This is by far the best Fender book I have. It is very well written, and it makes for some good reading. He doesn't only describe the great things about Fender but the bad things and mistakes as well.

This is a very un-biased book and it's very nice to read. The pictures in this book are awesome, and this is only one of the books I have that I trust the facts on. Kudos to Mr. Smith!

I have a half dozen books on the Fender company and this is by far the best. The typical vintage guitar book serves two functions. It gives information on the history of the instrument - guides to production dates, etc. In addition there are usually lots of pictures for lovers of vintage instruments to salivate over ("guitar porn" as I've seen it described before). This book delivers in that regard, but does not stop there.

It goes on to serve as an excellent study of a small business struggling to survive and then coping with its own success. I found it hard to put down. Even though I knew the outcome, I found myself carried along with the story. Enough "insider detail" is provided to reveal character and move the "plot," but not enough to bog the book down. The book also serves as the best biography of Leo Fender that I have read. He is revealed as an inspired man with significant flaws. Importantly, "revealed" is the operative word here. Smith generally does not preach or make pronouncements. He describes actions and quotes interviews. The reader is left to his own conclusions.

Smith does a great job of telling us who Leo Fender really was: a simple man with a complex mind. The pages of this book are loaded with lots of interesting stories and facts about the man who developed the solid-body electric guitar. Not always complimentary, yet never vicious. An honest presentation of the man who provided the tools that helped create rock-and-roll. Obviously well-researched with many great photos of Fender and his "offspring".

This book is jammed packed with pragmatic and applicable action strategies to help you on your quest as a leader. Crafted by a team of twelve class act experts this single book is like having 12 books condensed into one. Each co-author brings their Core Genius to the reader in an empowering and easy to understand approach. If you are looking for a great book to add to your leadership arsenal, then look no further to Let Your Leadership Speak. Buy this book today & apply its wisdom right away!

I thought this was going to be just another book on "how to be a leader." I was pleasantly surprised by the powerful insights of the authors. Randy Haveson's chapter on Courage was particularly engaging. His story is truly heroic. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to lead and not just follow.

A book for professionals written by professionals. For someone who strives to leave a mark on your current workplace or on someone dear to you, this is a must read. Charles Latour's chapter is particularly informative on strategy and implentation of effective coaching. Latour's experience enlivens his writing style and instructs his reader how to extract the maximum potential from the coachee. In my line of work, I am already seeing results in my students.

Who doesn't recognize the theme to The Andy Griffith Show or The Dick Van Dyke Show?

Mr. Hagen gives a unique and enlightening perspective not only about his life, but about the time of the Big Bands - Dorsey, Noble, Miller, etc.

He also sheds a behind the scenes look of the television industry and the role that music and orchestration plays in the quality of show.

I'm sure you will really enjoy this publication!

Mr. Hagen's life story of his career in television and the music industry is extremely fascinating. Imagine...working with Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and so many more folks from the Big Band era!!

As his career transitioned to television and theme music, he worked with some of the biggest icons of the television industry...Sheldon Leonard, Danny Thomas, Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, and more.

If you have any interest in classic television and/or the music industry, this is a definite must read. Mr. Hagen's insights are interesting and intriguing, to say the least!

You may never have heard of Earle Hagen, but there are few people who have not heard his music. This book -honest, funny, touching, loaded with insight- gives the reader a chance to know the author, and relive the years of the Big Band era with Tommy Dorsey and Hagen, Ray Noble and Hagen, Harry James and Hagen, Benny Goodman and Hagen. It takes us through World War II and the musicians in uniform. And then, there are his adventures in Hollywood and memorable films with stars like Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe. Hagen's remarkable accomplishments in television come alive as he relates his experiences with the producers and stars of series like I Spy and Dick Van Dyke and Danny Thomas and Andy Griffith. He opens a whole new entertaining vista, revealing what went on behind the scenes. Always interesting, always revealing, always provocative, one realizes that Hagen is not only a great composer, but a remarkable storyteller. I loved every page!

This book is one of the best scary stories books I've ever read.The 2 best stories I think are good are "The Deadly Dare" and "Terror Trip". The deadly dare is about 3 sophomores who go on a camping trip and 2 of them go out for firewood and they are found the next day...dead.You'll also find out how and why they are dead. Terror trip is about a family who goes on a trip and they hear pounding and they stop at a family's house to wait out a storm and on there way back from the trip they stop and see the family but too late,they learn the horrible secret...and it has to do with the pounding

This has very scary stories that will make your eyes widen, and be afraid of everything. Every story will give you the chills. I have read all of them and I highly recamend all of the books, especially this one!

THIS BOOK IS THE KID OF BOOK THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THE STORIES MAKE YOU THINK OF WHAT IS GOING ON. WHEN I READ THE BOOK I COULD NOT SLEEP FOR 2 DAS. THAT IS HOW INTENSE IT WAS. LIKE I SAID YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK IF YOU DARE.

"Seen and Heard..." is a book that every adult should have to either remind themselves of what it is like to be a teenager or to be able to take ten steps back and help them evaluate/relate with their own children. This book gives an intelligent and insightful look into the drama of the life and thoughts of American teenagers in this particular generation.

This book will not teach parents about how to be better parents, but it does express many different viewpoints about being a teenager in this diverse culture of ours. The comments offered by the teens in this book are intelligent and razor-sharp, running the gamut of the emotional spectrum. Very metaphoric, their comments along with the stark black-and-white photographs carry the emotion home to the reader to embrace.

This book is a very nice package which makes an otherwise unreachable time for most adults come alive again, or, better yet, realistic again.

This book is moving and inspriring to teens across the world

I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Mary Kalergis and Gary Chassman/Verve Editions in the design and development of Seen and Heard. The stunning photographs and rivoting text have made this one of my favorite projects. I am interested to hear what readers think of the design approach I have chosen. Your comments are welcome. Please direct them to Stacey Hood at Big Eyedea Visual Design. (bigeyedea@madriver.com) Thank you. Enjoy!

"Such is the narrowness of human focus that an actual murder in their community paled in comparison to the emotional impact of ...unfaithfulness." This is one of my favorite passages from Linda Bingham's most recent mystery novel,"What the Librarian Heard." Mastering and using all five of her senses in ways most of us cannot, she lovingly unfolds her plot. The style, form and flow of her writing are unprecedented. It would be difficult to pigeon-hole her style of writing. Although her plot is character driven, the dialogue is genuine and impeccable.

Johns Valley, Oklahoma is the lush setting for this character cozy (if you dare attempt labeling) with its Kiamichi mountains "standing guard over their valley like a big-headed sphinx cradling the town with its paws, and tucked into a labyrinth of rich bottom land valleys."

Elinor Woodward and Dot Hardwick, the two spry librarians, will immediately endear themselves to readers with their keen curiosity, wit and kind wisdom that only come from being nearly seventy years old.

Rose and Horace Chandler, Dr. Charley, Leonard Tenkiller, Kate and Shelby Jacks, DeWayne Ratliff and Rusty the dog--are a terrific cast of secondary characters. Linda Bingham takes ordinary people and makes them extraordinary and compelling. She molds the mundane into the magnificent. As the story goes...a small town's library shares quarters with the police station, and the library patrons hear more than they should from time to time. When librarian, Elinor Woodward, hears a police dispatch about a string of violent murders she makes a connection between them and a lost child.

"Librarian" will entertain, yet force self-reflection. You will hold dearly onto each character in the book which will remind you of characters in your own life. Just when you think you have this lush mystery with a hook figured out--you don't. It twists and turns until the very last pages. It was such a pleasure to read.

When the town doctor in tiny Johns Valley, Oklahoma is found strangled to death with his own stethoscope, library volunteer and former schoolteacher Elinor Woodward sets out to crack the case. Life in a small town tends to afford one greater access to major local events, after all, especially if one is a respected former high school English teacher whose ex-students include the police chief, the dispatcher, and basically every other player in the unfolding drama. Lucky for Elinor, the library is also located in the same building as the police station, granting her a unique window into the on-going investigation.

With an adroit insightfulness into the human condition that takes the reader aback more than a few times, author Linda S. Bingham offers up a panoply of suspects, each more interesting and compelling in their complexity than the last. She teases you with them shamelessly, no doubt taking great personal pleasure as you erroneously think you've finally got the twists and turns figured out, and then realize that you don't at all, and will in fact do nothing else in your life until the last page of this delightful mystery is read.

But "Dr. Charley" is not the last victim. A pattern of violence emerges, albeit one that makes little sense to the authorities, who are, of course, always a couple of steps behind Elinor. She is forced to set out to solve the crimes herself, becoming a potential target in the process. Naturally, each new discovery, each nuance, brings the killer a little bit closer to Elinor's own backyard.

And just wait until you learn What the Librarian Heard!

Bingham sprinkles in a bit of intrigue and betrayal to keep the pace moving nicely. By the time she gets to the ending, you are hungry for it, but at the same time decidedly morose that the book is done. Her personal writing style is replete with examples of a unique rustic charm that is appropriate to the characters and plot, but never tiresome. For it is so obvious that she is first and foremost a writer, in the purest sense of the craft. It's a rare joy to read an exceptionally good yarn that is also just so very well written.

It's beyond me why mystery readers would ever try and satisfy themselves with [other author]when they could instead feast on Linda S. Bingham.

I loved this little mystery! I am a Texan and a librarian, so I bought it for myself at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. I think we have found a new author for our library, we are ordering a couple of copies-my own copy is a keeper! I can usually guess the "murderer" before the end-but this one had me fooled. It is too bad it takes you 5 weeks to order it-this gal is great fun!

I am a new youth leader in my church. This book has become my #1 REFERENCE for the questions my kids ask. I used to have problems knowing where to go to get those answers, now I go straight to this book. Please let me know when you get more of Pastor Wade's books. I would love to have a whole set of them.

This book was easy to read and very compact and comprehensive. All the Bible references are there in the book making it very handy ( though the author warns us not to use instead of Bible) as a complete teaching tool. Pastor Wade says he wanted this work to encourage Bible study. It sure fired me up. I study daily now. I would not only buy anything else available by Pastor Wade, but also recommend his work to anyone wishing to grow in Bible knowledge and understanding.

Our private Christian school is using this book because it is an excellent Bible reference. Though it is not an exhaustive coverage of subjects, it readily references many subjects not normally covered by other Bible commentaries. It's mostly anecdotal format lends itself to easy lesson plan preparation for Sunday school as well as the classroom. Easy to use lists and charts are quite helpful for quick understanding of the subjects, encouraging personal study. We would recommend this work to any Christian school or college, or church eeducation director.

This is a wonderful book for both the new and the experienced teacher hoping to bring depth and breadth to their classroom poetry programs. I used it as a first-year teacher of writing, but ended up buying a second copy after sharing-out my original with a colleague with substantially more experience.

For starters, the book is well-written and concise. For busy teachers (is that a tautology?) this means you will really read and really use it. It has all the elements that keep such readers engaged: practical classroom ideas, samples of student work, segmentation of topics into smaller components and, wide-ranging perspective.

Most importantly, however, the book has PASSION! Heard launches you with an introduction entitled "Poetry, Like Bread, Is for Everyone". She maintains this level of enthusiasm through to the last page, where she quotes Matthew Fox to the effect that "The Celtic peoples... insisted that only poets could be teachers... knowledge that is not passed through the heart is dangerous."

I agree - passion HAS TO BE the core of a poetry program in elementary or middle school. Amidst the wash of demand for reading and writing more expository material that standardized testing has brought to the writing class, passion and poetry have often slipped to the background. The poetry 'program' can become a quick trot through narrow 'tricksie' forms like name-poems and shape-poems. Kids need more. You do too.

Heard offers a wonderful suite of approaches to poetry 'centers' in a chapter on "Making a Poetry Environment." These include listening, illustration, performance and music centers as well as poetry windows, amazing language center and a handful more. The centers-based approach can be hard to manage unless properly prepared, but it is a wonderful way to build fluidity into a process that otherwise suffers from rigidity of task or schedule. This book will offer strong support for such an approach.

In the chapter discussing "Writing Poetry", Heard takes the metaphor of the door as entryway, suggesting, among others, the "observation door", the "concern about the world door" and the "wonder door." She then moves to the details of crafting of poetry with a "toolbox" metaphor and a nice collection of tools. In this as in the earlier instances, her pedagogical metaphors will serve your students but also serve to structure your planning and presentation of concepts. Heard concludes with a chapter about the observational element of the poet's craft - what she terms "sharpening outer and inner visions", and a number of useful appendices.

I'm certain this book will light-up your enthusiasm for a poetry-based classroom.

Ms. Heard has put together exercises and knowledge to create a stunning list of usable classroom exercises. She uplifts even the most discouraged teacher heart and gives you the renewed vigor to attack ignorance while inspiring others to find the light within.

All of my questions about Hell were addressed in this simple book. In an upfront, honest, clear, and useful manner Emanuel Swedenborg tells of the conversations that he has had with Devils and Evil Spirits. He does not try to impress, or persuade, he just informs. This book was such a relief. I expected a series of unbelievable encounters, but instead I found accounts of situations that are exlemplary of real interactions. This book is understandable. It is very true. It is helpful and uncomprimising in its integrity. I reccomend it. No matter what you believe about the afterlife, it will help you to understand many of the reasons why life is the way that it is.

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)was referred to as the "scientific saint." According to a Stanford University research team, he is one of three people (Goethe and John Stuart Mill being the others) who might have had an IQ higher than Einstein. At age 56, after a brilliant scientific career, he devoted the last 30 years of his life to spiritual meditation and mediumstic trances. In what apparently were out-of-body experiences, he conversed with numerous souls in the spirit world, including many low-level spirits. For Swedenborg, evil, hell, and the devil are synonymous. When he talks of a "devil" or a "satan," he is referring to an evil spirit or one who has chosen to turn away from God.

In "Debates with Devils," Don Rose offers a compendium of what Swedenborg set forth in some 30 volumes he wrote about his findings in the spirit world. The focus in this book is on what he found in the lower realms of the spirit world. A companion book,"Conversations with Angels," focuses on the higher or heavenly realms.

Hell is not literally a place of fire, as much of orthodox religion teaches. As Swedenborg saw it, it was more a fire of the mind. The souls in this state continue to love the material more than the spiritual. "In the same degree in which angels have wisdom and intelligence, infernal spirits have malice and cunning," Swedenborg wrote. These devils use their cunning to negatively influence those still living on the earthly realms. "As soon as they detect even the smallest thing that a person loves or get a scent, so to speak, of what is delightful and precious to him, they attack it instantly and try to destroy it, and so the whole person," Swedenborg wrote.

Swedenborg says that hell is not God's revenge or punishment. Souls choose hell of their own free will. And yet, God permits them to climb out of hell into better states of mind.

The seeker who wants a view of hell that makes sense -- one that goes well beyond what orthodox religion has offered -- should read this book.

Heard has done an immensely satisfying job of bringing the reclusive Depp to his fans. Like other biographies Heard has written, he is thorough and appreciative of his subject matter. Unlike some of the slock that is out there, this book gives a lot of information without painting Depp in a bad light. This is a book for the fan of Depp that wants to learn more.

Good work Heard!

Depp

I loved this book! OK, I know I am not totally objective when it comes to JD-I think the guy walks on water, but not every author agrees with me. In reading this preface, though, I knew that I would really enjoy this book. Heard says " For his contribution to the art form, Depp deserves respect and admiration, and I intend to show him both." Heard makes no apology for the fact that he is a fan and it is written from that perspective.

He is a fan, however, it is not just a collection of quotes from people saying good things about Johnny- he actually tries to give you more depth than is usually the case. It is clear that some of the other books on Johnny were half-hearted attempts written for the sole purpose of making money. The author merely listed facts from the movie or press clippings and made no real attempt to get to the real story or real people behind that story. It is not true with this book.

As a journalist and host of TV's Reel to Real, Heard would have learned about the same incidents and "press" about Johnny as the others in the business of reporting on Hollywood. Some have sensationalized incidents in order to sell papers or books. This book, however, is not tabloid journalism. Heard says, "I would rather tell his story as I uncovered it than to take the position of a sniper" (an all too common tactic the press takes with regard to Johnny). Heard actually tries to find out what is behind the headlines. I also enjoy the fact that he adds his own opinions to the mix which makes it a little more interesting reading especially when it comes from an admirer.

The book begins with Johnny's birth and continues through events of spring 2001 so it is fairly up-to- date. I like the way the book flows. It is easy to read and not written in an affected way. Many authors and journalists are more concerned that you be impressed with them then in really conveying anything about Johnny. Heard portrays Depp as a person-not simply a movie star. He discusses Depp's surroundings as well as the background of those around him-not just their names. He discusses decisions which were made and often the motives behind them.

Frequently, books on stars rely heavily on pictures to fill the pages rather than any substance. This has few pictures. Chapter 8 has a section with 8 full-colored pictures of Johnny with various looks-of course he looks great in all of them. There are also some black and white images scattered throughout the book. However, the focus of the book is on Johnny as an artist not as a coffee table picture book.

For those Johnny fans, you may know most of what is in this book, however, it is the best single compilation regarding him. For those of you with friends who don't understand what the fuss is all about, I would suggest you hand them this book!

Chapter One - The Kids
Chapter Two - Craven Images
Chapter Three - Rumble in the Jungle
Chapter Four - Might as Well Jump

Chapter Five - Depp and Burton, Burton and Depp - Part 1
Chapter Six - The Low Road
Chapter Seven - Depp and Burton, Burton and Depp - Part 2
Chapter Eight - 1410
Chapter Nine - The Icon of Cool
Chapter Ten - The Brave
Chapter Eleven - Anti-Hero
Chapter Twelve - When the Going Gets Weird, the Weird Turn Pro
Chapter Thirteen - Leaving Home
Chapter Fourteen - Paradis and Paradise in Paris
Chapter Fifteen - Depp and Burton, Burton and Depp - Part 2
Chapter Sixteen - Absinthe, Croissants, and Cigarette