This book,about the wife of Jefferson Davis-the President of an independent South, is an overlooked masterpiece of an overlooked heroine of the South. It is not the story of Magnolia and moonlight..but is the story of of the wife of a beleagured first lady to the President of a beleaguered and invaded nation at total war in the forlorn fight for independence.There are many commarisons to the spendthrift and mentally ill wife of The Invader, Abe Lincoln And Varina is by far the better woman. Varina's life is that of a true woman of strengh and courage both during the time of war and of defeat. This book deserves to be read by all those who claim feminism as their credo and they will learn what a woman of courage can do an be in a time that most living Americans cannot comprehend.

This is one of the best books on the Civil War era in that it not only tells a part of the story from each "side," it tells it from a woman's point of view. The two first ladies of the time were in some ways very much alike and in other ways very different. I came to care about each of them, but must admit that I felt very close to Varina Davis because she was so REAL. I get the impression that she could make a person feel comfortable, that she did not use her status for personal gain or "look down her nose" at anyone. I will not forget when she walked in the mud carrying a child so that her nurse, who was ill, could ride in the wagon. Varina blossomed from a shy, young and beautiful (second) wife of a very influential man to an outgoing, personable, gracious first lady who remained "human" all the way. She suffered greatly both in her personal life and with her country. I have borrowed this book twice since it has gone out of print. Now I have Amazon tracking it down for me. It's a great read!

This book has beautiful photos and describes some tips on what to strive for in various dressage exercises. As a beginner, I am still somewhat in the dark about how to achieve such perfection since the book is not heavy on details of how to use your aids to achieve good results. I am now looking for a book that can be a good supplement to my instructors.

This book covers everything from choosing a horse to teaching the passage. I like the way that it addresses "priority points" to remember in each exercise. This book is an excellent supplement to riding instruction because it can help you to review a lesson before or after you have taken it; a sort of "Cliffs Notes" to the dressage world. The author is incredibly easy to follow and has a logical progression of thought. An excellent intermediate - not beginner - book.

This is a very good book for anyone interested in the molecular basis of plant development. It contains a few errors as it was published 3 years ago, but this is still a good book if you are looking for a solid background on the current theories of molecular plant development. I can easily say that this is the best book out there by far on this material.

Really, interesting and impressive book. This book shows why we have to apply molecular genetics to study plant development. The study of plant development is rapidly changing as genome sequencing projects uncover a multitude of new genes. This book provides the modern trend toward molecular genetics of plant development study through well-defined model plant system. It also gives many figures and conceptual drawings.

-- Kathryn 3rd grade

This is an awesome book and you just could not stop reading it when you get into it. This is a book that has many cliffhangers in some parts of the book. This book gets you very excited, frightened, and very surprised. You can usually never put it down. This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. So if you are looking for a book to read get this one and it will completely change your life. It has some good lessons to learn. Well if you have any questions about this book and if you have any complements, if you have read this book, e-mail me. Thanx for reading this and remember to read this book you will love it, trust me because I hate reading but this book changed my life. Now I love to read. See how important this is.

Ian MacLagan is a strong warrior who has been scarred both mentally and physically. Islaen MacRoth is a petite woman that possesses strength of character and health. A humorous but believable situation forces Ian to marry Islaen. Action is provided by angry unsuccessful suitors. My only problem with this book is Ian's stuborn insistence to keep Islaen out of his heart. This book was well worth the read.

I have read all of Hannah Howell's books and this was one of her best. It is very romantic and there isn't alot of the fighting that you find in most romance books . The story is captivating and the plot was just wonderful! The romance is steamy and Hannah Howell really makes you feel like your there.
This book will hold your undivided attention from begining to end. Start the book early because you will not want to put it down

This book provides insight into the fundamentals of combining clematis with roses by focusing on the plants blooming periods and what makes for a pleasing color scheme. It's ideally suited to individuals new to the concept, as well as those more experienced,wishing to hone in their skills on combining the two. The reader should already have basic knowledge of how to grow each type of plant beforehand, and be aware that the book is from the United Kingdom and, therefore, tends to name roses found there rather in the U.S. That aside, it is a gem.

This book treats explains rose and clematis habits in an easy to understand way. There are plenty of suggested combinations for roses and clematis - the photography is lovely.

I wish he would come round and plant up my garden for me!

This book was truly an unexpected pleasure. Its not a how-to book but rather a history of the stone wall. Surprisingly, that history takes the reader into a wide range of topics: geology, botany, architecture, colonial american history, among others. Because stone walls were so commonplace, their builders left very little discussion of their motives and means. Allport acts almost like a detective, piecing the story together. Additionally, because she clearly loves stone walls (and writes well), she is able to capture the mystery and the beauty of her subject. This is a great read for a wide audience: from the historically curious to anyone who wishes to build a wall of stone.

If you think that a book on the stone walls of New England might be "dry," you are wrong. This brilliantly written and researched book is as riveting as any thriller. You will gain a new appreciation for the countless anonymous generations that went before us and left their mark-- those beautiful, enduring stone walls. An absolutely fascinating book!

Brandon Toropov has concocted a fun and illuminating guide to all of William Shakespeare's plays that admits to the huge gap between the Bard's language and our own, and bridges it nicely. Each play is summarized and analyzed, plot points outlined, and main quotes isolated for easy identification. In addition, each play contains its own "theme" for the accompanying illustrations: Laurel & Hardy, Woody Allen, and others help new modern readers to quickly identify what it's all about, while long-time Shakespeare fans should no doubt get some delightful chuckles out of the creative way the material has been presented. I was sad to see this is out of print, until I found the website for the publishers...

Well, I bought this book 'cause I wanted to learn some about Shakespeare and his creations. You can find a lot of funny cartons that will help you to understand better this genius.This book is an easy way to discover Shakespeare's play and probaly thoghts.

Antonie Ramirez is an orphaned white woman raised by a legendary mexican bandit, Juan Ramirez. She has been taught to best any man not only with her weapons but with her wit. The love between adopted daughter and father is extraordinary. When she was still young, she and her father met Royal Bancroft, who saves them from a bullet. Juan vows to return the favor. Years later, on his deathbed, Juan asks Antonie to help Royal defend his ranch against an unknown foe. It is up to her fulfill his vow. She is immediately attracted to Royal, but although she falls in love with him, she knows she will never be what his world demands, a lady.

Royal Bancroft, a man hardened by war but determined to live in peace on his ranch, has never forgotten the wild young Antoine. Now that she is a woman grown, he can't stop himself from wanting her. Unfortunately, she was raised by a bandit, outside of the rules of polite society. He is torn between his desire for her and his yearning for a respectable wife.

Royal and Antoine, no matter how much they try not to, surrender to their unspoken love and spark an unquenchable fire. When Antoine becomes pregnant, they marry. Their fears and doubts leads to many misunderstandings between them, but they're determined to make their marriage work. Their future is threatened, however, by an evil foe determined to destroy them both. Can Antonie and Royal survive this threat? Will they be able to finally reveal their love for one another?

A TASTE OF FIRE is a story filled with tension, suspense, passion and love. It is an interesting read that you will enjoy.

I love Hannah Howell. I go to used book stores just to hunt up old books by this gifted writer. She writes the best Highland stories that are funny,romantic and erotic. Every now and then she writes a western like " A taste of fire " that kept me "hooked" all the way to the end. I have read every book that Ms. Howell has written and loved all of them. I don't understand why there aren't more raved reviews for her work. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

although this book was at times, nice to look at and read, they have appeared to leave out a lot of people. some of the pictures are good, good enough to be called photographs, they seemed to gloss over each and it left out some sort of magic. i guess by normal standards the book is okay, but you may be looking into the beauty and not the presense. i suggest you check out scavullo photographs 50 years.

This book is just stunning. The photographs all have such beauty in so many aspects wether it be in the composition or person in the photograph! This book really reminds the reader why vogue is a fashion icon. It contains many stories about its featured women which cover all walks of life and celebrity. A visual and (for it's genre) literary gem.

This book is brilliantly written and edited by Georgina Howell about the images of women in British Vogue. As fine as the photographs in this book are (done by many of the 20th century's most talented photographers), the thoughts about these images are even more interesting and valuable.

Conde Nast's original purpose for Vogue was to "produce the most beautiful and tasteful magazine that had ever existed."

The subjects for the photographs have changed a lot since Vogue was founded. Originally, all of the subjects were either royalty or society women. As Ms. Howell points out, you can never get rid of royalty if you are Vogue, but you can move on in other areas. At the start of the century, the aspiration was to look like an aristocrat or an actress. By the end of the century, the desire was to "look like television presenters and the wives of football [soccer] stars."

The book is organized around type of photographic subject, with a marvelous essay in each case exploring the meaning portrayed by those photographs. The sections are royalty, society girls, inspirations, muses, dynasties, models, stars, exotics/eccentrics, waifs, and icons. Here are my favorite photographs from each section:

Royalty -- Helen Windsor, taken by Lord Snowdon, 1982

Society Girls -- Jemima Khan, taken by Oberto Gili, 1998

Inspirations -- Mother Teresa, taken by John Downey, 1981

Muses -- Ines de la Fressange, taken by Albert Watson, 1985

Dynasties -- (Mother) Nena Von Schlebrugge, taken by Norman Parkinson, 1958; (Daughter) Uma Thurman, taken by Albert Watson, 1994

Models -- Cindy Crawford, taken by Arthur Elgort, 1995

Stars -- Charlotte Rampling, taken by Clive Arrowsmith, 1970

Exotics/Eccentrics -- Diana Vreeland, taken by Horst P. Horst, 1979

Waifs -- Marianne Faithfull, taken by David Bailey, 1965

Icons -- Diana, taken by Patrick Demarchelier, 1997; Greta Garbo, taken by Cecil Beeton, 1946

Where many books with photographs of beautiful women simply try to overwhelm you, this book instead features photographs to illustrate the essays. The theme here is to examine "beauty that survives radical changes in taste and fashion." The subjects are "distinguished or notorious, pretty or striking, and sometimes all four . . . ." This is done in a way consistent with Vogue's purpose to "dress the mind as elegantly as the bodies" displayed here.

The essays don't take the subject as seriously as all this sounds. For example, Ms. Howell is quick to point out that "happy endings have been few and far between" for those who have been portrayed in Vogue's pages. So we are dealing with an illusion of a perfect person and a perfect life. Illusions can be helpful in setting appropriate aspirations. The question the Vogue images raise is whether following the "trendiest" of the time is appropriate. The book itself suggests that it is not. In fact, I found the essays to be an interesting counterpoint to Vogue's usual monthly issue in suggesting what timeless values are and should be for women. And that was more than I expected or had a right to expect from this book. So I was very pleased with it.

My expectation had been to see some terrific photography done by great photographers. And there was plenty of that. But the social commentary is the most valuable part of this book.

To better put this book in perspective, you will find it valuable to take a look at David Bailey's "Birth of the Cool" to see lots of terrific Vogue photography from the 1960s. You will be struck by the contrasts immediately between establishing a look and a feel as fashion in that book, and seeing images here for establishing a socially meaningful perspective. I think you will enjoy both books.

After you have finished viewing these books and their fine images, why don't you think about what your aspirations are for yourself. Are these consistent with your own heart? If not, could some of these aspirations come from the popular media? If so, can you identify which ones? Then, examine each to see if it merits your support.

Be yourself, beautifully!