John Dickson Carr, who wrote also under the name Carter Dickson (as he did The Unicorn Murders) raised ingenuity to the level of genius, as Kingsley Amis once put it in an essy of the genre. Carr, with apologies to Christie and Queen, was, as to constructing a puzzling whodunnit, in a class by himself, a man without peer.

Whether his detective was Gideon Fell (in those mysteries he wrote under his own name of Carr) or Sir Henry Merrivale (Carter Dickson), he was the supreme master of the classic detective story, and The Unicorn Murders is Carter Dickson at his best.

He was adept at creating atmosphere and was expert at both high and low humor (See The Arabian Night's Murders), and he could pace a story with suspense like no one else (I defy anyone to read the first chapter of The Burning Court and say in all honesty he is not compelled to continue), but what he did that nobody achieved to the extent he did was write stories that dealt with impossible murders--either locked room or miracle murders that would later be reveled to have a rational explanation.

At his best, Carr/Dickson was so good that he usually had some other other characters give an explantion that sounded entirely plausible before Fell or H.M. shot it down and gave the real explanation. These wrong solutions would have been lesser writers meat and drink. Read the stuff in the '30's and '40's.

He also wrote a history in detective story fashion in the '30's, The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey, that is a masterpiece. Great history and great detection.

A vintage whodunit, this book includes wry humour, a subtle feminist commentary regarding women in 1920's society & even a butler! The story is a thoroughly enjoyable diversion (particularly needed in recent weeks). An excellent choice for Charlotte Perkins Gilman fans & anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

This book successfully pulls off the difficult trick of being both a serious scholarly text and an enormously engaging introduction to the history and architecture of Crusader castles for the lay reader. The book is an obvious labor of love, which helps to account for its great charm. You first get a sense of this on the dedication page - "For Xana, with love, to remind her of Syrian days" - whereby Kennedy expresses his appreciation for his daughter's companionship on his rovings around Syria. (In his "Acknowledgements," he also credits his daughter with persuading him "to complete the climb to Bourzey when the spirit was willing but the flesh was getting a bit weak.")

If you needed any further confirmation that Kennedy is a scholar with a puckish sense of humor and a droll wit, you get it at the beginning of his "Note on Names," where he wryly observes that, "Like the naming of cats, the naming of Crusader castles is a complicated problem." Kennedy's writing voice conjures to mind images of a cozy library in some great English country house, where your host relaxes in a satin smoking jacket while both of you swirl brandy in your snifters and discourse about the comparative merits of crumbling castles on the western fringes of Asia. The book's first chapter - a survey of the development of Crusader castle studies from the mid-nineteenth century to the present - beautifully encapsulates Kennedy's discursive style and story-telling skills. "[Emmanuel Guillaume] Rey's life is something of a mystery," he muses, and you want to lean forward from your chair on the opposite side of the fireplace and say, "Tell me more." And he does, with an notable eye for the memorable quote, such as T.E. Lawrence's ironic complaint, while traveling around the Levant in 1909, that he was unable to reach Amman owing to "the unthinking activity of some local Bedawin in tearing up the Hejaz railway."

In form, the book consists of a generally chronological survey of the development of the Crusader castle, with individual chapters on siege warfare and the special features of (respectively) the castles of Templars, Teutonic knights, Hospitallers, and the Muslim princes. Another sign of Kennedy's passionate engagement with this project is the fact that he took all of the 90-some color and black-and-white photographs that illustrate the book himself. (There are also another two dozen plans, sketches, and prints illustrating the text.)

The photographs, together with Kennedy's text, cover not only the well-known structures like Krak des Chevaliers, Belvoir, Saone, and Montfort, but will also introduce you to a fascinating collection of lesser-known castles. Among these are the great Hospitaller citadel of Marqat, near the Syrian coast; the two castles overlooking ancient Petra; and - most curious of all - the cave-castle of al-Halbis Jaldak overlooking the Yarmuk River valley, the subject of a siege memorably described by the twelfth-century historian William of Tyre (which Kennedy helpfully quotes in its entirety). Kennedy's enthusiasm also extends to the humbler fortified towers of the lesser Latin nobility.

Kennedy's secret is plainly that he is both a scholar and a romantic - as anyone who wishes to write effectively about the Crusades should probably be. Let me close this review by quoting his own explanation for his enterprise in producing this book:

"There is something fascinating and frequently moving about forlorn and failed enterprises, those 'old, forgotten far-off things and battles long ago,' however perverse they may now seem. It is impossible for me to stand on the windswept battlements of Crac des Cevaliers, climb to the remote crags of the fortress overlooking Petra or explore the magical stillness of the deserted valley by Bourzey, without feeling a potent mixture of admiration and nostalgia which breathes excitement and emotional commitment into scholarship."

This book can be enthusiastically recommended to history buffs and armchair travelers, as well as to those with a more scholarly basis for their interest.

I bought this book 8 years ago (I'm 20 at the time of this writing) and I was hooked. I've been a fan of horror, ghosts, haunted houses, and all that other good stuff ever since. This is an excellent book to spark interests and is not too scary for younger readers. Don't pass this one up.

This was a family favorite of several of my children and unfortunately now that our copy is shredded, it's also out of print. The Very Best Christmas Present is about a cranky old man who doesn't realize how attached he has become to a stray cat until it stops coming around. Keep this book in a convenient location, it will be read often.

Barbie is very genorious and helping in this story. You should buy it if you like barbie

I have a little bit of a problem with the words 'Modern Classics' usually, but in this case it is appropriate. All five titles are worthy of the prefix.

Midwives is undoubtedly one of the finest pieces of fiction in modern years. Bohjalian mixes suspense with drama to create a masterpiece. Its starts out with a tragic death during labour, which may or may not have been the midwife's fault. As you follow the story through the midwife's daughter's eyes, you discover the truth in what is an interesting finale.

A wonder of translation, The Reader is a fascinating novel of morality and social injustices in postwar Germany, It focuses on the Holocaust through the eyes of 15 year old Micheal, whose older lover Hanna, as it turns out is guilty of unspeakable crimes. Emotional and stirring, The Reader is a must have.

Snow Falling On Cedars is a brilliant mystery set in San Piedro. A Japanese American man is on trial for the murder of a white man. Still reeling from racial distrust, the town is baying for blood, but one man must recover from his own distrust and jilted feelings rooted in his past to discover the truth. Beautifully written and vividly imagined, Snow Falling On Cedars is one of my favourite novels.

Believe the hype, Memoirs Of A Geisha is here to stay. This novel is incredibly popular and rightly so. It uncovers Japan's hidden Geisha trade and stuns us all with its revelations. Through the eyes of Japan's 'most famous Geisha' as we are led to believe, we see it all from the youth up, the training, the social manuevering, the infighting as our very own Geisha struggles with her own morality in her search for happiness.

Cold Mountain is in truth a beautiful love story. Winner of the US national book Award this book is strong, maybe not so as the rest, but entertaining and beautiful in its own right.

And finally, A Lesson Before Dying. Always controversial, this story focuses on a man set for execution. Jefferson is the black man on death row, and as he faces social and racial tensions, his grandmother wishes that someone might teach him to die like a man, and that is where our narrator steps in. Beautiful and poignant, Not to be missed.

So there we have it. Beautiful writing didn't die with Austen, the Brontes and Dickens. 20th century authors may just have what it takes to be classics hundreds of years from now. Read and Enjoy.

I like this book called "Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians" by Ann Braybrooks & Illustrated by Gil DiCicco & this book is like Anna Sewell's Black Beauty book illustrated by Eric Rowe.

I think Gil DiCicco & Eric Rowe are alike & Ann Braybrooks & Anna Sewell are simular too!!!

Here's what happens in chapter 4. & here are my favorite words I like to read from any disney book & it goes:

One night, Cruella's two nasty henchmen, Horace & Jasper kidnapped the puppies.

Horace & Jasper were stealing the puppies so, Cruella DeVil could make a fur coat out of the.

Perdy the dog managed to pull a coat over Horace'S head, confusing him. "Jasper! Jasper!" Horace yelled. "Get me out of here."
Horace stumbles & falls into the fireplace, landing in the flames.
When Horace jumped up, he accidently knocked Jasper into the wall.
More plaster came crashing down, this time on top of the Baduns.
The two dogs race out of the house after the puppies.

In the ending, the dogs go home & that's a happy ending.

This book reminds me of Anna Sewell's book on Black Beauty illustrated by Eric Rowe & you could buy them used & new for both on amazon.com.

I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The story of Cinderella is my favorite. When I was little I would watch this movie over and over. The music the plot itself, it was all so breath taking.This is a great book and I hope there are many more like this to come.

Children love to know what SW favorite color is and her favorite musical instrument.....just to see the reaction in their eyes....it's wonderful.