All the sound effects and music added much as well as having two members of the original cast from the movies(Mark Hamil and Anthony Daniels)was wonderful!! Anne Sachs was brillient as Leia and Perry King was magnifesent as Solo although getting used to King's voice instead of Ford's was a bit difficult.I enjoyed getting more background on Luke and Leia. Brian Daily wrote a wonderful script!! All in all this series should be re-brodcast.

When the Star Wars Radio Drama made its debut in 1981, on the NPR network, it was an instant success. Saga creator George Lucas sold the rights of the story to his alma mater for a dollar After that, a highly creative team took on the task of adapting the very visual film, for the radio medium. The end result is an enjoyable and very worthwhile, experience that makes the film come alive all over again, despite the lack of any of the film's landmark visuals

Using sound effects, the original score by composer John Williams, and with 2 key actors reprising their roles from the film, the radio drama boasts lavish production values. This is not some cheesy adaptation that they slapped together, quickly and put the name Star Wars on it, hoping for the best. Author Brian Daley's radioplay expands on the film verison by including additional "scenes" and backstory. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare In Love), the radio drama has a top notch cast. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels add some additional class by recreating their film roles as Luke Skywalker and C-3PO respectively. Brock Peters as Darth Vader, makes the part his own, while Ann Sachs gives Leia the right amount of spunk. Perry King, as smuggler Han Solo, may not be Harrison Ford, but he could be Solo, and that's what counts. Bernard Beherns as Ben Kenobi and the late great character actor, Keane Curtis, as Grand Moff Tarkin, round out the main cast, with style. While I was listening to this, I got the impression that, even though it must have been a lot of work to put this production together, it seems like everyone had a good time too. Sure some of it may sound a bit off at times, because most of us know the film so well. But one must remember that no one working on the project set out to just copy the film. The Star Wars Radio Drama captures the sprit of its of source material perfectlly...and that's all it needs to do.

I highly recommend this presenation. The Star Wars Radio Drama on CD contains all 13 episodes as originally presented, spread over 7 discs, with a running time of about six and a half hours. The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi radio drama adaptations are also available as well.

At first, the idea seems bizarre, even ridiculous. Star Wars, a movie best known for its vistas of alien worlds and epic battles, as a 13 part radio drama? No way would it work, right?

Well, unless you have the cold heart of a Sith, Star Wars did indeed translate well from the silver screen to radio, thank you very much. Yes, Star Wars' visual effects are a big part of the magic of the saga, but the heart and soul of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away are the characters and the storyline. And while the movie is satisfying on its own, the radio dramatization written by the late Brian Daley takes us beyond the movie....beyond the screenplay...and even beyond the novelization.

By expanding the movie's story beyond its two hour running time, the Radio Drama allows us to catch glimpses of Luke Skywalker's life BEFORE the movie. It tells us how Princess Leia acquired the Death Star plans....and what, exactly, happened to her during her interrogation aboard the Empire's battle station...(it is an interesting scene, but not for the squeamish, by the way). In short, by expanding the story to nearly seven hours, characters we loved on screen acquire depth only equaled by novelizations.

The Radio Drama makes extensive use of material written (and in some cases filmed) for A New Hope's silver screen version but cut for editorial or technical reasons. Also, Ben Burtt's sound effects, John Williams' score, and the acting of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Anthony Daniels (See Threepio) give the whole project its "true" Star Wars cachet.

P.S. I've Taken a Lover was truly delightful to read. I started reading it on a Saturday morning and finished on Sunday evening! I got nothing else done the whole weekend. White's story is about a meek housewife, Elizabeth; I would consider her a doormat, milk toast, wallflower kind of woman. Her life is spent in service to her husband and "his" house. But Elizabeth has a dream to become a writer that she buried long ago. Her controlling husband doesn't think she is capable of doing anything beyond taking care of him, his house, and his needs. I think any woman who has even a mildly controlling husband can identify with Elizabeth. And that is the real attraction to this story; the reader can identify with the characters and feel their pain, joy, hope, and laughter. Elizabeth writes a steamy novel under the alias Lolly Horn and her husband and his predatory secretary have her committed as a mad woman. This is the story of a woman reaching for her dreams regardless of the consequences and obstacles. It is truly inspiring, humorous and enjoyable.

I was a fan of Patricia White's long before reading PS, I've Taken a Lover, but this book just blew me away. Not only can this woman write, she can definitely write MY demographic! There's not a 50 year old woman anywhere who won't find something to laugh or cry about between these pages. It should be required reading for all women, no matter what their ages, and it wouldn't hurt a few of the men to read it either. What a hoot! This is an absolutely wonderful story.

P.S. I've Taken a Lover kept me sleepless most of one night--until I finished it at 4 a.m.

White's inventive story is about Elizabeth, a beaten-down, menopausal housewife whose husband has incarcerated her (and her alter ego, Lolly) in a mental institution. Lolly is a sexy writer of steamy romances, and everything that Elizabeth herself is not. Or is she? Elizabeth wonders if she is indeed going mad and Lolly is just a figment of her imagination. Unrepentant Lolly seizes the opportunity to finish her next sizzler. Besides Elizabeth/Lolly and her nasty husband, the story also features his predatory secretary and the mysterious man who becomes Lolly's secret lover.

This finely woven story masquerades as a comic romance but contains an allegorical tale of woman, reaching out for her dream. This is a great read. Kathryn North, author of Proud Mari

For anyone who wants to improve their surfing, Surf Flex is a must have book. I incorporated many of the flexibility and dry land workouts into my exercise routine, and my surfing has taken off! Not only did my riding and balance get better, but I felt so much better condiditoned to stay out there as long as I wanted. In rough conditions, I immdediately notice the added strength I've developed through the exercises from Surf Flex. If you want things to do outside the water to optimize your time in the water, BUY THIS BOOK. -- DAS, avid longboarder

As a 28 year old women surfer I'm glad to see someone has finally addressed women surfers as athletes. The yoga stretches are direct and to the point. Surfers don't want to spend a lot of time warming up so the 10 minute yoga routine is great! The Wahine Workout is challenging with lots of good tips. The Surf Flex Workout done on a swissball is without question the best workout a surfer can do outside of the water. "if your going to play on an unstable enviroment doesn't it make sense to train on one?" Makes sense to me. This workout brings all your surfing muscles to the party! See you in the water!

As a 35 year old surfer I pride myself in my ability to rip! I keep right up with the younger puppies in the water. Lots of them ask me how I do it? I just smile and say 'surf alot'. Fact is I've been doing yoga for 8 years 4-5 times a week. A couple of years ago I was introduced to working out with a swissball. These two elements changed my conditioning radicaly. I never shared it with anyone, because when I'm 45, I plan to still be ripping while most of the young'un have stopped surfing because of bad backs,and shoulders. It may have been a bit selfish, but I thought it would keep the surf population down. So I could have just as easily given Surf Flex a 0 star rating, more healthy surfers more people in the water, bummer dude! But that would have been bad karma! Seeing that I haven't shared my conditioning secrets with my fellow surfers, I must say this is an excellent book. Its not a book that was published by the big surfing guns, Surfer Mag, or Surfing, so it not slick,thats what great about it. What it lacks in slick, it compensates with heart and passion. Ain't that something! Great swissball workouts, good foundations for yoga, dry land training and comments from world class surfers. I applaud the author, but, if I see him out in the water, he owns me a couple of waves :)

My 7 year old son and I just finished reading Olive, the Orphan Reindeer. What a delightful story. Each year we read The Night Before Christmas, The Christmas Carol, or Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, it was nice to discover a new title to add to our holiday reading. The press release stated that this book was geared toward the age group 9-12. My 7 year old read this book with ease and understanding. I agree with Michael, this book is for anyone who believe in Christmas.

Good Job, Are there other books available by this author?

This is such a cute story, and so well done, it could easily be as popular as Rudolph, or Frosty the Snowman. I wouldn't be surprised if it were made into an animated Christmas TV movie. Olive is the female equivalent of Rudolph, and is quite a good choice to read as a companion to Rudolph, especially to little girls. Little girls need a good heroine at Christmas time and this is just the right one.

When Michael Christie first approached me via email with his wonderful children's Christmas story and the opportunity to post it on my website, I jumped at the chance. Not only is the story a sheer delight for children's imaginations, it's a marvel for any adult with the heart of a child. Michael has done an excellent job in weaving a wonderful tale of old-fashioned Christmas lore while at the same time incorporating contemporary details that today's child will relate to. And the depiction of Olive and her friends through Margeaux Lucas' illustrations are beautiful in and of themselves. Olive has quickly become a classic in my heart for many Christmases to come. Treat yourself and everyone you know - don't let this treasure get by you this year!

This book presents the collection of Egyptian antiquities located in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo; each featured object is accompanied by a short description and a photograph. The photographs, never before published, were expressly made for the book by internationally acclaimed photographer Araldo De Luca. The numerous essays were written by international contributors, among which are Francesco Tiradritti, Christiane Ziegler, Zahi Hawass, Jean Yoyotte and Anna Maria Donadoni Roveri; they cover topics such as Egyptian art, history, the Valley of the Kings and Tutankhamun. Art lovers will thoroughly enjoy this beautiful and informative guide, now available in many languages.

I don't know about you, but when I get a big photo book, I thumb through the photos first, then go back and look at them individually, and read the text last, if at all -- skim it, usually. So -- the photos here are magnificent! Color printing has gotten pretty close to photographic quality in the last few years, and you won't find better-quality color than in "Egyptian Treasures." Book design (by PB Lovisetti & C. Zanotti) is clean and attractive. Bravo!

The artifacts, all from Cairo's Egyptian Museum, span some 4,000 years -- and for 3,000 years, from the First Dynasty to the Roman conquest, their artistic conventions stayed pretty much the same -- enough so that almost any artwork from this period is, even at a casual glance, obviously 'Egyptian.'

Anyway, if you're over 12, and have been to any fair-size art or archaeological museum, you've seen some mummies, coffins and statues, probably some jewelry and woodwork too -- not to mention pictures of the Pyramids and King Tut's gold. But, unless you've been to dozens of Egyptian collections, you've never seen the range of first-rate art displayed here -- unless, of course, you've already been to Cairo. Makes me want to go out & buy a ticket to Egypt. Some of this stuff is just astonishing. The jewelry is (often) 'Art-Deco', not by coincidence, since much of this material was unearthed in the early 20th century. And if you've only seen the knock-offs, wait til you see the originals! There are wall-paintings that, if they didn't have papyrus plants, you'd think were Chinese. And the little painted wood-carvings, with marvelous scenes from everyday life -- and with colors so bright, they could have been your grandmother's, instead of being 4,000 years old. There's a lot to be said for using the desert for cemeteries....

The text is by 16 (or so) specialists, and ranges from pretty good to instant eye-glaze. You don't buy this kind of book for the text. Fortunately, the photo captions are uniformly good. Complaints: no map, and no index! C'mon, folks -- we don't all know where Tanis is, or Zagazig. And we might want to find out, later, who Muhammad Ali (1769-1849) *really*was....

IF YOU WANT TO VISIT THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN CAIRO BUT FIND IT INCONVENIENT TO GET THERE THIS IS THE SECOND BEST WAY TO VIEW THE OBJECTS. THE COLOR PRINTS ARE AS GOOD AS CAN BE PRINTED AND THE DETAIL IN DESCRIPTION IS VERY HELPFUL. I HAVE A LIBRARY AND THIS IS THE BEST AND MOST DETAILED BOOK I HAVE SEEN IN YEARS WRITTEN ON ARTIFACTS FOUND IN EGYPT. 5 STARS !!!

This was an awesome book!! There were so many dilemma's. At the end Lucas seems like he is fighting for his life. Why? You'll just have to read the book but, I can tell you this much, you won't regret reading it (unless you haven't read the other 6). Katherine Applegate did an excellent job with this series. There are so many cliff hangers. I really suggest you read this series.

I love the making out series and Ben's in love is my fave. but this is my second fave. Since Zoey's parents are getting a divorce and have a half sister things are confusing for her. but something happens between lucas and claire which i wasn't expecting. I think Nina and Benjamin make the cutest couple and i recommend Lucas gets hurt. I can't wait for the next book Aisha gets wild.

I Just Love Applegate. She is the best and the Making Out series is too awesome. I can't wiat to get the newest book. But they come out monthly and my friends in England are up to like thirty something. That is so unfair! In this book I can't wait to see what happens to Zoey and Lucas And Jake and Claire. I just hope that Claire doesn't get with Lucas it just wouldn't be fair for Claire to get him AGAIN!!! I just hope that Christopher also realizes that its wrong to get revenge no matter how sweet and everything works out for Zoey's parents. The only person who has their head on their shoulders is Benjamin and I'm starting to wonder what'll happen to him. E-mail me and we can discuss the upcoming books.

This book has all the memory techniques that are typically taught in memory courses and other memory books. Even if they are sometimes introduced by other names, all of the techniques are variants and combinations of word-substitution (mostly used for foreign words, but also people's names and words that can't easily be pictured), link, peg, loci (sometimes called Roman Room technique) and phonetic (letter for number substitution) systems. The book is mostly re-hashed information that has been presented earlier (even by Lorayne himself), but the writing style makes it a book worth keeping.

The real strength of this book over others of its kind is the dialog between Lucas and Lorayne. They are fun to read and almost never get boring. There are anecdotes to at the beginning of most chapters and spread throughout the book.

Personally, I found Kenneth Higbee's "Your Memory" a better book, it's more complete a reference and gives much more of the why of memory rather than just the how of remembering. Depending on your needs, you might like this book more, it's got more examples on how to use the systems it introduces and is much lighter and a little less dry, although Higbee's book is very readable.

As with every other memory book, the techniques take time to learn and take considerable effort, but work very well. For a book on memory techniques, this book doesn't dissapoint.

I am currently a senior in high school who has been using the techniques in this book since the 8th grade. I can memorize a list of 100+ items in about five minutes! I used to have the worse memory but now my head is like a mental file cabinet. I excel in all areas involving memory. This book should be required reading for all students because the methods guarantee excellent grades and quite frankly, a better life.

Harry Lorayne, a master magician and card entertainer, is also one of the world's leading memory experts. "The Memory Book" will change your life, literally. In the book, Lorayne describes in detail several memory techniques that, with a little practice, will have you remembering virtually anything you want. Among the techniques, the three I use the most are the Link, Substitute Words, and the Peg. The Link is used to remember any number of items, such as 20 objects, etc. The Peg is used to remember any number of objects in order. Using a phonetic type alphabet for numbers, that is, assigning a consonant sound for each number, Lorayne shows how to memorize numbers easily. The techniques really do work. Frankly, I've never spent so little for something that has changed my life so much. One testimonial is in order: I am a professional teacher. The first day of class I use one of Lorayne's techniques in my class that allows everyone in the classroom, including me, to remember the name of everyone else in the classroom. And it takes less than 20 minutes. The systems work. The only minor quibble I have with the book is that after reading this book, I also read widely in the area of memory improvement. Other books have used the identical techniques to improve memory, so I'm confused as to how much of Lorayne's techniques originated with him, or were borrowed from the literature. This minor point aside, you really do need to have this book on your "READ" list. A real treasure.

I'm a Star Wars fan, and always wondered what kind of person George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, was. This book pretty much answered any and all questions I had about the Master Jedi himself.

Pollock's narrative of Lucas's life begins with George's childhood, then proceeds into his rebellious teen years--which was the inspiration for American Graffiti--then straight onto Lucas' student filmmaker years and finally to his highly successful movie career. The latter of which is when Star Wars and its sequels were produced and established Lucas as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of the medium.

The book offers a balanced, journalistic account of Lucas' life, with very little opinion injected into the book. Some places Pollock seems to praise Lucas too much, but it's nothing too extreme.

The only real problem is that the book was written during the production of Return of the Jedi, when Skywalker Ranch wasn't finished, George was still married to first wife Marcia, and before the flops Willow and Howard the Duck. I read the revised edition which has an intro mentioning these things, but the book's main narrative is about what's happened to Lucas up to 1983.

I'd recommend this book to any fan of Star Wars, and anyone else curious about Lucas himself.

A long time ago in a galaxy far,far away George Lucas revolutionized modern movie making, and captivated a nation with his spectacular movie Star Wars. Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi became one of the worlds most beloved trilogys. After Star Wars, George Lucas contintued to dazzle the public with his unique story-telling by bringing us another wonderful trilogy-The Indiana Jones trilogy. This book is an excellent read on how these and other movies from George Lucas made it to the big screen. With excellent background history on Lucas himself, this book is a must for anyone who admires Mr.Lucas. A well-researched book,it gives a detailed account of how some the most famous movies in cynematic history made it to the big screen. Overall I thought it was great and urge anyone who loves Star Wars, or just wants a good book to read to get this book. :) May the force be with you!

When I Bought this book, I thought it would just tell me about George Lucas's youth and how he made his movies. Very shortly into starting the book did I realize he has a rare story. Must read if you love star wars, lucas, Biographies, Ect. It's Very Moving and addictive, and the reason why it's moving was because it's very happy and can be, at certain parts, very sad. Also a great story about friendship, youth, and mostly the work ethic.

I remember receiving bad recordings of all 13 episodes of Star Wars and only 6 of the 10 episodes of Empire from my English teacher many years ago. Despite these disadvantages, however,I listened to these episodes religeously, whether it was after school or on the weekend. Why? Mostly because of their atmosphere and if you're a Star Wars fan you would know that the Star Wars movies alone are drenched in atmosphere. The Radio Dramas however go one step further and extend the already classic story.To understand What I mean...GET IT!!...NOW.

I listened to these on NPR Playhouse when I was young, and tried to record all of the episodes onto cassette tape. I finally got to throw the old recordings away when I got this excellent box set. As a long time fan, I could not be happier with this collection.

The Star Wars trilogy translates well to the radio play format. It helps that a few of the original cast members reprised their roles. Anthony Daniels is the mainstay, and voices 3-CPO through all three productions. The other cast members are all talented radio actors, and suited to their parts. The actors keep their roles for all three productions, so there is nice continuity of character.

The stories are considerable longer than the films, and fill in the gaps of the storyline. Star Wars contains all of the famous deleted footage between Luke and Biggs, as well as a window into Luke's life on Tatooine. (As a side note, some of this was included in the Star Wars special edition re-release, as well as The Phantom Menace. Look for the pod racers to "thread the stone needle" as described in the radio play.) The other two series are not as expansive, but still deliver more story than the film. The excitement and gradure of the series is well translated to audio.

This collector's set includes many extras not available in the standard releases. These include commercials, making-of features, and the touching get well card to Brian. The box is very nice, and the entire set has very high production values. It is worth the price.

This CD set is great. You think you know Star Wars because you've seen the movie? Wait till you hear it! I'm so glad I decided to go for the Collector's Edition. There were only 7500 of these made, so it is quite expensive, but I think it is worth it.

Important about the COLLECTOR'S EDITION: it contains the following special tracks: comments from four of the principals, the speederbike scene without sound or music added, then with all the effects, for comparision, two public radio membership spots by Tony Daniels (C3PO), and the touching "Message for Brian." For me, "Message for Brian" was worth the extra all by itself. (Brian Daley, the writer, was ill with pancreatic cancer when this was recorded, and the cast recorded this "get-well card" for him, only to find that he died within 24 hours of the completion of the recording sessions.)

Unfortunately, Brian never got to hear this message. But the radio dramas he created, which are now dedicated to him, are a great monument to his efforts. I would recommend this set to anyone who is a real fan of the Star Wars universe.

I love these books. Recently read my first Prey book and am hooked!! This is the best one so far in a really great series, so that is saying something! Try to read them in order if you are just starting out on Mr. Sandford series. I love Lucas Davenport... Thanks Mr. Sandford, (aka John Camp) keep up the good work!!

Lucas Davenport faces a new challenge in Mind Prey. He is not hunting a killer through clues left at a murder scene, but instead is trying to find a kidnapped family, who may still be alive.

Davenport's fame helps him out because the killer cannot help but call him and challenge him to a duel of wits. Lucas and his team must unravel clues given by the kidnapper, as well as decide who would profit the most from the families death.

If you have read the other Prey books, you will be happy to know that Lucas' love life is still cruising along in one-woman gear. I would also add a warning that, although Sandford does not describe the attacks in detail, the woman who is kidnapped is repeatedly raped and beaten. If that sort of thing disturbs you, you may want to skip this book.

Read this book, and keep reading the Prey series.

Mind Prey one of many of the "Prey" series is a outstanding book. I have read every one of the series. The lead Lt. Lucas Davenport has a cool way about him Very likeable character..Any of the books are hard to put down. Rules of prey the first of the series starts you on a rollorcoaster of psychological drama and edge of your seat reading!! Good luck putting it down. Hey John when is the next one coming out?? Your due.