I found this book very helpful. It gave a nice overview of a variety of up-to-date techniques. Seeing a number of different small and medium sized railroads built from start to finish gave me a good idea of the kinds of techniques I would like to use. With this book as a starting point, I was able to find further information in other publications more specific to my needs.

The book does have some weaknesses. Being a collection of seperate articles, there was no feeling of flow even though the projects are organized roughly by size. Often particular parts of a project are only vaguely described. It is not a comprehensive guide. For instance, the use of remote switch machines is largely ignored.

This book is a great starting point, and combined with more in depth information from books on specific subjects, it provides a great overview of what it takes to build a model railroad using a variety of modern techniques.

This book contains many interesting researches about male/male love & sex in the days of Renaissance et Enlightment. From Italia, Iberia , and France, Germania, Scandinavia, to the Netherlands and England , but not Russia and the Eastern Europe at all.

I recommend the book for everybody to read.

Next time I prefer to read a book written by one author like M. J. Rocke's " Forbidden Friendships ".

This book is a must for any true Red Raider! While I wasn't around when Tech was admitted to the SWC, I know what a huge impact it had for all of the athletic programs. The great thing about this book is that it chronicles not just the football or basketbal teams, but all of the athletes and teams in a variety of sports. If good photos and memories are what you are after, this is the book for you.

I originally was required to read this book for an introductory course in cultural geography. It was an excellent collection of works by various authors. It really opened my eyes to the world of cultural geography. As a testament to how much I enjoyed the class I'm keep the book.

"Returning to the Civil War" is a beautiful book of photos that helps to bring America's most tragic episode back to life. Within you will see scenes from battles, camps, dances and the other events that visitors find so magnetic and that historical reenactors can't get enough of. If you're a veteran of "The Hobby" like me, just starting out, or a curious civilian wondering why people do this, or you just love history, Thelin's and Courtney's book is a must see!

Richard Bolitho - Midshipman sets the stage for all of the rest of the novels. We are first introduced to some of the characters we eventualy get to know and love. One of my only complaints about the book is the fact that it is so short, but then it was written as a juvenile. I have given it to my 11 year old son to read, and he also finds it a great yarn. Full of action, with a young hero he can identify with. I wish I had read it when I was his age.

I found this book entirely by accident. The band Abattoir 3000 has posted four songs on MP3.com. These are some seriously hard hitting 80's style tunes. I was curious so I followed the links and found out that there was a novel and a possible film. The book suprised me. I had thought it would be a band story from the 80's (the author used to play with punk and new wave bands). It is actually about a road trip that a artist takes to visit a high school friend. The strength of the book is that it is fast paced. The music, the author put lyrics by a fictional band at the begining of each chapter, gives you a sense of how music is interwoven into our lives. However, as much as I enjoyed the lyrics (if you get a chance, listen to the songs on the website) and how they set the tone for different points in the story I would have prefered the author selected lyrics by real bands from that era. That said the music - think Dead Kennedys meet the Ramones with a dash of the Circle Jerks - and the story keep you turning the pages. If you enjoy stories set in the 80's and early 90's this is a good choice. If you enjoy this book I would recommend you check out "Less Than Zero" and "Bright Lights Big City" for some more 80's survival fun. Yours truly is off to take a break from 80's flash backs with a bit of Terry Pratchet. Nothing like surreal humor to cleanse the pallet between servings :)

I was given this book by a collegue whose son recieved it through a book order at school. I reconized the author Jack Kent as being very good, and I was not disappointed when I read through the book myself. My Kindergarten students loved it. Round Robin was different than the other birds but completely accepted. No one laughed at him for being overweight, they just accepted him and waited for him to join them. The children liked the rhythm of the words and the humor involved with Round Robin's plight. This was a book they wanted me to read time and time again and I would dearly love a copy of my own.

There is an argument that the most successful president in American History was James K. Polk, who ran on a four point platform (e.g., get the northwest territory), achieved all four of his objectives, and retired after a single term in the White House. An argument could be made that in the last half of the 19th century the most successful president was Rutherford B. Hayes (must have something to do with middle initials). Of course any young students looking over this volume in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series is going to be struck by the parallels between the disputed election of 1876 and what happened in Florida in 2000, especially since Florida was one of the four southern states in dispute back then. But a careful reading of this juvenile biography by Zachary Kent will show that Hayes, like Polk, achieved most of his political objectives, despite being disparaged by disgruntled Democrats as "his fradulency."

As is usually the case with the volumes in this particular series, Kent begins his story in media res, with Hayes as a Colonel of the Twenty-Third Ohio Infantry Regiment during the Civil War (where he was the only future president to be wounded during the war, albeit five times). Then we go back and look at Hayes education and marriage, his service during the war, and his entry into politics. Of course an entire chapter is devoted to the disputed election between Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden, but the following chapter devoted to Hayes's presidency indicates he left the nation more united and more prosperous than when he entered the White House. Although he ended Reconstruction by pulling Federal troops out of the south, Hayes also had an impact by embracing new technology, have a telephone and running water installed in the White House. However, Kent does not going into detail on some of Hayes's other success, both at home and abroad, so I do think more space should have been devoted to his accomplishments in office. Hayes extensively toured the nation in a Pullman car and the term "First Lady" was first used to refer to his wife, Lucy. The book is illustrated with historic photographs and some choice political cartoons from the period, the latter being one of the chief assets of the series. As always, the Encyclopedia of Presidents series provides considerably more information than young readers or their teachers will find in a standard American history textbook.

This novel is well written. Reading it is a joy.