Normally I don't care for poetry...however, this book of poetry told a story. The story of a woman after God's own heart. The story of someone who has been broken but leaning on God's shoulders. The story of someone who mourned the lost of a loved one and wanted to began to rejoice. The story of someone who is genuinely concerned with racial reconciliation. This book is a love story with the Lord as the main character.

' Forgive me' pg. 17 ...Ms. Allen leads us into God's presence, where true forgiveness/atonement awaits...such a blessed place!

We live in a world where people are seeking realness and truth. Ms. Allen delivers just that!

I rented telemark gear and bought this book at the same time. It was fabulous. I had never tried telemarking before and had no clue what I was doing. I have skied for 20 year, switch to snowboarding 6 years ago, but the itch to learn something new sprang up again. I wanted to be able to go backcountry, but first I need a mode of transportation. Telemarking I thought, but how in the world do I do that?? It looked so difficult.

This book was the answer! I read it cover to cover, that isn't saying much seeing how most of it is drawing and diagrams, but it taught me so much. The picture are worth a thousand words. Every drawing gives you so much information, a visual on what you are supposed to look like. I still have no idea if I look like that, but at least I believe I do.

I had actually taken a lesson first, no offense to the instructor, but I got so much more out of the book. It wasn't an hour of information, it was day after day of information, I could read something and try it out. Ahhh that is what I was doing wrong!

If you want to learn how to telemark buy this book, if you have been telemarking and still aren't sure what you are doing wrong, buy this book. It is funny and entertaining as well as extremely helpful in learning how to telemark. Good luck and enjoy!!

I've been telemarking badly for a few years, got hold of this book, and all my faults are in there! This is a wonderfully put together collection of tips, structured in a way that makes a beginners' progression through the various parts of a telemark turn simple.

The cartoon illustations convey the positioning with humour and accuracy, making clear the text, not that the text isn't clear, far from it.

The flowchart at the end is really worthwhile. Can't recommend this enough to a beginner or intermediate telemark turner!

I've been backcountry tele skiing for years, and I wish this book had been around when I started. This book is so accurate and concise in describing subtle issues about tele skiing that it seems almost unfair. The illustration are great.

I have been working with police officers and their families for over 20 years and have debriefed over 800 officers who have been involved in critical incidents. COPSHOCK is perhaps one of the most comprehensive and helpful books for police officers. I like the way Mr. Kates breaks down the stressors and topics. For example, there is one chapter just on "flashbacks." The book is written in such a way that officers can immediately identify items that have personal meaning for them. However, what impressed me most as a clinician was that Mr. Kates opined that police officers do not fit the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Many clinical people have not caught on to this reality. (That's why in 1996, I authored the term, "Police Trauma Syndrome," to describe the unique reactions that police officers have to traumatic exposure.) I also like the helpful guides for officers who do not have the benefit of mental health professionals who are familiar with the unique stressors and concerns of officers. Mr. Kates has provided a much needed service for those who protect and serve.

As an active female law enforcement officer of 10+ yrs, this is a must-have book that should be used by any proactive officer/agency and should be a mandatory course in our continued training and education. Having survived a car accident where the driver, my partner and a police officer, died next to me, and having my newly ex-husband, a State Patrol Sgt. succumb to drugs and alcohol, and then shot to death weeks later by the agency I now work for (suicide by cop); having survived and won the largest sexual harassment/retaliation suit against my agency after 6 days in Fed. Court, and having won a child-custody battle (due to my residential work-assignment location)- and after 5 days in District Court (all events concurrent with my tenure as a State Trooper), I am a diagnosed survivor! This is a must-have book for those of us who are survivors, and for those of us who want to help others problem-solve and survive!!

I was police officer working in lower Manhattan that day, I saw the second plane hit only minutes after hearing my brother-in-law was ok in that very same tower!!... I lost my brother-in-law, his best friend as well as two police officer buddys. About three months later I realized something wasn't quite right with me, mentally and emotionally, and reached out for help through my union. I saw many mental health professionals, etc., and kept seeing this "Copshock" book on their desks. I got the book and read it, cover-to-cover. It is well written in easy to understand language and also has an extensive resource section. In short, if you are suffering PTSD this book will help you to understand that what you are feeling is a normal response to a set of extraordinary circumstances. It can strike anyone, I don't care how tough you think you are. I highly recommend this book to all police officer, firefighters, etc., if for no other reason then to be able to recognize the signs of PTSD in yourself.

This book is great! I first got one for my daughter when she was about 2 (and a real Daddy's girl!). She loved it so much she'd go to sleep with it! The pull-tabs are pretty easy to move, even for her, but most of the time I have to do it for her and help her resist the temptation of tearing away at the parts that stand out. Well, having been somewhat unsuccessful in doing that, we now have to get a second copy for her little brother! But not until after we wore out the battary in the book first!

My 18 month old daughter received this as a Christmas gift from her Grandparents and absolutely loves reading it with Dad and Mom or on her own. She loves to pull the tabs and surprisingly enough after several months of abuse, it still works. I'm purchasing another copy so her brother has a chance to read this great book!

My baby boy Emre, loved this book since he was 12 months old. Now he is 16 months old and he is still crazy about it. When I take this book out, he gets involved in it for at least half an hour. Nothing else can do that. He imitates the sounds and loves to pull the tabs. Of course the figures got pretty damaged with such pulling and tearing but still it works. And the book is quite good in making the mother role an independent one, and making the father the care taker at home, at least for one night.
I deinitely recommend it.

I first read "Great Comedians" in 1972 when I was starting out as a comedian. I found it to be just what I needed as a young aspiring comedian. The interviews of Woody Allen, Shelley Berman, Jack Benny, and Phillis Diller resonated with me and helped me immensely in my standup comedy development. It also inspired me to write my own book probing the methods of my generations great comedians ("Comic Insights") in order to help today's young comedians get a better idea of what it takes to do quality standup. I recently read "Great Comedians" again, and my original verdict still stands. This book is still of immense value to all aspiring comedians.

It's no secret that comedians -- great and not-so-great -- are influenced by the WORK of other comedians. The advent of film in the 20th century made this a lot easier since when a comedian died the work was still available...and now with videos etc. it's easier than ever.

But what about HOW these comedians made laughs...how they were inspired...what specific techniques they used and did not use...and what advice they would give anyone interested in going into any area of comedy?

Those have been tough answers to get. To do it you'd have to buy a slew of good and sometimes rotten bios, many of them out of print. Until now. Stand-up comedian Larry Wilde's Great Comedians Talk About Comedy brings it all together.

Great Comedians is a superb, singular achievement that collects within one lively, 402-page, info-packed volume, detailed interviews done over several years with some of the 20th century's greatest comedians and comedy actors.

The selection is absolutely mind-boggling: Woody Allen, Milton Berle, Shelly Berman, Jack Benny, Joey Bishop, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Maurice Chevalier, Phyllis Diller, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Dick Gregory, George Jessle, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Danny Thomas and Ed Wynn.

Each interview is presented in straight Q&A format so you get to "hear" the question and "hear" the response, from what the comedian/comedy actor says to his/her own speech pattern. These folks worked in venues from vaudeville, to radio, to night clubs, to radio to early silent movies to talkies to TV. And their responses to questions contain revelations and constant inspiration.

A key theme: how "making it" in comedy requires timing, good material, dogged persistance, constant analysis of jokes/laughs and being LIKEABLE to an audience. Copying someone's stage personna or stealing their jokes just won't do it.

My favorite interviews were with Woody Allen (how he writes ten jokes on everything from matchbooks to napkins and only uses a few; how he won't try jokes out on friends since they're often too negative; how audience appeal MATTERS...and his pointing to Jackie Gleason as someone who often had a lousey show but people loved him), Jack Benny (the importance of learning comedy and advancing step by step...an explanation of his legendary timing), Joey Bishop ("...Luck cannot sustain you.Only talent can sustain you.."), George Burns (tips on timing, attitude and the importance emulating but not copying other performers), Phyllis Diller (five truly SUPERB short inspirational tips that can advance MANY careers...Her high laugh per minute standards), and Jerry Seinfeld (timing, getting into a focused mental framework and how his love of comedy as a kid blossomed).

This book an essential for ANYONE interested in comedy, or for students of comedy, public speakers, or anyone who simply wants to be funny in public. It's ALL HERE: the inspiration, the tips, the stories, the bios...the TOOLS.

It's now a cliche to say "comedy isn't easy" and the whole process is mysterious. Larry Wilde's Great Comedians Talk About Comedy makes it less mysterious and -- a a bit easier.

Anyone interested in stand-up comedy Must read this book. Especially the people who hang out at "The Improv" bar who THINK they are a comedian. The Woody Allen interview is more important today than it was 35 years ago. About time the neophytes learned some history of the art form. A GREAT BOOK!

Edifying wisdom imparted by a true seer. Regardie the visionary -with a little help from his friends - takes the reader on a delightful excursion on the journey of soul.

A heartwarming book by an intellectual and spiritual mover/shaker.

Well worth the money.

THE ART OF TRUE HEALING
BY ISRAEL REGARDIE AND EDITED BY MARC ALLEN

This book is an extrordinary beautyful classic, one that I hope stays in print for a very long time. This is a book of not only healing but of spiritual wholeness. This is suitable for any one wheather you are a Wiccan, a New Age Christian, A spiritist, Ceremonial Magician, shaman, atheist no matter what you will find that this book is spiritual but in no way static. The Middle Pillar ritual is discussed here. The auther and editer even state that you can alter it as long as it stays within the proinciple of the ritual. Meaning you can chant the English traslations. Example instead of vibrating Eheih for the crown galgal you can chant "I am", I see, I speak instead of YHVH Elohim. I love instead of YHVH Eloah ve-d'ath. I create instead of Shaddai El Chai. and I bless instead of Adonai Ha-Aretz. Also you can do a silent vibration for the God names as well. The color scale they use for the MP here is the elemental scale instead of the Briatic col! ors of the Tree of Life. For Wiccan you can change it to your traditional colors of the elements. But the suggestion here is when you first begin is to see each galgal gold or white and to actually vibrate the god names. Also there is a variation of using the chackras instead of just using the galgals. (They are diffrent in ways, too many authers confuse the galgals with the chackras). This is a very easy to read and easy to understand and is suitable for the beginner. Also they give out the basic associations of the planetary powers and colors. The positive color is given out as well as the negative color. This is not to be confused as good or bad. The Sun positive color is orange the negative color is yellow. The moon the positive color is blue the negative color is puce. Mercury the positive color is yellow the negative color is orange. Venus the positive and negative color is both emerald green. Mars the positive and negative color is both red. Jupiter the positive c! olor is purple the negative color is blue. Saturn the positive col or is Indigo the negative color is black. Now when visualising something for yourself and using color you use the negative colors. Why? Because the negative colors are receptive and bring in. You want to attract these thing to yourself. You want to be a magnet to these forces. When using color visualizations for someone else you would use the positive colors and direct the energy you have built up using the MP to send the energy. This way the active energy is being sent to that person or animal. Its practical and makes total sense. This book will give you the prelimenary guide in healing yourself and then others. It is important to heal yourself so that the energy you send out is balanced. If you are mentally stressed or drained or tired how can you heal anyone else? In the afterword of this book Marc Allen gives a few variations of the Middle Pillar and gives a basic lesson (very, very basic) on Tree Of Life and shows how the the sign of Venus or the Ankh can be formed from t! he Sephiroth on the Tree this shows the power of love, life and healing that this system can give you if you work at it. The introduction by Marc Allen in very interesting and nice, those who get this book should read the intro first before jumping into this book as it will give you a grip on what you will be learning and experiencing. This book is only 110 pages long and is a true work of beauty that will help in achieving the Great Work.

Besides the clear exposition of the Middle Pillar exercise, the book also contains an element borrowed from astrology - the seven principal ideas symbolized by the sun, moon and inner planets (every idea and thing can be classified within one of these root ideas). For example, the sun represents power & success, life, money, growth, etc., its positive color is orange, its negative color is yellow or gold, and its magical name is Jehovah Eloh ve Dah-as. So for example if one has a need of money, you would visualize the negative color (yellow/gold) as a next step following the Middle Pillar and vibrate the name. To help someone else who needs money, one would visualize the positive color (orange) and the person concerned and vibrate the name. I have seen the Middle Pillar described using six chakras (Ted Andrews)or all seven chakras where Regardie uses only five (he combines the Throat & Third Eye centres), but I suppose it doesn't matter, since the effect is the same. And the effect is immediate and very tangible. I found Marc Allen's afterword to be helpful (variations of and reflections on the meaning of the Middle Pillar), especially the description of the 2-minute version and the clear explanation of the tree of life. Unlike another reviewer (daniel j walton) I merrily mix eastern and western methods and have been chanting Sanskrit mantras after vibrating the Hebrew names in the middle pillar, and it enhances the feeling and the effect for me. An important little book, very useful for spiritual healers, alternative therapists and for everybody who takes responsibility for their own health.

I really liked this book because it was about a kid named Gregory who moves to a new town with his mother and father. It is bad enough moving without having any friends, but not making any new ones is pretty bad too. Everyone was given some seeds to plant a garden. But at his new house he doesn't have much of a yard so he can't make a garden. Behind his house is a burned down chalk factory, so he draws a garden. If you want to find out if he makes any friends read this book.

If you want a book where you can slip into the person's shoes,and feel like you know the character, then this is the book for you. Gregory was staying with his Aunt Grace for his birthday, because his mother and father were moving to a new house.They hade to move because got fired and found another job on the other side of town, so they hade to move.
Then when Gregory's mother and father got to Anut Grace's house they hade to get back home.When they got there Gregory asked do I have my own room? He did and he was so happy he said "This is better then a party and cake this is the best Birthday ever!" The next day he started the first day of school, in his new school. That day when he came home from school he was walking around and found a gate to a burnt down building. He cleaned it up a bit and found a box of chalk. That at school Mr. Hiller, a friend of Miss.Perry, came in and taught Gregory and the rest of the kids all about plants. When Gregory when home that night he said to his mother,"We don't have any grass around here". So he started to draw plants in the building. His mother and father did nit want to see.They were too busy.Don,t worry the end gets gets better.
I could not put the book down because the book never ended,and you would most likely would want to stay up and read it.You will like the book but you have to read it to find out!!!

This book about Gregory tells how a child learns to express himself and win the admiration of his family, teachers and classmates. We have a copy for each of our second graders and use it as a reader. ....

3 women...3 pasts...3 futures...what will happen to Bobby when Joe finds her? Or will Joe find her? Bobby and her daughter are being abused by Joe, Bobby's husband, they ran away to get away from the abuse. Bobby found a job as a "care-taker" and she nurses an old lady named Alma...who loves children. Alma's niece, Eva, is a writer and quite good...until she stopped writing about things she love...so in the end...will Bobby and Penny be able to stay away from Joe? Find out for yourself and read the book!

Bobby,a battered wife,along with her six year old daughter,Penny,flees after a final beating. She arrives in Connecticut,fearful and desperate to start anew. She is hired as a live-in practical nurse for Alma,a retired headmistress who has suffered a disabling stroke. Alma's niece,Eva,a famous author, hires her against her better judgment.Penny instantly ingratiates herself with Alma, soon followed by Bobby. The three of them form a sort of triumvirate which Eva is helpless to change. She soon realizes that this woman and her child are changing the tenor of the household for the better, reluctantly accepting them,although she cannot totally accept Bobby until much later. The other characters are:Charlie,Eva's lover;Dennis,Alma's physical therapist;Melissa,Eva's charming daughter,and,of course,Joe,Bobby's psychopath husband.Charlotte Vale Allen has,as always, given all of these characters such dimension that you know them well. You almost feel like you are living in this interesting household,sharing experiences with all of them. This story progresses so smoothly along,with side-trips of memory for each of the three women,which adds,not detracts, to the whole.The violent climax will hold you breathless with suspense until the end. This is a wonderful book,with wonderful characters, that will be hard to forget,as you become one with them during your reading.

Bobby Salton knows she can't take her sadistic husband's abuse for another day. So at the beginning of the story, she takes her little daughter Penny when the monster isn't home and runs. Driving away in her half-working car, she finds refuge in a rambling house on the Connecticuit shore.

Hired as a live-in companion to Alma Ogilvie, Bobby helps the retired headmistress regain her independence.But Bobby's battered appearance also has a startling effect, especially on Eva Rule, Alma's niece, a successful author.

Three very different women grapple with dreams of haunted pasts, and yet form a tenuous bond. Just as they begin to look to to the future, the past catches up with them. Bobby's husband, for one thing, is still on the run looking everywhere for Bobby.

A very absorbing book and hard to put it down.

For those that have entered the world of Freemasonry and want to understand more this book should be your guide. Mr Roberts presents a piece of work that will forever be important and remembered within the world of Masonry. If you are not a Mason, this book will give you a wonderful grasp of the fraternity. Every Mason should have a copy of this book as well as the wife or closest relation to that individual. For those that thought the world of Freemasonry was so secret here is a book that will open the world in a new.

Read it not only once, but several times. You'll love it. I know that I did, and I still do. Take it from a man who has read this book more than five times.

I found this book very interesting, it breaks down the symbols in laymen's term. Making it easy for a person to understand the depth of the symbols described. It is a good read for anyone interested in Freemasonry. I found it very hard to put this book down even for a second. I am looking forward to reading more books by Allen E. Roberts, I like his writing style and I am sure you will too.

Sincerly,

Bro. Salters Davis IV
Tyree Lodge # 147
MWPHGL of PA

I read this book just after I became a Master Mason (years ago). I read the book again last year and for its size there sure is a lot of great information. There are answers to a lot of questions that new Masons have and there are a lot of excellent explinations of Masonic symbols. I find that I use this as a reference when asked questions by non-Masons about the different symbols. A perfect example is when I am asked why the square and compasses are important in Freemasonry the answer and explination are in the book.

Our lodge is now presenting these books to newly raised Masons as a gift.

I would recomment that all new Mason read it.

The southwest United States is a geomorphologist's dream... There's not a lot of green stuff covering up the beautiful geology! This book details the geologic features of Death and Owens Valley, CA. It gives the geologic history of features while succinctly describing the details of the processes that brought about these features. The Tufa Pinnacles in Searles Valley, the alluvial fans in Death Valley, the interesting history and development of Gower Gulch, the mysterious ascent of desert pavement, the glacial morraines and routes of the Tahoe and Tioga Stade glaciers at Convict Lake, the Mono Craters (Domes), Fossil Falls, the Alabama Hills and more. You'll even get the heebee jeebees when you read about the monstrous explosion of Ubehebe Crater! Certainly one of the most interesting and pleasurable books I've read in ages! Highly recommended for ANYONE who plans a trip to California's awe-inspiring Death Valley and environs! A must have!

Most years we vacation in Mammoth. This book describes a number of convenient and interesting side trips to take with the family. We wander around, sometimes visiting the same features, sometimes visiting a new site. Always appreciating more & more of the world around us. My children have a much better feel for geological processes and their impact on the landscape than do their peers.

The book starts with a five page description of Eastern California's geological history, then jumps into 30 sites of interest, nearly evenly distributed between Death Valley & vicinity and the Eastern Sierra & vicinity. A glossary, "Sources of Supplementary Information," and an index round out the book.

Each site receives its own chapter, replete with photographs, maps, geological diagrams, and even driving directions, as needed. I'm not a serious geologist, but landscape features fascinate me. The explanations that the authors give work well for me: I can understand them well enough to explain them to children.

If you're interested in how the land has been shaped, if you're willing to turn off the tube & make contact with the natural world, then this book is for you. One of the best "field guides" to geology I own. One of my favorites, too. (The companion volume, GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, is also an excellent book).

I've always had an interest in geology, but have had only a little formal education in the subject. I've also been to Death Valley and Owens Valley a few dozen times. The accuracy and attention to detail in this book along with the vivid descriptions often made me feel like I was back there as I read. On more than one occasion, I could replay what I had seen when I was out there as I read (in some cases picturing things that I had hardly taken notice of when physically there). The many photographs and diagrams also helped immensely. The occasional touchs of humor made reading fun, and it being a series of vignettes, it's easy to cover a chapter in a short time and not worry about setting it down until later. I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in geology and how the area got to be what it is today, and you don't have to be an expert to enjoy the book.