Islands Out of Time is an engaging, compelling novel. The drama of the end of Atlantis is created through interesting characters and a complex scenario. The esoteric references are well woven through this well written novel. Thompson is a poet and an historian = he brings all his skills into the writing of this book. I wish he'd write more novels.

Very well written. Clear, concise and well researched. Tries to cut through all the misinformation about Gutenberg from all the contemporary rivalries for the honor of the first European printed book. Points out that most of what is known about Gutenberg is from other sources since Gutenberg never wrote about himself. Great piece of detective work.

This book is great for research on Haydn, or for Classical music lovers who want to know more about their favorite composer. Besides giving a lot of information on Haydn and his life (which, by the way is very interesting), this book also has many pieces that were composed by Haydn, so you not only get information, but music, too. This book is also filled with many colorful pictures, which makes learning about Haydn that much more fun. If you want to learn about Haydn, this is a great book to use.

This is very fine book for studies in karat

A mind-expanding read - for anybody who interacts with kids today - parents, teachers, business people. This book explains who Generation Y is and how they got to be that way. Because childhood is something we've all experienced we may think we know what its like to be a kid today - Kidfluence explains why being a kid today is unlike anything experienced by previous generations. Anne Sutherland and Beth Thompson have written a book that is both easy to read and highly informed. They present information from a wide range of sources in a way that is both enlightening and enjoyable - it feels like a conversation rather than a lecture. And, for those who are "skimmers" check out the time saving "speed read summaries" at the end of each chapter.

In the edition that I read, the foreword, written by Elmore Leonard, states "This book is terrible". Or something along those lines. Elmore Leonard really hated this book and reviewed it only resentfully on the orders of his publisher; Jim Thompson's agent hated it and most publishers refused to consider it. It IS a terrible book, but only in that it's such a cutting examination of an author's personal demons. If you have any appreciation for the works of Nick Cave, or favor Thompson's more gritty writings (such as the last 1/2 of "Pop. 1280"), you can't help but enjoy this crazed anarchy of sex and killing and obscenity. It's hardcore even by 21st Century standards....

My kids really enjoyed this book. My seven year old read the whole book in three days. He said it had alot of interesting things.

This is a depiction of country life in England in the 1870's and 1880's, as seen through the eyes of the author when a young girl.Everyday events are described with much detail, bringing vividly to life the people of a small hamlet.Her family and neighbours were poor, but they made the most of what they had, and lived a simple but satisfying life.As the author grows, she describes a wider world that she experiences, and her wonder at new products and inventions that will eventually change the world.The book is very well written and really brings the period to life.It is superbly read by Judi Dench.It is an excellent book to read to remind us of a time when life was not so complicated and did not have all the pressures that beset us today.

In a kingdom far, far away, in the deep and dark cellars and dungeons of a King's castle, alchemists have been toiling away for centuries to find the secret for turning metals (or anything else) into gold. For centuries, they've failed at this attempt, though in Mr. Thompson's book, "The Last Alchemist", we meet the pop-eyed, withered and completely stressed out Spinifex. Spinifex is the 19th alchemist for the kingdom, and the greedy king has given him until the end of the year to find, FINALLY, the secret for turning metals into gold.

Spinifex sets off on this quest with a passion, doing research in the vast (and completely bizarre) library, cooking up everything he possibly can think of to make gold, all the while bossing around his small apprentice, Arthur. For his own part, Arthur is far more interested in things like sunflowers than smelly potions, and as the story goes on, the reader gets the distinct impression that as Spinifex's experiments build and build up to a gigantic machine, something downright catastrophic is going to happen before the story is over!

The plot and text of "The Last Alchemist" is fun and easy to read, but what will REALLY hook readers are the illustrations. Brightly colored with many shades of almost fluorescent pink, blue, orange and red, the book is a veritable treat for the eyes. On each page fantastically odd things are happening that almost defy explanation. The castle's library, for example, is right out of M.C. Escher's world, with staircases going upside down, sideways, and off into impossible directions. Walking all over these stairs, reading books, hiding in crannies or peeking out of cracks are hooded figures, strange creatures and beady lil' eyes. Doors are on walls which are really floors for other stairs, and many of the books themselves are odd, winged creatures. Teeny little creatures crawl through and around Spinifex's laboratory equipment, bringing the wrinkled and gray Spinifex the strange ingredients for his experiments.

It's hard to think of a close equivalent in illustration style that really gives an accurate picture. The crowded pages of "Where's Waldo?" comes to mind, but Mr. Thompson's illustrations are far more bizarre than anything Waldo had seen. There's a slightly macabre feeling to these pictures, and if I was hard pressed I'd have to say it resembles the album cover of Elton John's 1975 "Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy". There's a certain Monty Python-esque feeling to the illustrations.

I personally LOVE this book, as do both of my children and the students I've shown this to at school. Some kids said that very young children might find it "really weird" because of all the little creatures crawling over the pages or the inanimate objects (books, flasks, lamps, etc) that have legs or eyes. Highly recommended for those interested in a visual tour-de-force!

One of the best ways to learn about a subject is to talk to people who have been successful in the area. I enjoy the Leaders of the New Century Series because their interviews are close to having the conversations myself.

This edition has a strong orientation to the stock market / investment world. Between the interviews with Schwab and the heads of Nasdaq & the NYSE, I gained some real insight to the people controlling the stock market world.

There were some surprises as well. I have never heard Charles Schwab talk about how he had to overcome his learning disability before. It added some fascinating human elements to the leadership discussion.

I would have liked to hear more from Lance Armstrong. His segment was supposed to be short, but I would have liked even more.

This series is very strong. By hearing the actual interviews with these leaders, you pick-up much more than reading a summary.

This was a very worthwhile edition and I recommend it highly.