Excellent book and excellent adventure book. I especially enjoyed the updates provided in the book which is a reprint by the Cook Society. I am only vaguely aware of the controversy because of a friend who is invloved in high arctic camping. No matter what, Dr. Cook and his Inuit friends are cut of exceptional cloth to have endured so much, almost casually. However, I will say that Dr. Cook appears to be a more pleasant person than Admiral Peary.

Although the Cook/Peary North Pole controversy still rages after over 90 years, I believe that this republication of Frederick A. Cook's My Attainment of the Pole should help immeasurably in eliminating all doubt about Cook's accomplishment.

The book not only is a faithful, easy-to-read republication of Cook's 1911 opus, it contains up-to-date data from well-established polar explorers and historians that validate Cook's original observations. It also confronts the Peary arguments (and what appear to be "dirty tricks") head-on, and emergesw victorious.

After reading the book, I was convinced that Cook was the first to attain the Pole and believe you will reach the same conclusion.

My favorite way to learn about history is through the voice of a person who lived in that time. Often, however, the most readable first-person narratives leave something to be desired in breadth, since a single real person cannot be everywhere and have opinions on everything. Unless, it seems, that person is Eleanor Roosevelt. Her voice in her 'My Day' columns is authoritative, compassionate, wise, and insightful. Her opinions and philosophy on politics and diplomacy, both national and international, seem to me very pertinent to some of issues we face in our world today. Since I read this book, I have found myself hypothesizing about what she would have thought about some current happenings as I try to make sense of them. The editorial introductions to each year and each article excerpt in the book are well-written and provide the right amount of context to frame the excerpts without distracting from them.

I grew up during World War II and remember seeing Eleanor Roosevelt on news reels traveling around the world. I had no idea until I read this book of what a full and interesting life she was living. She had much pain and sorrow in her life, but she carried on.

I like her down to earth writing. She has written about ordinary things and left some things unsaid which is fine. She came from a very reserved background so it's to be expected. Her childhood was during a very different time than today. That she did so much for others is evidence of that upbringing.

After reading this book, I visited Hyde Park. I went first to her house at Val-Kill before I went to the Big House and Library. I recommend a visit to everyone because I believe you get a real feel for her there. At Val-Kill it's like she has just stepped out for a moment, but will be back.

I recommend this book to everyone. Editors give background information before each selection for those who weren't alive during the time. Eleanor did not go into great detail in her columns as, of course, her readers at the time would know what she was talking about.

Well after making several bad choices in my dating life, I finally grew up. My sister sent this book to me. It really changed her life. This book then changed my life. The book teaches how to first enjoy being single. Then it teaches you to how to date God's way. The author covers issues like building a strong communication foundation, a foundation on prayer and incorporating GOD as the center of the relationship. Then she talks about how to date with the intention of marriage. The author speaks about the importance of listening to God's voice when choosing a lifelong partner. For God looks at the heart while man looks at the outer appearance. If you think you have dating standards, this book will challenge the validity of them. If you follow the advice and example of the author you will find marriage a desirable and an attainable goal.

I highly recommend this book. It is a breath of fresh air amoung the other singles books I have read. Dr. Cook helps you to explore yourself and she teaches you how you can be a better woman, so that God can bring your mate into your life. While most books focus on improving your looks, financial(all important!) she takes it further and talks about your attitude, expectations, and walk with Christ. When she talks about a behavior or attitude that is wrong she is not condemming but has an attitude of care. Because she was single (for a long time)and is now married, she explains why you should change, and how it can be done. If you want to improve your relationships and yourself. get this book.

This book, geared toward single Christian women who want a Christian husband, is a step by step plan that operates under a simple premise: in order to have a Christian, God-sent mate, you must believe in the Lord to send him to you, strictly follow God's scriptures/disciplines, live and conduct yourself in a godly manner and rely or prayer to guide you in the process. She isn't as light-hearted as Michelle Mckinney Hammond, but her maternal tone is just as warm and more effective in some cases. She offers prayers geared toward each affirmation and gives simple exercises as well. For those who are laboring undering the belief that you are doomed to stay single for life, you will take heart in recieving biblically supported advice from a MARRIED woman who has walked the walk, talked the talk and ended up with a loving, Christian husband in the end. I found the book to be an encouraging read and hope that others will find Dr. Cook's words and experiences just as beneficial.

Both the hero and heroine of NIGHT FIRES were well-crafted, multi-dimensional characters. However, this book's biggest strength was its setting--Ms. Cook put me right on the moor witht the hero and heroine. I could picture myself there easily. In addition, the dark, foreboding moor was skillfully used to up the level of suspense.

Another big strength: the villain. The very first introduction to him, as he's thinking about having killed the shepherd and the maid, stands out in my mind. The reader is SURE he's an evil one--and a good match to battle the hero and heroine!

However, I would have liked more romantic tension between the hero and heroine. I don't want to give away too much, but the heroine's worries about why the hero might reject her are resolved well before the story ends. At that point, I saw nothing that would keep the hero and heroine apart--there wasn't an overwhelming "will they or won't they?"

Despite that, I enjoyed the book very much--I was hooked by the author's voice (unique!) and storytelling ability. I look forward to finding her backlist.

NIGHT FIRES is a wonderful medieval romance, despite its inaccurate, uninspired cover. Intrigued by the late 12c setting and the "hidden treasure" plot, I bought this book soon after it came out last year and absolutely tore through it! Linda Cook's debut is full of atmosphere and high emotion--a wonderful love story peopled with strong characters and lush period detail. I loved it! (And I was thrilled to see that her second novel got much better cover treatment.) If you like medieval romances, you're going to love NIGHT FIRES.

I'm not going to review Homer -- Homer gets ten stars. If you haven't read Homer, you're not an educated person.

If I had to rate the additional material in this edition on its own merits, I'd have to give it something less than five stars. Four, probably. The glossary is useful, and the "Backgrounds" (a brief excerpt each from Kirk and Nilsson and then snippets from various archaic authors commenting on Homer) are worthwhile and sometimes amusing. But the "map of probable locations for legendary places mentioned in The Odyssey", for instance, is silly. And the essays in the "Criticism" section seem randomly-themed and of hit and miss quality.

But the additional material is all just icing on a very good cake. Cook's translation is readable and delightful. He carefully maintains the repetitions and line units of the original, so a reader of the English translation can get some sense of what the Greek feels like. Well worth reading.

Albert Cook's is the only verse translation of the Odyssey to rival Lattimore's: slightly less literal, but also more readable.

This book (known in Europe as 'The Women and the Warlords') is Hugh Cook's darkest and least 'heroic' novel presumably because the protagonist is female. He may be the only fantasy author who has confronted the probable 'reality' of a woman's life in the traditional fantasy environment and the result is a book which may be too drepessing for some readers. Despite this, it is a humourous and entertaining read which, although it lacks the polish and sheer inventiveness of the later books, well repays the effort of reading. In short, Hugh Cook has written better, but not many other authors have.

First of all, especially if you live in the USA, this book is MUCH better than it looks. I have seen a US edition which depicts the heroine as a youthful and voluptuous girl in what appears to be chain mail underwear. The edition I own simply has a snowy landscape on the cover, the only figures visible being clad appropriately for the weather.

This book has LOTS in it. There is the clash and death of cultures (focused on more than the military aspect), lots of detail in the characters and societies, gritty and unheroic events and plot, and best of all, distinctly different and most unheroic (in the Hollywood or normal fantasy novel sense) characters.

Yen Olass, the main female character, has had it tough. She most definately could not pass for the bikini babe on the US edition cover. She is stocky, middle aged, tough, and passes for a man for part of the novel. Her homeland has been destroyed, and she has been subjected to appalling treatment by the invading race.

Regret and ashes are a dominant theme.

There is lots more to say, but the book says it better. Read it, it really is good - fantasy, but without the dross you usually have to filter out. Hugh Cook's books showed what was wrong with some of my former favourite fantasy authors, and how much better the genre can be.

Here it is, the most coveted AD&D hardcover in existence - not only for its rarity, but for the excellence of its rules! Here, you get 128 pages of how to play ninjas, samurai, wu-jen, and more; the elaborate Honor system, oriental magic, and the unique monsters and treasures of Kara-Tur, all in one beautiful reference! The golden age of the 1st edition game, here in one volume.

This book is fantastic, and adds so much depth to the campaign. It has everything you need to run an Oriental Adventure, or make characters in an oriental setting. TSR has yet to duplicate in any other book the remarkebly well balanced rules of this book. For example, the Ninja in Oriental Adventures is more inetersting, better devolped, and more enjoyable to paly with only a few pages of coverage than anything in the 2nd edition complete book of Ninjas. IF you can find it, buy it, you will not regret it. The only drawbacks are that A) the book is out of print, and B) AD&D is moving to 3rd edition, and Oriental Adventures exists solely as a 1st edition book, so the rule converstaion may or may not proove difficult.

When I was growing up, my parents had this book. It was a paperback version and is now in tatters with the cover missing. As you can tell, it was well-used cooking guide in our house! What I love so much about this book is that it explains everything in great detail and does not assume that you know what some of the more savvy cooking terms are. It is made for the beginner as well as the expert cook, however, and features basic as well as gourmet dishes. I also love the graphic illustrations that accompany some of the recipes. Although it does not include beautiful pictures of each dish, you can rest assured that any of them that you make will be a hit!

I recently got married and my husband and I have been cooking a bit more. We bought a hard back version of this cookbook last year and it is the most used cookbook in the house. We love it!

My late mother owned at least one early version of the FANNIE FARMER COOKBOOK......a Brown, hardcovered book that is now consisting of the cover falling off the binder and its pages soiled and/or torn. Yes, that was how popular it was and how heavily it was used. When I moved out of the family home in Connecticut into my own apartment in the Washington, DC area, my first items on my "must have" list was my very own FANNIE FARMER COOKBOOK. When I saw a latest version of the FANNIE FARMER COOKBOOK, I also saw the 1896 BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK listed along with the cookbook. Needless to say, I purchased both books. This book has easy to follow cooking instructions, a listing of equivalent measures, How to Measure Ingredients, and substitutable recipe items, and Classic, Old Fashioned Recipes (i.e. Breadmaking, Cake Making, Preserving, Soups, and Cake Baking (I actually learned to make homemade Mayonaise which taste much, much better than the store brand). Whether you are starting out on your own (as I), an established homemaker desiring to make Old Fashioned food, or a Grandmother desiring to revisit old time favorites, this cookbook is for you.

Just got back from five days in Paris; this is the guidebook we referred to again and again. The walking tour approach to getting to know neighborhoods is great to read in advance, and great for choosing a hotel (Cheap Sleeps in Paris for that task). The book is small in size so easy to carry. The best of the lot.

Elizabeth Morris's Travel Guide to Paris, written under the auspices of Thomas Cook, is a wonderful and clear guide to the neighborhoods, museums, churches and monuments of Paris. It includes several day excursions out of the city as well. I would like to see it restocked because I don't believe I have seen a clearer depiction of what Paris has to offer anywhere else. Ms. Morris's walking tours are superb and informative. It's just a really good resource.

I make a point of keeping track of what Gerri Cook is up to. It's a two pointer: A very talented writer and a fabulous book for kids.

Enhanced with line drawn illustrations by Chao Yu and Jue Wange, A Penny For Albert by Gerri Cook is a thoroughly delightful book for young readers about a girl who looking for a story for her TV show "Weird Science," and becomes caught up in a whirlwind discovery friendship with a toothy yet remarkable dinosaur named Albert. A Penny For Albert is a highly enjoyable mix of education and entertainment which can be enthusiastically recommended as a superb book for young dinosaur fans.