This book, wonderfully written by Dr. Herb Janick, chronicles the life of this small state university from its beginnings as a State Normal School through its current status as a high quality, affordable state university. Janick writes the book as if he were there - his research skills are astounding, and his obvious adoration for the topic are so evident. I would recmmend this book whole-heartedly, even for someone who doesn't know the school or is even interested in attending Western; you'll be glad you know a bit more about the history of this university and the history of the city of Danbury, Connecticut.

I ever read. I am stunned that it has gone out of print. This book got me hooked on perennial gardening as a recent college grad with a postage stamp yard. Frederick McGourty is a devoted and experienced gardener with a wit. He is funny and very informative and the photos of his Connecticut borders are wonderful. He talks about plants as one would discuss neighbors, family, acquaintances and close friends. I have been recommending this book to friends and family for 10 years and own two copies, neither of which I allow out of my sight for more than a few months. If you are a new gardener, track this book down and it will save you years of frustration. If you love to garden, buy this book, don't lend it out, and treat yourself to a great winter read which will recommit you to a rewarding pasttime. If Mr. McGourty ever writes another gardening book I will snap up two copies in a second. He is a national treasure.

This book is incredibly well written. Warner uses beautiful language to captivate her readers. The book is full of information on the historic town of Middletown. It provides great reading and you're sure to get your money's worth. For an even better deal, be sure to check out the copy signed by the author.

Heuman's book is fun & informative. Informative because it gives a rich and realistic account of the institutional roles and norms relevant to the world of plea bargaining. We hear what lawyers and judges really think about the plea bargaining process - plea bargaining is described in terms of economic efficiency, strategic game-playing, gambling (ie calling the other guy's bluff), social work, and even insurance adjusting. Anyone who thinks that for our criminal justice system Gideon's trumpet is the rule rather than the exception will surely realize her naivete after considering Heumann's research. The book is fun because of the candid - often profane - responses (I happen to like the image of lawyers one-upping each other in court using made up cases...). We even hear about the "lighter side" of the study as the young, awkward, and bespectacled researcher barges through the judge's entrance and into a courtroom before a standing audience, much to his embarassment.

I am concerned that the research may be dated. The study may have been valuable in 1973 to contest the "Perry Mason" caricature of the criminal justice system. I would guess that law school graduates and public law students would not be so surprised by the "real world" of plea bargaining in 1998. Not only are we 25 years less naïve than the generation raised on Perry Mason, I think we tend to approach the criminal justice system with the same cynical outlook described in the research. Shows like Perry Mason, and more recently, Matlock and L.A. Law, have since been replaced by NYPD Blue, Law and Order, and Homicide Life On The Street (not to mention the nightly news). Adaptation to plea bargaining roles is surely still necessary, but I would expect that today's newcomers are not taken totally off guard as are Heumann's interviewees. As cynicism, bureaucratization, and even plea bargaining have become more commonplace in our legal, educational, and popular cultures, I would not be surprised if the same research conducted today would have different and less-revelatory results.

I am more concerned about the relevance of the research in the context of contemporary public law literature. As is often the case with political science research (in sub-fields other than political theory, that is) the research itself is top-notch but the theory section (a scant six pages) is somewhat lacking. The book appears to be a welcome addition to literature on plea bargaining and an excellent case for adjusting law school curricula to the real world of criminal justice. I am less clear on the relevance of the research to political science. The book's strength is also its greatest weakness: in presenting a focused and detailed account of the goings-on behind closed doors, the research risks taking the "public" out of public law. The only justification Heumann offers for contesting the "case pressure" thesis is to make a case against the abolition of plea bargaining (p. 2). Yet midway through, the researcher admits that he has only put himself up against a Straw-Man: (p. 117) "prosecutors tend to view the very notion of eliminating plea bargaining as a fake issue, a straw-man proposition." I am even less convinced that the abolition of plea bargaining is a relevant argument in today's context, let alone in 1973.

Fortunately, the research is good enough that it is interesting in its own right despite its dated-ness and questionable relevance to political science. This is good reading, but for today's public law students it is like a pile of even the best home-fried potatoes: to be taken with a grain of salt.

A Pup in King Arthur's Court is about a dog named Wishbone who loves to read and imagines himself as Hank Morgan, a Connecticut Yankee who goes back in time and goes to King Arthur's court. Kids who like stories about dogs should read this book because it is like a 2 in 1 story-book. I don't want to spoil the ending. So get this book if you want to know the ending!

Quarter-Acre Of Heartache is a history of the survival of the Golden Hill Tribe in Trumbull Connecticut told in the words of Chief Big Eagle, spokesman for the oldest and smallest Indian reservation in America. In order to survive, Big Eagle and the tribe have endured many daunting legal, social and physical challenges. A history of injustice unfolds in the words of Big Eagle. Will it continue or will it be reconciled? The victory of building a traditional log cabin on the site of the Golden Hill reservation only comes after incredible legal and personal challenges and delays and more delays. Many black and white photos enrich the biographical text taken by Claude Clayton Smith. In the afterword by the author, it is stated that the entire " question of jurisdiction has been reopened with a new intensity, and the Indian tribes of Connecticut continue to squabble among themselves, as they did over three hundred years ago, while trying to unite in the face of the white man's rule (p. 168)." For varied audiences.

This is a excellent book. Bought after recently buying a kayak. New to kayaking. The book made me want to go to the local lake right then and there. Very descriptive of ponds and lakes with maps. Wish it had a few more entrys. Although I do agree with the authors selection process.

Well, I wasn't joking. One of the quilts in this book is from my family.This book is very personal to me. For sometime, I have been trying to see the family quilt. But due to the age of, it wasn't a good idea to pull it out of storge. I was unable to see it person.

But now, I am so glad it was put in this book. And I now know what it looks like. I understand now,why heirlooms need to be sheared with others.This is part of American History that needs to be sheared with everyone.

This book is not a "how-to" book on quilting. This is like a "text book" on the History of quilts and quiltmakers in Connecticut.

This is real "Americana" quilting shown in this book. The stories are wonderful that go with each quilt,and lots, and lots of color pictures. A quilter's must, who loves Historic quilt designs. As you can see I love the book. :o)

We've all heard the old saw that those who ignore the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. As we face growing environmental crises throughout the globe at the outset of the 21st century, it's critical for those who hope to maintain our planet's delicate balance to understand the history behind environmental movements of the past, and where reformers have succeeded and failed in their efforts to confront a rapidly changing society's impact on the natural world.

In Reasonable Use, Cumbler, an environmental historian at the University of Louisville, traces the dramatic shift New England experienced between the Colonial era and the pre-World War II period. Focusing mostly on the 19th century and the impact of industrialization, overfishing, deforestation and the arrival of dams and cities along the Connecticut River during that time period, Cumbler describes not only how states like Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire reacted to increased pollution but also the characters who drove the responses and how each of the major players reflected broader themes and approaches to humans' role in the natural world.

The major players - people like Henry David Thoreau, Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, George Perkins Marsh and Theodore Lyman - represented the range of elite thinking during that time. The questions they faced regarding the value of fish to an ecosystem, the effect of pollution on populations, the problem of waste disposal and - most important - the comparative merits of industrial progress versus a clean environment, are all questions that we still confront today. Though the unobservant reader may miss it, Cumbler also offers particularly pointed commentary on the critical lessons those who hope to effect environmental reforms today should learn from the failures of those who sought to go up against the entrenched powers of industry in 19th century New England.

So while the casual observer may mistakenly assume that this book will appeal primarily to those with a regional interest in the area and era, in fact Cumbler offers a wealth of judiciously documented thoughts on the nature of the relations of power, paarticularly as they interact when the object of the struggle - the environment - cannot speak for itself.

Also, besides delivering an engrossing and thoughful historical document, Cumbler additionally weaves a compelling tale that maintains the readers interest, even as he shares scientific data regarding such esoterica as the composition of dissolved oxygen in a water system or the workings of fishways in a dam. The book is well-written and deserves a broader audience than merely environmental history buffs. We can all pick up a thing or two from Henry Bowditch et al, and John Cumbler makes the lessons easy to learn.

When you first read this book you will probably think this is the best book ever written, I did! I live in New Hampshire and when I read it I was so entriged by the wording that it just pulled me into the book and I thought I was one of the FBI officers working on the case with them. If you like to read Supense Thriller and Murder books you will diffently want to add this book to your collect like I did. I hope you read this book, and enjoyed it as must as I did. Well, I actually know you will love it so much that you will log on to Amazon.com and order the book as fast you can! ....