In addition to biographies of some of the important Algonquin Roundtable participants (Dorothy Parker was the parenthetical 'lady' of the title), this book was a fascinating, easily readable overview of life among the wealthy aristocrats of the time. The anecdotes were very funny and when it was available, I gave copies to several friends.

This book is recommended in the forward by Dr. Beth W. Lieberman "for all readers, both young and old."

There are 17 vividly illustrated pages which include all of the important, relevant facts in the most precise, succinct way I've EVER read. Simply stated, if you are pregnant or even curious about the birth process, you MUST have this book! If every book was written as well as this one I'd read at least 2-5 a day!

Here is a great quote from the 1st chapter which sets the tone:

THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH: "Every 55 minutes 10,000 babies are born all over the world. Many hundreds are being born right now as you read this book! What is even more amazing is that every one of those babies is different... But no matter how and where each child is born, to the parents, each one is a miracle."

The chapters include: 1) THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH 2) THE FEMALE BODY 3) THE BREASTS 4) MIGHTY MUSCLES 5) THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM 6) A NEW LIFE BEGINS 7) THE EARLY WEEKS (2-4 WEEKS) 8) THE BABY'S LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM (4-8 WEEKS) 9) THE PLACENTA (8-12 WEEKS) 10) ULTRASOUND SCANS (12-20 WEEKS) 11) WHAT DOES A FETUS DO ALL DAY? (20-24 WEEKS) 12) THE LUNGS (24-28 WEEKS) 13) THE FINAL WEEKS (28-40 WEEKS) 14) LABOR 15) THE NEWBORN BABY.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! When I got pregnant with Kaitlyn I was so fascinated by the birth process and pregnancy in general that I bought at least 10 books and THIS ONE was the BEST. As an added bonus, when she gets older I can use this book to explain to her how she grew inside me and was born!

Ancient Egyptian art was the star attraction of the Mediterranean world for 3000 years, only for some of it to be transported to various museums across the world. This book examines those scenes in over 25 American museums as well as private collections which serve to shed light on the role of Ancient Egyptian women in their society. Objects such as mummy cases, coffins, statues and other sacred items also hold much information. The book contains essays by Egyptologists Janet H. Johnson, Catherine H. Roehrig and Betsy M. Bryan. A chronological index, map, beautiful photos, bibliography and index have also been included. It is an excellent book, recommended for all serious students and scholars to have in their private libraries.

This epistolary novel is the story of an English Roman Catholic bishop determined to resist, to the extent of his powers, the attempts of 'modernizers' in his church to destroy centuries of tradition and practice and replace them with the latest mod, hip, 'inclusive' liturgical fads and fashions. Unlike many traditionalists, Bishop Forester is defiant, not apologetic. He is not seeking compromise, but defending an ancient treasure. That makes his story surprisingly exciting to read.

An example: 'How can anyone dare stamp on other people's sentiments? Who has given them permission? "The hankering after the Old Mass is pure sentimentality." Of course it is, and that is why it is sacrosanct.'

And again: ' The very volume of changes in the Church since Vatican II is sufficient to guarantee that most of them are for the worse. It is inconceivable that over the past two thousand years the Church has manifested and expressed the Faith so badly that any and every change must be for the better. If that were so, she would lose all credibility. What is conceivable, on the other hand, is that some of the changes may have been for the better and some not. But this possibility is one which we are not allowed even to discuss. To do so is disloyal, divisive, and conducive to schism. Every change is for the better; there has not been the least error, the slightest slip.'

Bishop Forester is a man of faith. His devotion to the old order of Roman Catholicism is not traditionalism-for-its-own-sake, but rather based on his faith in his Church and, above all, in his God. Even for a non-Catholic, there's much to learn, and much to think about, reading his letters. Even now, almost 15 years after first reading it, I'm still pondering Forester's comments about how many people's enduring view of Jesus Christ is of Him as a baby -- the Jesus of 'Away in a Manger' and 'Silent Night.' Thus, we live our lives looking down (literally and figuratively) at a helpless child, instead of looking up to the triumphant, conquering God on the Cross. Powerful stuff.

Bishop Forester asks many important questions about what it means to be a Christian in this day and age. Whether you're a Catholic or not -- whether you're a Christian or not -- I guarantee this book will leave you with a lot to think about.

My kids turned me on to this book. The book itself is a lot of fun, but the tape brings it to life. The late Raul Julia creates a captivating narrative of the book, and the story is uniquely entertaining. This one is a bargain at twice the price!

Unlike the full textbooks which slog through the material, Manly briskly moves along through the topics and illustrates the techniques with real numbers. References to the original papers are available as are hint for computer support -- which are sadly dated (Lotus 1-2-3?). Lightweight, easy to read on the bus, and nicely typeset.

This book is really the best I've seen. It's so well written and easy to use for any age and several different applications. It is great for school prevention education. It can be used in the home for early childhood awareness and parent bonding. In a theraputic setting it helps to explain to young victims the dynamics of abuse and healing. I can also be used for parents and PTA type groups to educate the general public in sexual abuse, and to use in the court setting to educate jurors and attorneys as to how this type of crime happens. The special appeal also to parents who may have boy children who have been abused is valuable.

There are certain authors that readers can trust to deliver excellent military history, and Steven J Zaloga is one of them. In his latest title for Osprey, Zaloga covers the American-led breakout from the Normandy bridgehead in July-August 1944 that sent Hitler's armies reeling back across France. While Zaloga has done a good job summarizing the main points of Martin Blumenson's authoritative official history of Operation Cobra, he has provided additional value by including input from more recent scholarship on specific facets of the campaign, such as the impact of tactical air power.

In accordance with the Osprey Campaign series format, the book starts with a section on the background to the campaign and includes a campaign chronology. Zaloga provides good insight into the debilitated state of the Wehrmacht units and the rising competence of US units in the section on opposing forces. The section on opposing commanders is adequate, but French General Leclerc who made a contribution in the campaign is omitted, while non-involved characters such as Montgomery are included. On the German side, Panzer Lehr's Fritz Bayerlein should also have been included. The section on opposing plans is adequate but more mention of how ULTRA shaped Allied planning should have been included. The order of battle is a bit skimpy because it only addresses division-size units from both sides that participated in the initial phase of Cobra; American non-divisional assets such as independent tank, tank destroyer and artillery units should have been added. Nevertheless, Zaloga succeeds in providing fresh insights into material that is well worn, if not always well covered. Certainly he makes good points on Allied superiority in communications and logistics which are not viewed as "sexy" by some armchair historians who prefer to stress comparative tank statistics and such.

The maps are quite good in this volume. There are five 2-D maps, depicting: the theater situation on 24 July 1944, the plan for Cobra, the breakthrough on 25-30 July, the race through Brittany and the pursuit to the Seine. Unfortunately, there were no 2-D maps of the Mortain counterattack or the Falaise pocket. There are only two 3-D Birds-eye-view maps in this volume: the carpet-bombing of the Panzer Lehr Division and the Mortain counterattack (which is too small and difficult to understand). There are three excellent battle scenes: the carpet bombing of Panzer Lehr, US tanks in the breakout and Panther tanks in the Mortain counterattack. The photographs provided are also excellent, particularly if one enjoys viewing destroyed German vehicles and their dead occupants (there are no photographs of US casualties). Overall, the text is cleanly-written and the campaign narrative fits well together. Zaloga also makes a good connection between Operation Cobra's breakout and the landings in southern France; often Operation Dragoon gets short shrift in the Normandy saga, but Zaloga effectively points out the inherent linkage between the campaigns and how it precipitated the German collapse in the West.

Zaloga has marshaled the available facts well and there is little controversy in this book, although there are a few issues open to some debate. First, the actual effect of Allied airpower on the campaign was clearly significant but difficult to quantify. Zaloga seems to lean toward accepting all or most Allied claims for destruction of German vehicles, whereas some new research suggests the direct losses were not as large. Zaloga also accepts claims that most of the German divisions retreating from Normandy were "virtually destroyed," when this usually only refers to the combat elements. In each case, Zaloga might have advised the reader that other sources disagree with the extent of damage to German units. Another issue concerns the culpability for the defeat on the German side; Zaloga places most of the blame squarely on SS General Paul Hausser for poorly deploying his units and then making a hash of the withdrawal. Field Marshal von Kluge and the rest of the German leadership - aside from Hitler - appear almost blameless. This interpretation looks like the creation of an SS scapegoat by Wehrmacht officers, particularly given that Operation Cobra occurred only five days after the failed plot to kill Hitler. While Hausser's leadership of 7th Army was probably not the greatest, the German defeat in Operation Cobra was not due only (or mostly) to his mistakes. Additionally, the lack of any information on US losses in the campaign also appears to deprive this account of some balance. There is also one mistake in the text, when Zaloga states that, "the 2nd SS Panzer Division commander was killed by a US patrol near his command post." In fact, Heinz Lammerding, commander of "Das Reich," was wounded in late July but returned to duty later in the year. Aside from these points, this is a fine summary volume.

Mares and Bryan present a hilarious book, which sets up the premise of the small rural state of Vermont taking on the United States government by seceding from the Union. Great insights and extremely funny humor is laden throughout the book. A must read for any true Vermonter. Beware "flatlanders".

"Painting Indiana" is an awesome collection of art.A must for anyone interested in fine art. My dad is Dan Woodson and his artistic ability is way beyond anything I have ever seen.