I'm one of those people who have read MOBY DICK a few times, so I may be biased towards Herman Melville, but I found REDBURN an excellent read.

Though it is an argueable point; many believe that REDBURN is based on Melville's first voyage. This may not be interesting to you if you are an adherent of NEW CRITICISM, but for any Melville fan or scholar this book sheds some light on Melville's persona.

I noticed some elements of REDBURN that would later surface in MOBY DICK and PIERRE -- as more developed themes. This book starts out as pretty straight forward adventure narrative, but leave it to Herman, by the middle of the book he goes off into his preaching, sermonizing, and editorializing . . . but I like that about Melville.

This might sound strange coming from a Melvillian 'scholar,' but Herman Mellville was not a good writer . . . he is an interesting author though, but he makes mistakes, and he often takes his stories through such long and twisted circumloctions that it is no wonder that many modern readers are turned off by him. However, if you love Melville despite his flaws then you will love REDBURN, because it shows the progress that Melville was making towards THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL, MOBY-DICK.

Herman Melville did not much care for REDBURN when he wrote it. He wrote it quickly and for the money, and then he tried to distance himself from it. He felt MARDI, the novel he wrote just before REDBURN, was the better, but it was panned. On the other hand, REDBURN recieved good reiviews in its day much to Melville's suprise . . . I learned all this in the afterword of the Northwest-Newberry Edition. The detailed history of REDBURN included in that edition is pretty interesting reading in itself if you are a Mevillian, like me.

I apologize for any typos . . . but no spell-check.

I could not put this book down. Tony Bullimore has the ability to describe his sailing experiences in vivid detail, and he has many gripping tales to tell. Having survived some wicked ordeals at sea, he always bounces back with new energy in finding another boat, and sailing again to new horizons and new drama. We can only admire his courage and will to survive. His perserverence against the smallest of odds is an inspiration to us all. Tony cleverly links in his life history without letting the story miss a beat. This book is a 'must read' for all adventure junkies and seafarers alike.

this story is great true follow up to what happened to many of the prisoners of war that built the bridge over the river kwai. it deserves a shot at being made into a movie as it is an exciting true life drama. i should know, my father is 1st. class torpedoman robert bennett of the u.s.s. pampanito

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.--Raffi

REVENGE OF THE WHALE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX is Nathaniel Philbrick's adaptation for young people of his National Book Award-winning bestseller, IN THE HEART OF THE SEA. While I have not read the adult version, I can tell you that this edition of the author's compelling account of the real-life catastrophe of 1820-21, in which a whale attacks a whaleship in the middle of the Pacific, was detailed and gory enough to keep me horrified for hours, to the extent that it caused me to forget all about my initial delight that at least one whale had apparently gotten even with humankind for what our forefathers had done for the sake of lamp oil and ambergris.

Your mama told you never
to eat your friends
with your fingers and
hands, but I say you
ought to eat what
you will - shove it
in your mouth any way
that you can. --Silver Spoon by Grace Slick

Utilizing primary source material, including two accounts written by survivors of the wreck about their nightmarish journey across thousands of miles of the Pacific from the middle of nowhere to their rescue off the coast of Chile, the author has crafted a first-rate adventure story that is also a tale of unbearable tragedy.

"Like a giant bird of prey, the whaleship moved lazily up the western coast of South America, zigging and zagging across a living sea of oil. For that was the Pacific Ocean in 1821, a vast field of warm-blooded oil deposits known as sperm whales."

From the early portions of this saga, which take place before an obstinate, eighty-five foot long sperm whale decides that enough is enough, we learn a vast array of information about the port of Nantucket and the whaleships. The author clearly describes and provides illustrations of the ship's layout, including the names of the masts and individual sails, the crews makeup, including their respective duties and the system of remuneration, their navigational tools, and the graphic details of converting those floating oil deposits into big bucks for the shipowners. I was amazed to discover that the wind patterns dictate that in order to sail from New England around the 'Horn to the Pacific, the whalers would nearly scrape the west coast of Africa! And the fact that ambergris--literally worth more than its weight in gold to perfume manufacturers--was generated as the result of whale constipation.

But it's also fascinating to learn at the end about the later lives of those eight men who somehow survived for three months on the ocean in the worst of circumstances--and how the son of one of those survivors grew up to become a whaler, lent a shipmate his father's account of the Essex disaster, and thus became indirectly responsible for that shipmate, Herman Melville, being inspired to write MOBY DICK...

The Rio Grande River (Great River) is the third longest river in the United States that divides Mexico and the US. Peter Lourie travels the entire river from it's headwaters in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. This is a wonderful account of his travels on this grand river. The history, rich land and people of the Rio Grande are captured in the detailed and colorful photographs. Each region that the Rio Grande travels through is unique and beautiful. I admire Peter Lourie because he is very respectful of the people and the delicate land of the Rio Grande. He did a wonderful job in illustrating the beauty and importance of this remarkable river. I absolutely enjoyed this book because the Rio Grande is very close to home!

This is an excellent lower and upper elementary informational picture book. Rich language is combined with double-page realistic oil paintings as the story of a year in the life of an Alaskan river is told. The river is shown to be a constantly changing home and source of food to many ecologically connected living things.

Very well laid out book that is broken down into "investigations", "projects" and "doing more" sections. Includes a glossary, an index and resources for further information. This book will be widely used in our middle school environment. Contains excellent black and white illustrations. Recommended reading for the 7th through the 9th grade levels.

For those interested in the great ocean liners that plied the seas (and to a limited extent still do), this book is a must. It is very oversized and has utterly engrossing photos and narratives of the liners starting with the sailing ships of the late 19th century and ending with QE2 and France.

This is a very simple but beautiful and poetic little story. Agell understands rhythm, and here it sounds like lapping waves that is perfect for bedtime reading.

Your kid won't tire of hearing this one, and you will be happy to read it over and over. Pity it is currently out of print.

I definitely recommend this book! It works on many different levels, and you will page through it many times, discovering new surprises with each reading. Kristin's latest book is a fascinating account of how keen observations of Nature can lead to a deeper appreciation. This book is vividly illustrated and describes a journal-making process that is valuable to any teacher or child. A great addition to any Nature-lover's bookshelf!