As a child, I loved this book, and still own my copy of it! I would recommend it for anyone with children as a simple, fun story. Take a look, and see what you might order

This is a wonderful book for children of all ages (I'm forty-something and I still love it). It tells the story of three mountains who receive mail order catalogs ( yes, they have mail boxes) and the items they subsequently order. It is a fanciful story with whimsical black and white ink drawn illustrations. Jasper Tomkins' unique imagination makes this a special book which I hope I'll never outgrow.

Jaspers and Arendt cover everything and everyone: Sartre, Heidegger, Marx, Goethe, Camus; post-WWII Germany, "the infinitely complex red-tape existence of stateless persons," the Cold War, the "senile" Eisenhower administration, Eichmann, totalitarianism, the atom bomb, local democracy--it's all there. So too is a life-long, extremely close friendship between people who weathered a war from different sides of the globe, who faced cold war terror in radically different ways, who loved their spouses intensely but felt somehow separated by differences in world-view tracable to ethnicity(Gertrude was ethnically Jewish and Heinrich was ethnically Christian). Her admiration of him, her intellectual debt to him, her love for him; his seeming amazement at her vivacity, his admiration of her intellect, his cold, German form of love--and the walls cracking, and his sentiment sometimes pouring through.

It's a warm book up until the very last entry, Arendt's address at Jaspers' funeral. That's enough to send a shiver up your spine--but only if you read it in the context of everything else.

In 1926 Hannah Arendt was a student of Karl Jaspers at Heidelberg University. What began as the questions of a student to her teacher in 1926 blossomed into a friendly correspondence that ended with Arendt's forced emigration from Nazi Germany to the United States, with a stopover in France in the 30s, and then resumed in the Postwar years completely transformed into a rich, detailed dialogue between colleagues and friends, taking on a father-daughter feeling in many of the letters.

It was during the years after 1945 that the two examined everything about their world and themselves. Of particular importance were the dual issues of German guilt for the war and, for Jaspers, what it meant to be a Jew, for not only was Arendt and her husband Jewish, but also Jaspers's wife. This issue becomes intertwined in their conversations about the future of West Germany, the Suez War of 1956, and Arendt's trip to Jerusalem to cover the trial of Adolf Eichmann. When they shift the political into the personal, Martin Heidegger, a colleague of Jaspers and a teacher of Arendt, is there for taking. The passages concerning Heidegger are quite gossipy at times and lend the reader a voyeuristic look into the private worlds of Arendt and Jaspers. It's almost as if when things get dull and weighty, a little dirt about Heidegger adds just the spice to make the letter memorable.

The other strong point of this book is the portrait Arendt paints of politics in 1950s America, succinctly analyzing the Eisenhower (and later Kennedy) Administrations, describing the collapse of the cities in the 60s, and the "pointless" war in Vietnam. It's almost as if a mirror were held up to history, as insights about those turbelent times pour forth from every letter dispatched.

An invaluable book, not only for those interested in the scholarly events of the times, but for anyone interested in the history of the times.

The Finding of Jasper Holt has been a favorite of mine for years. It is one of those books that have to be revisited over the years.

This book has it all: romance, adventure, and excitement. I would heartily recommend it to anyone.

Garibaldi the enigmatic italian leader who people do not know enough about. A man who felt dictatorship was the ideal form of government. Someone who opposed the church and led the 1000 red shirts to liberate Italy from foreign rule. He helped to unify Italy and at the important moment gave up power. Most interesting in this book is the look at the Garibaldis adventures in Uruguay, the 9 years siege of Montevideo, sent me searching for more on the subject. Also the insights into Garibaldis first action when he was briefly in command of Rome against Papal forces and his hatred of austrian oppression of the Italians. A great and unknown figure, read this book and know him better.

This is the only book about Garibaldi that is not boring as hell, basically. This book actually talks about his days in south america, which other works tend to gloss over. I literally could not find out anything about those years spent fighting in south america until I read this book. For that alone it is worth it. Plus, it has a very attractive cover. I once showing this book to a midget named Roscoe, and he said he didn't know who garibaldi was, but he wanted to read it because he liked the cover so much. I told him to get his own, and he ran away screaming and flailing his arms in the air. He even forgot his boombox!

Jasper White has put together a cookbook which you will refer to again and again. Whether you're looking to cook fish, shellfish, meat or game, poultry or pork, he'll have a recipe you'll enjoy. Also...need a dessert...or breads and noodles...or a list to source condiments, herbs, johnncake meal and other grains...this book has it.

Mr. White also gives tips on some of the basics from the different uses of various the peppers and salts used for seasoning, to making fish or veal stock, and making Beach Plum Puree or Persimmon Chutney.

He also gives a story with many recipes making this book interesting to read as well as use.

This cookbook has some of the most delicious recipes I have come across in years. Jasper creates distinctive recipes from New England and accompanies them with stories, both regional and personal. The recipes are easy to follow, within a person's budget and produce amazing results. I recommend this book to everyone who loves New England cooking.

I read every week to a kindergarten class in Nashua and I have found that the children are great critics. (If a book doesn't work for them, they don't pay attention.)

The kids adored "Merl and Jasper's Supper Caper". I think it's a perfect book for this age group: the kids loved being able to figure out where the animals were from the clues. ("Oh, no! They're on the beanstalk. Run, Merl! Run, Jasper!") The illustrations are gorgeous --- my favorite being the one of Merl and Jasper with the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie --- and the story is fun. As soon as I closed the book, the kids wanted to read it again.

I really think this book deserves to be more widely known. The device of drawing Merl and Jasper as outlines really made the children think about the story. "Why are they clear, Ms. Lemen? It's because they're real and the books they go in are not, right?" (I could have given them a lecture on Plato and the forms, but I restrained myself.) This book wakes up imaginations.

Please give us another Merl and Jasper story.

This book is a tasty treat! Young children will giggle at the adventure of Merl & Jasper and eagerly identify the snipets of familiar fairy tales; older children and adults will delight in the clever visual devices and witty charm. A real winner of a book!

I have two sons to whom I read every night. By far, of all the children's books I have ever read to them, this is my favorite. It can get tiresome reading certain books over and over again, even though I have a huge selection for them. Not so with this one. If I've had a rough day at work or am tired, it's the book I reach for. I feel more at peace and appreciative of life after I read it. My sons love it also. The colors from the illustrations are so luminous, playful and vivid. The feel/message of the book is the other real draw: one of appreciation for nature, particularly the sun. We are connected and enlivened by it, all of us--man, plant, animal, even insect. I came here looking to buy several copies for friends and another copy for myself, so that each of my boys could have it as a keepsake for their own children down the road.

If anyone knows where I can get a copy, please email me!

I am a huge fan of Jasper Tomkins and own every one of his children's stories, but this one is a book that adults and children will enjoy. I wish it was still in print so that I could buy it for all my friends to read to their children.

I came across this book over 10 years ago and have been continually looking for it until I found it at Amazon tonight. I haven't read it since then but still I remember the playful artwork and the touching story about being happy with who you are. It's a wonderful book for children of all ages. Too bad that it is out of print. :-(

"Nimby" was my daughter's first book. We read it until it fell apart and then read it some more after we taped it back together. Finding a friend is a special experience and this book with its vibrant colors and personalities tells such a story. It is simply a great book.

First of all I am a hard-core Jasper Tomkins fan! But I use this book to help me teach the concept of air being all around us. Beautiful enticing ilustrations. Fun text! great read aloud.

This book, through the use of amazing water color illustrations by the author, leads us through the adventures of the sky. The sky includes the wind and the air around us as well as what we ordinarily think of as the sky. Overall the book carries a message of respect and reverance for the sky as well as all of the earth.

"Those Golden War Years", a book deplicting the difficulties of war for a woman alone. Foresaking herself, trying all means possible to keep her family together. Guaranteed to stir your emotions.

"Those Golden War Years", I enjoyed reading. I was struck by the inner strength of Ivy and her ability to get pleasure out of life, even through times of adversity. Ivy's story during World War ll was both hilarious and sad. To sum up: I thought Ivy was an ordinary woman who was quiet extraordinary. That's what makes this a good book to curl up with.