh reality, the innocence, life and death, and growing up. Read it for the first time, read it again, ---it will light up your day!

This is both an excellent and beautiful collection of
love poetry collected from many different poets, male
and female, and from many different eras, and from
many different lands...but the focus is Love...and the
responses to Love...
The poems are grouped in sections. The titles of
the sections are: Definitions and Persuasions; Love
and Poetry; Praising the Loved One; Pleasures and
Pains; Fidelity and Inconstancy; Absence, Estrangement,
and Parting; Love Past.
The "selecter" and editor, Peter Washington, says
the best words about the nature, scope, and purpose
of this book in his "Foreword": "My selection of poems
for the anthology which follows has been guided by
simple principles. Each piece had to be first-rate
in its own way, and each had to contribute something
distinctive to our understanding of love. Where there
is similarity of mood, there is difference of emphasis;
where there is repetition of an idea, there is variety
in music. The juxtaposition of apparently comparable
lyrics brings out their differences, and although the
poems are arranged in broad categories which follow
an obvious sequence, it is the echoes they set up in
one another which enrich them all."
-- Peter Washington.
There are so many fine poems that it is very difficult
to pick a sample--but this is very fine indeed:
* * * * * * * * *
In the moonlit chamber, always she thinks of him
Soft wisps of silken willows, languor in the air
of spring.
Verdant were the grasses beyond the gates;
At their parting, she heard the horses neigh.

Draperies patterned of gold kingfishers;
Within, fragrant candle melts in tears.
Falling petals, the morning plaint of the cuckoo,
Green-gauze windows -- fragments of an illusive
dream.

-- Wen T'ing-Yun (?813-870)
[Trans. William R. Schultz]

I love this little book. It's chock full of poetic gems, yet each one is so different. The differences in variety are surprising...there are different moods, cadences, emphases.

The poems are arranged in broad categories and follow a rather natural progression from the joys of meeting to the pleasures and pains of being "in love," to an absence of one's beloved and past loves.

Some poets are represented more extensively than are others. These include John Donne, Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova and Christina Rossetti, among others. I don't think anyone who loves good poetry will complain about his disproportionate representation, however. The poets named above are so good, and their ideas so universal, that not repeating them would have been the mistake.

Although all of these poems concentrate on a universally recognized aspect of love, the perspectives vary sharply. There are poems from ancient India, classical Greece, medieval Japan, renaissance England, 19th century France and modern-day America.

The one quality all of these poems share is first-rate writing. You will no doubt find some poems you prefer over others, but you won't find poems that are "better" than others. They are all of the highest quality.

Another thing I like about this series of books is their size. They're small enough to carry in a purse or even a laptop case. I read mine on the train, on the bus, while waiting for the bus, anywhere, really. I couldn't think of a way to improve them.

This is probably the finest collection of love poems that I have ever seen. Peter Washington, the editor, picked some of the most beautiful poems that I have heard. I was happy to see that many of my favorites like "To His Mistress Going to Bed" by Donne,"Tonight I Can Write" by Neruda, and "She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep" by Graves made it into this book. This collection had all of those poems that just have to be any any love collection. The great thing about this collection, though, is the many poems included that are not so well known. There are quite a few poems translated into English for this anthology which are gorgeous. Some of my favorites that I did not know before this collection are "Love is Not" by Marcus Argentarius, "The Lord is Not Merciful" by Anna Akhmatova, and Pushkin's "I Loved You." No poems outside of this collection capture love any better. Any lover of good poetry should buy this wonderful collection. It is the definative anthology of love poetry.

This is one of the best biographies ever written. A wonderful piece about an interesting man.

Take a fascinating subject-- Edward Bennett Williams. Add a highly-skilled author with remarkably deep interviewing and archival research skills-- Evan Thomas. Put in a lot of hard work. And presto-- you have Thomas' "The Man To See," one of the most thorough biographies ever written (I have read many hundreds).

Edward Bennett Williams was one of the most dynamic men of the 20th Century-- a great figure of destiny whose life would have seemed emptier had not Evan Thomas been his biographer. EBW was a self-made man in the days where one could still achieve that accolade. He was no spoiled yuppie of family money. Bright, hard-working, forward-thinking, compassionate and disciplined-- and a wonderful rogue!-- this was Edward Bennett Williams. Warts and all, Evan Thomas presents the larger-than-life lawyer who pioneered criminal law practice in postwar America, bringing the constitution into the 20th Century. He sought power for the purpose of doing good, after doing well. Thomas interviewed practically every living person with whom EBW had a conversation or situation.

I am re-reading "The Man to See" for the fourth time in ten years. It remains fresh and fun. What a brilliant book!

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. It is a great story about a great man. I read a lot of biographies and I can tell when the author is fauning over his subject - just read some of Robert Slater's books on Jack Welch. Thomas book did none of that. Thomas made you feel that he was giving an accurate and true account of Williams life. Of couse Thomas was helped by selecting a subject that was larger than life, a one of a kind person both in legal talent and raw personality. This book is right up there with "Vince", Michael O'Brien's biography of Vince Lombardi. Interestingly, Lomardi and Williams were very much alike - both very religious yet profane, and above the rest of their competitors in their chosen fields. They were also both like to drink, were emotional and quick to say exactly what they thought or felt about something. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read biographies about great men.

This book is great! I think that Anne (NOT MORROW) Lindbergh's books are way too out-of-print and that Amazon (hint, hint)should start getting more copies. It's about a group of families who can't leave the street where they live. They don't age and have been traveling since 1939. They are invisible to ordinary people. A boy 'sees'one of them and is invited to stay in Pineapple Place. But the founder of Pineapple Place, Mr. Sweeney, puts his foot down...

This book was first read to me by my fourth grade teacher and I instantly fell in love with it...I have read this book several times and needless to say I love it more and more everytime I read it... I think it is a great book that helps kids cope with issues that have become so common in our world today. I will graduate from college next year to become a teacher and will read this book to my students and hope that they will enjoy it just as much as I did when my teacher read it to me.

The book is about a boy who moves from Vermont because his parents have divorced. In his new town he doesn't have any friends, until he sees a street that begins on P Street that is invisible to almost everyone but him. The people who live on this street are very nice. At the beginning the book was a little boring, but when you got to the middle it started getting exciting and I could not put it down. Towards the end, the book was exciting and a little sad. The ending was happy and sad at the same time, depending upon who you are thinking about. My favorite part of the book was when there was a party in Pineapple Place and August gave strange gifts to each person living in Pineapple Place.

Before this one, many other books provide the one-sided view from Washington by war historians, scholars and analysts (who did not know off-hand the combat and strategic position at the time nor the moral, spirit and willingness to fight by the young and heroic Special Branch Commandos). These books were based largely from declassified War Department MACV-SOG material since 1995, with few interviews with actual SB personnel. The sacrifice these Commandos made (in secrecy from 1956 to 1975) were not told the way it deserves in these books.

At Paris, in 1972, the Lost Commandos had been totally ignored by Henry Kissinger. Their American team members got released while the Vietnamese are kept 10 years or longer in prisons. Years later, these Commandos are betrayed again and cheated of the praise they deserve in many books by American writers.

Finally this is one of the two books (the other is by Ken Conboy and Dale Andrade) about the secret war waged by the CIA and Colonel Ngo The Linh's Special Branch. Mr. Tourison interviewed the Vietnamese side and have made great effort to provide a more complete and accurate account of success and failure of CIA & Special Branch and SOG & Coastal Security Service.

Many of these young SB Commanods died in North Vietnamese cruelest prisons. The rest spent between 15 to 22 years in hard-labor prisons until 1982.

Their stories are now finally told...

Before this one, many other books often provide one-sided view from Washington by war historians, scholars and analysts (who did not know off-hand the combat and strategic position at the time nor the moral, spirit and willingness to fight by these young, heroic and patriotic Special Branch Commandos). These books were based largely from declassified War Department MACV-SOG material since 1995, with few interviews with actual SB personnel. The sacrifice these Commandos made (in secrecy from 1956 to 1975) were not told the way it deserves in these books.
At Paris, in 1972, hundreds of these Commandos had been betrayed by Henry Kissinger and their American allied. The American team members got released while the Vietnamese are kept 10 years or longer in prisons. Years later, they are still cheated by many books that often lack the acknowledgement of their heroic sacrifice.

Finally this is one of the two books (the other is by Ken Conboy and Dale Andrade) about the secret war conducted by the CIA and Colonel Ngo The Linh's Bureau 45B (or Special Branch). Mr. Tourison interviewed many Vietnamese commandos & case officers and have made great effort to provide a more complete and accurate account of success and failure of CIA & Special Branch and SOG & Coastal Security Service.

Many of these Commandos died in North Vietnamese cruelest prisons, the rest spent between 15 to 22 years in hard-labor. Their stories are now finally told.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you Mr. Tourison.

Before this one, many other books often provide one-sided view from Washington by war historians, scholars and analysts (who did not know off-hand the combat and strategic position at the time nor the moral, spirit and willingness to fight by these young, heroic and patriotic Special Branch Commandos). These books were based largely from declassified War Department MACV-SOG material since 1995, with few interviews with actual SB personnel. The sacrifice these Commandos made (in secrecy from 1956 to 1975) were not told the way it deserves in these books.

At Paris, in 1972, hundreds of these Commandos had been betrayed by Henry Kissinger and their American allied. The American team members got released while the Vietnamese are kept 10 years or longer in prisons. Years later, they are still cheated by many books that often lack the acknowledgement of their heroic sacrifice.

Finally this is one of the two books (the other is by Ken Conboy and Dale Andrade) about the secret war conducted by the CIA and Colonel Ngo The Linh's Bureau 45B (or Special Branch). Mr. Tourison interviewed many Vietnamese commandos & case officers and have made great effort to provide a more complete and accurate account of success and failure of CIA & Special Branch and SOG & Coastal Security Service.

Many of these Commandos died in North Vietnamese cruelest prisons, the rest spent between 15 to 22 years in hard-labor. Their stories are now finally told.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you Mr. Tourison.

I highly recommend this book to interns. it covers most of the topics that you may encounter on your internship oncall. it cover the subjects stepwise and you will know what to do next. it is very helpfull if you are alone and nobody around to tell you what to ask or what to order or how to handle the case. it is very easy to use and not time consuming to find a topic fast when you are oncall and time is short.

This is one of the best books you will buy as a medical student or intern. It is a requirement for your pocket. At Barnes-Jewish Hospital they give this to all the interns in July. If you know read it a couple times it will make internship easy...except for the 100 hours a week you will put into the job...Honestly...BUY IT- I would have bought it in medical school if I knew about it.

Buy this book if you are a fourth year medical student or intern

Dr. Hilfiker's account is sad, rugged, and filled with faith and hope all at the same time! This doctor has set an example that would be worth following for doctors and nurses in the future who truly wish to make a difference in the world. Well-edited and sprinkled with humor this is a tremendously satisfying book to read. Well worth the money, this is legitimate inspiration. Hats of to Dr. Hilfiker and staff and may his tribe increase!

NOT ALL OF US Are Saints is a compellingly honest portrayal of both the brokenness of the people Hilfiker cares for day in and day out, and his intimate wrestlings with doubt, discouragement, and anger. The title speaks of the humility with which he approaches the task.

He confesses early in the book, while still living upstairs in Christ House:

"I live on the mainland of our society. No matter what route I choose, what decisions I make, I will always have a secure route back. The men downstairs live on an island, separated from me by waters deep and unbridgeable....

"The spiritual discipline of "voluntary poverty" has nothing in common with the oppression and despair of the ghetto. There is nothing beautiful or romantic in frostbitten toes or minds destroyed by alcohol, in lives crushed by the weight of indifferent history and cultural negligence....We betray those caught in [poverty's] web by romanticizing it or imagining that we-by divesting ourselves of some bits of our privilege-can choose to enter it. The landscape of poverty is inaccessible to most of us. We can barely imagine the scenery.

"But neither is it possible to live as a privileged person within the world of the very poor without undergoing some changes."

The stories Hilfiker relates about his patients are difficult to read. They start to sound tragically similar, and we are left longing for hope. But there are few "success stories" to tell, as anyone who is acquainted with the inner city knows.

Heartfelt--and heartrending--Not All of Us Are Saints paints a disturbing picture that America needs to see. It is important reading, both for those who have yet to have their eyes opened, and for those who live enmeshed in the issues with which Hilfiker daily struggles. It is honest, and truly courageous, guidance for the journey.

Dr. Hilfiker's book should be required reading of every medical student, physician, social worker, and minister. It should also be required reading of individuals and organizations, medical or not but especially medical, who in any way must brush up against or who work directly with the poor. An excellent read with profound implications.

For years I heard how this was _the_ book to buy if you were into Elizabethan costuming and wanted authentic items that could be documented. The book is good for that, and I enjoyed the style that Ms.Arnold wrote it in.

But I have two major gripes with the book-both regarding the quality of graphics and images in it.

First off-in the whole book there are only about 5 pages in color. The rest of it-including hundreds of portraits, examples of extant clothing pieces and pieces of embroidery were all in black and white. I complain about that because, with so many of the portraits quoted as examples it would help if they could be seen clearly. (Many of them are too dark to have reproduced well, and a few are quite horrible.) And the photographs....

If they could reprint this book and possibly include more color plates it would be a much much more valuable resource. As it stands now, it is a good source, but not all that I could have hoped for. Instead I have begun a search for color reproductions of the portraits cited in the book. A long tedious job but one that I think over all will make it a much more solid resource for my needs.

This is one of the best books ever written on the subject of Elizabethan Costuming. It mainly contains all of the details of Queen Elizabeth I wardrobe but it has unique points in the society that surrounded the dresses. This book helps to explain the Gloriana image that became so popular and it helps us to understand all the little details that went into the dress of the period. Detailing costumes using portraits and explaining how the fashion progressed makes this book a must for anyone interested in Renaissance Faires and the nobility. The only drawback is that very very few of the portraits and pictures are in color. I think a total of about 7 are in color the rest is in black and white. The only way to make this book more appealing and usable would be to put all of the portraits and pictures in color, but that would make the book even more expensive. After this must have book the 2nd on the shelf should be a J. Hunniset book (the lady who did all the costuming for Elizabeth R and The Six Wives of Henry the VIII produced by BBC). Next, any Janet Arnold book. Last, would be the Norris book: Tudor Costuming and Fashion (although most of this book is very outdated it is nice to look at). All of these are must haves and will make a well rounded library. Dispite the high price of the book it is worth posessing. Enjoy.

For the historical costumer focused on 16th century clothing, this is the "bible" hands down. Big, expensive, and filled with the usual detail that is the hallmark of Janet Arnold, this is one very worthwhile investment for the serious costumer. This book has one tiny drawback, in that it focuses entirely on women's fashion in the 16th century as viewed through the wardrobe accounts of Queen Elizabeth I and some of her contemporaries. Therefore, it has nothing to say on the topic of men's clothing, which is an unfortunately neglected aspect of 16th century research.

Much of Janet Arnold's most important contributions to the costuming community are addressed in this book, making it extremely valuable. She presents each section with satisfying detail, raising very few questions that remain unanswered. The photographs accompanying the text are also invaluable, as many of them are not available in other books or to the general public for viewing. If only there were more color images...

If you can afford the book, you won't regret buying it.

My daughter (toddler) got this book for Christmas, and asks for us to read it again and again. She also enjoys looking at the beautiful illustrations all by herself.

The book explains what every kindergarten student should know about the Presidency by using animals to grab the attention of young readers. It is not over simplified, leaving plenty of room for questions and looking up supplimental information.

There are not a lot of resources for parents who have very young children interested in government. The books in this series are very age-appropriate and informative. Even if your child is not specifically interested in government, it is a good story with some beneficial information.

Woodrow, the White House Mouse and the whole series are fantastic. Illustrator, Cheryl Shaw Barnes does an amazing job of bringing the White House to life with her beautiful watercolor and ink drawings. The rhyming text in each of the books is hilarious and instructive. These books will stay in our family library forever - treasures all!

Peter and Cheryl Barnes have taken the stuffiness out of the office of the presidency and written a picture book full of solid information that's perfect for youngsters 4-8 years old. Told in rhyme, Woodrow G. Washingtail's administration parallels that of his human counterpart. From his inauguration to work in the oval office, from sending bills to congress and meeting with foreign heads of states, to hosting the Easter egg roll and artistic events in the East Room, Woodrow explains how the president does his job. Cheryl Barnes' charming, detailed illustrations show actual White House rooms, furnishings and decor and Woodrow's first lady Bess is even wearing Mamie Eisenhower's gown, at the inauguration ball. At the end of the book, there are historical notes for teachers and parents, about the presidency and White House, to help expand discussions and lessons. Woodrow the White House Mouse is a delightful book, chock full of fun facts, history, and amusing descriptions that kids will find interesting and enjoy again and again.

In the final months of the Civil War, Virginia, now 10, and her family move to Washington, D.C., where the cold winter brings uncertainty and hardship. But just as things start to improve ­ her father gets a job and the war finally comes to an end ­ the tragic assassination of Ginny's beloved President Lincoln occurs. In this, her second diary chronicling the Civil War, Ginny learns that life is constantly changing.

This "My America" diary of ten-year-old Virginia Dickens gives us a glimpse of the nation's capital during the Lincoln presidency--the joy at his election, the despair when he dies; the challenges of finding work for newcomers like Virginia's father and even Virginia herself. The book is easy to read with large text and a diary format, as well as historical notes and pictures at the end. It is a touching though not adventurous story that gives life to the Civil War era off the battlefield.

Also recomended: All the other Dear America books

Hi,I am doing a book review on After The Rain.The author of After The Rain is Mary Pope Osborne.There are 98 pages if you want to know.The genre of my book is realistic fiction.
The setting of this book is the Civil War around the 1800's.
This book is about this young girl who has envy(which means jealousy)See what all of this means by After The rain.
The 3 reasons I like this book are because it is exciting and it is about a Virgina's Civil War diary.2 The girl's father plays at Fords New Theatre.3 There lives turn around when she changes her live.I all like these reasons because this book has many changes And excitement.I would only recommend this book to people who like historical fiction and My America books.If you want to read this book go to your library or your local library.
Go and read After The Rain.See you later !!!! bye!!!!

Ten-year-old Virginia Dickens, her father, brother Jed, and Jed's wife Jane Ellen, have left Gettysburg to move to Washington, D.C. There they hope to start a new more prosperous life. Jed hopes to find a nice job but ends up with a low-paying job that he hates. After Ginny's dad gets injured during work the family finds themselves no even being able to send Ginny to school because they need her to work too to make ends meet. So Ginny finds herself having to work as a house servant in a wealthy family. To the Dickens winter seems very bleak and long. The only bright spot is the baby Jed and Jane Ellen are expecting. Finally when the war finally comes to an end and thing seem to be getting better Ginny must face the awful news that her hero President Abraham Lincoln had been assasinated. Ginny learns that life is constantly changing and you have to take both the sweet and the bitter.