This is a charming book! It is about a little boy who has a very big edventure in the bath tub. He fights the water falls (which is really just the running faucet) I would recamend this book to any mother who has a child that does not liek to take a bath. This little boy names "Bob" sure find lots of intresting things to do. He has a large imagination and makes up lots of things to be even more ammusing.It has large pictures so you can tell what he is describing. Maybe even this story will get your children to want to take a bath and use there imagination to make it way more fun!

The lovely story Captain Bob Sets Sail is a adventure book. It tells you how one little boy who calls him self Captain Bob Makes up this wild story about taking a bath. It it likely your children will have a better imagination and maybe even like taking a bath. He explains how the faucet in the tub is a waterfall and how he saves the day by turning it off. This charming story also has lots of discriptive words and givel large visual pictures of what he says if happening. Its a great book to read to yru children before or during there bath. It wil make bathing more fun.

As a teacher of 3 and 4 year olds, this is a favorite book of mine, as well as my students. Our local children's librarian came to visit our class and introduced the book to us. It is loads of fun and very creative. I am buying two for nephews, and going to include some bathtub toys in along with the gift!

As a Japanese, I find this small book to be very accurate and informative. The procedure and the idea behind Japanese bath taking is clearly explained, without the oft-found orientalism. This is exactly the bath taking manners that our parents teach their kids (well, at least they are supposed to).

Another great point about this booklet is the artist, Maruo. He is the Dario Argento of Japanese comics, known for his extremely detailed and beautiful drawings of the grotesque. In this book, you'll find a lot of very pleasant drawings about Japanese bath taking, but to the people who are used to his normal works, you sort of expect some blood, gore, beheadings and freakshows that are Maruo's signature themes at every turn of the page. Whether that expectation was satisfied was... I'll leave it up to you to find out.

Highly reccomended. Informative to non-Japanese (and the younger generation Japanese --- you kids have no idea how to properly take a bath these days, shame on you), and enjoyable to Japanese.

On a whim I bought this book for my fifteen-year-old daughter who is about to leave for Japan on an exchange student program. Our whole family delighted in the beautiful, gentle, and insightful explanation of this paramount of Japanese experiences. So clear, so charming, we could almost feel the sensory effects of this wonderful institution.

Though this book has few words, it conveys the sense of the Japanese bath and bath ritual with exquisite illustration and word images. There is no other book I have found that deals with this subject matter in such a poetic, thorough, yet unsentimental manner. It was especially useful prior to my first visit to Japan. It helped make sense of a simple but somewhat mystifying cultural tradition.

Peter Diamond is something of an anachronism on the police force--a stickler for old-fashioned detection in a business that relies almost completely on state-of-the-art computers and genetic engineering to catch crooks. So when he is called in to investigate the death of a woman found floating nude in a river near Bath, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to prove himself as "the last detective." On the way, Diamond repeatedly risks not only life and limb but the most important thing to him--his job.

There are plenty of entertaining moments here. The examination of the fierce backstage politics at Scotland Yard is fascinating, and Lovesey, ever the consummate researcher, weaves in an intriguing subplot involving two mysterious letters penned by the late, great Jane Austen. Unfortunately, he may have heaped a bit too much on his plate; there isn't enough emphasis on what should be the real heart of the novel--the mystery itself.

That, in addition to excessive length, is a real problem. Even Lovesey's crisp, lighter-than-air prose can't overcome a plot this bulky and unfocused. The use of alternating points of view tends to bog down rather than advance the narrative, while other story devices--such as a clumsy attempt at courtroom drama--are just plain unnecessary. The mystery never achieves the level of complexity needed to justify the extraordinary length of time that Diamond takes to unravel it--in fact, it's rather shallow. Not to mention the fact that the identity of the murderer becomes a foregone conclusion well before THE LAST DETECTIVE enters its final pages--don't expect to be surprised.

And finally, the greatest stumbling block turns out to be the detective himself. Peter Diamond may be as pompous as Hercule Poirot and as grumpy as Inspector Morse, but he lacks the endearing charm that made the latter two such enjoyable company--in short, spending so much time with Diamond is an oddly unrewarding experience. And ultimately, that's as fitting a way as any to sum up the experience of reading THE LAST DETECTIVE.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Peter Lovesey's books for many years. I have a large number of his novels on my shelf, mostly from the Sgt. Cribb series. In looking over them I realized that while they were readable, there were not particularly memorable and were all somewhat unsatisfactory. "The Last Detective" is a bit of a change in pace, in that it really is a notch better than the Lovesey standard.

Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond fluctuates between being interesting and being thoroughly unlikable. While not anti-computer, he is quite distrustful of them, and is unhappy with their effect on police work. As a result he has come to style himself as 'the last detective.' His overall personality is overbearing and a bit egotistical which makes him a bit unpopular with both his co-workers and the top brass. As a reader I found that he had his moments, but I liked his second in command, John Wigful, quite a bit better.

The plot, which centers on a drowned woman who turns out to be a 'retired' soap star with the personality of a rabid mink and the morals of a sociopathic rabbit. Singularly murderable, if I say so myself. The most prominent of the suspects are much more likeable. In a Lovesey novel this usually means that they will be subjected to a fair amount of hectoring by the investigator, and this is no exception. In this case, the police make a highly dubious arrest. Detective Diamond is so disturbed by the process that he resigns his position and resolves to do some investigation on his own.

While the path to the true murderer is a bit complex it does not justify the length of the novel. Pacing is often uneven. Lovesey uses an unusual device in this story, i.e., in addition to the normal third person narrative; two large sections are done in the first person by the suspects. This works fairly well for the narrative done by the victim's husband, Gregory Jackman. Unfortunately, Lovesey does not do as well with Dana Didrikson, the female suspect who is entangled with Jackman. Even if you think it's sexist to believe that women don't quite think like men, you have to concede that it is highly unlikely that Dana's narrative would be exactly like the Lovesey's, but such is the case.

In spite of all this criticism, 'The Last Detective' is readable. Lovesey can craft a plot, and does a decent job with most of his characters. It did win the 1992 Anthony Boucher Award for Best Mystery Novel, so it cetainly has redeeming qualities. People who like Lovesey will find this their cup of tea. Those of us who find him a bit unsatisfactory will find their opinions softened a bit, but still confirmed.

Discovered Peter Lovesey's novels two years ago--have read 6 or 7 since then. If you are a fan of mysteries, of detective fiction, I highly recommend his work. Wonderful range--the series with Cribb, the series with Diamond, and the stand-alones are all entertaining, compelling, and original. He is far more interesting than 99% of mystery fiction.

While Shogun attempts to firmly encapsulate its subject within a context of japan, it strives to do so through tride and true methods, which, while effective, are unoriginal. It could have been so much more if it had attempted to experiment more with its presentation.

Is this book a must? That depends. I've played the game rather successfully without the Guide. But there are some tips which will help you out. Most of the information about the clans, units and buildings comes straight from the game itself. However, it is nice to have a hard copy of that information, as well as a complete map of all the provinces. For the few tips I did learn, the book was worth the price.

This is probably the most necessary strategy guide I have ever purchased. The manual that comes with the game is almost useless. I got more information from the quick reference card. This guide doesn't tell you what to do to win the game like some do; rather, it provides you with the necessary information to play the game effectively without hours upon hours of experimentation and "Oh, so that's how that works."

This is a great book on many recipes, very informative on herbs and flowers used for making natural recipes. However the author reccomends using a product like lye, and lye is a very dangerous product. It can eat through the skin.

I'm dissapointed that the author never mentioned this in her book, she also never mentions to use protective gear when handling lye. I don't understand that and I'm very dissapointed that she did such a poor job informing people about it.

Also she doesn't really mention where to get some of those products, so that was another dissapointment. However if you do get this book, avoid making the products that say to use lye.

Lye is very dangerous and very toxic, a better book to get would be, Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd. Home Safe Home talks about toxics, one of them is lye, there is a special section on beauty and hygiene and the author actually gives references and resources. Home Safe Home, would be a book that would be worth buying.

I found this book to be informative, helpful and very well written. I would like to respond to another review which warns others to stay away from the recipes in this book that use lye. I am a certified aromatherapist, and have been making natural body care for over 5 years with a specialty in handmade soap which I sell in my Business Aromagregory Bath & Botanicals. (aromagregory.com) Soap cannot be made without lye. It is not possible. I simply think that others must know what they are talking about before issueing warnings to others. In my opinion, the author of this book new their business.

What a wonderful collection of information and instruction! Everything is covered, from containers to herbs, types of oils to shelf life. This is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in bathing and natural cosmetics.

I took a chance with this book because of a positive review I heard about it on CSPAN. The title of the book fairly accurately describes the substance of the book, the cultural significance of the baths in the Roman society. The book is full of very interesting facts about the actual buildings themselves, the customs involved in the process, the people you would encounter and more. The author does a good job of writing the book, she keeps out of the "I'm a professor and you are not" type of writing where you feel about a foot tall after the first chapter. She tells a story in a way that the general reader can follow along. With all that said, I still did not overly enjoy this book and the reason for that is really that I am only marginally interested in the Roman world. I tried to force a book on myself because the reviews were good. If you are interested in the Roman world I am sure you will enjoy this book, if you are like me and this is a passing phase then you may be suited with something else.

Half of this 437-page book is dedicated to bibliography, epigraphic samples and the like; what remains is not only educational, but highly entertaining. All aspects of ancient roman bathing are covered with great panache and the bawdy commentary of the bathers themselves (particularly Martial) will elicit surprise and laughter.

Men and women often bathed together. They came to socialize, to ogle and comment on various body parts, and to solicit sexual favors while partaking of erotic frescoes and lewd graffiti. They snacked on odd combinations like fish, eggs, and lettuce, sometimes drank until wildly inebriated, and often pandered shamelessly for dinner invitations.

Thievery was a common complaint so many paid to have their clothing guarded. Ironically, bathing was unsanitary; the customers lathered liberally with oil and then scraped off the resulting mess with metal instruments called strigils. Some of the baths used water recycled from the "public troughs". Those who entered the baths with a slight open wound might subsequently develop grangrene! In addition smoke from the heating furnaces could seep into the rooms spoiling the gaiety of the occupants.

It's all here-everything you want to know about the ancient bathing experience including 24 pages of b&w photos and bath plans. Breeze through the 220 or so pages of readable text and then scan the footnotes for other enlightening tidbits. Great stuff, but steer clear of this book if you do not enjoy a highly-detailed, scholarly presentation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's full of anecdotes from people of the time (particularly memorable was the complaint about how noisy the baths were from the calls of the sausage vendor to the man in love with his own singing voice...) as well as archaelogical finds.

It *is* a scholarly book. I expected it to be full of footnotes and appendices -- and it is. But I found the text engaging and the facts fascinating -- and the subject thoroughly covered. I come away from the book with a clear idea of the who the bathers were, how they bathed, what else they did in the baths and the importance of bathing in their society. Other books I;ve looked at on this subject focus mainly on architecture and aquaducts, but this book answers the questions about ancient baths that I'm interested in -- the people-related questions, and does so with intelligence and a dose of dry humor.

I'm confronted with a major redecoration of my bathroom (status post leaking tub, water damaged floor, and Great Dane deconstruction project!), so I've been casting about for ideas. Since I've always admired the minimalist beauty of Japanese art and architecture and the oriental appreciation of the natural as art, when I found The Japanese Bath by Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto I decided to check it out for ideas. What I was looking for was practical information, however, and this book is more a philosophy of The Bath as multi level sensual experience. As the authors write, "Entering a bath in Japan is to enter another world. It is a place where one not only cleans the body but also cleanses the mind (p. 13)".

The photos are lovely (my favorites are the "created scenery" on pp. 30, 33, and 47), and one can hardly but envy those wealthy enough to have the space, let alone the wherewithal, to have a separate building devoted to the "zen" of bathing. Unfortunately I live in a town house, and I rather doubt that the association would appreciate my extending my bathroom into the commons-I could be wrong, but I sincerely doubt it; they're not terribly open minded! I suspect I am not alone in my lack of space for major remodeling.

Taking the above quote from page 13 as a starting point, what I did gain from the book was a realization that in our fast paced Western lives we can still find moments of relaxation and relief from stress by creating small environments in our homes conducive to the Eastern concept of "centering." It needn't be hours long and one needn't even be consciously aware of the effect to derive a benefit from the experience. While The Japanese Bath provided some information useful to the average person for creating a bathing room (it does discuss tubs and wood for making them), there was little of the nitty gritty of how to apply the philosophy to the smaller homes most of us live in these days.

The information one gleans from The Japanese Bath has to be more indirect. The notes on the Japanese "palette," for instance, suggest the use of darker, less vivid colors to create a quieter, more restful room. Certainly this idea above all gave me a starting point that finally helped me pull some of my other ideas more smoothly into place. I'd been struggling with loosely associated "great" ideas for over a year. The notion that brighter isn't necessarily better also gave me plans for less direct lighting-after all one isn't always shaving or putting on makeup. Integrating something of nature into the bathroom-table top fountains, plants, an aquarium, etc.-while it seems a bit '70s, certainly isn't a bad one; furthermore it's affordable and not terribly space intensive.

Still while it's nice to see how the other half lives-or at least the other 5%- the book really is more of a coffee table display than a practical book for the average home owner to make design plans.

This is a handsome little book. The emphasis is on photography. If you're seeking a photo essay for Japanese baths and possible details (designs, plans, etc.) this is not the reference for you. However, if you just want a visually pleasing browse, this book has beautiful photography and very limited captions. You're not likely to use this book for detailed design research but you may find it useful for idea research (brainstorming). Although the baths look authentic, most of them are Western replicas(many in the US) of their Japanese cousins. If it's authentic Japanese baths and detailed explanations (concepts, theories, etc.) this is not the book for you. But, if you just want a nice browse, the photographs are thought provoking enough to be useful.

A relatively short book (less than 100 pages), what "The Japanese Bath" lacks in length it makes up for in content. Just about every page is filled with beautiful, full color photos ranging from small, home baths, to exquisite, private baths found in spas, to the large, community baths found in Japan. The authors keep the writing brief and simple, but it's nonetheless enlightening and captures well the Japanese mindset towards bathing.

Paragraphs on how to build a Japanese bath from scratch are absent, but a great emphasis is placed on the points that make the Japanese bath so unique: lighting, depth, materials. The book provides abundant inspiration for creating your own design, without providing actual builders plans.

If your wish is to incorporate a Japanese bath into your home, or simply to visit one, the resources guide in the back of the book will prove very useful. Most suppliers and spas are on the West Coast, but many have web addresses where they can be reached. One of the finest, Ki Arts, boasts "the flexibility to work anywhere in the world" since they utilize the traditional Japanese joinery system for their projects.

All in all, "The Japanese Bath" gives truth to the adage that great things can come in small packages. It is a diminutive, but excellent volume for those interested in the topic.

I would have loved to give this book 5 stars. In fact if I had not read Peter Lovesey's previous work I would have!
I found this mystery interesting, fun, light and entertaining but the main protagonist Peter Diamond did not interest me the way Cribb has done in Lovesey's previous novels.
Nevertheless this was a completely enjoyable read: the "locked room" portion of the mystery was simple, interesting and ingenious. It was well-explained and not ponderous and verbose like some of the not-so-great mysteries of John Dickson Carr.
I am off to see what my second Diamond will be like. I think it will be "The Summons".

This is the first Peter Lovesey novel I've read, and it was done well enough that I'd willingly read others. The attraction for me was the locked room aspect, as this is my favorite variety of classic puzzler, or "cozy" if you will. Although the puzzle itself fooled me, I admit it's not up to the level of the master, John Dickson Carr. Even so, it was grounded in a greater procedural realism than you find in Carr, and that in itself lent greater plausibility to the story. Locked room mysteries at their best are pretty far-fetched, but Bloodhounds contains one that's more believable than most. The discussions of classic mystery novels are appealing but, despite another reviewer's comments, do not overshadow the story itself. The characters are well-drawn if not necessarily explored in depth, and the pace is very good. I have no qualms about recommending this one.

The Bloodhounds of Bath are a group of eccentric mystery readers with disparate tastes: Shirley-Ann, who reads all sorts of mysteries, "even the dreadful ones"; Miss Chilmark, who is obsessed with Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose"; Milo, who likes the classic puzzle story; Jessica, who specializes in female-P.I. novels; Rupert, who's into hard-boiled, noir crime fiction and sneers at cozies as fairy tales for grown-ups with arrested development; Sid, an extreme introvert who's a John Dickson Carr fan; and Polly, the tactful group chairwoman. One of the members is found dead in a locked-room situation on a houseboat called the Mrs. Hudson. And somebody has carried off a major heist after sending a cryptic riddle message to the news media challenging the police to stop the crime. Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond, who has been yearning for a puzzling case to work on, has reason to believe the murder and the theft are related. "Bloodhounds" is replete with playful references and allusions to a wide range of detective fiction. It's a very well-written and cleverly plotted mystery, with lots of interesting characters, that will appeal to readers who like traditional whodunits. And for John Dickson Carr fans, it's one that definitely should not be missed.

This book is full of fun recipes and ideas for daily magickal living, but is definately not one of McCoy's best pieces of work. I am a big fan of Edain McCoy and was slightly let down by the content and writing style. Recommended for the formulary or for the McCoy Groupie, but not much else.

When I first skimmed through the book, I was going to give it 2 stars... It was not what I had expected it to be. I had expected it to be a book about spells in enhance or increase beauty, but in fact, it is mostly about spells using beauty products (such as soap, lotion, perfumes, etc.). I was rather disappointed at first. But, then I decided to read through it a little more thoroughly. It does include some recipes on beauty-enhancing spells and items (beauty soap, beauty perfume...). In addition to that, it explains how to make basic soap (but not from scratch!), lotions, perfume bland, massage oils, shampoos, conditioners, and other products. For anyone interested in both spellcraft and natural beauty products, I would definitely reccomend this book. Anyone looking for a get-ptretty-quick spell, don't bother with this, there's nothing like that in here. My final vote: 4 and a half stars

Beauty is part of Goddess-hood! This book has fresh, wonderful smelling and natural recipes for a variety of purposes, to be used in spells or to just enjoy. There is also information to help create your own blends. It even has a "wash that man out of your hair" shampoo! If you love bath and beauty products as well as natural magick, this is a great addition to your library!

Think of Bath today and one naturally lights upon the Roman baths and Jane Austen. It is these two features that have helped make the city one of the most visited places in England, where it is not unusual to see a party of French school children parading around the baths, as it is to see a Japanese couple taking afternoon tea in the pump room, if not visiting the newly arrived Jane Austen house or marvelling at the architecture, the ultimate in Georgian elegance. Though the visitors were not always so international, Bath has always attracted tourists, for that is its very essence. It has been a resort since the 1700s, always a place for recreation, never business. Initially the sickly came here to take the waters, but this soon became a highly fashionable pursuit, which one could partake in while also engaging in the perhaps more enticing gambling activities and the exclusive social round. Amazingly such pleasures made Bath the seventh largest British city in the eighteenth century. Fittingly then it was also one of the most written about - by physicians selling the supposedly therapeutic waters, to travel writers, novelists, poets, and ultimately guidebook compilers. If nothing else it was the ultimate hangout of the literati outside of London - Defoe, Burney, Smollett, Johnson and Austen were all known to have visited there. There is thus an inexhaustible textual legacy of the city in which to delve into.
As a much represented city Bath makes a worthy subject for Peter Borsay's innovative historical approach, following on from his interest in provincial urban spaces. His subject is the representation of Georgian Bath as depicted by thousands of writers who had any connections with the city. It is a history of its image rather than its reality therefore, taking in a rich pool of written material - for Bath is according to Borsay an 'imaginative space', its image being central to its place within Georgian society and thereafter. It is also an 'interdisciplinary' study, a current buzzword within the realm of academic research.
Borsay is well qualified to undertake such a laborious enterprise involving relentless poring through infinite sources of literature pertaining to Bath, much being the product of eminent writers but an equal amount belonging to now forgotten guidebook scribblers. Within the field of urban history he has already put the city on the map for representing a hugely important provincial centre that drew influence away from the metropololis in early modern England. He has written prolifically on spa towns and their highly sophisticated social activities in this period, and it is right that the most important of these should recieve such a detailed and scholarly study focussing on its all important image - used to draw both health seekers and pleasure seekers alike.
Borsay compiles his sources well and with judgement, pulling together a highly readable and lucid study. The contemporary representation of Bath to Georgian visitors offers the most engaging part of this book, but of further interest is its image within 1990s society. Within the index we find Richard Nash and Thomas Gainsborough, but also the likes of Simon Schama, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. For Bath, to this day, continues to portray an image of Georgian neoclassicism and elegance, and one that is continually being exploited by both historians and politicians.
Borsay might have analysed pictures and printed materials more within this study as Bath has a rich pictorial past, but this perhaps merits a wholly seperate work. As it stands this book will be of interest to anyone interested in Georgian Bath - be their concern historical, geographical, literary or architectural. It is the only comprehensive study to be found on Bath's image in history, and as such it is a welcome addition to its vast bibliography, perhaps to be used as an aid for anyone contemplating a further foray into its past. Few cities would merit such an exhaustive study of its own imaginative legacy but few cities have depended so much on its own image, this having long been the basis of its economy. It is an irony, however, that Jane Austen, a woman who wholly disliked Bath for its mercantile marriage market - and satirised it so pointedly in her novels presenting the most negative of pictures - should be the current selling point of that city, and a major attraction upon the tourist heritage trail.

Think of the city of Bath today and one naturally lights upon the Roman baths and Jane Austen. It is these two features that have helped make the city one of the most visited places in England, where it is not unusual to see a party of French school children parading around the baths, as it is to see a Japanese couple taking afternoon tea in the pump room, if not visiting the newly arrived Jane Austen house or marvelling at the architecture, the ultimate in Georgian neoclassicism. Though the visitors were not always so international, Bath has always attracted tourists, for that is its very essence. It has been a pleasure resort since the early 1700s, always a place for recreation, never business. Initially the sickly came here to take the waters, but this soon became a highly fashionable pursuit which one could partake in while also engaging in the perhaps more enticing gambling activities and the exclusive social round. Amazingly such pleasures made Bath the seventh largest British city in the eighteenth century. Fittingly then it was also one of the most written about - by physicians, travel writers, novelists, poets, and ultimately guidebook anthologers. To name but few notable names, Defoe, Burney, Smollett, Johnson and Austen were all known to have visited there. There is thus an inexhaustible textual legacy pertaining to the city.

As a much represented city Bath makes a worthy subject for Peter Borsay's innovative historical approach, following on from his interest in provincial urban spaces. His subject is the representation of Georgian Bath as depicted by thousands of writers who had any connections with the city. It is a history of its image rather than its reality therefore, an interdisciplinary study taking in a rich pool of written material - for Bath is according to Borsay an 'imaginative space', its image being central to its place within Georgian society and thereafter. BR>

Borsay is well qualified to undertake such a laborious enterprise involving relentless poring through infinite sources of literature pertaining to Bath, much being the product of eminent writers but an equal amount belonging to now forgotten guidebook scribblers. Within the field of urban history he has already established Bath as representing a hugely important provincial centre that drew influence away from the metropololis in early modern England. He has written prolifically on spa towns and their highly sophisticated social activities in this period, and it is right that the most important of these should recieve such a detailed and scholarly study focussing on its all important image - used to draw both health seekers and pleasure seekers alike.

Borsay compiles his sources well and with judgement, pulling together a highly readable and lucid study. The contemporary representation of Bath to Georgian visitors offers the most engaging part of this book, but of further interest is its image within 1990s society. Within the index we predictably find Richard Nash and Thomas Gainsborough, but also the likes of Simon Schama, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. For Bath, to this day, continues to portray an image of Georgian elegance, and one that is continually being exploited by both historians and politicians.

Borsay might have analysed pictures and printed materials more within this study as Bath has a rich pictorial past, but this perhaps merits a wholly seperate work. As it stands this book will be of interest to anyone interested in Georgian Bath - be their concern historical, geographical, literary or architectural. Few cities would merit such an exhaustive study of its own imaginative legacy but few cities have depended so much on its own image, this having long been the basis of its economy. It is an irony, however, that Jane Austen, a woman who wholly disliked Bath for its mercantile marriage market - and satirised it so pointedly in her novels (presenting the most negative of pictures) should be the current selling point of that city, and a major attraction upon its tourist heritage trail.