I am so excited to see this book back in print. I bought this book for myself when I was 10 yrs old. My best friend "Ellen" had the book and when I spent the night at her house her mother would read us stories from the Golden Book Of Fairy Tales. Some of my favorite stories are Donkeyskin,Greensnake,and Bluecrest. The pictures are incredible. These are not your average well known fairy tales. I still have my copy and have read it to both my daughters over the years. They are now 17 and 23. My oldest daughter told me about 1 month ago that she saw this book was back in print. I was so happy. I have purchased 5 copies since, and am thrilled. I have taken a copy to work to show my friends and almost everyone has ordered one as it is truely a beautiful and unique book. I have one copy now for each of my daughters,in fact my 17 yr old asked me to read to her again out of it. I hope they will share it with their children and enjoy the stories as much as I did when I was a little girl. Buy this book, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

I own an original print of this book. It was much read and much loved. I even went so far as to have my original book rebound in leather when it was falling apart. I've looked for a second copy for years but just can't afford the $175-$250 price for a vintage copy. I am so pleased to see it is being reprinted and I can buy a new copy in excellent condition. I've ordered this book so I can have a second, less fragile copy and can't wait to get it. The illustrations are stunning and there are many unusual stories not easily found. This book was truly ahead of it's time as it contained stories from many different cultures before that became fashionable. You won't be sorry if you buy this book.

All my life I have been interested in fairy tales(I'm now 34).Never have I seen a better collection.They are all so beautifully illustrated,that I bought one copy for a Scandinavian child,who doesn't even speak English(and one for myself).These illustrations are the best fairy tale illustrations I've found in any book.
Many stories here I never read before,indeed,most of them were new to me.In many of them a girl gets to be the hero.I also found many of my favourite stories,like "Cinderella" by Charles Perrault and "The Wild Swans" by H.C.Andersen.If you have a child,or just like fairy tales,buy this book!

Complete is the best way to describe this guidebook. I wasn't planning on visiting the Marin side but was forced to when the fog in San Francisco made it too cold and wet to enjoy the parks and trails. Marin was in complete sunshine everyday.

This book stands apart from all the rest because it was written by hometown authors who definitely know their turf and didn't mince on destinations, more than any other book on the subject. It mades a good companion with the Lonely Planet San Francisco book. If you like to explore the outdoors on your vacation buy this book. It will keep you entertained as well as busy.

We mountain biked in Marin and along the coast line of San Francisco using this book as our guide. We began our morning ride with misty views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio, then crossed the span and discovered all sorts of cool trails that connected to sunny Mount Tamalpais. This book has very good access information to all the open space area trails and even includes a two page list of places to take my retriever. Packing alot of sports into one volume makes this book very valuable to me.

I have reviewed lots of travel-related guidebooks over the years, so I can say with some authority that the Golden Gate Trailblazer--the third title in the popular Trailblazer series--is a real find. Although I lived for a number of years in the San Francisco/Marin area, I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of new information I learned about this most wonderful place. The choices of hikes, walks, jogs, and off-road (and sometimes on-road) cycling options are simply overwhelming. The "Best of San Francisco and Marin" section thankfully helps to break down all these choices into dozens of useful categories to help you get to where you want to go faster (for example: Short Walks to High Places; Wildflowers; and Raptors and Woodland Birds; Family Rides; Beach Runs; etc.). The "Free Advise and Opinion" section near the back, while only three pages in length, is nothing short of fabulous in dispensing loads of cryptically written, helpful information and side-splitting humor in equal proportions. And the black-and-white photography throughout the book are stunning in creating a visual sense of place (In my view, the quality of the photos sometimes reaches award-winning status--I would certainly love to see enlargements of some of my favorites!). Including hundreds of trail descriptions, jogging paths, and so forth in a book less than 300 pages long is no mean trick. The Sprouts accomplish this by using a consistent, well-organized, yet compact format, well-selected abbreviations, and carefully crafted yet succinct directions. One important note: This is one book where reading the "How to Use This Book" section will be time well spent. The organization of the book works and works well. But the reader will benefit by taking a moment to orient him or herself. And buying a good street map of the area is another essential, as the authors themselves so indicate. Map drawing, especially in the backcountry of Marin County, is a major challenge and the authors were wise to leave that job to the cartographers. With a copy of the Golden Gate Trailblazer and a good street map in hand you will be ready to explore places you may have never even heard of in a lifetime of living in the Bay Area. And if you are first-time visitors you will be thrilled to have so much well-informed guidance in selecting the activity that is just right for you. And, oh yes, a final tip of the hat to the authors for taking the time to include dozens of good ideas for outdoor exploration for those in wheelchairs and parents who opt to push the little one(s) in a baby stroller.

y Harvey Frommer, 1992, 219 pps, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. At one time New York had three major league teams: the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers. What a time! In the days after World War II, some of the most heady times ever in the city, there was one incredible Baseball Decade. From 1946-57 the New York teams owned baseball. Relive the golden days of the 1950s in this amazing account. And loaded with photos and stats that fans love. Here's to you, Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio.

When the lights came on again after World War II, they illuminated a nation ready for heroes and a city --New York--eager for entertainment. Baseball provided the heroes, and the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers--with their rivalries, their successes, their stars--provided the show. Oisk and Newk, Pee Wee and Skoonj, Ski, Campy, Preacher, Westy, Blacky, Whitey, Yogi, the Yankee Clipper, the Peepul's Cherce, the Old Reliable--New York City Baseball recaptures the golden decade of 1947-1957, when the three New York teams were the uncrowned kings of the city and the very embodiment of the national pastime for much of the U.S. In those ten years, Casey Stengel and his Bronx Bombers went to the World Series seven times; Joltin' Joe DiMaggio stepped gracefully aside to make room for a yong slugger named Mickey Mantle; one Bobby Thomson hit "the shot heard 'round the world"' and the Brooklyn (but not for much longer) Dodgers achieved the impossible by beating the Yankees in the 1955 World Series.

Don't hesitate to buy this marvelous book. It told with an exact and actually atmosphere everything about NYC baseball... when the Giants were called 'Polo Grounders' and the Dodgers 'Da Bums'. The dramatic move also is well explained.

'These Happy Golden Years' is an excellent book. One of the best in the Little House series. Laura is growing up and life for her is getting very interesting.

The book starts off rough for Laura. In order to make money for Mary's schooling, Laura is going away from home for the first time to teach school. She is staying with a family that has a very bitter wife who is not exactly friendly!

When Laura finally returns home she is happy to go back to school, but she is eager to earn more money. So, she helps the town dressmaker on Saturdays.

Mary is coming home for summer and Laura is so excited! The only problem is that she is staying with the dressmaker and her daughter out on their claim. Will Laura be able to go home and see Mary!?

As the book progresses Almonzo Wilder becomes even more a part of Laura's life. It is so sweet to read these two getting closer and more interested. Laura even helps Almonzo break some horses!

This book is interesting and sweet and the ending is wonderful! Pick it up today!

This book tells of 3 years of Laura's life between ages of 15, when she first goes out to teach school - to 18, when she gets married.

We witness Laura's growing up and realization that life is changing all around her. Mary is in college, and is independent enough to want to stay with a friend for the summer instead of coming home. It's obvious that Laura's relationship with her sisters and friends in school are changing - in 'Little Town on the Prairie' her school life for example, and her after school or weekend social activities with her friends are a large part of the book, but now we only hear of a few remote incidents, and we hardly hear anything about the going ons there, for instance we don't really get to know Florence, the new 'big girl'. This is partly due to the increasing role of Almanzo Wilder's part in Laura's life, but I think that is also partly due to the fact Laura isn't attending school full time anymore, but rather teaches school herself for a term or two a year.Except for Ida's small part in Laura's wedding, we don't hear of them any more for the rest of the series.

We also see Laura herself change: part of it is what I just mentioned about the change in what she describes in her social life. Another one would be her very detailed description of her clothes and fashions - even though we do hear about her dresses in previous books, she seems much more occupied with them this time, like any teenage girl... In betwen the lines, we do see that the Ingles family is doing better financially - they are improving their house, and can often afford luxuries such as a sewing machine and an organ for Mary.

I did find a few points I didn't like in this book, compared to the previous books in the series:

1) Instead of giving an account of a relatively short period (a year or 2, like in the previous books), we are now covering 3 years, and we usually get an 'in depth coverage' of a relatively short period, or a few remote incidents, then run through a long period which is skipped. Laura only described her first school with as much details as I was used to in her previous books, but the next 2 schools are hardly mentioned... It isn't as bad as her descriptions in 'The First Four Years', but it's still noticeable.

2) We get a lot more of Almanzo, while we get less of the pioneer life of that era... This is an autobiography of Laura's life, not a history book, I admit, but I think that the historical and cultural element of these books has been a major attraction for readers, especially the older ones.

This book tells about Laura Ingalls Wilder's teenage life. She goes from care free child to grown school teaching adult. The book shows what it was like to be a teenager in the late 1800's. What kind of parties they had, for instance sleigh rides and birthday. Plus, what it was like falling in love and courting!This book is a lot of fun and a wonderful conclusion to the "Little House" books. If you have any time at all I would really recommend reading this delightful book!

BLAST OFF is not only a beautiful book to behold it is researched by and with the help of fans who love the space toys of the 30's, 40's and 50's. The team at Dark Horse has given space toy fans a bookmark in the history of childhood toys.

BLAST OFF includes photos and information on toys inspired from the space heroes of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon to the Space Opera heroes of Space Patrol, Tom Corbett, Rocky Jones and other role models of the 1950's. There are chapters on the English toys and the robots from Japan along with well-researched sections and chapters on the makers of the space toys of our childhood, Archer, Marx and Pyro. Many of the toys displayed in this book are rare and hard to find items that have not been seen before now.

However, the backbone of the book is the interviews with collectors and fans of space toys. Why we remember and kept these playthings of our childhood is as interesting as the fantastic photos and ads that are generously spread throughout the book.

I found that I would move back and forth between chapters, reading about the toys that I remembered but had not seen in many years. It brought back many good memories along with information and research that should be saved and shared with future generations.

A must have book for any science fiction or space toy collector. Thank you Dark Horse Books and the creative team of Mark, Steve and Mike for bringing us this fantastic slice of childhood back to life. I hope BLAST OFF stays in print for many years to come as a reference point in the history of not just toys but SPACE TOYS!!!!

Blast Off! does what other collector's books only pretend to do. Collector books usually center around value guides, and pass themselves off as glorified shopping lists for toy shows and antique malls. Other books forego any knowledge of the subject whatsoever, and go with photographic essays of the nostalgia craze. A third sort of book tells long stories about growing up in some bygone era. All three sorts of books have, understandably a small readership and limited popular appeal.

The authors of Blast Off!, on the other hand, did the hard work of writing a real book, somehow combining it with the best photos and graphics I've seen in a collector's book, and sprinkling in enough anecdotes and oral histories to keep it interesting. This book is a major effort from an accomplished team: a knowledgeable collector, a lively writer, and an avid fan and history buff--the last being Mike Richardson, publisher of Dark Horse comics and owner of the Things from Another World sci-fi comic shops.

Blast Off! launches itself as an overview/ intro to the golden age of space toys, but its appeal is really wider than that. This is a book collectors will want, not simply to locate market values for haggling at the junk shop, but to remind them what they like about their hobby. Beautiful and imaginative graphics evoke the promise and wonder of the space age, but the book is so lively and informative I had to read it twice: once to read the captions and look at the pictures, and again just enjoying the text.

It's impossible to overstate how great this book is. The photographs are incredibly clear and bright, and the subject matter is drawn from endlessly rich collections. Books like this tend to fall through the cracks--not really appealing to the general reader, and yet not in-depth enough for the collector. But a reader from the first category who casually glances at this book may find a new interest, and seasoned collectors may find rarities they didn't know existed. Every era has volumes that define it; for the space age, that would be Blast Off!

BUY THIS BOOK!!! "Why?", you may ask. Well, aside from being the definitive book on space toys, BLAST
OFF! gives you more color photos of incredible space toys than you have ever seen at one time and in one place.
We all have fond memories of some space toy from our childhood. Trying to recapture our past, we may even
buy back one or two of these toys at a swap meet or toy show.
Going one step further, we now start buying books, magazines, or auction catalogues featuring space toys. All
these serve as our mental guide to what's "out there".
Initially, this method succeeds; eventually, however, it fails because the photos we've assembled are in black and
white while our memory of these toys is in true, living color.
Enter S. Mark Young with his book, BLAST OFF! Any space toy you ever had or read about, along with others you've never seen before, is photographed here in color so real that you can almost reach into the page and take out whatever wind-up rocket, disintegrator pistol, or bubble helmet your heart desires.
And, for those fans starved for information, wait until you read the chapter on Archer Plastics! Did you know that
the first Archer space playset and the first Marx space playset debuted at the same time? The year was 1952.
So, don't wait, don't hesitate, order your copy now. Be the first kid on your block to own a copy of S. Mark
Young's BLAST OFF!

The story of little black Sambo is truly a classic from all who remember it from our childhood.Helen Bannerman wrote this story for her two little children while traveling with them by train across India. If people would LOOK AT THE ILLUSTRATIONS they would see that Sambo is a little Indian boy from India, continents away from America and the Cival war and or South. I ran 2 independant bookstores some 12 to 14 years ago and when I finally found THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO in print again I'd order maybe 60 copies a week and could not keep this wonderful little storybook in stock. Almost every buyer were grandparents who could not wait to introduce their grandchildren to a book we all knew and loved. It is a must have for all collectors of wonderful literature!

When my wife asked me to try and find several classic children's books for her new baby grandson, I smiled at the mention of the titles, recalling with great fondness the stories being read to me by my mother when I was a child. Little Black Sambo was one of those stories. It is, of course, a shame that there arose some time ago individuals who equated the story with "racism". To the intelligent mind, it is truly a pity that some are so intent to find "racism" that they will envision same where none even vaguely exists.Such is the case with this fanciful, harmless classic story for children; a story that has been told to generations of children who have listened in wonder as the tigers melted into butter for (the little Indian boy) Sambo's pancakes!It is a story that returns one to a simpler time, long before child psychologists, political correctness (and who indeed is qualified to judge what is or is not CURRENTLY "correct"? Perhaps we're better off not knowing their identities, God help us!), shootings committed by school children, and all the other wonders of this wonderful Modern Age.Little Black Sambo is an American classic. As for racism: it can be found wherever one desires to find it. And if it exists not where they look, tis easy enough to invent.

A wonderful childhood book to read again even now at age 52.

The pictures of the tigers, bright clothing and how to make butter are still fresh in my mind from that story. I ran around that tree with that little boy, time and time again and I am glad that we are able to have this book available to share with our children and grandchildren.

I decided to buy this book after reading the many great editorial reviews, for example, Anthony Parente (author and columnist) calls The Golden Milestone the "bible of Italian culture and heritage." I have to say that he is right !!! But the books offer much more than facts about Italian achievements. Mr. Esposito's writing style borders on creative non-fiction. His introduction is well written, but by the time I got to the end of his first chapter I found humor in his writing style, as well. The book is gently peppered with some humorous points and short personal comments that pleasantly surprise the reader periodically. I can't say enough good things about the book, you have to read it to discover the lost heritage of Italians. Italians and Italian-Americans can re-discover their heritage in Mr. Esposito's book. Read and enjoy !!!!

I decided to buy this book after reading the many great editorial reviews, for example, Anthony Parente (author and columnist) calls The Golden Milestone the "bible of Italian culture and heritage." I have to say that he is right !... But the books offer much more than facts about Italian achievements. Mr. Esposito's writing style borders on creative non-fiction. His introduction is well written, but by the time I got to the end of his first chapter I found humor in his writing style, as well. The book is gently peppered with some humorous points and short personal comments that pleasantly surprise the reader periodically. I can't say enough good things about the book, you have to read it to discover the lost heritage of Italians. Italians and Italian-Americans can re-discover their heritage in Mr. Esposito's book. Read and enjoy !...

This book has a wealth of information on Italian Heritiage. The author conveys this info in a way which is not only informative but fun to read and explore. This is a must read for students who are either taking Italian as a language elective or would like to understand more about Italian culture than would ever be discovered in a traditional history book. It gets my highest endorsement!!

Yosh!! Although I did not read the book until after seening the show, I was impressed with the writing. This is amoung the best novelizations I have ever read, I could actually envision the story all over again. Unfortunately I realised that there was a part missing [at least 3 episodes]. This is where my gripe lies, as I was unable to see the last episode in its entirety. I was depending on the book to fill in all the blanks but alas that was not to be. Hopefully there will be a continuation,(hint hint) and I will actually find out happened.

Okay, I had watched the entire TV series, I had chatted online about it, and decided that I loved it. Now the only thing left to do was to read the novelization. "Ughh," I had groaned under my breath with aversion, as most other such books I've read in my life have proved to be disappointing, to say the least. But in the end, it would be an understatement to say that it did not in the least disappoint. In fact, it was terrific, and Christie Golden did a great job in turning a wonderful series into an intelligent novel. So imagine how stupid I must have felt, a grown woman sitting at home reading a book based on an animated series, when I realized that I was unconsciously holding my breath at all the exciting moments, and crying out "Yosh!" along with the characters when they succeeded at something. It's okay, though, because if I had to relive my childhood fantasies of being a hero through a book, I wouldn't be able to think of a better book to ! recommend than this one right here.

Golden is a normally "easy read" writer, and the stories are entertaining. Invasion America positively screams for a sequel! Maybe because it is Earth involved...I do not know....but I am chewing my knuckles, hoping for a follow-up, and not Nearly as interested in the series as in the next book!

This book was really cool, it had almost everything you ever wanted to know about the Spice Girls. This book definitly deserves well over 5 stars!! It has a chapter about every girl and how they grew up. Did you know that, Oh, I won't spoil anything- you have to find out yourself!

This book has taught me more about the Spice Girls Phenomenon. It's a unbelievable book. Out of all the Sipce Girls books I have read, this one is tops! I love it! And I love the Spice Girls, too!!

THIS BOOK IS REALLY COOL! I AM A REALLY BIG FAN OF TEH SPICE GIRLS AND IT TOLD ME A LOT OF STUFF I DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE! IT'S ALSO A VERY GOOD WRITTEN BOOK. IT'S VERY SAD THAT GERI LEFT THE GROUP, BUT I HOPE THERE ARE MORE BOOKS ON THE SPICE GIRLS! GIRL POWER FOREVER!

"The Lost Slayer: Prophecies" is part one of a four-part series by long time Buffy-writer Christopher Golden, set at the beginning of season four as the gang settles into college. Or at least Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer, is trying to settle into college - after three disasterous years at Sunnydale High, she's determined to juggle her responsibilities as the Slayer and the daily life of Buffy Summers perfectly. But raising such standards upon herself can only end in tears as her stress level rises what with angry lecturers, late assignments, nightly vampire patrols and added tension between herself and best friend Willow Rosenburg.

But things really begin to get complicated when two new forces present themselves: a highly organised group of vampires that seem to suck not just blood, but energy from their prey, and the spirit of a past Slayer - the legendary Lucy Hanover, a Slayer of the 1800's. From Lucy comes a message from an otherworldly Prophet: that a great evil is one its way due to a mistake that Buffy herself has made; and from the bat-tattooed vampires comes a link to the Mayan bat-god Camazotz.

But things go from bad to worse when a stake-out at the habormaster's office turns sour, and the gang summon the Prophet to gain more information. But with this action, Buffy is catapulted forward in time, from a nineteen year old to a twenty-five year old, in an entirely new world from what she has ever known...

And there is ends. As one might expect, it finishes right when it begins to get exciting, and the frustration begins when you realise you're going to have to track down three more books in order to finish the story. For this reason, I strongly suggest getting hold of the four-book set published in one volumne to eliminate this problem. By itself, "Prophesies" is a promising, but rather slow start. Though the main components of the new sect of vampires, the spirit visits and the comparison between Buffy-the-Slayer and Buffy-the-Person are interesting, the continual fight and research scenes between them are a little sluggish. The "fight" between Buffy and Willow seems rather forced, but I enjoyed the role of Lucy Hanover - a character never seen in the television series, but who appears regularly in novelisations: (see "The Gatehouse Keeper trilogy" and "Immortal") The Slayer past that she represents is fascinating, as well as virtually unknown - because of this it is one of the open avenues that writers can explore more freely in the books.

The problems with novelisations based on existing material is that the author can't really extend the situations and the characters at the risk of contradicting past or future episodes on T.V. For that reason all the Buffy books seem to exist in a static world all of their own - you know before you start reading that none of the main characters are going to perish, and that the author has to get the all situations back to how it started in order to remain within the context of the T.V. series.

But all in all, it is a quick, entertaining read. All the characters are true to their portrayal in the television series, and readers will always enjoy the cute little references to things like Amy the rat and Olivia's plane-visits. Though it takes a while getting there, it sets up an interesting enough premise to make you head for the next installment: "Dark Times".

I'm a huge fan of the show, so I've read many of the 'Buffy' books. This first installment to the Lost Slayer serial novels was one of my favorites. It instantly made me want to read the rest. Christopher Golden is one of the best if not the best of the regular 'Buffy' authors. He seems to understand the characters better than any other author and comes up with great stories they could probably never use on the show. He has a terrific imagination! I also highly recommend the Gatekeeper Trilogy.

this book was so good i read it in three hours. it starts out with buffy trying to balance her life as a college freshman and her duties as a slayer. she does a horrible job of it, missing assignments, being rude and abrubt with willow and giles. to add to the slayer's headaches, a group of well organized vampires have hit sunnydale and she barely escapes with her life. when her and giles go to investigate, giles is taken hostage and the leader of the group gives buffy an ultimate. she of course flees and calles upon the help of lucy hanover(for anyone who does not know a long dead slayer). she tells buffy that she needs to get in contact with a prophet and when she does she tells buffy that she will show her the future so buffy will try to avoid it. what happens next is just too good to tell but i think you get the gist and need to run out to the nearest bookstore and get this copy if you buy no other book in your life. no buffy book has had me this enthralled and i see that the next one is out so i need to go back and get it. you will not be disappointed.