Having begun working with birds of prey (in a rehabilitation center) in the last couple of years I have searched for books that gave more personal insights into the practice of falconry. Mr.O'Brien certainly knows his subject and does a fine job of describing the sport and the birds themselves. His accounts of hacking (early training) young peregrines in particular are excellent. I found his descriptions of what can go wrong as well as right in the caring and training of these birds quite illuminating and engrossing. His use of falconers-speak is well balanced with the story and the annotations quite helpful for those unfamiliar with the sport.
I unfortunately found the overall concept of a man in midlife attempting to convince the reader that he is on a quest for some sort of middle age epiphany a bit trying. His relationship with his wife - an anesthesiologist who spends the majority of her time in a sleep deprived state, taking hospital call, and generally supporting his rather indulgent and self-centered lifestyle- frustrated me and was distracting from an otherwise interesting story about the training of a gifted young peregrine falcon.
I give much credit to Mr. O'Brien for being a man in touch with nature and clearly environmentally sensitive and conservation oriented but, as my wife said after finishing the book, he comes across as something of a jerk in his personal life. Given that Mr. O'Brien's skills in describing the beauty of the land he lives on and the animals he has the great privilege of interacting with are most enviable, it's a shame that this aspect diminishes an otherwis excellent story.

I liked this book. At times, there may have been too much emphasis on the dogs, or too much on just falcons (red-tailed hawk coverage would have been great, but the author caters to peregrine falcons, so it is obviously his choice). Regardless, the amount of detailed coverage is impressive and written very well. Fortunately, the author eases you into the detail and doesn't toss it in your lap like some books. Whenever a new falconry term is mentioned in the text, there is a small side-bar definition of that term.

Some have said that the author's attitude gets in the way. When I read the few pages from the website, I also got a little of that. However, when I read the rest of the book, I did not get that at all. Often, appearances can be deceiving.

I was surprised at how good this book was. I expected it to be a primer for my interest in falconry but found it to be so much more. It is a fantastic account of the training of a raptor and the relationship between man and bird. Obviously passionate about his undertaking the author describes the training process in vivid detail making a compelling story to the end. With an equally interesting personal story that parallels his bird of prey adventure this book makes for a very enjoyable read.

james joyce, the james joyce, being mistaken as someone who wants the job of mending jesuits underwear. priceless. very funny book.

I first read "The Dalkey Archive" twenty years ago, while a graduate student at Trinity College in Dublin. It struck me then, as it strikes me now upon re-reading it, as one of the most peculiarly funny books I've ever read. It combines elements of original lunacy and weird science with the resonating touchstones of a uniquely Irish comic sensibility. The story is driven by the madcap schemes of a character named De Selby, who describes himself as "a theologist and a physicist, sciences which embrace many others such as eschatology and astrognosy." De Selby invents a substance which removes all oxygen from the atmosphere (a substance he calls "DMP", the acronym for the Dublin Metropolitan Police) and then discovers that a deoxygenated atmosphere cancels the serial nature of time. The plot moves on from there, with Mick Shaughnessy, a "lowly civil servant", engaging the local constable to help him save the world from De Selby's scheme to deoxygentate the world's atmosphere. In the course of things, "The Dalkey Archive" contains two of the funniest chapters ever written (Chapters 4 and 9): one in which De Selby, Mick Shaughnessy and a drinking companion named Hackett, clad in aqualungs, talk to Saint Augustine (his "Dublin accent was unmistakable") about arcane theological doctrines and the Church Fathers in an underwater cave; the other in which Sergeant Fottrell, the constable, explains to Mick his "Mollycule Theory", the theory that people's personalities become mixed up with those of bicycles through the pounding of man and machine while pedaling down bumpy Irish country roads ("a process of prolonged carnal intercussion"). Along the way, Mick discovers that James Joyce is alive, well and bartending in the small coastal town of Skerries. Need I say more? "The Dalkey Archive" is a work of startling wit and originality, one of my comic favorites!

O'Brien is not a household name but he is a wag of the calibre of Oscar Wilde or even Joyce when Joyce wasn't taking himself too seriously. This is a classic but nearly unknown work. It does require some interest in traditional literary issues such as the history of church metaphysics, but only to give the basis of a good joke. Track this work down and read it, for the betterment of your wit and understanding.

Although the six hours refers to someone with experience and possessing all the tools and wood, the design is perfect for people (me, for example) with no woodworking experience. Because I had little experience, I had to refer to Tom Hill's extraordinary Ultralight Boatbuilding, which though written for a skilled woodworker includes important details left out of Six-Hour. There are only a few things I would want to change to Six-Hour:
There are two lists of materials, one on p. 11, one on p. 58. They do not match. The one on 11 has a frame bottom, but this is not in 58, and 58 does not list the keel. They mention a "full sized pattern" for the gussets on p. 18, but no such pattern exists. They also might as well include the butt block procedure for two 4x8 pieces of plywood in the main part of the book because most places on the planet do not have 4x16 pieces of marine grade plywood. Also, readers should work hard to find a source of cheap bronze screws before they start (the project requires about 120 of them--not the 50 given in the text--and they are expensive!) It would also have been nice if they had photographs showning the canoe at main stages in the process. The above minor points did not detract from the 30 hours or so of pure enjoyment I had in using this book to build a canoe. I hope the authors come out with the sailboat version they promise.

We have made these as part of youth programmes in Western Australia. They take us about 30 hours to build with groups of 4 to 5 working on them. These people have never made anything before so progress is slower than you would first think. They are a great project, we use cheap ply and paint them well seems to work fine. The group gets a great deal for the building process. I keep meaning to build one for myself, perhaps this time round I will

I have taken a class a Buffalo State College with John Montague, the author. In the class I built the weekend skiff, a row boat/sail boat. I have also built the 6-hour canoe with high school age kids in the Adirondack Mountains at a summer camp. It took a group of 6 kids to build 2 canoes and approximately 4 days working about 4 hours per day, this includes painting the canoe which is not part of the 6 hours of building the canoe. The directions are easy to follow and the cost is very inexpensive. The canoes have lasted 2 summers so far and look to withstand many more. They are made of marine grade plywood. Have fun building one yourself.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who thought I'd find it useful. Unfortunately, it was a complete waste of time. I struggled through about 3/4 of the book then finally quit. There is nothing new in this book. Most of it is common sense and most readers will find themselves saying outloud "Duh!" In addition, the book looks awful. The picture on the cover of the book looks like it was taken by my 6 yr. old son. I also found many typos in the book. This book will not make couch potatoes want to get up and move. It left me wondering how it got published in the first place. You shouldn't waste your valuable time.

When you consideer that reading the book makes you wnat to become more fit,I mean it practically takes you by the arm(Or ear) and walks you to the gym door, then you can make the claim that reading the book makes you fitter. At least I can. The best part is the emphasis on Functional Fitness. maybe you don't want to compete in the Iron Man Triathalon when you're 85, but you would probably like carry a few bags of groceries without hurting yourself and avoid osteoperosis at that age. You'd probably like to keep up with your kids or grandkids too. This is what the book stresses, being fit enough to care for yourself and enjoy yourself for as long as your sticking around, no matter how long that is.

Can you handle the TRUTH? Teri O'Brien unhesitatingly and humorously tells it like it is in her new book, "Desperation Fitness:". The truth and nothing but the truth. Follow these easy to read strategies and achieve the goal of an improved physical and mental being. No need to set aside a week to read the entire book through and through. The strategies are divided into 101 easy to read and short chapters. Read one while in the lunch line at the local fast food restaurant before you give up most fast food for life. A must-have book.

This review pertains to the 312-page Concise Edition of the Oxford Atlas of World History with the ISBN 019521921X. The larger original edition has 352 pages and the ISBN 0195215672.

The book is a variation of one of the best (and perhaps *the* best) "atlas of world history" tomes. However, this scaled-down version's text is just not as easy on the eyes as that of the full-size book. The map and text content are the same for both books so the concise version is certainly a real value at about half the price. The Concise Edition does omit the glossary but I do not consider that an essential feature of the original book. The larger original version came out in 1999 (and was reprinted in 2002). The Concise Edition is merely a reprint of the 1999 book and I can find no updated data. An advantage of the Concise Edition (besides the lower price) is its physical handiness; the original is quite close in size to the big Hammond Atlas of World History. Nevertheless, I like to casually browse through atlases so the increased eye-friendliness of the larger type and map detailing in the big version is well-worth its added expense and clumsiness for my purposes.

The Concise Edition is indeed legible and would be OK for just occasional reference but not protracted reads, in my opinion. It is really a 5-star book but I rate it at 4 stars because of this truncated size. I am returning my Concise Edition and keeping its big brother. Both editions are still available from Amazon at the time of this writing.

This atlas is great for looking up those events, both momentous and not-so-momentous, to get a quick grasp and overview of the situation without getting bogged down in some more detailed and ponderous history. If it weren't for John Haywood's Atlas of World History, I would say it's possibly the best one out there in relation to features and price. However, I have a preference for the Haywood volume because I found his writing style more interesting, not to mention the fact that his book is less than half the price of O'Brien's volume. While I would not wish to base a decision just on price, I would point out that I preferred either of these two books to the Hammond atlas, which is even more expensive, and the Times atlas, at almost twice the cost, and the Dorling-Kindersley, which, although a superb atlas, is still 20% higher.

While I'm at it, I'd like to say something about O'Brien's Atlas of World History, published by Philips. I mention it here since no matter how I search, I can't find this atlas listed anywhere, but this is a really superb atlas, and I think exceeds even the present volume in terms of quality and features. So if you can find this one, I'd also pick up a copy. Because it's so good, I'd also like to discuss it here.

All the of the big 5 or 6 major atlases out there have their strengths and weaknesses, and their pros and cons, I've discovered, and this one is no different. This one has one terrific feature that's worth mentioning specifically. At the end of the book O'Brien includes many fine articles summing up the state of the world since 1945 for the major areas and countries of the world, and for topics such as demographic changes, the growth of population, civil rights and women's rights, health and disease, transport and trade relations, the breakup of empires, and so on. O'Brien discusses in the introduction that this atlas was motivated partly by the upcoming millenium year, and because it seemed like such a timely point at which to assess and sum up much of the changes and progress that had accrued during the last half century or century in these articles. O'Brien did a great job in this area, and it's one of the book's many strengths. Overall, an excellent atlas given all the outstanding features, and I'd actually give it 4.5 stars if I could.

Since I started writing this review, I've discovered (through having purchased both books), that the Philips volume and the Oxford atlas are exactly the same book, just by different publishers. The only difference that I can find is that the Philips book is somewhat larger format. I'm comparing them right now, and the Philips book is about 1 inch wider and about 2 inches taller than the Oxford volume. This means the fonts for the paragraph text and the print on the maps are somewhat bigger and easier to read. They both have exactly the same--312--number of pages, and the publication dates are in 2001 and 2002, so they're very close there. However, I just noticed that the Philips book on the copyright page says "This edition published for Borders Books," so it looks like a re-issue of the Oxford volume, only in a slightly larger format.

Well, it looks like I just bought two copies of the same atlas. Hopefully my little review will keep you from doing the same! Anyway, whichever atlas or version you decide to get, happy atlas buying and reading!

The affordable price tag of this set of maps paired with its applications to both home and school library patrons will earn it a place on many a home bookshelf as well as libraries: Atlas Of World History, Concise Edition is the result of over three years of intensive effort by a team of academics and editors, and presents the story of humanity from a physical, cartographic perspective. Five parts correspond with the five eras studied by world historians today, making for a particularly accessible set of maps.

When she learns of her stepfather's death, Anne Cartier joins handsome Colonel Paul De Saint-Martin in a trip to Paris. She is certain that he could not be guilty of the murder and suicide that the French officials have accused him of. Once in Paris, however, Anne learns that her stepfather's death is part of a larger scheme--a scheme involving some of the most important men in Ancien Regime France and huge thefts of precious jems and art works.

Through a repeated series of lucky coincidences, Anne, a teacher of the deaf, discovers a secret witness to the murder her stepfather was accused of, narrowly averts being abducted into a sadists lair, and discovers the secrets of the jewel thefts that shock all of France. Despite a complete unwillingness to take any precautions, Anne somehow manages to survive, eventually uncovering the full magnitude of the plot.

Author Charles O'Brien has set his historical mystery, MUTE WITNESS in the fascinating time immediately before the French Revolution. France continues to reel under the debt load it took on in its efforts to help America win its independence and is held hostage by bankers with ever-greater power. Thomas Jefferson walks the streets of Paris and Voltaire, Rousseau, and the other intellectual giants of the enlightenment are remembered firsthand.

Underdeveloped characters and a string of lucky coincidences marr a novel that shows real promise.

A deftly woven web of intrigue that unfolds in 18th century London and Paris. The heroine's sensitivity to and training in the needs of the deaf enable her to win the confidence of a frightened mute witness to a crime and solve the mystery of her stepfather's death.

The vivid background descriptions capture the ambience of the period and pull the reader right into the settings. The cobblestone streets, the elegant castle interiors, the lush landscapes spring to life before the mind's eye.

O'Brien's erudition leaves its imprint in the authenticity of the novel's historical context; the social injustices of the time and even international politics are interwoven in the plot.

The budding romance between the strong-willed heroine and a chivalrous nobleman is allowed to develop just far enough to whet the reader's curiosity about how their relationship fares. One hopes for a sequel!

Mr. O'Brien has not only succeeded in creating a gripping story: he has animated historical places and characters, weaving them effortlessly with the twists and turns of his plot. I was a history major, but never learned about revolutionary or pre-revolutionary Paris/France, and have never had a chance to travel there -- a good work of historical fiction is probably the best way to learn. Mute Witness has left a wonderfully alive picture of the times and places its characters inhabited.

WARNING: If you are prone to reading-induced insomnia, have someone hide this book before bedtime.

I want to recommend a great book to you. The name of the book is One Track, by Beatrice O'Brien. It's a wonderful, true story about the once grand Railroads of the Northeastern part of the United States, and it's also about the life that this family, whose fate was tied to the railroads, led up to and during WWII and then after. The true heroes in this life are people like the O'Briens. A factually correct book and emotionally engaging. What a life they've led! It's very good reading.

One of, if not the best book I have ever read. Unlike recent "Best Sellers" I enjoyed this book both content and style . I did not feel I had to read it just to say I had. I enjoyed every second in fact I could not put it down. It is written with real passion and love for each and every character portrayed. This wont be the last from B O'Brien

As a contemporary of the protagonist, I found this marvelously well written novel totally absorbing. The story of George's beginnings in abject poverty, of his wartime experiences, of his return to the railroad and of his career as a member of the Erie family is not uncommonl; and it is for very reason that it should be required reading for young people of the present affluent age. Those of us who were children of the Great Depression, who shared his war, who tried as best we could to keep to the One Track will enjoy this well-paced novel for the universality of the story. This is the story of a man's whole life. The Erie Railroad was an important part of it, but there is more to George than the railroader. I appreciate the fact that Beatrice makes that clear. oki

The Face of Texas stands out within the array of Texas books that have been published in recent years. The photographs by Michael O'Brien--portraits of Texans, both famous and ordinary--are stunning; and the subjects themselves, from celebrities like Earl Campbell and Lady Bird Johnson to regular folks like painter Ran Horn of Van Horn, TX, the self-described "Van Gogh of Van Horn," and Ila Johnston, the beloved, retired Spur, TX high school teacher who just renewed her Texas driver's license at the age of 97, are fascinating individuals. The pictures in The Face of Texas are accompanied by well-written, plainspoken stories by Elizabeth O'Brien about each subject. The text and photographs combine to create a substantial picture of each person that transcends the visual; both writer and photographer treat their subjects with warmth and respect. The book is not meant to be a definitive portrait of Texas; as photographer Michael O'Brien says in his introduction, it is simply a collection of his favorite portraits taken over the years on assignment, primarily for various magazines. Bravo for O'Brien--what a phenomenal photographic journey!

This is a beautifully photographed coffee table book picturing Texans from small towns and large cities all over the state. Photographed by Michael O'Brien, a photographer with a background in photojournalism, the book spotlights Texans as diverse as Willie Nelson, Lady Bird Johnson, ZZ Top, small town chearleaders, ranch families, and Laura and George Bush. Michael's wife, Elizabeth O'Brien, a writer, captures each person in a sensitive, personal interview which describes each Texan in that moment in time. The Face of Texas would be a wonderful gift for anyone who lives in the state of Texas or has friends or relatives there, or for anyone who appreciates beautiful photography or Americana.

This is a beautiful and expressive collection of portraits of a wide variety of Texans, from the famous to unknown, real Texans. O'Brien has a great sense of light and clearly connects with his subjects, who are often pictured in their environment, so that you get a real feeling for the place as well as the people. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in photography or Texas.

My recommendation was for the Oxford rather than the Everyman edition, edited by L.G. Mitchell. I apologise for this error.

I personally find, overall, that other persons writing
about and analyzing Burke and his views tend to be a bit
more interesting and compelling, than Burke himself in
his prose.
I do not consider myself a "conservative" -- in the
sense that that is a political agenda or mindset, nor
a reactionary. There is much in academics and political
philosophy which tends to want to damn by labels -- and
by putting ideas into boxes, filing, and forgetting...rather
than listening to, or thoughtfully considering.
One can believe in classic values, and find his
grounding in classical philosophy without being a
rigid reactionary or even a doctrinaire conservative.
So, when Burke speaks with the speech of the
Ancients and espouses classical warnings and
remonstrances about the necessity of restraint
and careful consideration, one can agree with him.
And, as the editor and author of the "Introduction"
to the Penguin Classics edition, Conor Cruise O'Brien,
points out, there is that of the prophet in Burke as
well, since he published these REFLECTIONS in 1790,
before the Reign of Terror in 1793, yet he correctly
foresees the excesses to which the French Revolution
will proceed in its unchecked course.
One of the best quotes which I like very much from
this work follows:
"When I see the spirit of liberty in action, I see
a strong principle at work; and this, for a while,
is all I can possibly know of it. The wild GAS, the
fixed air is plainly broke loose: but we ought to
suspend our judgment until the first effervescence is
a little subsided, till the liquor is cleared, and
until we see something deeper than the agitation of
a troubled and frothy surface. I must be tolerably
sure, before I venture publicly to congratulate men
upon a blessing, that they have really received one.
Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver;
and adulation is not of more service to the people
than to kings. I should therefore suspend my
congratulations on the new liberty of France, until
I was informed how it had been combined with
government; with public force; with the discipline
and obedience of armies; with the collection of an
effective and well-distributed revenue; with morality
and religion; with the solidity of property; with
peace and order: with civil and social MANNERS. All
these (in their way) are good things too; and, without
them, liberty is not a benefit whilst it lasts, and
is not likely to continue long."

Reflections on the Revolution in France written by Edmund Burke and Edited with an introduction by Conor Cruise O'Brien the Penguin Classics version is the best version of this unparalleled powerful work. The reason for this is that included in this version you have an introduction that gets the reader upto speed. For Burke is without doubt the foremost conservative British political thinkers of his time, (1729-1797).

There is a biographical note on Edmund Burke right after the introduction giving the reader a historical perspective into who is Edmund Burke and why his advice was sought after with regard to the French Revolution and the consequenses of its following. Unlike the United States, France had an established entrenched government, so any change in form of government meant that an upheavel of property, religion, and traditional French institutions would have to occur. Underlying the French Revolution was the latent Catholic Cause which being Irish Burke had a good deal of sympathy.

Burke's Reflections written in 1790 was a really good prediction of the events pretaining to the Reign of Terror experienced by the French. This edition of Edmund Burke's "Reflection on the Revolution in France" has well explained footnotes further giving the reader a much greater appreciation for the practical wisdom of Burke. Burke was a man who would've rather seen a gradual or piecemeal reform as opposed to a revolution as he was sceptical in his belief in expediency.

Another plus for this edition, in contrast to the others available, is that there is a well appointed "Notes" at the end of Burke's writing. Also, at the very end of this book you'll have a recommended reading list, which for those inclined is indispensable. By far this edition is well worth reading and great care has been given to bring this important work in a form that is easily understandable, with enough detail to make it interesting reading.

After his success in the Olympics and Nike advertisments, I lost touch of what Dan O'Brien was doing. Well, imagine my suprise when I came across this! I thought it was weird that we never heard that he wrote plays. Maybe no one knows? Anyways, i really liked this play. Some of you may be offended, but I for one have no problem knowing that my old hero is gay! Its the 90s people!

Before I say any thing about the play--which I absolutely ADORED--let me say that the person from Minnesota is VERY confused. The author of this play is not the Olympics athlete Dan O'Brien; that Dan O'Brien is NOT gay, I don't think. He is adoppted, which is why he is BLACK. The writer of THIS play is someone else altogether, and I'd really like to find more information on him if I could (does anyone know..? PLEASE...?) And so to the Dunderhead in Minnesota I say: "It's the '00's people!!!"

Anyway--this is a VERY GOOD play. I can not STRESS that enough. What really interests me though is WHO could stage-manage this play? I stage manage for my church youth group, The Thespians. We just did "My Fair Lady" and a little know play by this guy Edwin Albee. Anyway, this play--the Dan O'Brien play--is very complex and would require a lot of light cues. I actually didn't read it that closely.

This play is a hard read, I'll admit, but I enjoyed it immensely. My drama teacher had me read it in college and at first we all hated it, but once you get past the dense monologues you find a very human story full of long-raning resonances. I have since performed this play with the youth-group I coach, and it had a seismic effect on the audience. This writer is pushing the envelope and deserves to be read.