First of all, I must admit that I had never heard of the Franklin Report
until a real-estate broker colleague of mine
was talking about giving copies to all of her clients. At the time, I needed
to find an architect for a large project, soinquired about the book. Since
then, it has taught me a lot about the home services buisiness. I've really
found theFranklin Report to be an amazing tool that saves me time,
aggravation and in the end -- money. The book givesme all the research and

information that I would otherwise have to go and spend hours digging for. I
once called anarchitect whose name I overheard at the office to renovate my
townhouse and I was so embarassed to find out hewas a modernist and
basically scoffed at the traditional design I wanted! Now, I've put together
a list of the book'shighest rated traditional architects and interviewed
them all. In the end, I got the best quality for the budget I
hadanticipated -- thanks to the Franklin Report. Now my friends want to know
how I know so much about the business -- so I quietly tell them my industry
knowledge came from The Franklin Report.

I bought the Franklin Report originally for the same reason I subscribe to Architectural Digest and House Beautiful. I like to keep current on the big names in interior design even though I'm not about to do a two million dollar apartment. What I've found, in addition to bringing me the most informed and comprehensive round up of decorators, is that this book includes much more functional business that I need to use all the time. Most important is that these companies, used by the best ID's in town, are totally accessible to you and me. It really is the first place I feel I've found a credible stable of usually suspect trades. Plumbers, air conditioning guys, painters -- I've found them all with eye-popping results. So while I may not be hiring the fanciest decorator in town to redo my home, I certainly can find some startlingly professional and nice people to improve it at rational prices. My only criticism is I wish they had more categories. I need a good roofer!

For those of us who choose not to buzz around the social circles of Chicago's Gold Coast co-op's and North Shore newcomer's groups, it's nice to know there's a resource to get some juicy word of mouth recommendations without mind-numbing cocktail-speak. The Franklin Report is just that, a who's who power list of the city's decorators, contractors, electricians and other what the book deems "home service providers." It's not only a useful tool that blows the yellow pages out of the water and makes your dentist's sister's yoga instructor's on the side-furniture restoration business a non-call, but its an enormously entertaining read. Anytime an industry gets sized up and ranked, especially with the egos involved in design and the notoriously insulated, fragmented building industry, it's a hoot. The reviews are concise, on target and written with a certain restrained tongue in cheek, reminiscent of Zagat's, which this publication is surely trying to emulate. It's a more complicated subject, but I think they pull it off at The Franklin Report. If anything else, it's a must have for anyone doing a home remodel or who just wants to know the right names to drop at the next
cocktail party.

Elaine R.
Lake Forest, IL

My middle son (then 4)loved this book while waiting for his own baby sister to arrive. The secondary storyline about Franklin worrying over his bean sprout is so sweet.
Now that my daughter is 2, this is her bedtime story of choice. As we get her ready for bed and I ask what book she'd like to read, we have to smile when she says, "Baby sister book!" We tell her all about when we were waiting for her to be born and remember the first time we held her. The boys will listen in, thinking back to that first day in the hospital when their waiting was finally over.

Franklin is impatient for his baby sister to arrive. He feels left out. Just like most kids do when there is a new arrival. He keeps trying to get spring to come so his mom can have the baby. The is so true to want most kids go through when they are waiting for their new baby to come. They get put on the back burner while everyone is focusing on the new arrival.

I absolutely loved reading this story to my daughter. This is a great addition the Franklin series and an excellent story for a child who is expecting a new brother or sister.

This book starts off with a great and fair introduction to the two stories that are to be told by William Oates of the Confederacy and Frank Haskell of the Union. Written by Glenn LaFantasie the lengthy introduction writes about both Civil War authors Oates and Haskell. He is careful in explaining that each man's history, background and present situation which may have had an effect on their writing. After the introduction William Oates of the 15th Alabama structures his story first by giving an historical view of the army movments north and south as a prelude to the battle of Gettysburg. His writing of such a history could probably have been eliminated while his story of marching to Gettysburg and his role in the battle should have taken precedent. Oates offers his controversial view of the battle which is interesting in many ways. Not only does he tell his story but he tells it painted his way. Being a reader of many Gettysburg related books, it is easy to find fault with some of Oates' story. Though this is what makes this book interesting. We need to know what Oates considered and thought was how things went instead of guessing. We need something to stand on and his story though it may not be accurate is very descriptive and essential for understanding the battle.

While Oates offered his view of the 15th Alabama's fight to take Little Round Top, a great story is to follow written by Frank Haskell. Unfortunately, Haskell tends to waste the immediate structure of the battle like Oates had earlier. He tells the readers where such a corps was placed, who was advancing, etc. This boring non-relating story he tells doesn't tell about him or his action in the battle. After this quick and non essential tale of the battle of Gettysburg, Haskell finally gets to his involvement in the fight. This is where Haskell gets interesting. He is very fair on his descriptions and how he associates with other Generals during the conflict. His tale of Pickett's Charge and the carnage is excellent. I really liked Haskell's discipline in not reacting to telling about a battle on the field that he didn't take part in or had not witnessed. His graphic tale of Pickett's charge and the movements covered certainly placed myself right along with him on the field. He builds up Day #3 of Gettysburg very well and comes to a complete end to his story without dragging the reader.

For the novice reader of the battle of Gettysburg, I wouldn't recommend this book as it is not generalized enough to understand without reading more of the basic battles of the three day saga. For the advanced reader looking for more historical insight written by two soldiers that were actually there, this is an excellent book and I recommend it completely.

Gettysburg is a well written book by two soldiers who fought in the battle. COL William C. Oates fought for the Confederate side and LT Frank A. Haskell fought for the Union side. Each soldier captured his side of the battle in great detail. The stories are well written and easy to read. It is very interesting to read about the different viewpoints of the battle. COL Oates gives a great analysis of why the Confederates lost the battle and how they could have won it. I highly recommend this book for all fans of the Battle of Gettysburg.

In order to fully appreciate this minute by minute account you should first see the movie"gettysburg" and visit the national park. The detail of how the soldiers were placed comes to life and even more amazing is the recounting of how the soldiers felt, what they were thinking and the general's strategies in leading their men. I highly recommend the audio tapes of this book.... If you've been there, if you've studied the battle, you will be completely mesmerized!!!

I really like this book. It's interesting and causes you to think. It helps motivate other teens to witness to people. And it's a great read, too. In a way, it's like a short story. Bye.

This book was incredible! It is really interesting and great for all teenage christians. It shows what really happens, how people treat eachother and hide their religion. It also shows how much better things are when you share your faith and help others. A great book!!!!!

This book is an excellent evangelistic tool, as it challenges you to witness to others about your faith. What if you could hear the actual heart-cry of someone and could know exactly what their deepest need was? How would you use it? How would you react? Would you use it for your own selfish gain, or would you use it to bring others to the real answer of Jesus? These questions are dealt with, and the challenge is made to reach others. It will be incredibly hard to walk away from this book without it having impacted you in some way. This is also available in an adult (or more mature) version as simply "The Heart Reader". The message is the same, but there are a few story differences.

A beautiful book: the colors sing. This is joyful, breathtaking, work from one of the world's true artists, of any period. A wonderful gift.

... coupled with a large format and excellent translations, makes this the single most important volume for lovers of Hiroshige, and especially for those fond of his kacho-ga (birds and flowers). This is not just another art book. You won't understand until you see it. And you must see it.

This is simply one of the most beautiful books ever published (on any subject)!!! Hiroshige has collected some of the most attractive Japanese color prints ever created, replete with Japanese poetry and translations. I literally could not put this book down -- I also gasped in awe several times. Braziller has done a wonderful job -- the book is coffee table sized and is bound with quality and workmanship. This is a class act in all regards. Some might balk at the price tag, but believe me it is well worth it!

This book was useful, witty, relaxing, and simple enough to be applied by just about anyone.

The unusual approach to organizing is refreshing. Everyone is different, and Liz's book gives you clues to your personal style, making it possible for you to do your organizing in a way that will work for you. And it's humorous. I laughed out loud several times while reading it. And these things work!

This is so refreshing! It's a totally different approach to finding your own personal organizing methods rather than using the traditional one-fits-all ways. I am already using Liz's hints as they apply to my personal style, and have noticed a definite reduction in the stress level, dealing with office matters. I can recommend this book to anyone who is ready to end the customary confusion of tracking their paperwork, their hobby, their lists, their calendar --- whatever. She's got it down cold.

The book is very good but if there is a student solution manual to go with it that would be very helpful. The book has very many useful problems but with no solutions i'm never sure if what i did was right or wrong.

I am studying the book. However it is little bit difficult to solve the example without solution, so I wonder if the solution exist or not. If do, I would like to take the solution. let me know whether it's possible or not.

I am going to introduce this book as one of two text books for probability course. So I need a problem solution manual. I am wondering if your company distribute the manual. would you let me know how can I get one. I send this message through review because I don't know how to apply for that. Your co-operation in this regard is appreciated.

My AP European History students are required to purchase this book - and we basically read it from cover to cover. I have looked at literally hundreds of primary source readers - and can honestly say, this book is the best. The great thing about this book is that it weaves together primary source material with outstanding commentary and interpretation.

The selections are short but normally they contain the basic idea of each thinker. In here you can find all sorts of thinkers; philosophers, artists, scientists, theologians, and literary figures. If they impacted Western civilization - they will probably be included in this volume.

Pretty inexpensive volume - just think about it, you get to converse with some of the greatests minds that have ever lived. Not a bad way to spend an evening. :o)

Baumer crusades to teach us from a historical perspective why we think the way we do -- much as genealogies teach us about the way we look and act. While my interests lie in economics, Baumer's narratives on developments of western thought provide a relevant and thoughtful backdrop. Why not, of course, the study of economics is all about the study of human behavior.

This anthology is a must-have for any student or teacher of Western history. Its impeccably selected collection of excerpts from all fields of study makes it an invaluable resource for capturing the essence of any era in modern history.

This is the friendliest book on cognitive therapy I've found. Though quite short, it covers all the basics, and without the excessive detail or the repetition of many of Albert Ellis's books. Initially I was surprised that Franklin didn't offer many techniques for learning to think rationally, but I've since come to find this part of the book's appeal, as it makes it feel less like a textbook, and more like simple good advice.

This is an outstanding book, which teaches that how you feel results from what you think. This is the essence of the rational-emotive/cognitive approach to psychology. It teaches how you make yourself afraid/anxious, depressed/worthless, or angry based on how your mind inteprets your environment (or from spontaneous thoughts). It does all this while also being easy to read and grasp. It has delightfully humorous illustrations. (I laughed out loud at the picture of the man being tortured by disco music.) There is also a chapter on the fallacy of asking "What is my purpose in life?" As the author explains, we each create our own purpose. But the main fallacy the book focusses on is the self-worth fallacy, which causes untold suffering to millions. The concept of worth is not applicable to human beings. It is a concept stolen from a different context. Yet people make themselves suffer needlessly over it. Any reader with this or other fallacies (everyone?) will be greatly helped by reading this book. This book can transform your life for the better without anything mystical. After reading it, I now see people differently. Somehow, I used to think that I caused someone to be angry, for example, when they became angry in my presence. I now see that they are doing it to themselves. I cannot "make" anyone angry any more than they can make me angry. There is a lot to digest in here for such a small book. Each chapter is an adventure. This is one of those rare books that I wish I had read years ago because it would have saved me so much grief. I cannot imagine anyone being sorry they bought this book. It has so much to offer between its bright yellow covers. Finally I do reccomend getting the books in the very short reccomended list contained in this book. They are also very good and may bring a different perspective to your situation.

CARL SAGAN, in The Demon-Haunted World, entitled his chapter ten "The Dragon in My Garage." I was intrigued by the main point of the chapter, especially the way Sagan introduced it. Sagan said his approach was one created by Richard L. Franklin in Overcoming the Myth of Self-Worth. I promptly bought Franklin's book and found myself unable to put it down once I had started it. Since then, I have read the book at least six times. I can truthfully say I have not seen the world in quite the same way since reading this eye-opening work. It's rare to read a book that transforms one's entire world view, but that's what this book did for me. After I had read it two or three times, it was as if a mist had been lifted and I could see my personal reality clearly for the first time in my life. I now keep it at my bedside and read from it nightly.

This book is like sitting down in a wisewoman's kitchen & taking notes. It is full of lots of recipes pertaining to the eight sabbats that we witches celebrate. It has chapters on wine, preserves, freezing, bottling, pickling, salting, drying herbs, mead making, incense making....But this book has a lot of sabbat lore & info that I haven't seen in other books. The food recipes are all vegetarian and include some wild foods that you can harvest yourself (the Latin names are given so that you make sure you're gathering the right thing!). However, the wild plants & fungi listed are from Britain, so Americans may have trouble finding them over here!

This book is helpful, informative, charming & really helps get you into the mood of each sabbat. Plus it doesn't ever preach at you, as some wiccan books can do. Anna Franklin & Sue Phillips really know their stuff.

I bought this book because it was by Anna Franklin, one of my favourite Pagan authors. It is full of information on how to celebrate the Eight Pagan Festivals- there are hundreds of recipes, all with seasonal ingredients, together with ideas for altars, incense recipes, plus lore, history and a chapter of rituals. Furthermore there is information on handfasting ceremonies and celebrations, and full moon (esbat) rites and food, preserving, wine and mead making, and preparing ritual food. I don't know how I mananged before I got this book- it has the information of ten other books, and with Anna Franklin you can be sure that the information is accurate.

With so much rubbish and mis-information published on pagan festivals, it's a refreshing change to find two authors with such intimate knowledge of the subject. A powerful blend of pagan ritual and practial advice. An excellent reference book for all pagans, wicca people and Celtic minded individuals.