This short book provides a very understandable explanation of how Bay Area weather is formed by topography, winds, and the ocean. He devotes sections to the four seasons, in which he tells how the fog is formed, where storms come from, and why there is so much variation within Bay Area microclimates. He also has a chapter on clouds, and a concluding chapter on climate change. I never knew much about weather (besides what I understood from forecasts on TV: sunny, partly cloudy, rain, etc.), but now I appreciate more the unique climates of the SF Bay region.

Ever wonder why it's SO COLD at Candlestick Park? Ever wonder why there's so much summer fog, and why it burns off in by Noon? Ever wonder why it can be 45 in San Francisco and 100 in San Jose? Harold Gilliam's concise little book will tell you!

His explanations of the cyclic weather patterns of the Bay Area, and the interactions between ocean-born events and the coastal, Bay and mountain geographies are easy to understand. Even more enticingly, they're easy to observe.

A great read for anyone who lives in (or even visits) the Bay Area.

With great love and with a scientist's objectivity Mr. Gilliam goes thruogh a year's cycle of the unique passage of fog, rain, warmth, and haunting beauty of the changing seasons. But he is no mere puff writer. He tells us why, and where, these events begin. Anyone who is familiar with the books by George R. Stewart on the history and climate of Northern California, should not miss this.

The book takes a completely different view of our nation's history from the late 1800's through the late 19000's than the average history text book most of us read in high school. Side bars and tid bits add anecdotal highlights to the information covered in that section or chapter which keep it relevant and interesting. It was very refreshing to see things from the bottom up. i.e. What was happening with this or that wave of immigration that caused the City's and Urban areas to change in this way, that caused the political and religious environment to change in that way, that caused this person to be elected, that caused this law to be passed, that caused this backlash, that led to this conflict, that led to this resolution. Instead of - this war was faught and this official was elected and this country won. It is biased towards labor and labor's role in building this country, so if you want traditional conservative history, this isn't the book for you. But if you like to read some of the stuff they don't tell you in high-school history 101, this is it. I'll never look at labor disputes or the immigration question the same way again. I came away from the book with a greater understanding and retained more of how we got to the 21st century in America from the 19th century.

When I saw this book, I bought it straightaway, because labor history gets short-shrift in American society. I'm sorry to see it's out-of-stock, but am unsurprised.

While this book is fairly mainstream in its orientation, it is very readable and thorough, covering the struggle of working people through the late 1800s to the early 1990s.

I consider this book a good starting point for people interested in working people's history. What makes it especially rich is the narrative flow and personal stories that appear throughout it, and the sidebars with songs and other miscellaneous information. This is the way a history book should be written.

Who Built America? Is an excellent look at US history in the 20th century from the foundation up. The authors provide relevant and insightful information about immigration, the working class, unions, and the political and military events that shaped our country. The events are thoroughly discussed in terms of cause and effect, and followed through with anecdotal side bars and highilights. Because the text follows a contextual historical line, the information is readily understood and retained. Who Built America? was used as the assigned text in a US History class I took. While I read it willingly as assigned in the class, it is a book I have returned to on numerous occasions since. I highly recommend Who Built America? for everyone and anyone who would like to know not just who was elected when, and what wars were fought with whom, but why and how it effects every one of us.

This is a great book for ER residents or medical students desiring a concise text of emergency radiology.

I am an emergecy medicine physician.I first bought this edition as a resident;I found it excellent then and now.It is written in an easy to learn format,with radiographs and illustrations side by side for comparison.As it's only 105 pages ,it can be read quickly. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all students and residents.Hat's off for a great book.Buy it!

This is a very good IRENE ADLER book. Maybe a bit predictable, but a fun read. However, I was disappointed to learn that it was really only a re-named re-issue of IRENE's LAST WALTZ, not a new book. I haven't cared for the two newest Carole Nelson Douglass Irene books, Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge, much too gruesome. But, I do hope she goes back to writing this type of book.

This book is actually a reprint of a book under a different title. The original title was Irene's Last Waltz, and it is the 4th in the series. In it, Irene Adler Norton, whom we first met in Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia," returns to Bohemia to discover that an impostor has been put in the place of the real king and that a nocturnal monster is stalking the capital city.

Before reading this one, you may wish to read the previous books in the series in this order: Good Night, Mr. Holmes; Good Morning, Irene; and Irene At Large. (As far as I have been able to determine these have not been reissued under different titles but may be in the future). After this book, there are two more books: Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge.

This book is a welcome addition to my quilt library. Quilters, if you like Moda Marbles Fabric, this book is for you. The projects are colorful and fun, and the instructions are clear and easy. Many of the quilts can be completed in a weekend, even by new quilters.

In a word, this book is gorgeous. Patrick Lose has a wonderful sense of color. His designs are the polar opposite of those drab, boring thimbleberries designs. His quilts are bright and uplifting. Who wouldn't be happy with one of these colorful beauties. I highly recommend this book to anyone that appreciates beautiful designs and exceptional use of color.

"The Aura of the Cause" was the title of a traveling exhibit developed by ALBA, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. It includes 190 photographs, some of which are said to have been unavailable for public display in the past. This includes some of Robert Capa's famous work, but also raises questions about his work. It is now believed that Capa's well-known photo of the "moment of death" of a white-uniformed Spanish fighter, apparently thrown backward from the force of a bullet, was a fake. (The same person was seen very much alive and well on subsequent frames on the same film roll). More than any modern war up to that time, the Spanish Civil War was one of heavily biased reporting by foreign journalists who gobbled up propaganda. "Aura" does little to provide an even approach to the regime that the American volunteers were supporting. It focuses on their humanity and daily life, and does this supremely, but in doing so it continues the tradition and service of propaganda. What is missing is an objective treatment of the context of the Spanish Civil War. "Aura" treats the conflict as a straightforward battle between good and evil. It avoids showing the huge banners of Marx and Lenin that were held up by the Spanish Republic that these Americans were supporting. It neglects to tell us that the American commander of the Lincoln Brigade, Robert Merriman, came to Spain by way of Russia, and that it was Stalin who placed his henchman Tito in charge of organizing these International Brigades. "Aura" is also remiss, in reprinting Hemingway's "On the American Dead in Spain," in noting that this was initially published by the American Communist party magazine as propaganda. This book could better have been titled: "Americans in Spain: Unwitting Tools of Stalin." The pictures in "Aura" certainly tell a story. - Or perhaps only half of the story.

"Aura" is a picture book of idealists, showing the daily life and death of members of the International Brigades. In 1936 the Spanish Army, with Nazi and Italian assistance, rose to overthrow the elected government of Spain. Only the Soviet Union was then a determined enemy of Fascism, and organized a call for volunteers to help defend the Republic. (England and France were "accommodating" the Nazis) Volunteers from 54 countries answered the call. Many were Jews or Communists (pg. 70), some were neither. Robert Merriman (Hemingway's Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls), a Berkeley economist, was studying Socialism in Russia as an alternative to a perceived failure of Capitalism. They voluntarily risked their lives, and a quarter died, out of their belief that they were defending Democracy. This is a pictorial history of their story. But you will also read (pg. 200): "For the first time in the history of the people's struggles, there has been the spectacle, breath-taking in its grandeur, of the formation of International Brigades to help save a threatened country's freedom and independence...they gave us their youth, their maturity, their science or experience, their blood and their lives, their hopes and their aspirations, -- and they asked nothing at all...they did aspire to the honor of dying for us...in face of the shameful , 'accommodating' spirit.." These young men acted at a time which pre-dated Stalin's purges and paranoia, as he tried unsuccessfully to bring the West into a Popular Front against Fascism. There is no doubt that the book does not present the shadow side of the Civil War, the slaughter by the fascists in Badajoz answered by Republican slaughter of prominent fascists in Madrid, burning of convents, execution of capitalists, "Trotskyites" etc, all of which has no connection to our concepts of Democracy. Were these young men Stalin's tools? Perhaps, but the quotation above explains why Capitalists and Christians like myself can find nobility in the voluntary sacrifice of men with whose ideology (with 60 years of hindsight and capitalism's success) we have little in common.

Nelson returns to the characters of Mayfield Crossing (BCCB 3/93)in this well-wrought sequel. Entwined amidst the larger dynamics of the friendships among Mayfield kids and their adjustment to a larger school (where some of the students encounter racial prejudice for the first time) is the story of the civil rights movement and the Freedom Riders. Meg, observant and sensitive to nuance, narrates the story, describing individuals and their relationships to one another, placing her somewhat sheltered world in the context of the bigger one provided by television and newspaper headlines. In between baseball games and snowball fights, Meg deals with the complacent racism of a bigoted teacher with the help of her friends and a knowing principal. The issues of desegregation, murder, and tragedy are handled within the context of a loving home and family, filtered always through a child's point of view. That point of view is what gives this story its pathos, for the complexity of the issues being faced during the tumultuous '60s become simple when viewed through the lens of a child's sense of justice. Strong characterizations and a solid sense of the Mayfield community add to the mix that makes this a gently compelling read. JMD

In Beyond Mayfield, Nelson has given us another fine, sensitive story. She returns to the characters we admired in Mayfield Crossing - Meg and her brother Billie and the Mayfield gang. Set when children feared the atomic bomb and only some were protected from racial hatred, Nelson's story is warm, funny, and sad. Meg learns that Mayfield is not a fairyland, but a nurturing place of goodness that gives her strength to face evil in the larger world. Realistic situations mark a strongly plotted story, but as always Nelson's most rewarding efforts come with the rich characters she makes us love. Bravo for a sequel well worth the wait. Marilyn Schroeder, former Youth Services Librarian

This Bible was incredible with its first release in the NKJV, however now that it is in the CEV,a language that flows for the reader and listener it can become even more alive. Great for "Seekers" as well as for new Christians who are hungry for the WORD of God and want to do more than simply read but live out in daily life. Great reference and study tool as well for Sunday school, small groups or self study to get "into" the lives of the people of the past living in that pivotal time.

This is an excellent Bible for daily reading, devotional use, etc. The CEV translation is easily read, enjoyable (even in the Old Testament!), and understandable without being a paraphase (liek the Living Bible is). It can take some time to get used to for people who are used to other translations, such as the NIV or others. This specific Bible containcs book introductions/backgrounds, plenty of in-text character profiles, historic information, etc. It also has a great deal of life application information - addressing the Christian walk in all aspects of life from church to home to relationships to work. There are a few things I would say against this Bible. First, the nature of the translation does not lend itself to ACADEMIC study (exegesis, etc.). Also, when a portion of Scripture is quoted somewhere else (i.e. the New Testament quotes the Old), there is no footnote to say what book, chapter, and verse it refers to. This can be annoying, as one must use another Bible to look this up. Overall, I believe the combination of this translation and the study articles make this a great Bible for most Christians. Amen.

I recently took a trip to California and visited a few of the lighthouses in the book. I purchased this book in advance and brought it with me on my travels. As I approached each lighthouse visited, I read from the book to my "travel-mates". We learned the directions and a brief history of each lighthouse. The information was condensed, easy-to-read and informative. Best of all, the directions for finding each lighthouse were accurate. This book was a great resource for planning my trip and I hope to use it again in the future as a reference when I return to the area to see a few more California lighthouses. A great travel resource and also a great book to just read and learn more.

The Nelsons write a knowledgible book about California's lighthouses. It is a great guide to those lighthouses. These people are great friends to lighthouses, having written several other Umbrella Guides. (Oregon, Washington) We have found them very useful in our quest to photograph every lighthouse in the U.S.

This is great for the car. However, by the second tape you will notice that everyone is lisping and then it gets funnier and funnier. How could they put a book on tape with a lisping lewinsky? It's a dream come true. Buy two copies and send one to a friend as a gift.

My favorite part was when Monica asked everyone to stop referring to her as Ms. lewinsky cause "I'm just 25." When she's told that for the rest of her life she was always be Ms. Lewinsky, she volunteers, "Not if I get married!"

In reality it's all sad, this brave woman has endured more than any of us will have to in a lifetime. She deserves everything that she can get. She's a true survivor. Viva Lewinsky!

These sassettes offer a very exciting and interesting intepretation of Ms. Lewinsky's testimony . The narration of Monica and the grand jurors had me listening to these tapes for 6 consecutive hours. I coukld not stop listening? I found myself playing these in the car continously. It eas the quickesyt 6 hours that ever went by! The in depth look into the biggest White House scandal is brought to life in this 4 cassette series. I listen to them over and over. A must for any history lover.