This an excellent book giving a good insight into the history of carousels from their early beginnings. Crammed with beautiful photographs of the various animals and some rare photographs of the carvers and their workshops. A must reference book if you are into carousels.

A delightful book on a vanishing art form: hand carved carousel animals, sleighs, and ornaments. The color photographs are excellent. The background on merry-go-rounds and round-abouts is fun. The carvers and their companies are discussed in detail. Timelines, a directory, publications, restoration services, music, and a brief bibliography are included. I would have preferred an annotated bibliography, and citations of non-bound materials. In any event, this one is a keeper, and will give many hours of enjoyment.

I absolutely adore this book. The full color photos throughout the book are worth the pricetag, not to mention the extremely detailed history of the carousel and some of the more reknowned carvers. You can't pass this one up.

A wonderfully tender story and warmhearted illustrations. What better collaboration for a bedtime story than a daughter and mother?

My sister bought this book as a gift for my daughter and it is one of her best purchases ever. My daughter is only one year old but every night she would choose this book for her mother to read to her. The Illustrations are both soft and warm. The rhymes are soothing. As a whole, the book illustrate the closeness and happiness of a family. A excellent book for all ages.

I bought this book because I'm familiar with Linnea Riley's artwork, and I also have a 2-year old who's often resistant to fade off into dreamland. So I buy lots of "bedtime" books. We've had the book 2 days now and he wants to read it over and over. Even when I hold up 2 books and tell him to choose one he chooses this one. The rhymes are sweet and the illustrations are adorable. What a great book to calm your child down after a busy day!

This instructional from Nick Faldo is one of the most comprehensive golf books around. You can tell that Nick is very confident in what he knows and teaches about the golf swing and how to use the "modern swing" and its ability to hold up under championship conditions. I highly recommend this book, especially to golfers 6'2" and taller.

Rare the individual who can both play golf at such an amazing high level and teach it on the simple plain he demonstrates here in this book to us hackers.

There are great gems throughout, but I picked up the best tip on one of my weakest areas, long bunker shots.

The photo sequences are some of the best, so clear and to the point. The final section: Playing the Game, gives some head and strategy advice from one of the coolest, and a two-time Master Champ as well as British Open, etc.

This book far exceeded my expectations. I have read several dozen golf books, and if I had to recommend one book to a new golfer (or an experienced golfer for that matter) this would be it. This book covers all the fundamentals as well as advanced shotmaking techniques. It's beautifully written, well organized and the photography is first rate. Thanks, Nick...this is a book I'll keep coming back to again and again.

This book will interest students of politics who wish to learn the observations of a liberal Democrat elected official who participated and observed the past three decades of the emergence of the politics of the "New South".
Harriet Keyserling retired from the South Carolina state legislature in 1992 and has produced this brilliant insightful insider account of that legislative body. A legislator who was devoted to such issues as increasing support for education and resisting nuclear waste in her state, she offers several lessons from her experiences.
Among points to ponder presented in the book are a.) alliances can be formed around agenda items that transcend political partianship, b.) be open and honest with the press and they will trust you and treat you better in the long run, c.) recognize that not all men nor all women think alike, even though men and women may approach some issues differently, and d.) all issues are women's issues and women legislators should not feel compelled to limit themselves to matters others believe primarily concern women.
The legislative infighting described in this book will interest students of South Carolina politics. Her descriptions of many South Carolina Governors as essentially cheerleaders for the Chamber of Commerce provides insights into interest groups and government. Legislative observers will appreciate learning how as much to one third to one half of South Carolina legislative sessions used to be spent engaging in fillibusters.
Rep. Keyserling is proud of her efforts to create a dedicated sales tax for education and for creating South Carolina
s Sunny Day Fun. Towards the end of her career, South Carolina politics transcended into an arena of great confrontation and tension. Disliking these changes, she left politics. Harriet Keyserling, though, has left us with her knowledge and insights in this book. Readers will appreciate her writings.

Absolutely brillant! I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Against the tide." Mrs. Keysterling held office during an interesting period in SC politics. The book provided great insight into many of the issues affecting South Carolina and the nation. I highly recommend it.

This is a marvelous and instructive memoir on Ms. Keyserling's many years in active politics in South Carolina. She battled long odds in a deeply conservative state and was able to accomplish much in her 16 years in the State Legislature. She was an early and important ally of former SC governor and current Secretary of Education Richard Riley, and was one of the leaders who helped pass the progressive educational reforms that improved that state's educational standing and performance. She overcome much to fight the 'good fight' for progressive environmental laws, energy conservation, regulation of nuclear and solid waste, and promotion of the arts. The forward is by Richard Riley and she has glowing recommendations from novelist Pat Conroy, former U.S. Senator Nacy Kassebaum Baker and columnist David Broder. She is a long time member of the League of Women Voters, and that group was very instrumental in most of her political battles. I enjoyed the book and found it useful and enlightening. JMP

The book was awesome, I loved looking at all the images. It brought back memories of a Peter Max beach towel I had over many summers.
I hear that Peter Max is in Boston this week, at "Wentworth Gallery" on Newbury St. I think it was thursday night. It would be so great to meet him and see his original artwork.

First off I want to correct the often repeated false statement in a previous review: Heinz Edelman was the artist behind The Beatles Yellow Submarine, Peter Max had absolutely nothing to do with it, and was in no way the inspiration behind it. Edelman was already doing Yellow Sub style art before Max's style became famous. For the complete background read "Inside the Yellow Submarine".

That said, this is a wonderful, long over due collection of the art of Peter Max. I don't think this book could have been printed any better, it is stunning. For me, the only thing that could make it better would be to add even more pages of art. The classic 60s-70s period gets the short end of the stick being overshadowed by the newer works. It is all beautiful work either way, but my preference would have been for more of the older pieces.

People will be magnetically drawn to this sitting on your coffee table. This is also a great companion to "The Art of Rock" the 2-ton book of classic old Fillmore concert posters that was out about 15 years ago. They don't make art like this anymore...unfortunately.

Everyone knows the genius of Peter Max and the fun of his art. I won't presume to review either. Instead, let's talk about the book! Beautiful printing on quality paper. The included commentary and history put a perspective to each piece of art that most readers wouldn't have otherwise. Peter Max inspired my wife to become an artist. She'll cherish this book for years to come. If you are a Max fan, so will you. As all coffee table books are, a bit pricey but an excellent work to enjoy again and again!

She broke the mold of bestselling authors with her tormented vampires and complex witch families, often set against the mossy, misty backdrops of her native New Orleans. Anne Rice is one of the few authors whose lives and opinions are as interesting as what they write, and Michael Riley offers more insight than virtually any other interviewer has done.

Michael Riley was a friend of Stan Rice's, and met Anne Rice at her wedding to Stan; he remained a pal after Anne shot to fame. Yet "I had rarely if ever seen an interview or profile that I thought did justice to her." So the two sat down and discussed many things about Rice: Her youth and her Catholic upbringing, about good and evil, New Orleans, California, her mold-breaking fiction, the immensely popular vampire Lestat, the handling of sex in her books, intellectual pretentions and elitism, the movie adaptation of "Interview With The Vampire," and what in her life inspired aspects of her books.

A less respectful reviewer probably would have descended leering or sneering, given that Rice's works include erotica, S&M fiction, and a Lolita-type novel. But Riley is professional, affectionate yet not gushing, and his questions have brains behind them. (Not the usual "what's your favorite food? Do you have any pets?") His respect for Rice is clear, and it makes the book especially interesting that he has genuine interest in what she says. But of course, the book hinges on Rice and what she has to say to Riley -- whether or not you agree with what she's saying, her warmth and humor are in clear evidence, and she's clearly thought through what she says.

It may not be necessary to know the author to enjoy his/her works, but it definitely can't hurt. Fans of Anne Rice will find this a must-read, and even casual readers of her books should give it a shot.

Michael Riley takes the reader inside Anne Rice's worlds of reality and fiction through a series of extensive interviews. He's broken the text down into titled sections to emphasize the topic covered in each phase of the dialogue. Rice delves into where her characters and story ideas come from and just how much her life in New Orleans has influenced her work. It's interesting how the influences changed over time. First Lestat was her husband Stan and she was Louis but now she's more like Lestat than Stan. She discusses how her husband's poetry has had a great affect on her own work where certain lines will run through her head as she writes.

This is a good book for writers to read. Rice gives a lot of background on the movie biz and a view into the studio politics that occur when they purchase the rights to make a novel into a movie. The story behind the making of Interview With a Vampire is told in great detail. An interesting fact I learned was that when Hollywood buys the rights to a book any sequels that are written involving the same characters are contractually connected. Therefore the studio has the right to see them before any other studio can look at the books for potential development into movies. Rice also talks about rejection letters and how she dealt with them and provides in site into how the larger New York publishing houses operate. Highly recommended for fans and writers alike!

I just finished reading this book in one sitting. It seems as if you're in the same room as Anne & Michael Riley. He knows exactly what questions her fans want answered. It's refreshing to read Anne's own responses in their entirety without having a reporter interpreting her "meaning". I give this a "9" because the only thing that would have made it better would be if Anne had offered pictures of herself & environment.

The repressive world Tom Riley writes about in Time's End is closer than we think. From the novel's breathless opening, to the society of condoffs and omnipresent police, Tom Riley has created a brave new world where only the weak and submissive survive. Given the tumultuous events occuring in the news today, Time's End is not only a timely warning about the dangers inherent in the erosion of citizens' rights, it's a must-read for those curious where current trends could lead. Time's End is a taut, highly visual, and fascinating futuristic thriller. The characters are intriguing, and the ideas driving the plot resonate with startling clarity.

Matthew St. Amand...

that keeps you reading. Hard to put it down and the theme could hardly be more timely. The plot moves briskly and the action is non-stop. On top of that is a frightening vision of what can happen when we cocoon in our nanny State and let others make decisions for us to give us security. A very good read.

I have seen the future - and it is Time's End. Anyone concerned about humankind's growing dependence on technology and growing indifference to intrusions on our privacy and personal autonomy will find this chilling novel of the not-so-distant future difficult to put down. Jake Mando is a fitting hero for the 21st Century, at a time when threats to our freedom from without can lead us to surrender the very things we seek to protect. It's a fast-paced read, where The Running Man meets Logan's Run, and you'll find this adventure is one that will stay with you long after you've finished.

Cut-Out had plenty of action and suspense, as well as many plot twists I simply couldn't have imagined. Once again, Bob Mayer demonstrates that he definetly knows his stuff when it comes to special ops, being a former Green Beret himself. The book was a little on the short side, though, at 238 pages

The fourth Dave Riley book and well worth the wait. This one has Riley assisting a lady friend from the previous book, a Chicago police detective, with a Mob member who goes into the Witness Security Program. Things go wrong as people are murdered, hired killers pursue Riley and company across the wilderness to a terrific climax. No one can be trusted, phones are tapped, ruthless professional hit men and government agents are using all their skills and power to stop the witness and his wife and whoever they are with. Then Riley enters the picture and with his military skills and courage tries to outwit the killers. Great storyline, the plot is filled with turns and corners. Fresh dialog and smooth action scenes propel the reader into this nebulous and dangerous world. Good stuff, Bob. More Dave Riley. I am currenly waiting for Eternity Base and I cannot locate a copy of Z anywhere. Keep up the great work, Robert, the ending to this one sizzles. Also, check out The Line and The Gate (written as Bob McGuire) for more adventures with a twist.

I enjoyed it, devoured it in one night! What can I say? A book simply put and plotted with a natural in-depth touch. The Witness Protection(Security?) Program just made me sick with disgusting taste! Read it, my friends, read all of Mr. Mayer's Riley titled books, you won't be disappointed

I first read Dragon Sim 13 when I was in junior high. It sparked my young, impressionable imagination. It ingrained images of Special Operations into Red China as directed by a computer program. What was only to some a simulation, was life or death to others. Fighting the Communist cause, no names, no faces, no identities period. For anyone who likes military fiction, this book is one of the best.

The second book in the Dave Riley series about Special Forces operations around the world. A really enjoyable read, plenty of suspense, good character developement, a lot of inside info on Green Beret team spirit and their mission planning and fighting ability. A great plot and the fast pace keep the reader guessing until the end. A special ops into China that suddenly goes awry with some cost to the team involved. I sure hope HBO grabs the Riley series and works on them, a sure fire hit for the action fans. Also highly recommended by Mr Mayer (writing as Bob McGuire) are The Line and The Gate. Terrific books. Keep 'em coming, Bob. In fact, I will be loaning the books I have read to a couple of buddies.

Rates right up there with the Five Fingers, Never So Few, Bravo Two Six. This is excellent military fiction that is very realistic.

I really enjoyed the illustration in this book. The color and presentation are wonderful. the poem is fun and easy to follow for the younger people.

The artwork is wonderful and story a fun read...

are the best there is. Anyone who sees them will love them.