As a photographer, choreographer and dancer myself, I tend to be a tough sell on books which hype a photographer's mastery of the human form, particularly where dance or dancers are concerned. But such is my appreciation, and awe, of what Schatz has accomplished in his water studies that I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that he had published "Pool Light."

Less a book about dancers than about the incredible beauty of the human body, "Pool Light," transcends the very things which frustrate us as movers. In this book, the photographer and his models make us believe in both flight and fantasy. They inspire us to see shape unihibited by gravity or earthly confines. And they succeed in taking nudity, within a photographic environment, out of the controversial realms of "indecency" and restoring it to art in the way the great painters have seen it.

Technically, the work is nothing short of a marvel. Great photography, like any great art, deceives the viewer into believing that what they see is so easy, so natural, as to be routinely simple. In "Pool Light," we see none of the sweat, none of the frustration and aches (and presumably water-logged participants), which must certainly have gone into each image. Instead, we are invited simply to see that most classic of forms, and ancient of muses, the human figure, shown, through the most contemporary of techniques, in a way which celebrates both even as it transcends our sense of their limitations.

Absolutely beautifully photographed book. Schatz captures the God given beauty of the models under water with perfect taste. This is his best book by far. Yes far better than his most recent book Nude Body Nude.The dancers and models in this book appear to be much more natural and have a graceful beauty that almost makes you forget their nude; as opposed to the cliche "sexy" look that is typical of other models.

A magic delight to any person with or even without sensibility.
A must see for photographers and artists. It is a source of inspiration for my paintings and sculptures.
The beauty of the human body as if we were still in Eden.
After this book I was hooked on all Schatz books.
Do not miss it.

My main objections to this field guide were the illustrations. Artistic renderings are often beautiful, but fail to portray the animal in question with accuracy. Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius)is a case in point. Although I have not observed this animal at sea myself, I spoke with a number of fellow fishery biologists who have spent time at sea as marine mammal observers and no one has ever observed a bright yellow Ziphius in the field. All observed a base color of grey with this genus, at least in the northeastern Pacific. The Tasmacetus rendering is most likely based on the J. Mammalogy (1976) paper by Watkins wherein an unidentified ziphiid whale (probable Tasmacetus) was observed from a bluff overlooking the sea in New Zealand. Useful plates were those showing all similar cetaceans together; eg. all oceanic dolphins without prominent beaks, all oceanic dolphins WITH prominent beaks etc. The ziphidae plates show male Mesoplodon characteristics, but that is to be expected since solitary female ziphiid whales, especially Mesoplodon sp., could be virtually impossible to identify. My own field guide preferences use photographs rather than artistic renderings. Other problems: The distribution maps to not reflect the full distribution (extralimital observations/strandings) of many species. An example: Psuedorca is shown as a species with a distribution much further south than observations/stranding records indicate. The text does suggest that 'numerous records' exist outside of the more tropical distribution shown in the map. Note also that many of the dolphin renderings are positioned so that the dorsal fin is right where the pages meet. We did get a chuckle over the photograph showing what you should wear when watching whales, but that can be explained by our 'silly scientist' bias. One note for potential whale-watchers: do not allow your binocular strap to lie right on the skin of your neck while at sea as you can wear painful wounds into your neck through a day of whale-watching. Make sure your shirt collar or other clothing lies under that silly strap! Voice of experience!

My title sums it up. This is the ultimate book to bring on a field trip to watch whales and dolphins. The illustrations are clear and crisp and would aid anyone (even an expert would have a need for such a book) in the identification of any species (and it covers all the known ceteceans).

This durably jacketed guide to all known cetaceans contains easy to use identification information and illustrations. This is THE take-along field guide to use if you are going whale watching or traveling anywhere you want to know about the whales, dolphins/ porpoises you are seeing, as well as some explanation of behaviors and how they live. We used it in Antarctica; it's field tested. José Kirchner

Buy this book! Everyone can relate to the sweet story of Owen and his favorite blanket Fuzzy. Hooray for Owen's Mom who comes up with a creative solution to an age old dilemma. Delightful illustrations. This will be a favorite at bedtime.

Owen is one of my favorite characters of all times...probably because like Owen, I was very attached to my blanket. How I wish this book had been published when I was a child! As usual, Kevin Henkes' story is charmingly written and illustrated. There is a lot of humor, plenty of which will make parents laugh as hard as(or harder than) their children.

When Owen's busybody neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, convinces Owen's parents that he's too old to carry around his beloved, yet tattered, blanket, his parents begin a campaign to separate Owen and the blanket. Little do they know the lengths to which Owen will go to protect his blanket. Owen's Mom comes up with a solution that makes everybody happy, even that annoying busybody Mrs. Tweezers! Owen is a spunky, loveable little guy!

Enjoy!!

Henkes is my favorite children's author. I especially like Owen because so many kids do have a little "comfy" that they depend on and would just hate to give up. My son carries around a stuff blue turtle everywhere. The pictures are wonderful. Henkes can show expressions and emotions in the most minute way (like widening the eyes to show fear or surprise). The characters are precious. If you have a little one with a favorite blanket or stuff toy, this would be a great book to read out loud to them.

With 'Call Each River Jordan,' (the third episode of the "Abel Jones series"), Parry explores the Civil War in the Deep South. It begins with a harrowing account of the battle of Shiloh then proceeds deeper into Dixie, as the hero investigates a massacre of slaves. Parry's elegant prose is one of the greatest pleasures of this book and of the series, but I'm also struck by the greater complexity of the characters in this volume. It's also beatifully paced, with a finely judged accumulation of momentum. Some of the scenes, such as Parry's account of a horse race (in the voice of protagonist Abel Jones) are superb.

The three books (so far) taken in sum add up to a major statement about the war. Newcomers to the series need not read them in order, but having read one would probably want to read the others.

This is the best novel so far in a consistently wonderful series. Parry's remarkable, soldier's eye view of the battle of Shiloh is easily the most realistic, stunning picture of Civil War (or any) combat I have encountered. But this book is about much more than just that tragic battle. It's a dark (yet sunlit), riveting journey into the South of 1862, an honest, fair and complex portrait of slavery, and as beautifully-written as any novel I have read by a living American writer. The prose is musical, poetic, yet clear as clean glass, and the characters, from the wonderful Abel Jones to the Pickwickian Barnaby B. Barnaby make this an unusual novel at a time when characterization of the first order seems out of style in contemporary literature. I could ramble on about how much I loved this book--for which I was waiting anxiously--but I'll end by saying that, yes, it is a page-turner mystery--but the real mystery is how anyone could capture a lost world so beautifully and heartbreakingly on the page. Very strongly recommended for all who love good fiction, historical, mystery, or in any other genre!

This excellent book begins with a depiction of some of the most exciting, interesting and well-written Civil War battle scenes I have ever read. For that first chapter alone, the book is worth reading, but it is more than a battle book. Once again, the author has woven a tightly bound mystery into the Civil War era, and placed the intrepid Abel Jones right in the middle of it. This time, he goes into the Confederate lines to help find out why runaway slaves are being massacred. It's quite an exciting story, and the plot is moving forward even when you don't realize it. The writing is uniformly excellent, as usual, and all of the scenes are important, in addition to the depiction of actual historical characters. This is developing into a tremendous series, and I look forward to the next book, when I assume our hero will be overseas.

A thoroughly charming read. Was sold on this one by Marcia Brown's "Strings Attached" story on the sneak preview. She must have a colorful family indeed! Also enjoyed the Mandela piece. Great fun, even if you're not a gardener!

Thanks to Cliff Hunter for his great review of "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul". Please note, however, that the story "A Son's Harvest" was written by Lee May, not Henry Boye, as Cliff states. (It's a wonderful story, no matter who wrote it, but Lee should get the credit!) Thanks--Carol Sturgulewski, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul

A truly good book evokes cozy images and sensations from the past. And this is a very good book, one that teaches us to stop and consider how wisely we spend on this earth.

Among my personal favorites was Nona's Garden by Paul Silici. I could almost smell the delectably heavy garlic, beef and tomatoes slowly steaming in my grandmother's kitchen, and felt a tug on my heartstrings when she shared the story of her grandmother's lessions in life. Planting Day filled me with hope for the younger generation when I saw that sixteen-year-old Beth Pollack had written such an insightful essay. It was good to learn in Pat Stone's A Bedside Story that I'm not the only person who talks to their plants.

There's something for everyone in CS for the Gardener's Soul.

A nice end to the trilogy. It began in 'Sea Swept', 'Rising Tides' and now finally 'Inner Harbor'. The last brother Phillip finds his true love and alot of other things along the way in this installment. All the loose ends are finally tied up and the story of Ray Quinn's son Seth is finally revealed. I enjoyed this one the most of the three. Both Phillip and Sybill were strong characters and I like what Ms. Roberts did with Sybill's character and who she was. It was a nice twist.

~The third and last novel in the Quinn trilogy tells the story of Phillip Quinn, a high powered ad exec living in Baltimore and the last of the Quinn brothers still single. The Quinn family saved him from a life a crime of theft and street running when he was a boy. One fateful night he nearly died and Ray and Stella Quinn saved his life. He never forgot them or their selfless generosity. The only way he sees fit to somewhat pay Ray back is to help stop the blackmailing his now dead 'father' experienced by a woman who literally sold her only son Seth to him. The trick was, was to find the elusive woman who was wrecking havok on their lives.

Sybill needs to find the little boy she remembers from 6 long years ago before things completely fall apart. Did the Quinn's really steal Seth from his mother? Who were these people? Sybill is about to find out. She is on a personal mission and when she sees him, things aren't what they seem. The Quinn brothers are gentle with him and seem to love him...as she is seeming to fall for the Quinn brother named Phillip. When her identity is revealed, the tenuous grip she has on him falls apart as she now must defend herself against the protective family and find the truth.

Can Phillip trust her knowing who she is? Can he look past it to find love? Can they together save Seth from an uncaring mother who wants him for money? Will Fate solve their dilemma? Sybill finds out that blood can indeed be thicker than water and Phillip finds that he can learn to trust again and life will be good again, just as Ray and Stella planned it.

Good trilogy, worth the read!!!

I wouldn't recommend anyone read Inner Harbor without first reading Sea Swept and Rising Tides as they all tie in together. While the trilogy is about three brothers (Cameron, Ethan & Phillip) Seth, the youngest brother's story begins in Sea Swept and ends in Inner Harbor. Reading only the first or second book of this series will leave many questions unanswered. I found I enjoyed Inner Harbor the most. Not only because everything is settled in this book but because I found the chemistry between Phillip and Sybill outstanding. Even when his brothers (mostly Cameron) were angry with her, he gave her the benefit of the doubt to hear her out. To me, although she wasn't what she portrayed to be in the beginning, she unselfishly wanted only the best for Seth. I have also read the "Born In.." and the "Dream.." series by Nora Roberts but I think she outdid herself with this one. I've read the last couple pages of Inner Harbor over and over because I loved the ending.

"Inner Harbour" is the final installment in the Quinn brothers trilogy, and like the first two books, you don't want to miss it.
This is the story of Phillip Quinn, who has triumphed over his tragic past and succeeded in making a good life for himself. By this third book, Seth, the young boy the Quinn brothers are raising together, has bonded with all of them and has finally accepted that he is a part of the family.
Now, enter Dr. Sybill Griffin, who claims to be researching their small town on Chesapeake Bay. Phillip and Sybill are extremely attracted to each other right from the start and begin to develop a relationship. When these two are together the sparks fly! Sybill also makes a point of getting to know Seth, because unbeknownst to the Quinns, Sybill is hiding a dangerous secret that could put Seth in serious jeopardy!
This is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Phillip is a lovable, flawed and dashingly handsome hero and NR does a great job of making him seem real. The reader finally gets the mystery of Seth's identity solved and is left sated and happy.
So pick this trilogy up today, you will NOT regret it!

Although I am an avid reader of American military history, I read few first-person accounts of war because I tend to prefer books about geopolitics, grand strategy, and decisive weapons systems. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book about a marine officer's experience during the Korean War. It was easy reading, its narrative was straightforward, informative, and, I believe, honest, and it provided some valuable insights into the harsh realities of the first of the Cold War's regional conflicts.

The United States' "forgotten war" began on June 25, 1950, when the People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea). At the time, Author Joseph Owen was a Marine Corps lieutenant stationed in North Carolina, living with his wife and their two young children. According to Owen: "Nobody at Camp Lejeune had expected a shooting war. Nor were we ready for one." A captain who had been an adviser to the South Korean Marine Corps predicted Korea would be "[o]ne lousy place to fight a war. Too hot in summer, too cold in winter, and straight up and down mountain terrains all year round. Except for those stinking rice paddies down in the valleys. Human manure they use. Worst stink in the world." Nevertheless, according to Owen: "The possibility of American Marines in a combat role excited us." Owen writes: "The North Koreans continued to overpower the meager resistance offered by the South Korean soldiers....Seoul, the South Korean capital, fell with hardly a fight, and the Red blitzkrieg rolled southward. In response, President Truman escalated American involvement in the war. He ordered General MacArthur, America's supreme commander in the Far East, to use U.S. Army troops stationed in Japan to stem the invaders." And: "General MacArthur called for a full division of Marines to help him turn back the North Koreans. According to Owen: "The Marine Corps welcomed the call, but we did not have a full division to put in the field;" and "More than seven thousand of us at Camp Lejeune received orders to proceed by rail to Camp Pendleton. There they would form into companies and embark for Korea." Owen's unit, "Baker-One-Seven became one of three rifle companies if the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment....Our ranks were filled by 215 men and 7 officers who had never before served together....Many of [the privates] were beardless teenagers with little training beyond the basics of shouldering a rifle and marching in step." While training, there was much concern about the readiness of the Marines for combat. At one point, after a sergeant remarks that the troops need more training in boot camp, Owen succinctly invokes reality: "They are not going to boot camp. They are going aboard ship. And they are going to fight." On September 1, the company boarded a Navy transport for the three-week voyage to east Asia. According to Owen: "Ready or not, we were on the way to war." And, according to Owen, the 1st Marine Division's orders were "to go for the Yalu River," North Korea's border with China. At one point, a veteran officer provides this paraphrase of William Tecumseh Sherman's famous dictum: "War is hell, but you never know what particular kind of hell it's going to be." The Korean War hell was cold and barren. Owen writes: "We were chilled through and bone tired as we slogged our way back to battalion....The bivouac was lumpy with rocks and boulders;" "The cold weather was as formidable an enemy as the Chinese;" and "Rarely did the [daily action] reports exceed zero degrees, and there were lows of twenty below."

By the time Owen's outfit arrived in Korea, he writes, "we were making bets that the war would be over before we got into it." Owen's Marines could not have been more wrong. While Owen is inspecting his men's weapons, a private asks: "Think we'll get shot at today, Lieutenant?" Owen replies: "We're taking the point for the regiment. If the gooks are there, they'll be shooting at us." A few pages later, after the outfit's first experience in combat, Owen comments: "We were fortunate that the enemy had not chosen a "fight-to-the-death" defense of this hill, as they would when we advanced farther north." But some fighting was hand-to-hand. At one point, Owen writes: "Judging from the noise they were making, and the direction of their grenades, the North Koreans were preparing to attack, not more than thirty yards away." The Captain tells Owen and the other subordinate officers: "The Chinese have committed themselves to this war....The people we will fight are the 124th Division of the Regular Chinese Army....They're tough, well-trained soldiers, ten thousand of them. And all of their officers are combat experienced, their very best....A few hours from now we'll have the Chinese army in our gunsights. We'll be in their gunsights. You damn well better have our people ready for some serious fighting." The combat was, indeed, brutal. According to Owen: "The Chinese attacked in massive numbers, an overwhelming weight, but they also endured terrible casualties." Owen recalls that, while waiting for one Chinese attack, the "men stacked Chinese bodies in front of the holes for greater protection." And the fighting around the frozen Chosin Reservoir may have been the most brutal of the war. Owen ultimately suffered wounds requiring 17 months of treatment, and he never regained full use of one arm.

A few months ago, I reviewed James Brady's wonderful The Coldest War: A Memoir of Korea here. This book has different charms. Whereas Brady is a gifted professional writer, there is no elegant prose here. But Owen provides an equally vivid account of this ugly war. Big, sophisticated studies of military history focusing on geopolitical principles and grand strategy rarely offer narrative moments like the ones in this book. Reader are unlikely to forget the Korean War after reading Joseph Owen's Colder than Hell.

Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir. By Joseph R. Owen. Reviewed by Mike Davino

Army Korean War expert Lieutenant Colonel Roy Appleman has called the 1st Marine Division of the Chosin Reservoir campaign "one of the most magnificent fighting organizations that ever served in the United States Armed Forces." The remarkable and inspiring story of the division at the Chosin Reservoir has been the subject of numerous books and several films. During their fighting withdrawal, the Marines decimated several divisions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army while at the same time fighting an exceptionally harsh winter environment.

Joseph Owen's new book on the subject tells the story from the cutting edge perspective of a rifle company. The author served as a mortar section leader and rifle platoon commander in Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines from its activation in August 1950 through the Inchon-Seoul and Chosin fighting where he was severely wounded.

There are many reasons given for the outstanding performance of the Marines in northeast Korea during the winter of 1950. It is clear from this book that a large measure of the credit goes to the Marines and their leaders at the small unit and rifle company level.

Owen's narrative covers the hasty activation and training of the company, its brief participation in the fighting north of Seoul after the amphibious assault at Inchon and the details of its intense fighting at Chosin. He candidly discusses the mistakes made by the leaders and Marines of Baker Company, to include his own. More importantly, Owen covers what they learned from these mistakes and how they used that knowledge to defeat the Chinese in a series of intense actions.

Although focused at the company level, the author frames his story with the overall conduct of the campaign. Refreshingly, unlike many books about the Chosin campaign, it is free of partisan sniping about the contributions made by the various services involved. Owen gives credit to the Army units that fought at Chosin as well as the contributions of naval and air forces and our British allies.

This book is rich in lessons about small unit leadership, training and combat operations. It is an excellent addition to the personal narratives on the Korea War.

When preparing to travel to an Asian country on business, I seek context by reading of the wars the U.S. has fought there. When I look in those Japanese, Chinese and Korean eyes, I see the children of old enemies and old friends. While plowing through Fehrenbach's canonical Korean War history, "This Kind of War", I took a break and lost a weekend of yard work to "Colder Than Hell" which I ordered based on the praise given by my fellow Amazon reviewers. My thanks to the other reviewers, for this is a superb first person account of a Marine company fighting it's way up and then back down the Korean peninsula in 1950. Marines of Baker one-seven fought and froze to the death too often, but their sacrifice has let 47 million Koreans in the South build a democracy and learn the meaning of freedom. The price of freedom was huge for Baker one-seven, but the esprit de corps so crisply described by ex-Second Lt. Owen carried his Marines from hill to hill. This is an excellent book and a must read for fans of first person stories of war and sacrifice.

Owen Parry in Faded Coat of Blue introduces the reader to Captain Abel Jones a recent immigrant from Wales who serves his new country during the civil war as a way of to express his gratitude. Although injured he continues to work as a clerk until General McClellan asks him to investigate the murder of a prominent young abolitionist.

We find Washington D.C. during this time to be a seedy, dirty place where schemers are profiting from the war. At this time there are already dangerous areas of the city which the solid citizen should avoid to remain healthy, wealthy and alive.

Characters in this book are interesting and well defined. Jones is a man who believes strongly in honor. He befriends Dr. Mick Tyrone, another man of integrity and meets up again with an old comrade from India Jimmy Molloy, a roguish sort who will delight the reader

This is an entertaining read and a good historical mystery for those who are fond of the genre.

As a reader with a lifelong interest in the Civil War, I was absolutely knocked out by this incomparable novel. I have never found the atmosphere and character of the Civil War era so accurately portrayed--beyond which, the writing itself is superb. Mr. Parry has a flawless ear for dialects--yet he never overdoes it. The book reads very quickly, and leaves the reader hungry for more--as all the best books do. From the portrayal of wartime Washington to the joys and sorrows of a soldier's life, this book rings truer than any other I've read. And Abel Jones is one of the most interesting characters I've encountered in a lifetime of reading. This book is also a mystery, of course, but I valued it just as a terrific story and a wonderful portrait of our past. I do, however, have to take issue with one of the other reviewers who criticized Mr. Parry for mentioning the Thanksgiving holiday a year before it became an official national holiday. In fact, it's Mr. Parry, the author, who's correct. Parry never said Thanksgiving was a national holiday at that point in 1861, only that it was widely celebrated, which was absolutely true. As a former history teacher myself, I can assure all readers that Thanksgiving was very widely celebrated prior to the Civil War, especially in the North. Parry's portrayal of the unofficial celebrations in the Army of the Potomac in 1861 are completely accurate, and the historical records support it. In New England, it was already an established family holiday, with reverential tones. In the Union Army, it was a great excuse for getting drunk. When Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday later in the war, he was simply formalizing a celebration that already had a long tradition. Overall, Mr. Parry's book is incredibly accurate--the details are marvelous and telling--and I personally could not find a single error in this very-well-researched novel. But, ultimately, what matters is just that this is a great read. Were I still teaching, I would use it to lure my students into the realms of history. Bravo!

Owen Parry is a new historical novelist to watch. In "Faded Coat of Blue", Parry (pseudonym of an established writer of both thought-provoking non-fiction and modern thrillers) has produced a moving and evocative protrait of Civil War-era Washington. The murder mystery carries the story along, but the book is really the chronicle of the love affair of a Welsh immigrant Indian Army veteran for his new country. Accurate in portraying time and place, the prose often becomes lyrical, conveying the touch, feel and smell of the era. As Owen Parry, the writer has achieved a new "voice", displaying a storytelling skill rarely matched. Students of American history will gain new insights into our past through the eyes of the protagonist, Abel Jones. Owen Parry and Abel Jones will be names to watch as this continuing Civil War saga unfolds in the coming years.

For many years, I searched for the "ultimate" Bible. Being an avid New King James Version reader, we don't always have as many resources available as the King James or NIV people. My most useful Bible study tool is many, many cross-references, which I always looked for in NKJV Bibles that had the most. The Thompson Chain has much more than the standard cross-references. The chain references are just that: you go to the alphabetical index to find your subject, (which there are listed around 4,400 different topics) and you go to the first reference, and simply chain through the scripture references. In other words, they are cross-referenced in sequence order! The topics are as detailed as "blue" and as extensive as "God"; these more extensive subjects are then broken down into various sub- topics. Also, in the back of the Bible, the subjects are listed by title, then all the references are given, and the more main ones are chained throughout the scriptures, and some topics' scriptures are written out in the back also! There are also absolutely no commentaries, nor any conclusions drawn in this Bible! I would 100% recommend this Bible (in any version you use) for those of us who love many, many cross references, and believe first and foremost to compare scripture with scripture (1Cor. 2:13) in Bible studies. For those who like this, this Bible has everything!

I have owned one version or another of the Chain Reference Bible since I was a teenager in the seventies. My 'standard' Bible has been the large print KJV for many, many years and it remains the first Bible I pick up. I purchased the NIV Chain Reference, but just didn't like the translation, it just didn't 'read' right for me. I've enjoyed the NAS translation, but it is awfully dry reading when the heart desires poetry. So, I ended up purchasing the NKJV. It has been a real pleasure to read, combining the elegance of the KJV with a modern and accurate adaptation.

As for the chain reference system used by Thompson, it's such a part of my Bible reading and study that I'd have a really hard time switching to another system. Some of the illustrations and charts have been revised from my older KJV, but not to an extreme. The Thompson system remains, for me, the quickest and easiest way to study a topic through the Bible, or just through either the New or Old Testament. The Bible also includes an excellent concordance; for someone new to chain reference study they can start with the traditional concordance and work their way into the Thompson system. Also included are excellent maps, revised from the earlier versions, and a historical dictionary with photos of significant Biblical locations, with explanations.

I agree with another reviewer that Nelson Bibles are, in general, not made for people with serious intentions on daily Bible use. They are constructed down to a price, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as these can provide a very inexpensive introduction to the Bible. However, when one is ready to use a Bible in a serious, daily way, a better Bible will easily pay for its higher price.

Though this Bible is well-made, it is NOT as well made as my older, large print KJV. My older Bible has whipstitching clearly seen in front and back, with pages secured as well today as when I bought it. This newer Bible appears to have pages that are glued in like cheaper ones. Additionally, the paper is comletely different than my older edition, and thinner. The older paper had almost an eggshell texture, whereas the newer paper is much slicker and thinner. In first use it's really quite difficult to get the pages apart. However, it's still a very well-made Bible, just not up to the standard of the older ones. That should in no way deter someone from buying it, though.

As a one-volume Biblical library, I haven't seen anything to beat the Thompson's. As another reviewer noted, it's also refreshingly free of editorial bias, which certainly can't be said of all its competitors. Most of all, each of us needs to find a Bible they can live with daily, and any Bible available is better than none at all! Thompson Bibles aren't inexpensive but they will last twice as long as cheaper Bibles, particularly if kept in a cover. Also, the supplemental atlases and historical additions might well save purchase of other books to accompany Biblical study. Highly recommended!

My old, marked-up Thompson Bible is the "Olde Reliable" that I keep coming back to. I have been using it for over thirty years and find it invaluable to "quick find" verses on nearly evey imaginable topic.

On the plus side, are the MANY chain referrences with marginal "PILOT" numbers and brief word discriptions which also serve as mini-commentary on the verses. While the chains may not contain all the referrences a particular denomination may wish to emphasize, it more than make up for it with an ABUNDANCE of referrences most scholars whould never even think to look up! The handy exhaustive indexes, concordance, cross-references and helps enable the user to find nearly every subject in the Bible.

On the minus side, 1.) the text is rather small and 2.) it would be benificial if the bold-face marginal headings were included in the OT as well as the New.

Overall rating:FIVE-STAR EXCELLENT!!! It is a lifetime of research and study marvelously condensed into a handy-sized volume for both home study and portibility. I heartily recommend it for new Christians as well as those who "think they know it all". As advertised, it is a Bible that will SURPRISE you. Get it!

Despite my title for this review, this is an excellent, very detailed manual that merits reading for those who are in the pool business or want a reference tool for things no one else seems to know or understand. The author is an expert in his field, so anyone can learn from him no matter how much they already know. That was my problem. Having bought a house with an inground pool, I had to learn fast and this book was the wrong one for me, initially. Nonetheless, it will stay in my library as a reference tool for troubleshooting.

In Arizona, pool care is a common teenage chore, just like snow shoveling in more northerly areas, so I'd had some pool experience when I moved into a house of my own. (Thanks, Dad.) This book will tell you everything there is to know about pool care. Other homeowners have complained that there's too much information, but I think the information is presented in such a way that you can skip the gory details. The author mentions that the chapter on water chemistry is optional, for example, but if you want details, they're there.

After we moved in, we had some out-of-town friends stay with us, and being from Chicago, they were curious about owning a pool. They were even more surprised when I could answer every question, from the workings of pool filters to pool chemistry -- I told them it was all in the book.

This book is about maintenance as well, and not just the theory of it. With this book on top of the pool heater (don't worry, the heater was off), I stripped my DE filter all the way down to the piping and cleaned it from top to bottom. If you want to know about pools, this is the book. You also get a different perspective on movie and sports stars -- you see them form their pools, as with the description of John McEnroe's pool filter. While not exactly cocktail party chatter, it does liven up the presentation.

Very detailed book on pools with US measurments. Not a guide on how to take care of your pool, but more of a deeper look at pools. From chemistry to construction, etc. Having this book at the pool store where I work at is very handy.