I absolutely love this book. The gardening system is sound and organic, and it is presented in clear, simple language in a lovely, easy-to-grasp design. So often gardening books are long on written advice but short on visuals. Or they are ONLY visuals, with the text nothing more than captions. This book has it all.

This book answers, with outstanding instruction, pictures and humor, any and all of your questions on vegetable gardening. Had Ed Smith published it earlier we would have saved a ton of dirt along with a ton of money! We keep it in our little greenhouse alll during the growing season as we refer to it daily. And we are now buying it for gifts for both novice and experienced gardening friends.

The title says it all. This is my vegetable bible. Being a novice, I was looking for something as simple and informative as a "Dummies" book but without insulting my intelligence. Not only is all the information you need to start or continue a garden, the pictures fill in details that as a first time grower I might not quite understand in words. His explanations are simple, concise and extremely informative. Most of all, it's filled with little hints throughout the book so that you may have a successful garden. It was the best purchase I had made on a gardening book so far. Thank you Ed! Happy growing!

Heather Smith Thomas has achieved the unachievable - a comprehensive text for aspiring cowboys!

If you've ever visited a friend or family member who is trying to make a living on a small farm you have probably been asked to pitch in. And, if you have tried helping, you probably have felt you could have been more help picking ticks off a dead cow than trying to rustle the calf into its corral. At least I felt so many years ago.

Don't get me wrong, I don't yet feel I am competent with the critters. I merely feel I am no longer the city slicker asking dumb questions!

After reading this excellent book I am excited to start raising beef cattle for profit. I can do this on a small scale without harming the environment and without millions of dollars and without using techniques that alienate me from my animal rights' activist friends, because of common sense advice from Heather Smith Thomas.

Okay, I probably will aggravate my more radical friends and will irritate my vegetarian niece, but, you haven't lived until you've eaten beef!

Buy this book. Read it thoroughly BEFORE you buy those calves. Then keep it handy for frequent reference!

This book covers every aspect involved in a cattle operation. The material is laid out in a user-friendly, clear, concise format, complete with useful graphics. I was looking for a "Cow Encyclopedia" for my husband, and this was it.

Well written, good organization and humorous at times. I now feel confident enough to start a herd and learn the small stuff the hard way but the general knowledge was gained from this book. excellent!

This is the most helpfull refference book Ive ever bought. It got me started on my poultry prodject for 4-H and has helped me for three years to continue to learn. Every time I've had a problem It or Dammero's other books has solved it. As the title sugjests it covers every aspect of raising poultry. I would sugjest this book for a beginner to a experienced poultry farmer. This book has been abig help.

Intrigued by the notion of fresh eggs and chicken provençale every Sunday, I bought this book to see exactly what raising chickens entailed. I was pleased to see that the book covers all aspects of the process. This is probably the most comprehensive book available on the subject.

However, it will also open the eyes of anyone with romantic notions of chicken raising (like me). Personally, I've decided to stick to store bought. But for anyone serious about raising chickens, the purchase of this book is money very well spent.

I was a beginner and this book worked well for me. This book explains everything from incubation to chicks to health management, all at a beginners level. Highly recommend this book if your working on your first brood.

Gail Donohoe Storey has done a perfect job of describing the life of a yankee transplanted into the heart of Texas. Her eye for detail about the unique Texas class distinctions is dead-on. Any Texan, former Texan or wanna-be-Texan will love the description of the debutante ball. And any book that includes a scene about Chuy's margaritas is going to get five stars from me. Obviously, the setting was my favorite part of this charming story of love and family. By and large the characters were well-drawn, and the plot was entertaining. The title has nothing to do with the book - just a cutesy phrase unwisely appended to an otherwise entertaining read.

With sharp eyes, ears and pen, Gail Donahue Storey has captured the essence of personal relationshipsin the 90s and even better, the weirdnesses of Texas social scenes, old and new. This is a very witty, satirical book, a glorious romp I read non-stop. Can't wait for the next one!

Gail Storey's Colleen Sweeney is on another tirp in the cultural wilds of Houston and Ft. Worhth. Her off-the-wall incisive observations on the very essence of human feelings and instincts tempered with her original and very funny voice and style make for a book you do not want to miss.

I learned a lot about pruning from this book. The illustrations make it very easy to see exactly where you should cut. I wish the author would have included more plant varieties.

I am a very biased reviewer :-). The author of this book is my beloved Great Uncle Lewis of Greensboro, Vermont, and I adore him and his wife Nancy. Lewis' understanding of all things green and growing baffles even me. It's as if he was born knowing how to caretake the earth. He also has a marvelous sense of humor -- in person, as well as in writing. So enjoy this superlative book, and all his and his wife's other books. You are buying a lifetime of horticultural knowledge when you buy any of Lewis' books. God bless!

This book is second only to the American Horticulture Society book on pruning (which might be too much information for some anyway). The illustrations in this book are superior to other books I've seen on pruning which is why I bought it as a companion to the AHS book. I don't know why other books won't give you a close up view but this one does and I liked that so I bought it. If you want just one book on pruning go ahead and make this the one, you've made a good choice.

I highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely considering raising ducks. It reviews all the basics regarding care, and it has an exceptional section on ailments that has saved the lives of some rescued ducks that we took in.

It is easy to understand and well organized, and I refer to it often--even now that I've become a more experienced owner.

I highly recommend this book. Dave Holderread really knows his ducks. This book is a must for the duck enthusiast, no matter what breed you're interested in. I would also recommend purchasing your ducks from Dave, especially if you're just starting out, his ducks prove that he knows what he's doing. Check the directory in the back of the book for a whole flock of the best duck breeders out there!

Dave Holderread has written a superb book. I am a beginner just getting interested in ducks and this book is perfect. It goes into a great deal of description about the various breeds and talks about everything practical you would want to know, from incubation to hybridizing.

Speaking frankly, I used to smirk at the series of books titled "Raising _______ The Modern Way."

Too few of them were useful. Belanger's Dairy Goats and Simmons's Raising Sheep were the only two exceptions. Of course, that was then, a time when books for folks returning to nature just weren't common. Now, as more books are available, it seems Storey's has decided to improve their entire line.

The result is that Storey's Guides are now really excellent and provide a great deal of useful information. This is especially true with Raising Sheep.

Among the numerous books for prospective sheep ranchers I choose this as the best, most complete useful book for the small farmer.

My daughter is in an Agriculture class and is also in Future Farmer's of America. We have tried to understand the text book my daughter brought home from school. It was way to difficult to read.

Thank goodness she found this book in her school library. It is easy to read and much more detailed. We will be rasing a lamb for this class and this will be our bible.

This book is most excellent and indepth. BUT, be sure to get the new expanded update by Paula Simmons AND Carol Ekarius. The updated book has a lot more info. I originally read this book in the older form at the local library and then bought a copy of the updated version through Amazon.com to have on hand as we got sheep. The updated book is so good that I read the entire thing again cover to cover. Carol Ekarius has added a lot of valuable info, updates and personal stories from shepards to the book.

This book is a complete guide to everything you need to know about raising chickens. I started as an ignorant amatuer and, after having read this book, know just about everything I need to know. It covers all the bases- health, showing, adult care, grower care, chick care, breeding, incubation and hatching, blueprints for housing, a helpful glossary, ect. I have raised a sucessful, healthy flock on this book alone! Good for an expert or beginner, expert exhibitor or amatuer, easy to understand, informative, and fun to read!

I bought this book to get me started in my chicken endeavors and have found it to be enormously helpful. For someone with limited knowledge, it's a great place to start. The organization is easy to follow and the information seems sound. Although I have needed to consult other resources for specific (perhaps unique) problems, it has helped me to get my flock off the ground (you know what I mean) and maintain it. It gives clear information about selecting a breed, designing the coop (several options are offered), feeding, tending to health problems, and butchering. I cannot attest to the chapter on incubation and hatching since I haven't tried it yet. As a primary resource for raising chickens, this book has been invaluable. My chickens are fine and healthy.

Finally, a complete reference that covers all the major areas of raising chickens. As a poultry farm and hatchery owner, I always suggest this book first to anyone interested in raising chickens. This is an indepth yet easy to read guide that is sure to educate even the most experienced chicken fancier. This book will help you choose the right breed of chicken, how to care for them, maintain their health, and meet your individual goals for your flock. This is currently the premier guide to raising chickens available.

William Storey provides here a brief but traditional form of the Roman Catholic morning, evening, and night prayer from the liturgy of the hours suitable for individual or communal praying. The texts for morning prayer and evening prayer are given in a four-week cycle. Each hour of prayer consists of introduction, hymn, psalm with psalm prayer, short scriptural reading followed by silence and response, a canticle, Lord's Prayer, and closing prayer. The Apostles' Creed is added after the canticle on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings. A simple format of introduction, psalm, reading, Canticle of Simeon, intercessions, Lord's Prayer, closing prayer, and Marian antiphon-most elements involving several options is provided for night prayer.

There are simple, straightforward directives for the leader of the prayer when a group uses this book. Other clear suggestions provide ways of praying the psalms, using appropriate postures and gestures, and engaging in silent prayer. An appendix contains suggestions for biblical readings during seasons of the liturgical year; a collection of hymn texts which can be sung to simple, well-known, traditional melodies and a section which discusses prayer and contains the texts of many traditional prayers with short commentary on them.

Compared to other similar resources, this book is simpler to use than most and is suited to both individual and communal prayer.

This is a fine introduction to the biblical form of prayer known as the Liturgy of the Hours. The Hours are a rich and time-tested way for Christians to pray with the whole community of faith and out of the source of its hope, the inspired Scriptures. This type of prayer immerses believers in the poetic word of God found in the psalms, scriptural canticles, and scriptural readings. It may be prayed in community, family gatherings, or by individuals seeking to pray in communion with others.

"An Everyday Book of Hours" offers an introduction to and spirituality of this prayer and shows how to do it. It presents a clear format of morning prayer and evening prayer over the course of four weeks. It also offers a simple form of night prayer for bedtime, a fine collection of basic Christian prayers, and newly translated hymns.

William Storey has produced a number of highly regarded books for prayer over many years. They are sturdy guides to a fresh experience of the centuries-old tradition of Christian prayer out of the pslams and other Scriptures. He is one of the world's few experts in this long experience of lived prayer. This newest publication deserves a wide and heartfelt following!

Bill Storey's revised prayerbook (An Everyday Book of Hours) is the most useful single book for daily prayer available. My wife and I now use it on a regular basis. I will also integrate it into courses I teach in liturgy in a Presbyterian seminary. The book offers a classic model of prayer for evening and morning, in a version suitable for individuals, two or three persons, or larger groups. It will find use in our chapel, with different levels of musical expression, and it will also serve as a model for developing regular prayer services in other settings. The genius of the book is to embody the wisdom of tradition in a very accessible form. The prayers are both poetic and succinct, there is a very helpful guide to reading the Bible daily, and there are immediately useful resources for seasons. The model for a night prayer is particularly fine. This is prayer for the people.

After years without picking up a novel by Dickens (memories of starchy classes at school), I decided to plunge into "Bleak House", a novel that had been sitting on my bookshelf for about ten years, waiting to be read. Although I found it heavy going at first, mainly because the style is so unfamiliar to modern readers, after about ten pages I was swept up and carried off, unable to put the hefty tome down until I had finished it. This book is a definite classic. The sheer scope of the tale, the wit of the satire (which could still be applied to many legal proceedings today) and the believable characters gripped me up until the magnificent conclusion. One particularly striking thing is the "cinematic" aspect of certain chapters as they switch between different angles, building up to a pitch that leaves the reader breathless. I can't recommend "Bleak House" too highly. And I won't wait so long before reading more Dickens novels.

This is the second book by Dickens I have read so far, but it will not be the last. "Bleak House" is long, tightly plotted, wonderfully descriptive, and full of memorable characters. Dickens has written a vast story centered on the Jarndyce inheritance, and masterly manages the switches between third person omniscient narrator and first person limited narrator. His main character Esther never quite convinces me of her all-around goodness, but the novel is so well-written that I just took Esther as she was described and ran along with the story. In this book a poor boy (Jo) will be literally chased from places of refuge and thus provide Dickens with one of his most powerful ways to indict a system that was particularly cruel to children. Mr. Skimpole, pretending not to be interested in money; Mr. Jarndyce, generous and good; Richard, stupid and blind; the memorable Dedlocks, and My Lady Dedlock's secret being uncovered by the sinister Mr. Tulkinghorn; Mrs. Jellyby and her telescopic philanthropy; the Ironmaster described in Chapter 28, presenting quite a different view of industralization than that shown by Dickens in his next work, "Hard Times." Here is a veritable cosmos of people, neighbors, friends, enemies, lovers, rivals, sinners, and saints, and Dickens proves himself a true master at describing their lives and the environment they dwell in. There are landmark chapters: Chapter One must be the best description of a dismal city under attack by dismal weather and tightly tied by perfectly dismal laws, where the Lord Chancellor sits eternally in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Chapter 32 has one of the eeriest scenes ever written, with suspicious smoke, greasy and reeking, as a prelude to a grisly discovery. Chapter 47 is when Jo cannot "move along" anymore. This Norton Critical is perhaps the best edition of "Bleak House" so far: the footnotes help a lot, and the two Introductions are key to understanding the Law system at the time the action takes place, plus Dickens' interest in this particular topic. To round everything off, read also the criticism of our contemporaries, as well as that of Dickens' time. "Bleak House" is a long, complex novel that opens a window for us to another world. It is never boring and, appearances to the contrary, is not bleak. Enjoy.

"There is little to be satisfied in reading this book"?? I couldn't disagree more. Bleak House left a profound impression on me, and was so utterly satisfying a reading experience that I wanted it never to end. I've read it twice over the years and look forward to reading it again. Definitely my favorite novel.

I don't know what the previous reviewer's demands are when reading a novel, but mine are these: the story must create its world - whatever and wherever that world might be - and make me BELIEVE it. If the novelist cannot create that world in my mind, and convince me of its truths, they've wasted my time (style doesn't matter - it can be clean and spare like Orwell or verbose like Dickens, because any style can work in the hands of someone who knows how to use it). Many novels fail this test, but Bleak House is not one of them.

Bleak House succeeds in creating a wonderfully dark and complex spider web of a world. On the surface it's unfamiliar: Victorian London and the court of Chancery - obviously no one alive today knows that world first hand. And yet as you read it you know it to be real: the deviousness, the longing, the secrets, the bureaucracy, the overblown egos, the unfairness of it all. Wait a minute... could that be because all those things still exist today?

But it's not all doom and gloom. It also has Dickens's many shades of humor: silliness, word play, comic dialogue, preposterous characters with mocking names, and of course a constant satirical edge. It also has anger and passion and tenderness.

I will grant one thing: if you don't love reading enough to get into the flow of Dickens's sentences, you'll probably feel like the previous reviewer that "...it goes on and on, in interminable detail and description...". It's a different dance rhythm folks, but well worth getting used to. If you have to, work your way up to it. Don't start with a biggie like Bleak House, start with one of his wonderful short pieces such as A Christmas Carol.

Dickens was a gifted storyteller and Bleak House is his masterpiece. If you love to dive into a book, read and enjoy this gem!