I finally got ahold of a library copy of "Carney's House Party," and I am so excited to have read it! It was another great look at Deep Valley life, and for me it was great to *finally* see where the heck Sam came from. (If you go right from the high school books to "Betsy's Wedding," you don't get much explanation who this Sam guy is and what happened to Larry.)

This book made me feel like I was right there at the house party, with my good pals from high school Betsy and Carney and Bonnie. I hope the publisher sees fit to reissue this title, as well as "Emily of Deep Valley" and "Winona's Pony Cart," so that those of us that are B-T nuts can finish our collections.

Only thing is that I wished there had been more about Tacy, since she always was my favorite character. But a very small flaw, indeed. The Betsy-Tacy world is a magical place, and very soothing to read about.

Good news Maud Hart Lovelace fans! Harper Collins publishers will be reissuing the Betsy-Tacy books, including Carney, Emily of Deep Valley, and Winona's Pony Cart beginning in December 1999. They will have NEW cover art and retain the Lenski and Neville illustrations inside.

I have 5 sisters and each and every one of us read all the Betsy Tacy books when we were girls. I read the ones of their childhood when I was little and then "graduated" to the High School and past, series as I grew older. Oh, so many fun hours reading them, trying to copy the wonderful Vera Neville illustrations, wishing I could live in Deep Valley just for awhile. Several years ago I startled the customers near me when I whooped with pleasure at finding these books in a bookstore -- just like I did a few minutes ago when I saw here on Amazon recommendations "Carney's House Party"! THANK'S Amazon!! I didn't know that that one, and "Emily of Deep Valley", had been re-published. I've just ordered both, (for me!) as well as two complete sets of the younger-age books for my two eldest granddaughters. This tradition is one I am happy to pass on -- I can't wait to give them this treat. By the way -- I don't agree with the 9-12 age rating for the books that are set in high school and beyond: they are really for a bit older, although there is certainly nothing harmful in them for little girls: on the contrary. But they are intended for a bit older -- say 12 and up.

Whenever I teach a class for actors, I recommend Moss Hart's autobiography, ACT ONE. It is simply the finest book I know about the theatre and what it was like to work on Broadway in the 1920's thru the 1950's. It was a true tragedy that Hart died so young, robbing not only his family of husband and father, but the world of a great playwright and director and chronicler of his times.

This is a funny, perceptive, first-hand account of life in the fast lane of one of the best playwrights Broadway has ever produced. An obsessive worker (it was the stress of his constant work that ultimately killed him), a perfectionist, a brilliant upstart, Hart teamed with George S. Kaufman to write some of the best and funniest plays of the first half of the 20th century...and even today. Is there really a better play about a family coping through love during the Depression than "You Can't Take It With You?" (That was a rhetorical question). And as Nathan Lane proved only two years ago, "The Man Who Came To Dinner" is very much worth reviving in a first class production even if you have already seen it in your local community or dinner theatre. The autobiography doesn't so much end as it stops and it is obvious that Hart meant to write a second and, perhaps, a third volume that would include his other writing partners, his Hollywood career, his directing, etc.

Steven Bach has written a biography of Hart's entire life called DAZZLER, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MOSS HART that is a fine companion to Hart's own, unbeatable ACT ONE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Act One is one of my favorite books. I have rearead it often since the first time I picked it up in my late teens. I love the anecdotes about the Broadway greats ans near greats and how Mr. Hart became famous, but my favorite parts of the book concern his memorable Aunt Kate, a woman whose fate in life was other than she deserved. She is very humanely portrayed, and so is the rest of Mr. Hart's family. I also enjoyed learning more about George Kaufman and his wife. This book's great!

Moss Hart is arguably one of the finest and most successful authors of the 20th century theater in this or any other country. Like many successful men in the theater, he came from a background of serious poverty and the true drama of Act One is his perseverence and victory in extremely trying circumstances. There are fascinating glimpses into the theater world of NYC in the 40s and 50s, excellent sketches of George Kaufmann, Beatrice Kaufmann and Max Siegel, and poignant views into the people and places that forged Moss Hart into the extremely urbane, charming and successful man he became, against the hardest possible odds. Superb book!

I've always enjoyed the Betsy-Tacy books but have never read Emily of Deep Valley...until about a month ago. By getting on this website and reading all the accolades, I had to discover for myself if it was worthy of five stars and I wasn't disappointed. What a wonderful book! Any girl that has ever been a "wallflower" as a teenager, can relate with Emily. Any girl that has ever suffered an unrequited love, can relate with Emily. Any girl that has cared for an older grandparent, can relate with Emily. Her kindness and optimism towards life was contagious and refreshing. Like someone else wrote, I to, would love to be Emily's best friend. I'm older now, but I enjoyed this book as much as if I were a teenager. In fact, I just shipped this book to my 17 year old daughter who's an exchange student in Switzerland. Emily will remain in your heart and mind long after you read the last word. The book made me smile and cry. She's a heroine for any young girl to emulate, and I thank Maud Hart Lovelace for creating such a character as Emily Webster. No wonder it was Lovelace's favorite work! She paints such a vivid picture of Emily and her friends and her grandfather and the home she lives which is situated over a marsh. The sights and sounds come alive of the year 1912, and of small-town America. Please do yourself a favor, and buy this book.

I admit, I only bought this book because I am such a Betsy-Tacy fan, and I felt that anything by Maud Hart Lovelace had to be good. I doubt very much whether I would have been interested in this book if it had not been written by Lovelace, but I thank my lucky stars that I was led to this book! Yes, as the cover states, it is a Deep Valley book, but it is so much more insightful and meaningful, even in today's world, than the other Deep Valley books. Emily's need to contribute toward the cause to help her fellow man is absolutely inspiring in today's world of "hustle and bustle."

In my opinion, the book began a little slowly, but after a couple of chapters, it drew me into its story in a way that a book has not done for me in quite some time. Emily's development into a self-confident adult is so inspiring to those readers who are searching for meaning in their own lives. Although I loved all the Betsy-Tacy books and have one or two on my bedside table at any given time, I believe that this book is the hidden treasure of the whole Deep Valley series.

This book was so entertaining, and so meaningful, that I would suggest reading it to just about anyone!

In my youth, I read every Maud Hart Lovelace book I could get my hands on -many ,many times. As an adult, I have been trying to collect these beloved books. Although the Betsy-Tacy series has been republished and a beautiful novel for adult readers - "Early Candle Light" - "Emily of Deep Valley" and "Carney's House Party" are out of print and I haven't found them in years of trying. Please republish these gems from my childhood. With the founding of the Betsy-Tacy Society a few years ago, I'm sure I would not be the only buyer.

This is a great book! It starts where Jas is waiting to see a judge for assaulting a rich horse owner who killed the horse she loved, Whirlwind. The horse owner, Hugh, claims Jas's grandfather accidentally poisoned the horse, but Jas knows that is not possible. Jas is sentenced to live under a kind of 'house arrest' on Second Chance Farm, a place where abused and neglected animals of all kinds are brought, cared for, and adopted out. Jas secretly collects clues as to how and why Hugh killed Whirlwind, whether he has killed before, and how she can prove it. In the meanwhile, she also takes care of and trains a large but sick horse bought at a 'meat auction,' begins to ride again, and comes to trust other people in her life. The story is well-written, fast-paced, poignant, and funny at times, and full of fascinating details about the juvenile system and about horses in general. Buy this book for yourself or the horse- or mystery-lover in your life!

This book is about a girl named Jas who assaulted the owner of her favorite horse after it dies. Jas knows that Hugh(the owner) poisoned Whirlwind(the horse), but he has the power to shift all the blame to her grandfather. Now Jas has to live with a foster parent on the Second Chance farm. She is determined to prove that Hugh poisoned Whirlwind, and when she rescues a mysterious horse, she knows that somehow that horse is connected to Whirlwind's death. This book is absolutley amazing, and I couldn't put it down. The ending is dissapointing because it leaves the mystery half solved. I wouldn't read it unless there is a sequel coming out.

Shadow Horse is about a 13 year old girl named Jasmine (Jas) who is sent to live in a foster home at Second Chance Farm after she assaults the owner of a horse farm. Jas becomes friends with Chase, a young boy who helps out a Second Chance. Together they become determined to figure out if Jas' new horse is a look-alike for the one who was poisoned for insurance money.

Overall, this is an excellent book for horse and mystery lovers alike.

The title tells you what Liddell Hart thinks of him: in his estimation, Publius Cornelius Scipio was the greatest general of all time. At first blush this may seem a pet theory: Scipio's name is unfamiliar to most all except classics scholars and opera buffs. But in a detailed, illuminating account of Scipio's career, Liddell Hart prosecutes his theory with vigor. As he explains, "greatness" is not properly measured in terms of body count or territorial gain; to find a "great captain" one first looks for someone who knows precisely what needs to be done in order to achieve a strategic objective, and finds the tactical means to do this. Scipio's trumphs in New Carthage (Spain) and later his annihilation of Hannibal's army at Zama and later exploits in Asia are proof of this ability. Above this, a great general must have a sense of proportion, of measuring the success of a particular strategy in terms of its long-term impact. In this respect, he argues, Scipio wins out over Napoleon, because he never went to excess in the pursuit of his military goals. He was never greedy, bloodthirsty or unrealistic: witness his refusal to pursue endless and futile conquests in Asia, or the relatively generous terms that he offered Carthage in the Punic Wars. Liddell Hart's concept of "greatness by restraint" also reveals his own perspective on military affairs: writing as he did in the 1920s, he was very subtly expressing his profound disgust with many of the WW1 leaders. Tis book can thus be read on two levels: Liddell Hart's derision of Cato (the genocidal Roman senator who, following Scipio's retirement, eventually persuaded Rome to raze Carthage to the ground) can be interpreted as a latter day commentary on the politicians who deluded themselves that Versaille had won them an everlasting peace.

A greater than Napoleon? Probably not. But pretty darn good? That much is for certain. Hart writes a gripping biography of a truly remarkable personage.

One of the more noteworthy characteristics of this book lies in its detail. We are given an honest picture of Scipio, as well as his family's military heritage & dedication to Rome. It would appear that he was quite a humanitarian for his day & age. The book also illustrates some of the mind-boggling stupid politics that could interfere with a great general's resolve even way back then.

One thing I did not realize before reading Hart's book was that Scipio himself fought as a junior officer at Cannae. He was one of the precious few Roman soldiers to escape the wrath of Hannibal that day. Lucky for Rome he did....

This is a great book & a must read for any military historian or classical scholar. I would suggest that people read in conjunction with this work Theodore Ayrault Dodge's biography on Hannibal for the "other side" of this conflict. Although Dodge & Hart disagree on several key points, it is still useful to get a view of the story from an alternative angle. Also, for those who enjoy reading about Scipio half as much as I did, I recommend the sections on Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus from Plutarch's "Lives." They were the grandsons of Scipio. Enjoy!

Liddell-Hart's Scipio should be required reading in every high school and university because he refuses to worship at the altar of the sacred cows of history, killers like Hannibal, Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee, etc. All of these "Great" men brought either tyranny to their country or left a legacy of poverty and destruction behind after their pursuit of glory on the battlefield. Not so with Scipio Africanus. Scipio was an intellectual and a lover of the classics. He joined the army not to seek personal fame and fortune, but to save his people from being destroyed by the rampaging Carthaginian Hannibal. When he was through defeating his enemy in Spain, Sicily, and finally on Hannibal's home turf in Africa at the battle of Zama, Scipio built a framework of peace and stability for the young Roman Republic that would only be threatened by Julius' later introduction of tyranny and one man rule. The most significant point militarily that Liddell-Hart makes is in emphasizing Scipio's use of indirect approach. Instead of relying on bloody frontal assaults into the heart of the enemies main army Scipio used an economy of human lives by attacking his enemies supply bases with few casualties to either side. By ruining Hannibal's ability to stay in Italy and forcing him to return home once Scipio was threatening to overrun Carthage, Scipio preserved the lives of his own men for the final confrontation at Zama. Once the time came for a head to head battle, the roman legions were supremely confident, even though Hannibal had never been defeated. Many readers even today sing the praises of Hannibal, but the truth is that Hannibal was soundly defeated at every turn by Scipio Africanus. Scipio's name must be remembered with higher esteem and honor. Liddell-Hart suggests that Scipio is greater than Napoleon because for all of his brilliance and virtuosity, Napoleon did everything to glorify himself, to seize dictatorial power, and all his efforts were ultimatley futile. He was defeated, he bankrupted France, and millions of men died or lived out their lives as cripples because of his masturbatory fantasies of personal wealth and glory. Scipio brought security and prosperity to his people, and then retired. That is why I also think that Scipio was Greater than Napoleon.

John Hart has done a fabulous job of expanding and updating his coverage of Win32 system programming. Unique in it's perspective of educating programmers familiar with UNIX or a similar OS, this book explains the landscape of Win32 operating systems, how they relate to each other and what features are present or missing from each of them.

With almost 150 pages of new material, John digs way beneath the surface and covers new topics such as advanced thread synchronization, sockets, Windows 2000, Win64, and performance comparisons of multiple ways to solve a problem. Many existing topics are also updated and have new sample programs.

The appendix cross reference of Win32, UNIX, and C runtime library APIs that was in the first edition has also been revisitied and expanded. A very valuable resource for anyone new to either OS or working with both.

In short, if you are coming to Win32 from a UNIX background this is definitely the book for you. If you're already a crack Win32 programmer, you'll probably learn a lot as well.

This book provides a thorough treatment of system programming principles for Microsoft Operating Systems. The author has a concise, to-the-point writing style and he covers the majority of relevant topics. The text also contains a number of useful and imaginative examples of the Windows programming interface. I liked the revised multithreading sections, which contain a lot of interesting new material (especially for readers with UNIX experience). Win32 System Programming is a manageable and useful reference guide.

This book pretty much covers everything I needed to know about Win32 system programming. It has very good coverage of topics like threading, file handling, Memory Management, Interprocess communication, network programming, and asynchronous I/O with completion ports. Ever wonder how to share memory or access really, really huge files? Want to learn how to build more scalable servers? This book covers all that and more. I recently took a new job that uses all of this stuff and I was relieved to find a book that covered it all so well.

He gives a very good generalized view of the windows programming philosophy and explains some common windows types and their uses, which helps in understanding the rest of the API. There are plenty of programming examples and he often compares Win32 programming techniques to UNIX programming techniques giving references to the Stevens book which will help put things in context for UNIX programmers.

For client side programming you can get by with Petzold but for server side this book is a must. If you do system development on Win32 then this book is your weapon.

This book helped me to see why we burden ourselves with so many things to do and even when we don't want, we were brought up to be nice and please everyone, not being able to say no without feeling guilty and making ourselves less stressed and happier. I wrote to Sue after reading this book and thanked her for sharing such good information.

I have never read a book that is so insightful and practical. By reading this book, I learned what steps I needed to take and how to take them to turn my whole world around. I was stuck in a pattern of emotional dependence on everybody and had no clue as to how to remove myself from it. This book is terrific and I would recommend it to men as well as women. It isn't one of those "men bashing" books, either. It is just a terrific piece of work.

I have read this book for the first time over five years ago. It is a book that one will refer to again and again. I happened to stumble across the book while I was shopping with a friend who was in need of some self-confidence and esteem. I thought I did pretty well at being myself but after reading the book discovered that I wasn't! The book was filled with so many lessons. After finishing the book I felt like my life was filled with so many unexpected & exciting blessings. You must be responsible to make yourself happy. Others can't do it for you. You are not responsible to make others happy. Give it a try! I wrote to Sue Patton Thoele and thanked her for permanently changing my life after I read this book!

Orson Scott Card has been acclaimed as one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, and he certainly shows it here. The novel reads not like something thought through and put on paper, but as a story told around a warm fire on a cold night.

This is not to say the plot and characters are themselves without merit. To the contrary, Card weaves a fascinating tale of the power (and price) of mercy, both in the past and in the present. I would not recommend the book for the squeamish, however, as (like much of Card's early work) it contains several graphic (in a disturbing sense, not a sexual) scenes.

A very good friend recommended 'Harts Hope' to me years ago. It was my introduction to Orson Scott Card and it shattered my concept of fantasy.

I have yet to this day found another novel that has stuck with me so completely. I became engrossed in the story from the first paragraph and enraptured by the end. The words flowed through you like liquid poetry. I found myself stopping many times to re-read paragraphs that stunned me with the beauty of their flow and imagery.

I have purchased this book for many friends who have come back to it as many times as I have. I recommend it highly!

No matter whether you read Card's current or old stuff, it's all great! In this moving tale published in 1983, the story reads as a skillful blending of a long parable and historical Bible narrative. Think this might sound boring? Not in the least. Card draws you into the story and provokes you to think. This is one of his many gifts. There is hidden meaning throughout this book. You'll see this in both the obvious and subtle passages of the story. And as you reflect on what he has to say, you'll also find yourself relating to his characters. You'll care for them. And as they experience trials, hardships, pain, sacrifice, and joy, you'll experience it along with them. In Hart's Hope, Card uses one of his typical character techniques: A young child. In this case, two young children. Though their birth's are separated in time by many years, their paths are destined to cross. And though both have been inflicted with childhood scars of unjust pain and suffering, their ultimate divergent responses are as opposite as night and day. Where the one chooses to permanently hate and seek retribution, the other seeks to heal. And in doing so, ascends to those heights attainable only through self-sacrificing love. My only disappointment with this book was that it had to end. Like all of Card's stories, you don't want the story to finish, but to just keep going on.

Even those with little knowledge of the Second World War know the names "Dessert Fox" and Rommel. For those more familiar with WWII history and the great generals, they know a lot of what is general knowledge is hype more than fact. For example, while Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was certainly a brilliant tactician and strategist, he was not - contrary to popular belief - the originator of the Blitz style of armored warfare. Certainly he was one of its most successful practitioners, but not the originator. That credit belongs to English military minds and was put into practice by General Heinz Gurderian (see Panzer Leader by Gurderian). Rommel was a brilliant self-promoter - with humility though. And he was a favored son of Hitler in the beginning, although the "father" forced him to commit suicide in the end. Rommel did have some amazing victories and equally appalling defeats. All are chronicled in this stirring, well-written pseudo-autobiography. The Rommel Papers was written from Rommels own personal diaries made during his numerous campaigns. He was a voracious writer who sat down on a near daily to preserve the events of the day. Thus we are treated to a wonderful story of the Blitz through western Europe in 1939-40, the swift victories in northern Africa and slow arduous defeats that followed, and finally to Rommel's attempts to stem the Allied tide that was threatening to rush the Western shores of France in 1944. This is a fun and insightful read for anyone who wants to see war from the perspective of the German public's most favored Marshall. Certainly worth the time spent reading it! Highly recommended.

This book takes you through the events of World War II using the unedited writing of General Rommel. Hart does a great job of insuring the thoughts of Rommel are preserved. The hard bound version of this book, has chalk drawing of Rommels battle plans.

If you want to read about Nazi's than this is not the book for you, but if you want to read about a true german soldier and honorable man, than I highly recommend this. What an incredible account of war! War without hate, that was the phrase in one of the commentary lines. It's hard to imagine, but Rommel's book shows how it was his job as a soldier. It also gives accounts of how prisoners of war were treated by Rommel and gives you a real sense of the honor of being a soldier no matter which side you were on.

I especially liked the added notes and commentary by Gen. Bayerlein and Rommel's son Manfred. I predict as you read this book you will feel the development of a relationship with Rommel, a friendship and consern for his well being. Feel his heartfelt consern for his troops and desire to save them from destruction. Feel the anger towards the "High Command" as they tell Rommel to fight to the death. It's a book that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotion that closes in the inevitable and tragic end of your new found friend. The book was finished by Manfred Rommel who gave a truly tragic and heart breaking view of the final moments between him and his father.

This was a very, very good book for children, and, I believe, adults. With Betsy and her new friend Tacy, you'll be feel like you are right along with them. It's a good book to read when you're lonley. Even when my friend Kristin, who is usually inseperable from me, and I are in a fight, these books always seem to... erm... calm me down. It's better than listening to Grease music or doing yoga in your brothers room or dancing in the rain, really , it is. I reccomend this book to readers of all ages.

This book begins with a little girl's fifth-birthday party; in my family it has become a tradition to give it to any little girl for her fifth birthday, and it's always wonderful to do so, because you feel you're sharing something really special.

Betsy and Tacy are imaginative and adventuresome and wholly appealing. Though the setting is far removed in time (far, at least for a small child), the characters and situations remain appealing and true, particularly the relationships between younger and older sisters.

This is just an ideal book to read to a child too young to read it -- the series grows with the person, so that after a few years the child can read on her own, and Betsy and Tacy can keep her company all the way through high school.

For my 8th birthday my Mom and Dad gave me the Betsy-Tacy Treasury which contained this book and Betsy-Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. I have just finished the whole thing and now I am 11. I have read it many others times and I find it amazing that I still appciate it at age 11. Whenever we go to the libary I look for smaller printed books but even though this has fairly large print I think it is a wonderful book. I found it when I was in organizing my family's books and started to read it and couldn't put it down. I loved this book and if you do you should read the rest of the Betsy-Tacy book series.