Swords for Hire" is a humorous and exciting medieval adventure. Inspired by "The Princess Bride", the style is similar enough that anyone who enjoyed that book should enjoy this one. Although it is written for the juvenile market (age 9 or so and older) it is still a delightful read for anyone. For a younger person the first thirty pages are somewhat slow but required in order to lay the foundation for the rest of the book. On the other hand, once you get to the section on "The Oddball" it picks up speed, the two primary characters become well developed and the book takes off. After that it is hard to put the book down and you may find yourself sitting up to finish it. "Swords for Hire" is a highly recommended and enjoyable read.

Sam Hatcher lived on a farm until he turned sixteen. Then he became an apprentice to Rigby Skeet, Sword For Hire. A smuggled message landed in their hands to reveal that the "deceased king" was not really dead. Instead, King Olive was caged in a far away dungeon and guarded by "the Boneman". The two set out to rescue their true king from the evil guards.

I found this story to be an absolute delight! All through the book I chuckled and often I found myself laughing out loud. The author expressed even the most common things in the most unusual and humorous ways. For example: "Imagine a dark, sinister-looking castle, then multiply by two and you'd have the castle of the Boneman."

The author also added some strange personalities that kids of all ages cannot help but find amusing, such as the false king who enjoyed nothing more than putting worms on top of his head. It is things such as these that will make young readers WANT to read. Each chapter is short, which is recommended for younger readers as well. And of course, there must be (and is) a beautiful damsel in distress that needs to be rescued. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Sam Hatcher is a normal, if a bit cynical, farm boy who is clearly not destined to become a farmer. His father recognizes this and sends him off to join the Royal Guard on his sixteenth birthday. Thus begins an adventure that teams him up with Rigby Skeet, a mentor who is slightly deranged, on a quest to rescue the true King from the dungeon in which his slimy, worm-loving brother has imprisoned him.

The story is fast and fun and often surprising, taking a classic adventure story and saturating it with humor and irony, smashing through clichés as quickly as the protagonists smash through obstacles.

Sam is no starry-eyed apprentice and his mentor is no all-knowing master, and this lack of established adventure story roles leaves room for so much more.

This story was loved by every kid with whom it was shared, from age seven to age fifteen, and the adults who read it loved it even more.

Peter Allen takes three of the most compelling aspects of human history--sex, disease, and religion--and weaves them together in a fascinating exposition of how religious authorities in the West have viewed disease since the late Middle Ages. His book discusses the histories of lovesickness, leprosy, syphilis, plague, masturbation, and of course AIDS. For each disease (and yes, masturbation was considered a serious disease well into the 20th Century!), he discusses how sex, and the sins associated with it, figured into the religious and popular views of illness. Allen's book is meticulously researched (he read texts in the original French, Latin, German, and Italian) and elegantly written. It is a far easier read than most academic works. Most importantly, it offers insight into how religious and sexual intolerance can hamper the fight against disease, even in today's world.

What a terrific book! Extremely well researched, written in lively fashion (by an open-hearted author) and frank in exploring past mis-steps from which we can, and certainly should, learn. We have been waiting for this one for a long time.

This gripping book raises far-reaching questions about what Roman Catholic teach. It fits nicely with two other books this year -- John Portmann's When Bad Things Happen to Other People and Garry Wills's Papal Sins. All three make us wonder about the state of Catholicism today and how it will it respond to such powerful criticism.

Portmann examines Bernard Haring's account of illness. Haring is the most important Catholic moral theologian of the twentieth century; the Catholic culture Lewis fleshes out culminates in Haring, whose thinking about illness was remarkably sophisticated. Even someone as modern as Haring allows a link between illness and sin. Haring gives permission to celebrate the suffering of others who have broken God's law. Both Lewis and Portmann seem to think of Judaism as generally more compassionate than Catholicism. This point could be debated.

Wills turns to the question of whether Rome has responded compassionately to gay and lesbian people. You can guess what Wills thinks, just on the basis of the title of his penetrating book. Lewis looks much more closely at sexuality and sexual sins than Wills does. Who doesn't find the topic of sexual sins worthwhile?

The three books have just come to light. Like others that have preceded them, they make us wonder how Rome will respond to serious analyses of Catholic compassion.

The Wages of Sin is part philosophy, part religious studies, part cultural studies. It is interesting through and through.

The book is a great collection of practical advice from two experienced authors. Unlike some business books, this one is written by people who understand both Americans and non-Americans that do business with them. As an American, I learned valuable information about how we are seen by others, especially Europeans. This knowledge will help in my international business and cultural interactions. I highly recommend the book for Americans and for those doing business with Americans--even those with years of this international experience--will benefit from the book's insights.

Finally, a book by business people, for business people, about that most intangible of business success factors -- interpersonal relations across borders and cultures. The authors have succeeded in filling a long-empty niche with usable, practical information in an entertaining format. They have ever so deftly skewered traditional complacency about a subject too long pooh-poohed as touchy-feely or unimportant because it is "unmeasurable," and they have brought it center stage. I especially recommend this to Americans venturing into the international arena (perhaps not its intended audience) where we are currently taking such a drubbing. Knowledge about how the rest of the world views us is a formidable strategic weapon when planning cross-border business. So, my advice about this excellent book is, "don't leave home without it."

It is important to understand how the world precieves Americans and our business practices to achieve our goals in the international marketplace. This publication is extremelly practical to all business persons, novice or experienced, who work with non-Americans. The text is wonderful in illustrating cultural business differences/"uniqueness" of Americans through ancedotal stories and examples, injected with the right amount of humor. A good, quick, practical read. Get "Working with Americans", read it and pass it along!!

I bought this book hoping to introduce simple and concise exercises to my youngster. What I was delighted to find, was a step by step manual describing basic flatwork right up to and including more difficult grid and course work. Excellent book which I highly recommend.

An excellent outline of basic exercises that can help horses and rider hone the skills needed to safely and correctly navigate courses. Well designed gymnastics with excellent descriptions and explanations as to the point of the exercise are fantastic.

Finally, a SUPER book written for those who desire to help train their own horses. Written by an expert course designer in the show jumping field, clinician, and also a one time competitor herself, Linda Allen has definitely proved she knows her "stuff" with her new book. I would definitely recommend this book for those of us who strive for competitive perfection. Keep up the good work - Linda - I can hardly wait for the next book!!!

I'm a Scoutmaster with a troop that wants adventure and backpacking is high on their list of things they wish to do. I picked up this book because I loved the illustrations (Mike Clelland learned to draw from reading MAD Magazine). I can't remember the last time I had a book that was so interesting that it compelled me read thru it every day for weeks. I'm using it as a teaching aid to help my scouts understand backpacking concepts ie. Loose the tent and use a tarp, Choosing types and quantities of food. And the scouts like the pictures. It's a great book for beginners young and old.

Profusely illustrated by Mike Clelland, Allen O'Bannon's Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backpackin' Book is a superbly presented guide for traveling and camping in a wilderness environment. All the relevant issues are covered including dressing and packing for the outdoors, choosing proper equipment; navigating with map and compass; setting up camp; dealing with wildlife; reading the weather; and basic backwoods hygiene. The informative text is enhanced with appendices on low-impact camping technics and an extensive gear checklist. Wether for a day-trip hike or an extended outdoors expedition, Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backpackin' Book is thoroughly "user friendly" and especially recommended for the novice camper and those new to the wilderness experience.

What can I say, this is just a fun book to read! Perfect for younger folks just learning to backpack and a quick and entertaining read for more experienced backpackers. This book is not a backpacking "bible" in that it just doesn't go in-depth on any topic, but it does cover all the basics like gear selection, trip preperation, trail skills, orienteering, weather reading, etc. Bottom line is that no other book in your backpacking library will be anything like this book so you should buy this. Its the one book you always be lending to all the new backpackers you meet, and you'll probably browse through it everytime you get it back! DISCLAIMER: Grumpy and humorless people stay away from this book!

Growing up in San Antonio, my family frequently traveled to Rockport for the weekend. We would fish at night and go sightseeing by day. As a child I was always fascinated by the area and I grew so did this curiosity.
Four years ago I read in the Rockport Pilot's Visitor Guide that this book existed. That very day I was dragging my wife around looking for it, finally found it at the Art Museum by the beach. The entire weekend was spent skimming and reading this wonderful book. Since I have got the book I have read and re-read it many many times.
Today I enjoy visiting Rockport as often as I can. While driving around I try to picture what it was like at the turn of the century when the Aransas Hotel was still stood and the Baily Pavillion was THE place to be. Who would have thought that the little towns of Rockport and Fulton would have such a deep history?

I have been visiting the Gulf Coast/Aransas Pass area for 9 years now. Every time I go I am intrigued by everything I see. The history that resides there is amazing. I stay at a house on Fulton Beach Road that is filled with history. It has been in my friends family for over one hundred years. The house is actually mentioned in the book. This book is an amazing look at an amazing time in an amazing place. If you are interested in the history of the Texas Coastal Bend then this the book for you.

Thanks, John Conner San Jose, CA

As a resident of Rockport, in Aransas Co., Texas, but not a native, I was interested in the history of this part of the state. When Sue Taylor and Bill Allen's book, ARANSAS, A Tale of a Texas Coastal County, was published, I was among many who lined up for Sue's signature on my copy.

It was a thick book, I put it aside until I had time to go through it. I've just had 10 days off, and that was among my reading activities.

I assumed it would be historical; so I did not anticipate reading it as I do some novels. But I started. To my surprise, it caught my attention and imagination right away.

Also, to my surprise, I lingered over the words because they painted pictures I wanted to enjoy. I took much longer to read this book, because I was captivated by the words themselves.

The story moved along like an adventure tale, which the history of Texas actually is. It was dangerous, scary, wild, and took courageous and foolhardy men and women to survive. Texas had citizens with those characteristics on both sides of the Rio Grande.

The saga of many real families unfolded. Reading ARANSAS was like looking at a photograph album of one's grandparents--or great-grandparents. You never met them, but through this book you do know them. They became real people, with real personalities.

I did not know of the participation of Aransas County in both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. It was a port to be conquered by the "other" side in both wars--a strategic military outpost. Other history books refer to the importance of Copano Bay.

Throughout the book the authors give geographic locations of homes or stores or hotels or fishing or cattle wharfs. In the back the references are detailed. We can still visit these places. That's my next goal--to find where history happened, and is still going on.

Frances Mayo

Lest we forget the horror that is war.

Standing, as we are, on the cusp of what historians will call the Second Gulf War, the world is confronted once again with the terrors and brutality that warfare stirs in the human psyche. Each of our living generations carries distinct and vivid imagery of what those horrors are. The further back in time our collective memories stretch, the more brutal warfare becomes. Tragically, as our technology has advanced, our ability to wage a lightning war -- an antiseptic Blitzkrieg if you will -- has become so profound that the youngest of our generations have forgotten, or never learned, just how terrible war can be. In a world where our most recent conflicts have seen more friendly fire casualties than deaths attributable to combat, to be captured, tortured, and deprived of basic human necessities is now something of an anachronism to Americans in the 21st century.

To counter our fading memories, Oliver Craig Allen, with the help of his wife Mildred Faye Allen, has given us one man's perspective of the grim realities faced by thousands of American prisoners of war during World War II ' many of whom never returned home alive. The Allen's do not attempt to tell the sweeping and rich history of American combat in the Pacific during the war, nor have they put together a comprehensive history of Bataan, the Death March or even of the unit in which Red Allen served. Rather, this is a story of survival in the face of almost unimaginable brutality at the hands of Japanese captors. Throughout the story, the reader is met head-on with Allen's completely honest assessment of himself, not as a hero or otherwise notable figure but as a simple young man who ended up in a terrible situation from which there was little hope of escape. Allen's gritty determination and tenacious will to survive is perhaps the most salient feature in this work which traces Red Allen from the years prior to his enlistment through his freedom from captivity and to his return to life as a civilian deeply affected by his experiences in combat and captivity.

Among the many prominent facets of this work is Allen's depiction of the ever-present fog of confusion and chaos that surrounded the battle for the Philippines and life as a captive of the Japanese. This story does an exceptional job in painting a clear picture of the fall of the Philippines and the abandonment of our armed forces thereafter. As a stand-alone memoir, Abandoned on Bataan is a good read about a terrible time. It is also valuable as a component in the larger story of the hell that was life as a prisoner of war under a Japanese captor with only the vaguest regard for individual dignity and human life.

"Abandoned on Bataan" is the detailed memoirs of Oliver Allen, one of may American soldiers left behind on the Bataan peninsula during World War II. Most people with even a basic knowledge of the history of the war in the Pacific know of the Bataan death march and the condition of the people when they were rescued from camps in China and Japan. What we generally don't know much about is what happened between those events. Oliver Allen's story fills in that detail with his personal experiences. He details the treatment received (including the rare instances of kindness shown by individual soldiers), the daily life in the camp, the work details, the health conditions, and the eventual liberation. It is a story of strength in the darkest hours of human travesty, it is a story of surviving, and it is a story of winning against all odds. For those with an interest in history and in particular an interest in Bataan or the war in the Pacific in general it is a highly recommended read.

One man's story of survival, as told to Mildred Allen. A teenage American GI recounts his years (1941-1945) of starvation, torture & germ warfare as a prisoner of war of the Japanese Empire in the Philippines & Manchuria.

ABANDONED ON BATAAN isn't about great generals or mighty battles, it is much, much more important, for it is about the survival of human dignity, compassion & hope against all odds. Yes, Red Allen ponders on the differences between cultures. Yes, his perspective of his captors is all-American, his point-of-view, however, is both prosaic & honest.

Yearning to become a pilot, teenager Oliver Allen answers the call to duty as the storms of war rumble over Europe & China. Unable to attain his dream of flying planes, he enlists anyway & is immediately shipped to the West Coast, on to Hawaii & then across the Pacific to the Philippine Islands into the maw of the Japanese advance.

That Red Allen survives is due as much to the simplicity & hardscrabble of his Texas childhood during the Great Depression as to the ebullience of his youth, not to mention pure damn luck!

Embedded in this memoir is history as well as a mystery. What were the reasons the world went to war in Europe & in Asia, & what were the feathers the POWs found in their Red Cross packages & parcels from home?

ABANDONED ON BATAAN is an astonishing read. Profoundly modest, detailed & authentic. Time & time again, this prototypical survivor has the opportunity to dwell on self-pity & whine about horrific injustices visited upon him & his fellow POWs, however, he rarely does so, to his credit. It's the story that counts & the Allens have written a riveting memoir.

Put yourself in the shoes of the victims of slavery. Allow yourself to really, really feel what it would be like to have every aspect of your culture, values, language stripped from you. Imagine having to sit by while someone rapes your wife, mother, 11 year old daughter. Imagine having to eat an animal which you have been taught is poison. Imagine not having freedom to marry and having to watch your baby being driven away in a wagon, never being seen again, because one man has taken it upon himself the right to sell another. Sit there, close your eyes and then you will be brought into a deeper understanding of the people of the Amistad.

Just like his film on it, Steven Spielberg's work on this book, "Amistad: 'Give Us Free'", was well-executed. It reminds one of Alex Haley's "Roots". Both stir emotions. Every bit of the story shows how cruel a man can be to his fellow man. And, I disagree with all those who term this true story "a story of illegally enslaved Africans", (Mr Spielberg didn't). We are shying away from the truth, which is that no African, (not even one), was a legal slave. There is nothing that made one slave legal, and the other illegal. There is no legality in slavery. Absolutely! That treacherous and heartless people overpowered, kidnapped, and transported, (in the most inhumane manner), their fellow human beings to America and other places does not, in any way, make those victims of inhumanity "legal slaves". Regardless of all the face-saving tales that those who defiled our lands with the innocent blood, tears, and sweat of millions of Africans will like us to believe, the truth is that not even a single African volunteered to become a slave in any circumstance. They were all forced into it: with no option but death. Those who ripped and enjoyed the bloodied fruits of slavery merely sought cheap excuses in order to justify what they did. But we know that there is nothing legal in kidnapping and subjecting human beings to such a horrible condition.
'La Amistad' tells a soul-eroding story. Cinque and his cohorts are true heroes. They are heroes of freedom, heroes of justice, and heroes of human rights. Songs have been composed about them. Books have been written about them. Films have been made about them. And, history will forever appreciate their gallantry.

The intercut of the church & prison was strange yet wonderful. The abolitionists gave Yomba an illustrated Bible and he gave his heart to Jesus[alternate version]. Cinque was the man who subsequently gave his life for his clan...Yomba was the informer who died beside Cinque in remorse. Cinque did what he did because he had to.

The original of this piece "As A Man Thinketh" is a profound piece, but distinctly marred from a female point of view by the inextricably male casting of the reader. This book is a much easier to take read for me and I think for most women (though it would be as irritating for most men as the original was for most women). It is somewhat more subtly marred by the occassional misuse of a gender term - I.e. "womanly" does not substitute straight for "manly" in most usage without making the resultant sentence rather odd.

Other than this quibble, it is an excellent book and one I would recommend to anyone as nourishing food to feed your mental life.

This book goes with me nearly everywhere. I'd read it several years ago and it was helpful in getting me to get outside myself, and change my attitude a bit (oh, what a helpless victim of circumstance and other people's actions I'd been!)

Later, I ordered up several copies to hand out. When I was an executive, other women would sometimes come to me with complaints about who did this to them, and why they were helpless to change. Everything I suggested had a 'Yeah, but...' attached to it. Before I hit my mid-40's, I was caught in the drama, feeling responsible and depressed by their circumstnaces.

Then I started handing out copies of the book. I'm sure many thought I was nuts, but a couple have actually gotten the message.

I'm not a tough-minded broad, but a bleeding heart liberal who finally realized you can help a fellow working-woman to grow not by solving her problems, but by supporting her as she learns she can do it herself.

The language in the book (really a booklet) is based on "As A Man Thinketh", but altered just slightly for women. It is invigorating to realize that what is true for the gander is true for the goose.

Don't be put off by the style - "Woman is buffetted by circumstances so long as she believes herself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when she realizes that she is a creative power, and that she may command the hidden soil and sees of her being out of which circumstances grow, she then becomes the rightful master of herself."

Oh yes! So, here's the message - what you think and do greatly affects what happens to you. You aren't the victim you think you are, so move on!

"As A Man Thinketh" and "As I Think" are also available.

This book has added a lot of richness and inspiration to my relationship with God. It is true that if one thinks negatively all the time nothing good will come out of his/her but if one thinks positively everything he/she does will yeild good results: this book makes it perferct and simple to grasp the concept. I will recommend "As a man thinketh" to everyone who is willing to improve upon their thinking process. I also believe that we are what we think. You will not regret spending money on it. I bought one for my husband and I keep mine in my purse for easy access and reference. God bless you.

This amazing and horrific story could only be TRUE.
No fiction writer could possibly convince their publisher of the logic of the storyline that a convicted murderer would be released again and again into the population to run rampant on drugs, go unsupervised and undetected on parole, and commit the atrocities described in this book. This story is a valuable study in the nature/nurture contribution to the serial killer personality.

Very detailed and well written book about this sick individual.

Every bit as good as Sniper in the Tower, Gary Lavergne gives us another read we can't put down. The story's not pretty but the research is excellent. (...) I was thrilled to see it out in MM. All true crime readers should get this one.