I loved this book! It describes the vastness of medieval life and castles, covering so much ground. Besides that, Warner has a wonderful way with words and gives his experienced opinion on many matters, and can't help but agree with him fully. As a writer of medieval fantasy, this book has helped me so much! I will keep it as a permanent reference while I continue exploring the mysteries of the medieval world and write down what I can't see for myself.

Philip Warner was lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England and is the author of a numerous of books.
In this work, he gives you the need for the Castle, why it came into being, how it developed. He show the strict structure of the Castle society - inside and out, the lives of the people running it and those serving in it, even down to what they are and worse. He even cover medieval recreation!!

He breathes live into the subject, giving a fresh new look instead of tired impressions.

Excellent work for people wish to see Castle life as it was or for Writers of Historical works.

Highly recommended.

This beautifully illustrated book explains how and why castles were built in the middle ages and why they were such a dominant influence on medieval life, especially in times of war. Philip Warner recreates a complete picture of daily life in a medieval castle: how peasants and nobles lived; how men fought in tournaments and trained for combat; how castles were sited, designed, managed, attacked and defended; and what the the people who lived in them ate, drank, and wore. This book will also go a long ways toward breaking up some of the preconceived notions that people have about castles. One learns that the castle was not primarily a refuge. The object of the castle wasn't to retreat from conflict, but to control it. The Medieval castle was a dynamic integral part of medieval society and Philip Warner does brilliant work in showing this. Whether you're a medieval history buff or just a curious layman read this book. It will take a little effort to find it, but it's worth the time.

This is an excellent volume for teaching quality literary
criticism to collegiate-level students. In primary and
secondary school, the emphasis is on sentence construct.
i.e. A good sentence must have a subject, verb and object.
Although students may learn the mechanics of writing,
they do not pick up fine nuances in literary expression.
This work forces the student to develop a basic idea or theme.
Once developed the point of view must be defended persuasively.
The thesis of the work is contained somewhere in the first
paragraph. Sentences should be simple and stated actively.
Finally, each work should be developed in successive drafts
from the first to the final draft. I've found that students
have a problem differentiating literary criticism from a
simple regurgitation of what they read. The Practical Stylist
helps to focus each student's attention on enunciating
criticism of a person nature or within the experiential
domain of a first hand knowledge. It's painful to learn to
develop quality literary criticism because the primary and
secondary education simply does not focus on this aspect
in any meaningful depth.

I used (an earlier edition of) this book in an English composition class at the University of Kansas in the late 70's and have kept it with me ever since.

This book has so much to recommend it, it's hard to pick out one thing to emphasize, but the best advise I came away from the book with was Baker's admonition to give your writing the "Argumentative Edge." Like so many students, I found writing exceedingly painful: to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and begin writing inspired me not at all. I thought that I had to sound like Encyclopedia Britannica to write well.

Sheridan Baker slaps you around good to get that notion out of your head. To make your writing interesting (and as a bonus easier), he insists that your writing take a position, express an opinion, argue a point of view. Ditch "fairness" and objectivity--at least to get you started--and all of a sudden, writing becomes pleasurable.

I've never read this advice anywhere else (not even in Stunk and White), and it, along with many other jewels of wisdom have stuck with me for 20 years, making my writing life so much more fun than it otherwise would have been.

Goog work, Sheridan.

I first used this book in 1967 when I was aboard ship taking a course in Expository English offered by The Harvard-M.I.T. Commission on Extension Courses. It has everything one needs to know to become a clear, concise writer. Easy to understand and enjoyable. I used it for many years, then it was stolen. I have been looking for another copy ever since and was afraid it was out of print. I'm about to order my second copy.

Touched by a Nurse is a collection of 126 vignettes written by practicing nurses throughout the world. In spite of the fact that most of the nurses have no experience in writing (or perhaps because of this fact), their stories come through clean, strong and memorable. The nurse co-editors envision this volume providing support to practicing nurses, underlying their often unrecognized intangible contributions. With fewer and fewer students entering the field of nursing, the editors aspire to enhance the view of nursing as a profession. As one reads the vignettes, the honesty and humility of the nurse storytellers shines through. One gains a new respect for the profession of nursing as nurses accurately and sincerely tell of mistakes, prejudices, and personal failings, and how they have learned from them. Nurses relate of being refilled spiritually by their patients, recognizing the gift they have received, then passing this unseen healing force along to patients to come. Several of the vignettes are humorous, as in one nurse who was robbed at gunpoint of her patient. A practical sort, not one to argue with a gun, she helped the robber wheel the patient out of the recovery room on a stretcher, then calmly called the front door security guard who retrieved her patient and brought him back. Another theme that emerges from the seemingly unrelated vignettes is the feeling of responsibility for the health of those with who the nurse comes in contact. This sense of responsibility extends not only to the family members of their patients, but to coworkers and neighbors. Clearly a nurse's job does not end when the shift ends. One is struck by how touched the nurses are by their patients. Story after story describes the nurse's joy at receiving a small remembrance from a special patient - a post card, an eclair, a letter. That nurses would recount such a token of appreciation fifteen to twenty years after the fact speaks to the fact that nurses treat their profession as a higher calling, but one undertaken by very human individuals. One thing is certain, after reading this book, everyone will feel very secure in trusting their lives to a nurse.

I have read many medical books but none have come close to the admiration and inspiration I felt while reading, "Touched by a nurse." I highly recommend this book for anyone in the healthcare field. It will inspire all readers with the honor of knowing that human to human caring is alive and well. (We call this caring the glorious profession of nursing!) I anxiously await the second edition!

This book contains compassionate and moving stories about the incredible impact nurses have on the care and lives of their patients. Often nurses feel overlooked and unvalued. This book teaches us to appreciate all the good that nurses do though it may go unseen. It lifts them up and validates how profoundly they touch our lives. It is clear that this book is a "must read" for everyone.

This book is fantastic. There is a wealth of useful forms for everything you can imagine. I recieved this book as a gift and though that it would just take up space on my bookshelf. Ironically it has been the most referred to and used book I have ever owned. I have used the book to set up a power of attorney, prepare a tenants notice to move out, demand the return of a security deposit, complete a loan comparison worksheet, and to sell my dog. This book provides the forms and the explanation to do eveything I mentioned as well as a ton of other common transactions. It has saved me hundreds of dollars and I beleive that anyone who buys this book will cover the cost of the book within three months by making use of the forms and instructions provided.

This book was terrific. If you have half a brain and like to save money this book is a must have. It contians almost every essentail form that you will need and it explians what they are and how to use them in a clear and concise way that even my nine year old niece could understand. And I guarantee that you will rely on this thing at least once a year for the rest of your life it is just that useful.

I PERSONALLY FOUND THE BOOK TO BE VERY USEFUL AND INFORMATIVE. IT WAS EASY TO USE AND IT WILL ALLOW ANYONE, YES EVEN SOME ONE WHO HAS NEVER WRITTEN A LEGAL DOCUMENT BEFORE, TO MAKE THERE OWN IN NO TIME AT ALL. i WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO BE A DEST REFERENCE FOR LEGAL SECRETARIES JUST STARTING OUT AND TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS A DOCUMENT AND WOULD LIKE TO DO IT THERE SELF.

Have you ever had a question about AMC? What actor played what role or who married who? You will find answers to your questions in this big AMC book. What I loved about this book is that it has a thorough plot summary of every year since it's debut in 1970. The book includes family photos, wedding photos, behind the scenes info, AMC trivia, actor quotes, interesting facts, a complete cast list and much more. This is a wonderful coffee table book!

This is the GREATEST AMC Book ever written.Very informative and entertaining, and filled with memories that I have cherished and will now be able to cherish forever!!!As a 20+year fan of the show, I can only say I can't wait for the 50th anniversary scrapbook!

All my children 25th anniversary book is my favorite book out of all. TWO thumbs up,all the way up. I've been a fan of amc since 1974.

Most books about Laos are boring. By contrast, Back Fire is interesting. As I left Laos in late 1974, I asked myself if anyone would ever be able to describe in plain English and lucidity the absurdity and complexity that became the War (between the United States and North Vietnam) in Laos from 1960 to 1975? Will anyone ever explain why the War in Laos should be chronicled in the Encyclopedia of Human Stupidity? Roger Warner comes closer than any other author. His book, Back Fire, traces the incidents and the players after 1960 in a way that is easy to follow and understand. Warner takes neither a pro- nor anti-war position; instead he lays out the chronology with facts and events and also does a very good job laying out the strengths and weaknesses of the chief CIA, State Department, and, Lao, and Hmoung (Meo) leaders. Vietnam Vets will shake their heads after reading this book -- the overall strategy and implementation of the strategy to sacrifice Laos and its people for Vietnam was more imbecilic than previously explained. While there were certainly heroes in the Laos war, Warner shows us the dolts in higher positions too. Forget assassination laws, our nation needs a law that prohibits any member of the State Department, including Ambassadors and chargé d'affaires, from ever commanding military resources. This book is ripe with example. On a personal note, I want to thank Roger Warner for documenting the true story about the 24 foot tape worms - it's free beer for me forever. If you think racial prejudice is unique to the United States, read Warner's true account about the prejudice among white, green, and blue Meo (the color of a woman's tribal dress trim, not skin color). Warner does a fair job explaining the CIA and Hmoung involvement with the opium and heroin trade. There are weaknesses in the book, Warner mentions but doesn't conclude about the road built by the Chinese Army from southern China through northern Laos to an unbridgeable termination at the waterfalls on the Mekong River - the secret of that road remains intact. He also neglects to mention Colonel John P. Cross, British Military Attaché, and his significant contribution between 1972 and 1976. While Americans were flying to and from in Laos, Colonel Cross walked from border to border, village to village, through government and communist controlled territory and gained more intelligence than all the CIA. Cross may have been eccentric, but he was usually right. (see First In, Last Out, An Unconventional British Officer in Indo-China; Cross, J.P.) The writer briefly notes the presence of Army and Air Force Detachment 404, but neglects to explain it's purpose and activities. The same for COMUSMACTHAI (whatever) and communication intelligence. Individuals involved with unconventional warfare (teaching or planning) and students of Laos should read this book, I doubt if many others will care. And by the way, Warner makes it clear that North Vietnam led and controlled the communist Pathet Lao party, not a Laotian.

It is disappointing to learn that Roger Warner's excellent work is now out of print. He and the publisher Simon & Schuster did a national service in producing "Back Fire: The CIA's Secret War in Laos and Its Link to the War in Vietnam." One can only hope that a softcover edition will be forthcoming.

Good history doesn't spring readily into public consciousness, no matter how well researched or written. The Vietnam War and related events still carry too much baggage for the American public to embrace easily ... perhaps in another generation this will change.

When attitudes do change (and they surely will), Warner's efforts to unravel and explain the events that transpired across Vietnam's western border in the 1960s and 1970s will provide a springboard to understanding and future research.

I found that "Back Fire" answered many questions about my own involvement in the war during those troubled times. One instance in particular that Warner recounts was the secret operation of a radar facility on a mountain in northern Laos, from which fighter bombers were vectored to targets in North Vietnam. The installation was destroyed in a desperate fight after outnumbered and unsupported defenders were overwhelmed by North Vietnamese regular troops. Later, not many miles away, a similar radar system was reestablished on a peak in the northern part of South Vietnam near the A Shau Valley. It too came under attack by enemy regulars and its defenders withdrew after a 23-day siege. (See Keith Nolan's "Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970.")

There are many key individuals that make up this intriguing tale. One of the most interesting is the charismatic Vang Pao, a Humong (or Meo) tribesman who rose from obscurity to lead the only effective Laotian army to fight the communists. Tragically for the Humong, when the U.S. sent combat troops to South Vietnam the CIA lost control of the air war in Laos. Subsequent mismanagement of air assets began the downward spiral of defeat for the tribesmen.

In the end, "Back Fire" is about more than just secrecy. It is about the cruel side of war and about war's illusions. It chronicles the sacrifices of small countries and naive, primitive groups to the hubris of more powerful neighbors and larger countries.

If you can get a copy of "Back Fire," do so. It will be an acquisition the military historian and history buff will not regret.

Buy it, read it, live it. Evenhanded for a change account of a good war -- noble cause, ably fought -- by a very fine writer

Warner has a good, punchy writing style, and she's clearly done her homework. The story is meticulously well-researched and she knows her history. The parallels with more modern drug scares are illuminating.

Every physician knows that there is an abusable and addictive drug that produces more physical deterioration, complications with medication, and disruption of happiness than any other. The drug is alcohol, and although it has been around for millennia, it was available in eighteenth century London in a new way. A history of the "Gin Craze" might seem to be an unlikely topic to produce a learned and funny book, but _Craze: Gin and Debauchery in the Age of Reason_ (Four Walls Eight Windows), by Jessica Warner, not only is full of surprising facts and statistics (peak gin use was in 1743, 2.2 gallons of gin per person, per year), but it brings a light to a murky little corner of human history that may be reflected usefully into our own times.

Clearly, the ruling classes of Britain realized that gin was a social evil. Of course, it was a social evil for the ruled classes, for gin became a craze among the poor of the city. Such reformers as members of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge could not fathom why gin had any appeal. Reform had to conquer inertia. The landed gentry were only too happy to have distillers as eager buyers for their surplus grain. The London Company of Distillers had friends in Parliament and was willing to keep them friendly by dishing out money. The government was glad to get excise taxes and license fees from the sales of gin. Over a 22 year period, reformers persuaded Parliament to pass eight different laws, generally ineffective, to suppress the consumption of gin. Monetary rewards were given to informers who squealed for a fee. Informers were not popular. Some were beaten to death by angry mobs, who resented that members of their own circle betrayed them. The reformers failed, because they had it backward; Warner writes, "It was not gin that made people poor. It was poverty that made them drink."

As the book draws to a conclusion, the reader is likely to have reflected many times during it that it is not really about gin. Warner calls her fascinating distillation of court reports, newspaper articles, and contemporary statistical tables "a parable about drugs, about why some people take them and other people worry when they do." Gin was merely the first urban drug, cheap, available, and able to neutralize the misery of poverty, at least temporarily. It made cities frightening to the upper and middle classes that did not live in them. Reformers exaggerated the tales of just how bad gin was, and pamphleteers were ready to spread the exaggerations. In her final chapter, she makes the breadth of her parable plain. We are "too easily seduced by the notion that the complex problems that come with complex places boil down to a simple and single source, be it gin, heroin or crack cocaine." Declaring a War on Drugs is facile and futile. No war on poverty has yet been universally successful, but unless something is done to relieve the poverty that makes drugs seem attractive, warring on drugs is just window dressing.

Meticulously researched and deftly written by Jessica Warner, Craze is an informed and informative social history into the mania for gin which overtook London during the early 18th century probes why the society of the times become involved in gin as a drug, and how the working poor became addicted to it. The passion for alcohol and its role in supporting a rickety English social system makes for a thought-provoking analysis and a lively history.

I've been self-employed as a IT consultant for about 18 months. This isn't the first business book I've read, nor the one most focused on what I do, and it won't be the one that has the most impact on how I run my business (more industry-specific books did that).

What it DID do was give me a good morale boost. The writer owns the publishing company that makes the book, a successful legal self-help publisher in business 30 years. It reassured me that a lot of the things that seemed like the right thing to do (driving a modest car among them; no more Corvette for me since I went out on my own) were, in fact, sound ideas. It does make sense to focus as much as you can on service because it's the most profitable; this reassured me that my decision only to specify but not to sell hardware and software (let somebody else have the 2% mark-up and spare me collecting tax) was probably the right one.

It also confirmed for me that it's perfectly normal and reasonable for businesses to ramp up slowly at first, and I am indeed building good clients slowly but steadily and it's nice to know from reading what an old hand has to say that I'm not behind the curve because my business hasn't grown explosively.

There were definitely some ideas in there that I have taken away that have made a significant impact on me; I had considered the possibility that at some point I would open a franchise restaurant in a particularly choice, unexploited area with massive traffic volume near where I live, but having read that chapter on franchises I'm absolutely convinced owning a franchise could never be for me. Who becomes an entrepeneur so that they can have their every idea circumscribed by someone elses rules?

I'm not sure this book would really help someone who's been self-employed 30 years like the author has, but for someone green like myself it's make a real impact. I really liked the tone of the book and the author seems emminently likable, honest, and direct. I highly recommend it.

I love business books but this is the first one I've found that really links profits, common sense and emotional well-being. It's an engaging and logical step-by-step approach to financial success without burnout. Really worthwhile!!

My dad runs his own business, a somewhat successful machine shop in Silicon Valley that experiences the ups and downs of the tech industry -- needless to say, his business was suffering through a major low a few months ago, as was his attitude toward his shop.

He read "Drive a Modest Car" (a feat in itself, as my dad's not one to pick up a book, but he said he felt like the author was speaking his language, which impresses me to no end). He found that a lot of his instincts regarding how he did business were embraced by the author, such as giving credit for good work done by employees, and picked up some ideas he then implemented, including not working long hours (finally!).

It's probably the best gift I ever gave him.

This is a beautiful book, with many of the illustrations looking like they are fashioned from snippets of cloth, as a quilt top would be. The story is gentle and cheerful. Here is the old woman working in her garden, and here she is entertaining a group of happy youngsters at Hallowe'en. Clearly she has a full and fulfilling life. And then in the next-to-the-last frame, after she has added her cat and herself to the quilt, they sit down together under the moonlight and...die??? I guess i'm used to authors who clobber you over the head with the punchline. I had to go back and read the story again to make sure i'd reached the right conclusion. Then i had to go look at some reviews of the book to see if other reviewers reached the same conclusion. I suppose that this book can be used to show children that death is a gentle thing when it comes to those who have lived a long and useful life...except that the ending really startled and upset me. I guess i didn't see it coming, and i didn't want the story to turn out that way. I would only recommend reading this book to children if you are prepared to have a potentially upsetting discussion about death and dying.

An old woman is sitting on her porch with her cat and is dreaming of her husband, lost at sea. Her dreams lead to new ideas for the quilt she is making, and her life takes on new purpose and reflection as she stitches in the changes in this warm title of an old woman's activities.

This book full of wonderful illustrations, provides a senstive look at the journey of a woman's life for children and adults alike. It takes the reader through a colorful adventure through the eyes of an old women and her cat. The author's exquisite drawings enhance the warm feeling the book gives the reader. A must read for any age.

this is the first book by Penny Warner that I've read, but it's good enough to make me go out and buy her previous novel. Connor Westphal is a curious, tenacious newspaper reporter in a small town in the mountains of California. She covers the story of a fatality at a construction site that may be earthquake related - or may be murder. The book is fast-paced, the plot is interesting, and hearing-impaired Connor is a great off-beat hero. I look forward to Penny Warner's last book, and her next.

I read mysteries as a way to relax in between all the serious writing and reading I do for science education for the Deaf community. So it was with great joy that I found these little gems by Penny Warner. She writes about a Deaf woman who runs a newspaper. Now first off, this is unheard of--pardon the pun, for a Deaf person to be perceived as having the intelligence to do something other than menial work. And it is with, I think, a slyness on Ms. Warner's part that she makes her heroine the owner and editor of an American English newspaper. Ms. Warner knows of what she is talking about. She isn't Deaf but has worked with them for years. So these books start out with a big difference. It is becoming more acceptable to have disabled people out and in the open, such as on Sesame Street and in other characters such as Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rime (sic). Popularizing people with differences helps those of us who are trying to make it in the 'normal' world, and we appreciate it! Karen Whitehead Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, klsst23@pitt.edu

Connor Westphal, deaf journalist/sleuth, is caught up once again in the more lethal happenings of Flat Skunk, Calif. After her successful first outing in DEAD BODY LANGUAGE, the wisecracking thirty-something Connor continues to deal with her attraction to the local hunk and to search for any story other than the local frog-racing contest that will give her newspaper, THE EUREKA!, an edge over the competition. Readers will guess who the killer is and be aghast at Connor's intrepid pursuit - anything for a headline. Through Connor's spunky first-person narrative, Warner, long a sign-language and special-ed teacher, perfectly conveys all the ways a deaf person perceives and communicates, including the guessing game of oral conversation, telephone contact with hearing people, the beauty of sign language, and auditory memories. As in the first Connor mystery, it is not wise to read the last couple of chapters before bedtime; this is delicious horror from gory beginning to ghastly end, with a fun, irreverent protagonist.