Obviously, the writer, director, actors, composer, and musicians are in total control of their craft. The Plimoth Adventure seems to be a work of art. The music is a special treat, with a recurring theme, and a feeling distantly reminiscent of Vaughan Williams' "A Sea Symphony," and having the catchy pop sensibilities of Monteverdi's "Vespro della Beata Vergine." The background effects ring true, and these include sounds of ransacking, rowing, water rushing, snapping fires, raising anchors, background conversation in a tavern, seagulls, cannon fire, and a scary thunderstorm. The story, as related by a lively dialogue, concerns efforts of the dissenters to escape to Holland, soldiers in Holland threatening the dissenters, commentary regarding 12 years in Holland, plans to move to Virginia, problems with the Speedwell leaking, attempts to fix the Speedwell, and commentary on where to land in America, e.g., how to avoid shoals. An amusing episode concerns a ship employee who wanted to throw all the dissenters overboard, who got sick onboard and died, and who himself was thrown overboard.

In school, I did not enjoy the chapters about the Pilgrims. They were dry and boring. But, in this show I learned that they really did some brave things and I am kind of proud of them. Americans rock and so did the pigrims at Plymouth rock! (get it?)

I have to admit that I am a real buff of historical fiction. While this tape is historically correct, it remains both exciting and fun. We listened to it over the Thanksgiving holiday, and must admit that it added terrifically to the mood. We all really enjoyed it.

Even though I'd never been to Cape Cod, I enjoyed the amusing stories captured in Shorr's little book "Provincetown".
It was particularly delightfull when I did visit the cape to have,to the amazement of the "locals",so much local knowledge, that in many cases, they themself did not hold. The stories in "P-town" truely capture the flavor and uniqueness of that little town on a hook shaped sandy spit in the Atlantic.

I've been going to Cape Cod for a gazillion years and thoughtI knew just about all the stories hidden up Provincetown's sleeve. How wrong I was. Ms. Shorr's breezy book offers a wealth of stories I had never known and was delighted to hear. Her easy style combined with well-researched facts makes for delightful story-telling. Reading her book is like sitting at the dining table late into the night with a new best friend who is spinning tales of their life. You know you should go to bed but you don't want to miss one word.

What a wonderful book. What a terrific read. Shorr succeeds in giving a marvelous sense of place and history to those who already know Provincetown and also introducing it to those who've never been there. Even if you thought you knew Provincetown, this book will make it new for you. It is filled with things you never knew, clarifies vague things you'd thought you'd heard, and explains why Provincetown remains one of the most mythic and well-loved places in the country. The book is filled with the same kind of quirky humor and good spirits that so many of us associate with the town itself. Lost and lots of fun. Thoughtful, well-written, funny, engaging. A perfect little book.

Reclaiming the Commons is an excellent read for anyone interested in the natural history of New England, community farming, open space issues, and the value of farms in the landscape. This is a well written, thoughtful book that offers an inspiring vision for a future of locally produced food, protected farmland, and community involvement that farms help to create.

In Reclaiming the Commons, Brian Donahue has given us a remarkable portrait of a thriving community farm in Weston, Massachusetts called Land's Sake. In 1980 the nonprofit organization Land's Sake was formed in Weston, a suburb of Boston, to work closely with the town's Conservation Commission on managing and using the town's growing public land. Its three founding principles were to care ecologically for Weston's land, to involve the community and especially young people with the land, and to be as self-supporting as possible through the sale of products and services. By thinking of the land as a rural space that could "benefit from our presence, rather than need to be protected from us," they opened the possibility that they could engage suburban youth with the land and produce high-quality natural products for local sale, offering ample educational and recreational activities while striking "a balance between protecting natural ecosystems and making sustainable, productive use of the land."

Land's Sake sends about one-fifth of their fresh organic produce to Boston's homeless shelters and food pantries, as well as sponsoring a Harvest for Hunger every September, thus ensuring that their surplus finds an assured wholesale market (the town pays the price to send the food to the inner city) which benefits the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in the nearby urban areas. Donahue shows that suburbia "is the condition of residing outside the city proper with little functional connection to one's neighbors, aside from the schools, and almost no functional connection to the land," and he shows that community farms on common land offer a vibrant opportunity to keep farmland from being lost to development, and to transform the suburban condition from alienation to connection. This is a surprisingly powerful and exciting book that will show suburban and city readers how to become more connected to their land and to their source of food.

This book,written by a newcomer in the environmental landscape, will become a landmark. It points the way to transform the suburban way of life into one that is sustainable.This it would do by converting suburban open spaces into community sanctuaries for agriculture,husbandry and forestry, administered by suburbanites themselves,especially by their youngsters.The great strength of the proposals is that they have been demonstrated to work by the author and his associates in the upscale Boston suburb of Weston. Another plus is the grace and humor with which the book is blessed.

I am a Kindergarten teacher and this is a great book to read to them. It has excellent pictures. The words can be difficult for Kindergarteners to understand, however, with a little preparation, they will grasp the concept of the book. This book shows the daily lives of a Pilgrim girl. Samuel Eaton's Day compliments this book.

We originally bought this book at Plimoth Village. My children love it. Having photos of people in actual period dress makes it so much easier to understand that they were real people and they lived differently from us. I share our copy of the book with my children's teachers every fall and they all love it and beg for our copy. Tonight, I'm buying them their own!

This book is a photo-journal portrayal of the life of a girl in early America. Based on a real-life child, the recreation (interpretation) in historic setting makes the reader feel as if he or she is right there, living the life.

It provides a great day-in-the-life picture. I borrowed this book from the library because it is part of the "core curriculum" recommended by E.D. Hirsch.

My 6 year old daughter now has a very concrete basis for comparing her own life to what it might have been at another time. It's inspiring and fun. And a great teaching tool (as mentioned in the previous review.)

I have enjoyed many of the rides detailed in this book. They are among the most scenic I have experienced. But the author goes beyond simply choosing routes based on scenery, terrain, mileage, etc. He also seems to have a knowledge and appreciation for the different elements of the routes themselves. It's not uncommon for him to mention historical highlights of the communities the rides pass through, or the significance of landmarks along the routes. What the cyclist gets from this book is not just "go 1.2 miles, turn left and go to the end", but also a wealth of information about the rides that adds a whole new dimension to the cycling experience. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys a good bike ride.

Howard's routes are excellent - he always finds the most scenic routes through towns, managing to avoid the larger busier roads in most cases. He pays close attention to safety details - ie: when you take his trips, you won't come across a stop sign at the bottom of a steep hill unless he specifically mentions it.

I have done several of the rides, and highly recommend this book or any of the others he has done.

Brad Charbonneau

I concur with rweiner's review. Over the past 8 years I have enjoyed many of the routes that Howard has written about. I have found that his ride descriptions, directions, and assessment of the level of difficulty are very clear and consistent. His books have introduced me to areas of New England that I never would have experienced any other way. I look forward to enjoying more of his rides in the future as I continue to try out new routes from his books.

Peruse this impressive volume and step out of your world and right into the Campground in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. Experience all four seasons there through Betsy Corsiglia's lush photography, and learn it's history and meet it's inhabitants through Mary-Jean Miner's absorbing text. This book is a must-own for anyone who loves the Vineyard.

Beautiful and insightful book on Martha's Vinyard. A must have book!!!

What a wonderful book about such an inspiring and inspired place. The pictures are bold and bright, and the text is tremendous. Betsy and Mary-Jean have done a great service to the Campground and the Camp-Meeting Association by providing such insight and memories of the Campground experience. A must have book if you've ever been to Martha's Vineyard. Great first book... hoping for many more.

Adventure Kayaking: Trips On Cape Cod is "user friendly" guide to enjoying safe and fun kayaking on Cap Cod. David Weintraub showcases twenty-five exciting trips from Falmouth to Provincetown with detailed route descriptions for each trip. Also included are USGS topographic maps (showing routes, parking areas, launch sites); travel directions; parking information, as well as nearby scenic and historical attractions. Adventure Kayaking is highly recommended reading for anyone seeking out Cape Cod's impressive landscape, bird sanctuaries, flora and fauna, all within the recreational framework of the kayaking experience.

Adventure Kayaking is "user friendly" guide to enjoying safe and fun kayaking on Cap Cod. David Weintraub showcases twenty-five exciting trips from Falmouth to Provincetown with detailed route descriptions for each trip. Also included are USGS topographic maps (showing routes, parking areas, launch sites); travel directions; parking information, as well as nearby scenic and historical attractions. Adventure Kayaking is highly recommended reading for anyone seeking out Cape Cod's impressive landscape, bird sanctuaries, flora and fauna, all within the recreational framework of the kayaking experience.

I have a kayak and live on Cape Cod. this book is a great source to search out places to explore via kayak. Maps, directions, general information are all provided. anyone who likes to kayak, and in search of a places to explore on the Cape will love this book. Great price too !

Goldman-Segall addresses issues and concepts relevant to today's new generation of educators. The context for her research focuses on two very different schools in British Columbia and Massachusetts. Her role as a video ethnographer uncovers some of the social-historical and ethical issues both students and teachers must address in today's post-modern era. Goldman-Segall documents these issues through the use of video and the Internet. In doing so she offers a refreshing medium for discourse and understanding.

I am intrigued by the intimacy of Ricki and the young minds in her ethnographic experience. Capturing these moments on video preserves the developmental sketches of their time. Often time, the points of view of children are ignored. However, Josh, an inciteful child,who queries the elements of his environment, brings both the mundane and obvious into an asynchronous focus that creates constructivist dialogue.

The author formulates a community in which you share the learning of two seperate and diverse schools. She invites you into the thinking of the children through digital media and takes you with her as you watch these children develop their understanding of the world around them. Watching this constructivist approach captures the inquiry of the reader and brings out the importance and significance of this type of learning in education.

Excellent book focused on the Longitude act's of the 1700's. The primary emphasis is on the two technologies Lunar-distance and chonometer for determining longitude with a precision under 1 degree. The relative percentages are: 50% chonometer, 30% lunar distance, 10% Jupiter's moons, 10% general history pre-1600's. I gave it four stars instead of 5 because I thought the book was going to be a balanced discussion ( i.e. equal time)encompassing all methods of determining longitude irrespective of a 1 degree precision. All that said, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic.

This beautifully presented large hardback is actually a series of essays covering the story of the search for Longitude from the 16th century to the 19th. The essays deal with a range of subjects from the mathematical to the absurd, from astronomy to cartography and has 4 excellent appendices. The book is well laid out with both black&white and color photography in a manner that means you don't need to be a student of the sea of chronology to understand it. A good book to have on the shelf.

This review is top notch and comprehensive. It's the book of choice to cover the background and the technology. I'm not a watch or clock fanatic, but I slam dunked this whole book in just a couple days; a 15 hour Qantas flight kept me captive. I wish there was more discussion on the nature of astronomy and how the clocks were calibrated. I want to read up on octants, sextants and basic navigation now. This book deserves five stars. The A&E four hour documentary, "Longitude", this month also deserves high marks. If someone knows of a good read on navigating with astronomy that's more layman oriented, please email me (thanks).

I liked this book. It had a lot of good recipes in it and when you make the recipes they are GOOD!

Of all the cookbooks that my wife and I have, this is the one that we treasure most. Filled with traditional and non-traditional New England recipes that make your mouth water by just reading them. I strongly encourage everyone to purchase this cookbook first and then you will have something to compare all other cookbooks with. I especially like the Macaroni and Cheese!

Since life (in rural Vermont anyway) seems to revolve around seasonal events, this cookbook was perfectly arranged for me. The recipes are grouped by month with each month represented by a type of food. For instance July is berries, August is the garden harvest, November is apples and pumpkins. This makes finding an appropriate recipe easy. A must try recipe is the Applesauce Raisin Cake. It is truly delicious! From the lovely cover, the interesting photographs of Ashfield MA, the weather statistics, the tidbits of information about the town, to the terrific down-home recipes, this book is a wonderful addition to my cookbook collection.