I have read this book quite a few times, and loved it just as much every time. It tells with amazing clarity and honesty what it's like to grow up---and although it's set in a Massachusetts town at the beginning of the century--it's fresher and more modern and sharp than most any book written today. The author is not afraid to admit that growing up is not all happiness and light, but also tells so well about the small, bright moments that we will remember forever from our childhoods. Don't miss this true gem of a book.

A practical booklet for parents/carers, dealing with some of the difficult behavioural problems in young, autistic children all long suffering adults should be familiar with. The format, layout and illustrations are good and provide the reader with easy access to the topics which may be of particular interest to them. Temper tantrum, sleep problems and toileting are among these and will strike a chord with all carers.

Written in plain English by people who have obviously experienced life with autistic children, this booklet gives sensible, no nonsense suggestions and possible solutions to problems. I was particularly impressed by the fact that information was included about who to contact for further help, if this was required and also the inclusion of an item about looking after yourself. This is not as selfish as it may sound as the suggestions included activities for both adult and child to enjoy together, such as massage and relaxing to music tapes.

The booklet is clear and concise and the practical methods recommended are definitely worth trying, while no guarantees are given. What one should remember is 'It can get better'.

A welcome addition to the family bookshelf.

If you are in search of an outstanding book on the steam engine and of course James Watt, this is the book. It has anything you may need to know about his life starting from childhood through his retirement. It highlights the relationshop between Boulton and Watt and the steam engine which he made practical. The book not only tells about Watt, but about the way in which a steam engine operates and how his did operate. This invention was without a doubt a major turning point in history.

«I have ever judged of the religion of others by their lives» - Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson was a private man, and nowhere more so than in religious matters. A believer in the «eternal divorce» of religious opinion from civil authority, he was just as wary of the curtailment of individual freedom of conscience by the tyranny of public pressure, castigating the tyrants with clean hands who «altho' the laws will no longer permit them... to burn those who are not exactly of their Creed, ... raise the Hue and cry of Heresy against them, place them under the ban of public opinion, and shut them out from all the kind affections of society.» Afraid of any undue influence on other people's opinions, and jealous of any interference with his own much abused tranquility and reputation, this man who was «in a sect of my own» refrained till the end of his life from any public disclosure of his beliefs in divine matters.

However, his silence did not extend to those among his closer friends whom he suspected to be receptive to his unorthodox opinions, and in addition to his correspondence with them, time -seconded by the efforts of the editors of the present volume- has preserved for us two remarkably revealing documents : «The Philosophy of Jesus», which he composed in 1804, and «The Life and Morals of Jesus», which produced about fifteen years later.

These two pamphlets, the former in English, and the latter in four languages (Greek, Latin, French and English), evince Jefferson's enduring dedication to what he believed to be the restoration of Christ's authentic life and message. Their method of composition, matured after reading and rereading Joseph Priestley's radical, Unitarian treatises on the subject (such as his *History of the Corruptions of Christianity* and his *History of the Early Opinions Concerning Jesus Christ*), was simply to rewrite the Gospels by cutting out anything smacking of the «idolatry and superstition» of the «vulgar», any reference to the supernatural or to Jesus's divinity, and retaining only the «diamonds» that were his sermons and parables.

These two pamphlets tell the story of a child, born to a Jewish couple, who grows up in wisdom, preaches for a short while a reformed (one is almost tempted to say «Enlightened») version of the wicked faith and morality of his people, and is put to death by the civil and religious authorities, a martyr of the unholy alliance of church and state. This man never rose from the dead nor performed any miracles whatsoever, and if he ever claimed to be divinely inspired, the error was excusable : «Elevated by the enthusiasm of a warm and pure heart , conscious of the high strains of an eloquence which had not been taught to him, he might readily mistake the coruscations of his own fine genius for inspirations of a higher order.»

Jefferson deeply regretted his revered Jewish reformer died «at about 33, his reason having not yet attained the maximum of it's energy», but he nonetheless considered the system of morality he had begun to develop to be «the most benevolent and sublime that has been ever taught ; and eminently more perfect than those of any of the antient philosophers». He saw in this system the ultimate guarantee of the one value that seemed to matter to him above all others : social «utility» or harmony, the state of generalized peace and goodwill which is achieved when men refrain from initiating force against each other and love each other as Jesus loved them. And he saw in it too, the one common denominator in all the preachings of the myriad Christian sects, the one hope of their ultimate reconciliation and of an end to centuries of religious wars and persecutions : for only dogma, that crazed concoction of corrupt, «overlearned professors» and priests, divided them.

But *Jefferson's Extracts From the Gospels* contains much more than reproductions of his heretic selections from the Evangelists. It also includes a highly competent and sensible introduction to Jefferson's religious evolution, from the influence of Bolingbroke to that of Priestley; and, perhaps my favorite section of the volume, a one-hundred-page collection of letters written by or to Jefferson from 1800 to 1825, and revealing his opinion of Plato («a Graecian sophist... dealing out mysticisms incomprehensible to the human mind»), Epicurus (whose doctrines «contain everything rational in moral philosophy which Greece and Rome have left us») and Calvin («a madman... on whom reasoning was wasted. The strait jacket alone was [his] proper remedy») ; of the Quakers (whom we should all imitate, opting to «live without an order of priests, moralise for ourselves, follow the oracle of conscience, and say nothing about what no man can understand nor therefore believe») and the Unitarians (whose «advances towards rational Christianity» would soon convert the whole nation) ; of the Apocalypse («the ravings of a maniac») and the «incomprehensible jargon of the Trinitarian arithmetic, that three are one, and one is three.»

I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking answers to the ultimate questions, but if all you want to know is what Jefferson believed in, I cannot imagine a better source.

This alternative history mystery is as charming as page turning. Taking place in the present, a different royal family (Prince Edward Victor didn't die in the 1890's and leave his fiance free to marry his brother George to later become George V and Mary)is presented with a problem. Someone is killing courtiers and knows a long hidden royal secret. The tale, told by the kings' daughter, is a clever story of celebrity. love, and danger. This is thorougly recommended. It is followed by a sequeal.

The book some what confusing the first time you read it. Stories, beautiful illustrations, dreams, and poems are mixed into a exotic taperistry of mystery. The book is version of short stories which talk about of Merlin's dreams and his time of awakenings. To set your mind, heart, and soul to imagings uncaptured for long time read this book. For remeberance of knights, dragons, ladies, and mages it is a collection that you won't forget.

This is a serious and personal literary study of Dickinson's work by a scholar and fellow poet who appreciates both the art and the attitude of one of her American literary forebears.

Howe points out how Dickinson's poetry has been overlooked in light of her character and biography. It seems that in the 19th century, it was remarkable for a woman to be a poet at all, let alone write original, rebellious, and quite modern poetry. Hence, the work itself, though enjoyed by schoolchildren all over America, has been little understood.

Delving into Dickinson's reading lists, her notes and letters, and analyzing a few poems, Howe explores the workings of an intricate mind. She uncovers connections between Dickinson and the Brownings, the Brontes, and James Fenimore Cooper, and she shows how seemingly submissive, soft spoken poetic lines are actually rebellious and even at times angry. What Howe does not do is confuse the image of "The Belle of Amhearst" with the vital workings of the mind of this remarkable woman.

This book is an enjoyable read filled with Howe's admiration for her artistic predecessor and written in straightforward language, not literary jargon--a tribute from one poet to another. For anyone who enjoys Emily Dickinson's poetry, it is not to be missed.

In brief, then, it is my opinion that this neat . . .onomastic anthology is indeed very readable.

Karina van Dalen-Oskam, as reviewed in the Autumn 1998 issue of VERBATIM, The Language Quarterly

History of the National Park Service told first hand by three former Directors of the National Park Service.

Horace M. Albright who started with the Interior Department in 1913 and was Director of the National Park Service from 1929 to 1933.

Russell E. Dickenson who started with the National Park Service as a ranger in 1946 and was Director from 1980 to 1985.

William Penn Mott Jr who started with the National Park Service in 1933 and became Director in 1985.

Interesting reading from the first hand accounts of these three former Directors on the history of the National Park Service from the beginning to 1987.

This is a large format (9 x 12) soft bound book loaded with beautiful color photographs of the National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites.

This is a great value for the money.

This book is for anyone who has any intention of hiking anywhere in NY. From Long Island to Harriman to the Catskills to the Adirondacks, this book gives detailed descriptions on walks throughout all sorts of terrain. Each chapter has a brief history of the area so you really feel as though you are experiencing surroundings to the fullest. Plus, it is published by the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference which is apparently the premier source for information and maintainers of trails in the area. They also take suggestions so if you find some important detail missing from one of the trail reviews, you can write to the conference and give them your input. To make a long story short, I wouldn't go hiking anywhere in NY without this book.