I grew up reading Mr. Butterworth's books on racing. The main character's venture back and forth from stock cars to Formula One is a racer's dream. The humor and heartache of the racer is both realistic and gripping. I am probably Mr. Butterworth's biggest fan.

The Grand Review is not only about the climatic end of the Civil War, but rather the beginning of modern America. For students of Civil War history, this book provides rare insights into an event that is still part of America. The writing that describes the two-day parade marking the end of the war is griping in its detail. And the authors forcefully make the point that although the fighting has long since ended, many of the forces that led to war remain with us. A compelling read for any person interested in American history.

In 1896 South Bass Island, Ohio, tomboy Tess Barrett has two reasons to be excited. Today is her twenty-first birthday and her fiancé, Peter Maxwell, Captain of the Lady of Lake Erie steamboat, is returning home after a few months sailing. Tess is elated, but is concerned that she and Peter have quarreled over her outrageous behavior and his disenchantment with the island that she loves.

However, their reunion goes poorly as Peter is attracted to another woman, who quotes and enjoys Shakespeare like he does. Tess finds her world further out of control when her father hires Adam Nichols as the new vinedresser for the family wine business. She regards him as a malicious beast, while Adam thinks that Tess is a pampered brat. However, the feuding pair somehow falls in love with each other. Still, with the lack of mutual respect and her prior engagement, even the matchmaking skills of her father (and clandestinely his father) seems doom to failure.

When it comes to homespun fun, no one writes better novels than Kathryn Kent, whose latest "Our Town tale is a fabulous addition to one of the better American romance series. WINE COUNTRY brings to life the gay nineties with a beautiful story line and terrific characters. The secondary players add a genuine feel to the plot and Adam is a phenomenal lead protagonist because of his flaws. However, it is the unconventional Tess, who turns this book into one of the better historical romances of the year. This reviewer recommends this novel and Ms. Kent's previous book in this series, GRAND RIVER because fans of the sub-genre will have a grand old time.

Harriet Klausner

The book is good because it has stuff on women in baseball and on the Negro leagues. It is good to have that stuff because it is not in books as often. It also has trivia questions and the answers to them. And the illustrations are very nice. It is a good book.

Instead of Luc Tuymans, Anton Chekhov, Vratislav Effenberger, Milton Hatoum, Andrie Platonov, Victor Pelevin, Rebecca Solnit, I found in this issue of Grand Street (no 64) contributions of David Mamet, Suzan Lori Parks, José Saramago, Tony Smith, Tennesse Williams and Pablo Neruda

If you want to complete Vice City with 100% completion, you need to get a copy of this book. Sure, you can find the same information online, but it is much easier to use this convenient manual which gives you the locations and information you need to finish the game. Some of the information in the book could have been expressed more clearly, but it is still a great companion to the game. Recommended!

Reminiscent of the great, neglected "Ceremonial Time," this expertly researched and edited volume provides a ingenious portrait of one place -- in this case, the southwest of Ireland -- over a period of centuries. From shipwrecked sailors to invading soldiers, from Victorian missionaries to modern kayakers, "The Grand Tour" shows Cork's Beara Peninsula through the eyes of visitors who came, saw and wrote. Unknown voices join with writers such as Shaw, Tennyson, Woolf, Kipling and O'Faolain to describe a land, people and culture that changes only infinitesmally until recently.

Written in easy to understand language, this book is both interesting and informative. It provides generalized maps of geologic highlights along the trail, black & white pictures, and drawings which all tie into the informative text sections. Spiral bound with vinyl cover for rough handling during the hike. Highly recommended!

This slender book is very deceiving and I was a bit disapppointed when it first arrived. But after I got into the details, I was very pleased. This book has a wealth of information to help you plan your trip to the Grand Canyon area, with information on everything from climate to lodging to side trips to canyon excursions. This book helped us choose a wonderful-looking cabin right on the rim of the canyon and I am looking very much forward to our trip this fall.

Penzer was one of the few lucky people to enter the Grand Seraglio in the early twentieth century. His book was first published in 1936. Combining his first-hand experience with scholarly European literature, he paints a comprehensive picture of the structure of the palace. In the literal sense of "structure," he focuses on architecture (which was, of course, all he could glean during his brief visit) and includes photographs and floor plans. In the figurative sense, there is a great deal of information on the women of the harem, the eunuchs, and other court officials. There are a few anecdotes, but mostly it is told from a detached perspective about the practical organization of official positions. There is nothing titillating or sensational. Curiously, Penzer does not take any moral position on racism and sexism in his lengthy discussion of castration and sexual slavery. Although he occasionally makes unfounded comments about how the political power of eunuchs and women was responsible for the fall of the Ottoman Empire, this does not color the work significantly. This is a central book for anyone researching eunuch history, as Peter Tompkins' well-known work The Eunuch and the Virgin was heavily based on it, and it continues to influence the scholarly work produced today, three-quarters of a century later. Indispensible for understanding the history of the European and American literature on this subject.