This review concerns the original 1951 edition. Frank and Joe are plunged into another mystery when they are out in the Sleuth during a storm and they find a wallet full of money and when they track down some rifles and camping equipment stolen from Chet to the North Woods. This book has one of the best opening chapters of any in the series and it gets you into the mystery very quickly. The pages from about 60-130 when the Hardys and their friends go camping in the North Woods are the best, but the whole book is really good. One thing I liked about this book was that it actually remembered that Frank and Joe have other friends besides Chet and they were given more than just a passing mention. It's a great book any Hardy Boys fan would want to read.

Originally published in 1951, the biggest flaw with this volume was the absolutely horrible cover art drawn by Bill Gillies in 1951. Nappi's 1968 revision was a vast improvement on the original cover and fishing trawler of a Sleuth portrayed on the front cover. The book itself opens with a bang as the Hardys find a wallet full of money while out in Barmet Bay during a storm. Personally I now think the Sleuth has a voodoo doll that has been hanging beneath somebody's shower head as everytime it seems they take out that boat it rains!! This is a well written suspenseful adventure that takes place for the most part in the "North Woods" near Bayport. Very delightful reading throughout the entire book until perhaps the final chapter which tended to lack creativity. I was somewhat let down with Chapter 25. But the first 24 were excellent. This was in fact one of my more favorite volumes. RATED A-

A sharp voice cut the air."Stay where you are!"
Frank and Joe wheeled. A tall man, his hat pulled low, stood before them, a gun in his hand.

"30 Ten-Minute Plays for 2 Actors, from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest," edited by Michael Bigelow Dixon, Amy Wegener, and Karen C. Petruska, is an outstanding anthology dedicated to a very specific theatrical genre. It is part of a set of three volumes of 10-minute plays. One of the other volumes contains plays for 3 actors, and the other has pieces for 4, 5, or 6 actors.

The introduction to this book notes, "Over the past two decades, the ten-minute play has established itself as a potent and durable form in American theater." The editors further compare this genre to other short literary forms such as the editorial. They also note that the plays in this volume are all by American playwrights.

The thirty plays are a very diverse group. In this book can be found comedy, tragedy, fantasy, and surrealism. Here are brief descriptions of some of my favorites.

"Misreadings," by Neena Beber: an encounter between a college literature teacher and a rebellious student. "Off the Rack," by Robert D. Kemnitz and Jennifer McMaster: a dialogue between a woman and a professional closet organizer. "Guys," by Robert Badlam: a comic dialogue between a girl-hungry guy and his pal at a fast-food restaurant. "Precipice," by William Mastrosimone: the suspenseful story of two climbers in trouble on Mount Rainier. "Tape," by Jose Rivera: a "Twilight Zone"-ish dialogue between a seemingly imprisoned individual and an attendant; early on this play contains the ominous line, "We don't want to cause you an undue suffering."

But my favorite in the whole collection is "Trying to Find Chinatown," by David Henry Hwang. A hilarious and thought-provoking satire on Asian-American identity, it contains some terrific dialogue.

The only thing that disappointed me about this collection was the lack of any author bios. I would have liked to have had some information on these playwrights and on any other pieces they may have written. Still, this is a fine collection which I would enthusiastically recommend both for classroom use and personal reading.

Three fine books in the Smith & Kraus '30 10-Minutes Plays' series by Michael Dixon, et.al. present winners from the Actors Theatre of Louisville's national 'ten-minute play' contest, provide aspiring students and dramatists with a wide range of plays. These three volumes are divided into plays for 3 Actors (1-57525-278-3), 2 Actors (277-5) and 4, 5 & 6 Actors (279-1). Characters, settings, and details on obtaining performance rights accompany each sketch.

"30 Ten-Minute Plays for 3 Actors from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest" is edited by Michael Bigelow Dixon, Amy Wegener, and Stephen Moulds. The book is part of a trio of anthologies of 10-minute plays; one of the other anthologies collects plays for 2 actors, and the third collects plays for 4, 5, or 6 actors.

This volume begins with a short introduction that discusses the 10-minute play as a genre. The plays in this anthology are further subdivided into 5 categories: plays for 3 men (3 plays), plays for 3 women (6), plays for 2 men and 1 woman (9), plays for 2 women and 1 man (11), and finally, a single play with gender variability.

As a group these plays demonstrate a variety of dramatic techniques and have a diverse assortment of different characters. The plays deal with many different issues: gender relations, ethnic and national identity, violence, ethics, socioeconomic issues, loss, love, superstition, and more. A few of my favorite plays in this book are as follows:

"Tango Delta," by Jeffrey Hatcher: about 3 secret service agents on a rooftop mission. "Eating Out," by Marcia Dixcy: 3 women talk about their eating disorders. "Sunday Go to Meetin'," by Shirley Lauro: A Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrant girl experiences a cultural clash in 1905. "Cover," by Jeffrey Sweet: explores the ethics of lying. "Lunchtime," by Rob Marcato: about a tense encounter in a public eating area. And "Arabian Nights," by David Ives: an absurdist comedy about language and interpretation.

This is an impressive collection. My only complaint is that there are no author bios (although the brief overall intro notes that these plays are written by American playwrights). A brief sentence or two about each contributor would have, in my opinion, added both interest and educational value to the anthology. Still, it's an excellent volume in a fine trilogy of anthologies.

Three fine books in the Smith & Kraus '30 10-Minutes Plays' series by Michael Dixon, et.al. present winners from the Actors Theatre of Louisville's national 'ten-minute play' contest, provide aspiring students and dramatists with a wide range of plays. These three volumes are divided into plays for 3 Actors (1-57525-278-3), 2 Actors (277-5) and 4, 5 & 6 Actors (279-1). Characters, settings, and details on obtaining performance rights accompany each sketch.

THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK. IT PRETTY MUCH TURNED THE PAGES FOR ME. I HAVE READ MANY H.B. CASEFILES BOOKS AND I HAVE THOUROUGHLY ENJOYED THEM ALL.

I really liked this book a lot! It was a lot of fast paced action. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from first page to last!

The advertised book is "Batman: Legacy." However, the synopsis, and both customer reviews, are for an earlier graphic novel, entitled "Batman: Contagion." The aforementioned plague is released, confronted and eventually cured in "Contagion" and in "Legacy" the source is traced.

Ras Al Guhl plans to unless a deadly virus upon the world...and only Batman, Robin, Catwoman, and Nightwing can stop him! Awesome artwork and plot line.

Hold on to your seats, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS-IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE is a wild and wacky ride through the lives of the Cavanaugh family. This story begins where SIMON SAYS ended with recurring characters. The Cavanaugh family is of African-American and Italian descent, filthy rich, and as you read you will learn that most of their wealth comes from illegal gains.

The family consists of the patriarch Harrison, his wife Sylvia, their sons Conrad (Connie), Joseph, Christian and daughter Madison. They each bring their own special trait to the Cavanaugh business. When Harrison becomes ill, his wife forces him to give up the business to one of their sons. There in lies the dilemma, which son will he choose? Connie and Joseph are the two likely candidates; if you did not know that Connie was rich and infamous you would mistake him for a notorious thug from the hood. Joseph is a prime candidate to take over the business but his altercations with Connie for control and legitimacy of the business, coupled with his unsettled life, leave much to be desired of his ability to run a major empire. Christian is the financial wizard for the family business who controls and oversees all spending. However, he is in a loveless marriage and, true to form, was a target for marriage by a scheming gold-digger in college. Madison's only interest in the business and in life is receiving her monthly stipend, shopping and marrying someone who is equally wealthy.

Collen Dixon has penned a novel with many plot twists and turns and several unsavory characters. Many of the shenanigans are over the top and hard to believe, but they will keep you mesmerized until the end. Although the novel was set primarily in Washington, DC, Ms. Dixon did a superb job of providing Harrison and Sylvia's family history several generations back in New York City and the family's move to Washington, DC. This book definitely will hold your attention with its vivid attention to detail. I'm looking forward to the third and final installment to the SIMON SAYS trilogy, EVERY EYE SHUT.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

If you enjoyed Simon Says you will Love Behind Closed Doors. Collen winds you through the lives of the Cavanaugh family. The Cavanaugh's make the Soprano's look like choir boys. The twist and turns will leave you holding your breath and turning the page to see what happens next. What happens at the end is why I call Collen Dixon the Cliffhanger Queen.

This handy edition of Cassell's German Dictionary is just that: a handy edition. And although it contains many idiomatic phrases and other helpful tools, it is not designed for those who wish to do scholarly research in German literature. The text does not contain enough technical terms or theological idioms to facilitate this type of research. For those who intend to use it for more casual study, this text would be highly recommended.

Aside from Wahrig's German-German dictionary, you will be *extremely* hard-pressed to find a better German dictionary.

Easy to follow... good examples... idomatic expressions... proper translations that show correct modern usage/interpretations... includes some words in dialect...

I've been a constant student of the language for over 10 years now and this is by far *the* best dictionary to have. No collection of German reference books is complete without this dictionary. My father (Ph.D., German Literature, Univ. Tennessee '77) has used his for over 30 years (with the exception of the 5 years I had stolen it from him while I was in college).

Hands down, the best.

Never a dull moment with the Hardy Boys. Non-stop action makes for fun reading. If you like reading about adventure in caves, don't miss Steward's "Tales of Dirt, Danger, and Darkness."

I enjoy the setting and the hole out line of the book... That is why i continue to read them after all these years and i won't say how old i am either...:)

Book: The Corps and the Shore Authors: Orrin H. Pilkey, Katharine L. Dixon

It's not difficult to beat up the Army Corps of Engineers. It's run roughshod over more than one engineering and erth moving project. In this book the authors make a compelling case (as do several other good books)that the Corps used traditional steel and concrete projects to force human utilization on the nation's coastal zones. In spite of the very incisive and useful analysis in this book we should recognize that American's love the coast, are moving there in unprescedented numbers, and are investing massive amounts of capital in housing, recreational, and commercial construction.

Was the Army Corps of Engineers a culprit in the "urbanization" of America's coastlines and beaches or was the Corps an inevitable partner in coastal development? My own analysis (see our discussion at ...) is that the coast and seashore is a magnet for population throughout the world. Most "megacities" in the world are coastal cities. It is instructive that, although the Corps exists only in the United States, "Corps-like" construction and structures which seriously assault the coastal areas (by "armouring" the beach) takes place in all the coastal zones I have studied.

Everyone who has visited, lived, or worked near the beach must read this book. But ask yourself this "If the Army Corps had not undertaken these projects who would have done so?"

Steffen Schmidt, Ph.D Professor of Politics and Coastal Policy Iowa State University and Nova Southeastern University, Oceanographic Center, Ft. Lauderdale

Scourge of developers everwhere, coastal geologist Pilkey is the deepest and most penetrating thinker we have about our complex relationship with the shoreline. With this book, Pilkey makes public his disgust with the ham-handed and over-engineered tactics of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and their walling of the American coastline.

Whether you live near the coast, are thinking of moving there, or are just curious about those million-dollar Malibu mansion you see tumbling into the Pacific every winter, you need to read this book.

The recent book "Drawing the Line" by Edwin Danson details the technicalities of the work done by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in marking the boundaries of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania in the 1760s. Nearly two and a half centuries after that land survey took place, William Ecenbarger travels along the famous border not only to reminisce about that task but also to document some of the lives that have lived there since. It's not a pristine picture. Race relations loom large in his findings. Reverse Underground Railroaders snatched free blacks from the North and sent them south during the 1800s. KKK activity seems to thrive along the line, even up through recent times. For whites who are under the impression that civil rights and equality were successfully achieved by blacks either after the Civil War or in the mid-1960s, the accounts relayed here may be disturbing to read. Jarring, but necessary. Black and white photos of people, buildings, and places add much to the text, and the map at the end of the book is a handy resource to consult. Though Ecenbarger seems to have a fascination with more of the negative stories than the positive (i.e., while he mentions Mercersburg, Penna., he doesn't note that PA's only president, James Buchanan, was born there), this book remains a real eye-opener to those of us who resided nearby and never knew the truth.

William Ecenbarger does not just tell us about how Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon marked a line dividing Pennsylvania from Maryland but he reveals how their line marked the boundary that speprated slaves from free negros and slave owners from abolitionists. The book shows that the Mason Dixon line goes not just from the east to the west it also goes through America's history from the days it was first surveyed until today. Read this book and find how the stone markers define the properties once owned by William Penn and Celilius Calvert (the Second Lord Baltimore) and how they also define a major part of the towns and citizens along it's path and crucial to our nation's history.

Bill Ecenbarger's Walkin' the Line is a delightful stroll along the entire Mason-Dixon. Whether its dropping into a bar for a chat with the locals or reminiscing about some long past tragedy, Mr Ecenbarger employs his considerable journalistic skills to deliver to us the unique record of the historical perspective of Mason and Dixon extraordinary achievement. As a treatment of the Underground Railroad, by which slaves from the South ostensibly sought freedom, Walkin' the Line is essential reading.
The book is an engrossing, often poignant, reminder of days gone by and of slowly changing attitudes towards race and culture. The conversations with the people he met during his journey are written in a lively and colourful style and fairly represent modern attitudes, feelings and symbolism for this, the most famous border in America and, probably, the world.
Read it and enjoy a rare piece of honest and entertaining writing.