This book is a valuable resource for help in studying for the NYS Bio regents. It gives very good explanations of answers and allows you to analyze your weak spots. The only reason I give it 4 stars is that the actual review material is skimpy and not well defined, but they do have a separate "Let's Review" book that better aids with that.

Many Regents I have thought that there might be no help for me and then someone told me that about these books. They really have saved my life, because they give so many past regents questions that you can get really familiar with what is going to be on the test. It is really a must for anyone who will be talking the regents and it is all you need to study from.

If your worried about the biology regents, or even if your not this book is a great and comprehensive reveiw of biology for the Regents exams. It included many practice tests that allow you to check your answers. It also includes many practice questions to help students fully prepare for the regents exam.

This is a collection of Mencken's newspaper columns from the early 1900s to his very last column written in November 1948. Some of the columns are only prototypes of larger works on the American language and contemporary literature and a few of them, such as the piece on Valentino, were re-written and enlarged by Mencken for books like "A Mencken Chrestomathy." Despite this, Mencken is interesting throughout the book, especially on politics and travel.

In his career, Mencken attended almost all of the Democratic and Republican conventions for president and perhaps because his reports were written before television, they are much more evocative than anything written today. He notices what the delegates were wearing, what music was playing, what sort of intrigues were being plotted behind closed doors. Mencken downplayed his skills as a reporter; he claimed that he never got a scoop in his career. What makes his writing worth reading is a sense of humor and his opinionated voice. His readiness to call someone a "moron" can be tiring at times, but he is refreshingly blunt compared to today's political commentators. He is probably best on Harding and Coolidge; worse on Franklin Roosevelt, who inspires anti-New Deal harangues.

Mencken claimed that he had from an early age made up his mind on every conceivable subject, yet his opinions seem far less predicable and less readymade than anything in today's newspapers. In one of his columns, he reports on a 1928 Ku Klux Klan march on Washington D.C. The purpose of the Klan "is organizing inferiorities into a mystical superiority" and he writes that it is impossible to look on the robed and jeweled Klansmen "without snickering." He notes that the Klan members are clearly from the lower economic stratum and "that these poor folks are exploited by rogues is an unpleasant detail, but certainly nothing new in the world." In one column, Mencken is able to make the Klan ridiculous and place their significance in a larger context without becoming shrill.

These days Mencken is routinely attacked for using slang words to describe ethnic groups in terms now considered to be unacceptable. He did write to provoke people and, judging by his diaries, Mencken could be pretty callous. However, as Gore Vidal writes in the introduction, public action is what counts more than anything else. There are a lot of examples here of a writer who could take decent stands on the issues of the day and who believed in fair play. In one column, he calls for the end of "The Lynching Psychosis;" in another, he laments the US persecution of two radicals; in another, he calls for the US government to admit a larger number of the Jewish victims of Nazi terror. Throughout his career, Mencken believed that the United States had no business interfering in the affairs of other countries and should never get involved in foreign wars. Compare this attitude to that of the contemporary editorial writer who blanches at an ethnic slur, but enthusiastically calls for bomb strikes on Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, etc. A thoughtful reader might decide that Mencken was more humane than today's Christopher Hitchens' or Thomas Friedman's.

This book has a provocative introduction written by Gore Vidal, which was the source of a literary spat between him and John Updike. In a review of this book collected in "More Matter," Updike writes sniffily about Mencken's lack of sympathy for people unlike himself and about Vidal's "sneering" introduction. In a response published in "The Last Empire," Vidal attacks Updike for simplistic patriotism and for signing on to the US war in Viet Nam. (An example of the genteel warrior that Mencken hated?) That Mencken could inspire a literary feud almost fifty years after his death is a testimonial of sorts.

brutally honest, rude, raw, and frightfully truthful, this is the best collection yet of America's most insightful writer. A must for anyone who has been beaten down by our simpering, back-slapping, ridiculously oversensitive and P.C. media.

Almost 700 pages in length, this book provides the reader with examples of Mencken's best writing from various times in his life and is far broader in scope than any other anthology published to date. Of particular interest are his columns written from Dayton, Tennessee during the Scopes Monkey Trial. An added treat is the foreward by Gore Vidal

I suppose this means that my copy is a Collector's Item, now. Sigh....why are all of my favorites out of print? I wanted to do a review for the Thieves' World (Sanctuary) series, only to find them "out of print." I thought, "well, Marion Zimmer Bradley is a LEGEND....I'll review 'Lythande,' instead." I'm glad I take such excellent care of my books and refuse to loan them out to anyone I do not have a meaningful connection with.... I'll be saving my copy of Lythande for my future daughter, Melita Renae Lincoln. This makes me realize how important my little library is! Well...if you can acquire this compilation of stories about Lythande (Lee-THOND), you will be captivated by this character, who was born in a world that has been nearly forgotten, and was created by a woman who will not ever be forgotten. This one is not your typical hack 'n slash, Mazes 'n Monsters fare....in fact, the stories are intellectually stimulating and carry underlying layers of the writer's sentiments. Marion Zimmer Bradley also editorializes a bit, expressing her personal views about Feminism, Male Weirdness and such. As I said, I'm saving this one for my future daughter.

This volume contains all the Lythande stories written up to its publication; two more can be found in _Spell Singers_, an anthology attributed to "Alan Bard Newcomer", but not here. Lythande also appeared as a supporting character in stories written by other authors in Thieves' World; those collected in this volume feature the Adept as protagonist.

Lythande is a mercenary magician; specifically, a Pilgrim Adept of the Order of the Blue Star. The Pilgrim Adepts are sworn to fight in the last battle, on the side of Law against Chaos, at the end of the world. Until that day, they wander, gathering knowledge and power as they will (hence 'Pilgrim' Adepts). The power of a Pilgrim Adept depends on keeping certain vows (e.g. never to eat or drink in front of men), but most of all, upon keeping a secret, specific to each adept. If that secret is ever spoken aloud by any man save the Master of the Star, it (and the magic bound into it) become void, so that the powerless adept becomes worthless to the order - and may be killed by anyone who pleases.

Lythande has chosen to uphold Law against Chaos always, but others have chosen to wait until the last day. The Adept was developed for the Thieves' World series, and is a special crony of Myrtis (the madam of the Aphrodisia House in Sanctuary). The vows of an Adept are extremely literal, so that Adepts can have *female* confidantes if they wish - and if they can find women to trust with their lives.

Check out the Magic in Ithkar series as well; Lythande has visited the fair occasionally.

"The Secret of the Blue Star" - Lythande comes to the rescue of an amazingly beautiful prostitute being roughed up in the street - only to find that Bercy's tormentor is Rabben the Half-Handed, the Adept's worst enemy in the order. But is the girl really a victim, or a spy set to ferret out the Secret - or both?

"The Incompetent Magician" - First appeared in the _Greyhaven_ anthology. Rastafyre the - ahem - Incomparable has lost his wand, to a master thief and magician he cuckolded. Lythande agrees to retrieve it, in exchange for an enchanted lute - to which is bound the soul of Koira, a woman Lythande once loved.

"Sea Wrack" - The seaside village has to rely on half-grown girls to work the fishing boats, because a mermaid has taken up residence nearby, and lures not only men, but grown women to their deaths (only those too young to have felt the tides of the heart are safe). Lythande, feeling secure in having cast off all such emotions, takes up the village's plea to deal with the mermaid...

"Somebody Else's Magic" - Lythande comes to the aid of a priestess of Larith, set upon by thugs in the street. Dying, the Laritha passes on her sword to Lythande in thanks. Unfortunately, the sword has a mind of its own: to avenge its bearer, then force Lythande to carry it back to the Temple - which only women may seek and return alive.

"The Wandering Lute" - As a younger son, the minstrel had gladly accepted the enchanted lute from his father's magician, with its compulsion to follow a migration as regular as the seasons. Now that his older brother has died, though, he must be free of it and return home. Lythande, who'd like a good lute (and who studied a LOT about unbinding spells after the Larith incident) takes it on, intending to disenchant it along the way. Pride goeth before a fall...

"Looking for Satan" - Satan is actually just the name of a wild youngster, caught in a trap and vanished into the empire of Sanctuary. His friends have come looking for him, and Lythande feels moved to help them. (This story, unlike the others, doesn't follow Lythande's viewpoint, but one of Satan's friends, a woman after Lythande's own heart.)

i will always cherish this book, which i discovered in canberra. mzbradley had created an unforgettable sorcerer. i wish she could have written more books on the sorcerer's journeys before she passed away. mz's death is a great loss to both the science fiction and fantasy worlds. i strongly recommend this book. read it, feel the magic and remember marion zimmer bradley...forever..

The book has a great new introduction with additional stories and recipes. Makes for memorable reading about cafes, diners and other eateries that were once on the road and others that are on 66 today. Recipes work!

I originally bought the first edition of this fantastic book and had to buy the deluxe update as well. This book is truly fantastic. I spent a good part of last summer driving from Los Angeles to Missouri on old route 66 and this book was a welcome friend along the way (how many people plan trips with cookbooks in hand, I have no idea).

From the standpoint of the trip it was great to be able to find some of the same restaurants that my parents ate at 30+ years ago. The book is also full of menus, pictures and stories - and it's the stories that set the book apart. The stories about the restaurants and people along the way made the entire trip seem like visiting old friends.

The recipes are also second to none. I've tried over two dozen of the recipes and none have disapointed me so far. All of them are simple, tasty and relatively simple to make. You can't go wrong by using these recipes.

Finally, I love the changes from Chicago to Los Angeles in terms of the regional recipes offered. I've long been a fan of American regional cooking and this book, while not a "regional cookbook", shows a flair for the subtle changes in restaurant fare as you travel the mother road.

Every Route 66 traveler has memories - this book delighted me with stories of places I have stopped, dishes from the 50s, and great memories from waitresses, owners, customers, and home-town folks who talked about Route 66 eateries that are gone as well as food stops still open today. The recipes are reminiscent of the 50s although some come from the whole 66 era. Every time I drive the road there are changes. The author points this out and some of the people she interviewed are now deceased - but I'm glad their memories were saved - bet they were glad to reminisce. I found the book a delight! Glad Clark is a fellow Oklahoman.

I've read at least three of Marion Chesney's series of books and I presumed I would enjoy this one. But after reading the first two books--which, by the way, have the same plot--I was disappointed. The stories simply were not as exciting or well-thought-out as those in her other series, such as The Travelling Matchmaker. A friend told me she found Marion Chesney dull. If this is where she began, no wonder.

This story is so refreshing and the subsequent volumes keep you highly entertained, due to the author's remarkable ability in maintaining intrigue in this story of the loss of the childhood home of the six Beverley sisters. As the eldest, Isabella is chosen to court the roguish gambler Mr.Judd, the new owner. Her parents and sisters have no sympathy for her and encourage this horrible man's attentions. So, will she swallow her pride and go for the handsome Lord Fitzpatrick? Doubtful, Lord Fitzpatrick fears Isabella can never love a man as she does her home.

I accidentally came across this book in our library because of the lovely pencil illustration on the cover, and was surprised at the carefully drawn out character of a young self-centered woman who realizes that external possessions/position do not always a happy/person make. I loved this book!. It is clean, emphasizing relationships, and the dialogues both spoken and in thought are really funny and insightful. I was touched and felt honored to have come across a book as honest, sweet and full of self-discovery as this. I recommend this book highly!!! I wish they would take it out of the out of print section! LeeAkiko

I picked this book up on a whim, intriged, I must confess, by the gorgeous cover.

Inside I found more beautiful photos and interesting text. The celebrity names and jewels did not really interest me nearly as much as the stories about the jewelry designers who were featured.

As another reviewer said, the book had some fascinating pieces of information about jewelry design and designers. I especially liked reading about the Art Deco "artists", as that is a style I have always admired, whether it be furnishings, art, or jewelry.

As lovely as this book is, it left me yearning for more detailed information, which I shall try to find elsewhere.....But it sure was pretty to look at!

Penny Proddow and Marion Fasel have again produced a superb and detailed overview of jewelry--this time concentrating on jewelry designers themselves. "Bejeweled" is chock-full of gorgeous photographs and fascinating nuggets of information about specific jewelry designers. I was astonished to read that many of them couldn't even draw a straight line--they considered themselves first and foremost, for the most part, idea people and left it to underlings to actually draw the jewelry.

It's fascinating to see how these ideas evolved. Salvador Dali, interested in making hard materials seem soft and vice versa, produced some splendid jewelry which examined these paradoxes. Harry Winston produced his first "holly wreath" diamond necklace after noticing that a Christmas wreath on a door combined beautifully circular, marquise, and pear shapes. Art Deco designers like Fouquet and Sandoz were determined to incorporate materials not typically used in jewelry, and in their pursuit created astonishing pieces which used frosted crystal, wood, rubber and other unusual materials with cool assurance.

The only problem is that the promise of the subtitle ("Great Designers, Celebrity Style") really doesn't deliver--aside from a handful of photos of Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, and Gwyneth Paltrow, we see practically nothing of the jewelry worn by celebrities. Still, if your interest lies mainly in the designers, this is the book you want.

If you like jewelry and history and appreciate lovely photographs, you'll love this book. It's filled with beautiful pictures of jewelry by famous designers -- often worn by celebrities. Clearly a lot of research went into the book, and many of the stories surrounding the designers are fascinating.

I still have yet to find the ultimate text for use with anatomy. The Moore volume is probably the best to use as your main text when taking either undergrad anatomy or gross. As with any anatomy text - you will always need supplemental resources - esp. if you are taking gross anatomy. The selection that I had always found useful in the past was the triple combo of Moore's text, Grant's dissector, and Netter's Atlas. With these three you have essentially everything you need for taking gross anatomy - the embryology texts that are usually used for gross anatomy vary, but often contain the same exact info - I feel that is a more individual choice.

I find the Moore text to be very concise - drawings are clear and well labled - good discussion questions at the end of chapters - and the book is very well laid out, esp. in the always intense "head and neck". I highly recommend this volume.

Dear Web-rider, This book has a incredible text and the clinical topics are too, but the pictures are dificult to associate with the practise classes and to read the text.

This book has been recommended by two Family Nurse Practitioners.

Fans of ghost stories and horror fiction can't go wrong with this collection, which includes "The Upper Berth"--perhaps the best ghost story ever written. Crawford was one of the finest writers in this genre, and was tremendously popular in his day (though, ironically, not for his ghost stories--he wrote some 44 romantic/realist novels between 1890 and 1909.)

There IS one huge flaw in this White Wolf edition, however. The final story, "The King's Messenger," is missing the ending--the last page to be exact. It's not Crawford's best by any stretch of the imagination, so you're not missing much, but it's still a nuisance. Still, you can't beat the price, which makes this collection more than worthwhile.

Surely, this compilation has to be a Victorian classic in the same vein as Lovecraft's Cthulu Mythos. I found Crawford's style truly unique, which ranged from the blood-curdling of "The Upper Berth" and "Man Overboard!" to the moving of "The Ghost Doll". This was really enjoyable and fans of Gothic and Victorian certainly would not want to miss this.

This collection of F. Marion Crawford's blood-curdling short stories is well worth tracking down. Though all of the stories are worth great merrit, there are a few in particular that need to be highlighted. "For The Blood Is The Life" is one of the absolute best tales of the folkloric vampire of tradition - yet Crawford puts a unique and eerie Romantic spin on things, which enables the story to still strike contemporary readers. "The Dead Smile" dreadfully builds to a gruesome climax with the protagonist's unforgettable descent into an ancestral crypt - a purely horrorific physical description that foreshadowed the work of Lovecraft. "The Screaming Skull" is a spine-chilling tale of a man who innocently and unintentionally inspires his friend to murder his wife. But nightly, her vengeful frigid shrieking from beyond the grave reminds him of his folly. And finally, the strange happenings in an accursed room aboard a ship is the focus of "The Upper Berth," which was admirably praised by Lovecraft as "one of the most tremendous horror stories in all literature" and though not as haunting as the other works, it is definitely a great tale.

Crawford's plots are well-structured, the writing is easy to digest and is demanding on the readers emotions and threshold for fear, rather than on their patience. His restrained style of seductive evil is classy and very effective, and is more akin to J.S. Le Fanu's subtle creeping terrors than to Lovecraft's more cosmic and direct approaches. Whatever the case, this is classic horror that will be treasured by casual enthusiasts and scholars of the genre alike.

I discovered the Daughters of Mannerling quite by accident in the library one day, and got hook. I was worried about how this author would end her series, but the end makes everyone happy, with a slight shiver.

Lizzie Mannerling, the youngest of the sisters and the only unmarried one, is her mother, Lady Beverly's last hope to keeping the family house. When Gervase, the Duke of Sevenshire arrives to speak with his aunt, who is serving as a governess, Beverly sees her chance. If Lizzie marries the eligible bachelor, who has just purchased the house and seeks an aristocratic wife, the house remaisn with the family.

There are three things wrong with Beverly's plan. The first is that Lizzie will only marry for love of a man, not a house. The second is that Gervase plans to make his own selection and Lizzie is not in the running. The third problem is the gothic house itself which seems opposed to any union between Lizzie and Gervase. So what's mother to do, simple interfere, matchmake, and pray that the two of them realize that they have a chance for a lifetime of love.

The sixth and final installment in Marion Chesney's "Daughters of Mannerling" is a beautiful Regency romance. The lead protagonists are brilliantly written characters, but it is the myriad of eccentric yet extremely interesting secondary players that make THE HOMECOMEING, like its five predecessors in their particular years, into one of the top Regencies of this year.

Harriet Klausner

This was my first book from Marion Chesney. An old-fashioned romance that is engaging and concise. I am hooked.

Very reminiscent of Daphne DuMaurier's House On The Strand. But still quite good. I liked the psychology in this book and the conflict any good psychologist goes through while struggling with what is reality vs. fiction.

An imaginitive story, this tale questions reality as we know it. As Fenton uses an experimental drug for a psychology study, he finds himself leaving his body to enter another world. But is it real, or is this drug causing him to lose his mind? Detailed arguments about the nature of reality are expressed in this book. The author has certainly done her research in the field of parapsychology, and combines this modern study with her extensive knowledge of celtic mythology. The plot is captivating and the details are rich, but characters can sometimes be shallow and predictable. Overall, a worthy read for any fantasy lover.

This was the first Marion Zimmer Bradley book that I read. I was fascinated with the way she blended the different 'worlds'. It is a very well written book and kept me captivated to the end. I am not a fantasy game player but even though this was part of the story, it didn't put me off. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and went on to read The Mist of Avalon series.