As a child, Judith discovers a Roman coin, and from there on catches the fever for archaeology. A peasant, apparently, she is suffered to play and learn with the children of the local aristocracy, of whom the fascinating Tybalt is a part. Tybalt eventually leaves for University, but when he returns, Judith is a young woman, and she falls -- or so the author would have us believe -- in love with Tybalt. For some indiscernable reason, Tybalt apparently loves Judith back, and they marry.

Soon after, Judith and Tybalt traipse off to Egypt for an excavation (Tybalt is an archaeologist, much to Judith's delight, since she's ten times as interested in the subject as Tybalt is, though she could never join in with him because, naturally, she's a woman. What a logical reason! Edwardians; what can one say?) which soon appears to be cursed -- for Judith, any way.

This novel was exceptionally tedious. One knows before one even opens the book that there will prove to be no curse, only the paranoia of humans and a string of "bad luck." Not that many people would accept the possibility of a real curse in today's society; but at least if the author had TRIED to convince us, that would have been interesting. Knowing before-hand that there's nothing to be tense about does tend to dissipate the dramatic tension, though.

Even if I wasn't suprised at the conclusion of the novel, I was suprised at the shallow-ness of the relationship between Judith and Tybalt, and at Judith's emotional idiocy. If these two had been a couple in real life, they could poster for the top ten reasons why people shouldn't marry. The story is told in a first-person narrative, so it's impossible to get Tybalt's view of things; but judging by his behavior, I would say that the man doesn't love Judith, let alone care about her. As for Judith, she doesn't want to stick around Smallsville as a spinster handing out care packages for the village rectory her entire life, understandably, and Tybalt's the most attractive escape route.

The parts of the novel that should have been symbols of the cementing of their relationship are hideous failures -- the wedding is so depressing it inspires one to philosophize on the futility of continued living, and the denoumet where Judith almost dies and Tybalt calmly sets aside her rather legitimate fears about their relationship as if she's a bubble-headed leash-dog made me want to puke, then scratch the bastard's eyes out, in that order. The scenes that truly show what their relationship is like are the ones where Judith hasn't seen Tybalt for days, and when she does see him (finally), he barely looks at her and then runs off with another woman. Duh, girlfriend!

This novel fails on two major points: it's not suspenseful, and it's not romantic. Key elements for a work of romantic suspense. This was not the first Victoria Holt novel I read, but it will be the last. Better to save my money, not to mention my sanity (or what's left of it), than to read another of her books if there's a chance it might be like this one. Uhg.

This is the 5th Victoria Holt book I've read and it wasn't as appealing as the others. The story doesn't have much romance and you can pretty much tell what's going to happen. So far it's one of the yhinner books I've read and it took me a few weeks to read but of course being the avid book reader that I am, I was determined to finish reading it.

Judith has grown up with an interest in archaelogy since she is surrounded by those who do it for a living. Always dreaming of going off on an expedition, her dream finally comes true when Tybalt, her neighbor and son of a prominent archaelogist, asks her to marry him and off they go on an expedition. Things don't exactly turn out as Judith had imagined both in married life and the expedition. There is said to be a curse which comes upon those who disturb the tombs of the kings. When a series of deaths occur, Judith is very worried about Tybalt, whom seems to be more involved in his work than in his new bride. Judith doesn't want to accept this but there are many things that lead to the idea that Tybalt is not who he seems. When Judith is believed to be the next victim of 'the curse', it is then that the pieces come together as to the mysterious curse and if it really does exist...as well as if Tybalt really loves Judith or not.

This book far exceeds the expectations set before it. However, I must warn you, it is typical Holt fashion and therefore not appealing to some readers. If you like suspense and romance, even if it is very predictable, then I highly reccomend this novel and anything else by Victoria Holt. But do not be fooled, there is no real curse as another customer mentioned, simply the paranoia of the characters. That is what makes each of Ms. Holt's books so exciting, though. The evil exists only in the minds of worried characters and when they realize that they are allowing it to overcome them, they come to their senses and you have a fairy tale ending.

Judith is a romantic young girl with a passion for two things: archaeology and an archaeologist, Tybalt. Unfortunately, she's a woman and they don't get to do much digging and Tybalt doesn't even know she exists, or so she thinks. When everything wonderful that could possibly happen does, the adventure begins. Rumors of a curse keep Judith fearful for Tybalt's safety and her own. She and Tybalt are both forced to ask which is more important- archaeology or each other? The journey is long but enjoyable and the ending is no less than what one would expect of Victoria Holt.

Do not buy this if you want your baby to learn French. The "French" is spoken by a native English speaker with a noticeable English accent, hence, words are not pronounced correctly. Additionally the words are repeated in English; in acquiring a language the language should be spoken without translation. A horrible, annoying tape.

This tape is a simple introduction to vocabulary and short phrases to use with your baby. It's appropriate for parents who speak little or no French, but those beyond the absolute beginner stage will find that they already know everything here (colors, clothing, animals, etc.). A children's French course on tape or even a CD of French songs will give you much more to go on. (The CDs by Daniel, like "ABCDEFG...I Learn French/J'apprends l'anglais" are marvelous.) Also, the woman on the tape has a noticeable Southern US accent in her English, which occasionally comes through ever-so-slightly in her French.

This audio tape was recommended in American Baby Magazine as a good way to start language. It's a excellent way to start language with your baby. You can learn important words that will help start your baby learning a second language. The tape starts with number, parts of the body, colors, clothing, animals and other common words then it moves to simple phases that a mother would use everyday. It's very easy to follow.

I was inspired by the compilation of bird dog stories found within this book. If you enjoy the excitement, fear, despair, and elation associated with the training, ownership and running of all breeds of bird dogs, you will enjoy this book. The authors help you relive the moments you have endured with your own dogs in addition to helping you imagine the hunts you have yet to experience. This is a definite must read for bird dog enthusiasts.

I borrowed this book from a friend and had a tough time putting it down. Great stories from writers who truly love their dogs. A few of the essays are sad, but all of them allow us to share a part of a fellow dog lovers life with his best friend. Definitely a must read.

Quite Frankly, this new Holt Phyiscs book, does NOT cover all the content that is involved in the detailed study of Physics. Not only that, but it leaves out some of the most important principles that are in physics. For example, Chapter 5-2, we talk about Energy, it doesn't give the law of conservation of energy, which is one of the most important laws in physics. It also when talking about Newton's laws, doesn't use the ideas that Newton had. There are so many things missing, I could go on forever, I wish I could give this book a negative score, but I can't do so. I'm currently in Physics at my school, and I like to study Physics in my spare time. Serway is a very good author of the college books, that I have, but this one does not cut it for a full understanding of Physics.

This was the text book used in my honors physics class. Though it may not go into extremely advanced issues, it does touch on A LOT of material, including basic collisions, fluids, rotational motion, relativity (a bit), and even some quantum mechanics. This book is definitely useful to anyone who wants a better education in basic physics and a start into somewhat beginner's advanced physics.

After the marvellous "Garden of Unearthly Delights" and "Discworld Portfolio" I was eagerly awaiting this new Kirby artbook.

I was badly disappointed.

The images selection is good, but the way they are reproduced is frustrating : the images are too small. How can you admire Kirby's masterfully detailled paintings when they are only half a page or even one-fourth a page in size?

Only buy this one if you desperately need anything sporting the name "Josh Kirby". Otherwise, better put your hands on "In the garden of unearthly delights". I hope Paper Tiger will start publishing better books. Their latest ones where quite disappointing, and this one hit the bottom of the pit.

I think the Discworld would not be the same without Josh Kirby. If you want inspiration for writing a story, buy this book. Josh is absolutely incredible, and his eye for detail always makes me feel part of a secret. Study each picture, or else you miss the point.

For me, this is the book that led to the problems the Wagons West/Holts series had at the end. By no longer having one central character, they weakened the series. Janessa is a wonderful character, and deserved to have a book featuring her, but the series would have been better off in the long run focusing on Tim Holt.

This novel does a wonderful job reflecting what it was like being a Cherokee in the 1890's, as well as dealing with the problems that came with malaria.

Still, it is one a reader can safely pass over if need be.

I spent my mornings from April 2001 to April 2002 reading each days entry in this book. I certainly learned quite a bit from it. I felt like Cliffy from Cheers some mornings at work. I enjoyed the book, but not every day was a winner. The story about the Crocodile attack on the Japanese troops in World War II was amazing.

The only disappointment was the neglecting of King Solomon, the bible mentions him as one of the greatest Natural Historians ever. Oh well, I'm pretty sure the author is an atheist anyhoo.

Tom Holt once again endeavors to turn a literary tradition and a mythic system upside down and inside out, in order to take the reader on a wild ride and suggest the general folly of nuclear arms, romantic stereotypes, and self-destructive tendencies in all forms. In DJINN RUMMY, the literary tradition and mythic system is taken from The Arabian Nights (as told to Hollywood), with a Force 12 genie called "Kiss" stuck with the task of saving an ungrateful world while stumbling through the minefield of mortal romance. Though not, perhaps, among Holt's best works, DJINN RUMMY is still a worthy and entertaining afternoon's read.

Engineering Analysis of Flight Vehicles was originally aimed ata very narrow target -- the trained but unspecialised engineer, whosefirst exposure to aeronautical engineering would come in graduate school through this book. It hits that target quite well, with one warning I will mention below. What if you are not that graduate student? It depends. This book will be of very little use to you if are, for instance, a pilot wishing to know more about aeronautical engineering, or a shade-tree designer prototyping a homebuilt aeroplane, beginning from a layman's level. If you are that person, you might still learn from this book, but you must dust off your calculus and prepare to take it slowly and work the equations intensively... which may not be what you had in mind. The unprepared reader will sink without a bubble after Chapter 1, 'The Morphology of Flight Vehicles,' a basic introduction, when at the start of Chapter two Ashley says, 'Out of respect for brevity and the reader's prior education...' he will not repeat the rudiments of engineering science.

The Engineering Analysis mentioned in the title is the dynamic analysis... don't look for structural analysis here, which is just as well given the age of the basic material.

I personally find the book useful in my engineering cross-training, and it's led to having a lot of fun with numbers. I got a kick out of the coverage of space-launch dynamics which makes up much of the last third of the book, although I'll never have a practical use for it. (I don't know: does this book sell well to North Korea?)

The warning I mentioned? Engineering is not a static science, and this book is OLD. Ancient, even. Aero engineering has seen changes even since Dover republished it in 1992, and they published it unchanged from its 1974 debut -- in 1974, the computer I used resided forty miles away, DC-3s were still in scheduled service here, and the materials many modern aircraft are made from weren't out of the lab.

There are a few annoying typos, even though Dover claims to have corrected the original text in this regard. Either they used an illiterate copy editor or the original was REALLY pretty grim. However, I have not found any typos yet in the equations.

In conclusion the book is a good but dated text for someone crossing over into aeronautical engineering from another engineering or scientific discipline. One thing that does recommend it is its bargain price, a tiny fraction of the cost of a more up-to-date textbook.

This book had a good consistent method of teaching you grammar, although its format was very dull and uninteresting.