Kit Carson is one of my favorite historical figures and this is my favorite book about him. Carter republishes and annotates Carson's laconic autobiography of adventures as a fur trapper, mountain man, indian fighter, soldier, and explorer. Carson went from being an illiterate saddlers's apprentice in 1825 to one of the famous men in America by the end of his life in 1868. A small, unprepossessing man, he never learned to read or write, never made any money, and was modest, even ashamed of his fame. Arguably, Carson lived through more adventures than anyone else in American history.

Carter admires his subject which is good because Kit Carson is sometimes portrayed these days as a monstrous genocidiare because of his role in defeating the Navajos and forcing them to move to a reservation on which many of them died. In reality, Carson was a relatively humane soldier who often defended the rights of the Indians and who became a good agent on their behalf. But, unlettered and overly impressed by the authority, judgments, and education of his superiors, Carson didn't possess the moral courage and confidence to challenge his orders to suppress the Navajos.

Carter's research into Carson's life is thorough. He employs the unusual technique of publishing Carson's autobiography as written and commenting on it in extensive footnotes. Some might find this irritating as your eyes must move from text to footnote constantly. Carter also publishes a large collection of photographs of Carson, examines his fame, and extolls his virtues.

To my mind, Kit Carson is the premier hero of the western expansion of the U.S. Carter's book is one of the most accurate and well-researched accounts of Carson's remarkable life.

This is a readable and scholarly work that should be part ofthe library of anyone who is an aficionado of the Old West. This bookexplained to me not only who Kit Carson was, but why he was significant. Although the author makes a good case for why Carson can be considered a hero, he also doesn't shy away from commenting on the man's mistakes. The biography seemed thoughtful, balanced, clear, concise, and thoroughly researched. Moreover, this book is particularly special because, in addition to the author's biography, it contains the complete text of Kit Carson's own autobiography, along with biographer Carter's helpful annotations to it. There are also some photos giving the biography and autobiography an added dimension. Two more points: Carson's life is exciting-- he was a mountain man, an explorer, a scout, a cavalry officer, and more! Also, this biography is only about ten years old, so you know that Carter is basing his inferences on fairly reliable, up-to-date research! All in all, I'd say that whether you're a novice or an expert on the subject, if you had to read or own just one book about Kit Carson, this should be it.

Different colored eggs on each page lift up to reveal the bugs in different costumes but the last page made me gasp as a beautiful Easter basket pops up by itself.Little bugs dangle from the handleof the basket filled with more delightful bugs. the child is then asked how many bugs he or she`found which encourages more careful observation of each page. This book is a real winner and a great bargain for the low price for a new book. Buy it now for next EAster because you will love it as much as your child. A three year old child who loves and respects books can handle this one alone but for the younger child, put it up to be read by an older child or adult. You don't find bargains like this one very often.

We received this book as a gift and both my 15 month old and four and a half year old loved it. It has very colorful pop outs,with a nice surprise at the end. The easter bunny must get this one.

Thomas Eakins is one of those artists that you're probably not familiar with but whose works are immediately recognizable. Despite his great skill as a painter, which is evident in the beautifully reproduced plates, he was unappreciated and his work was mostly ignored in his lifetime. Never discouraged, he continued producing controversial (and stunning) works that were years ahead of their time.

But it is Eakins' private (and sometimes not so private) life that makes this book a real page-turner. Being an art instructor teaching nude drawing to boys and girls in Victorian-era Philadelphia put Eakins in a moral minefield in which he, naively or willfully, chose to run and dance through.

It would have been easy to make a soap opera of Eakins' biography (he certainly provided enough script) but Alice Carter tells his story with sympathy and compassion. In much the same way that Eakins painted his portraits, she skillfully selects the personal details and human touches that capture the subject's personality. Highly recommended.

Alice Carter has written an extremely informative and wonderfully
entertaining book for Abrams. The Essential Series has added a 'must have' volume to its library. I was completely surprised to find a thoroughly detailed and revealing biography in this handy format.
Eakins' prolific output and tumultuous teaching career is perfectly documented by Carter with care, compassion, and, when appropriate, quite humorously. Carter has done an excellent job distilling a very complicated life of one of America's finest painters and art teachers.
The reproductions of Eakins' drawings, paintings, and photographs
couldn't be better. Congratulations to Carter and thanks to Abrams, this is a fine book at a great price. I think the ever critical Eakins would have agreed.

The son of a powerful family rapes Carmen. A Murderer lurks. Friends band together to help Carmen relaim the life that was taken by her ex-boyfriend. Carmen and her rapist must meet again to uncover the maker of death threats. In this heartfelt drama of friendships, revenge, divorce and personal growth...murders are statements. Carmen, once a shy girl, must embrace the wrath and find out the truth about her family, friends, and how far she will go to make things right.

"Can only be likened to your favorite movies. Similar ones are A Long Kiss Good Night, Beaches, G. I. Jane, Love Jones, Basic Instinct, or Love & Basketball. Exciting and interesting--definitely a page turner. The best way to enjoy the pleasure of reading and movies all at once. I see sequel material...everyone has loved the pre-read of The EX-FACTOR. I'm sure it will be one of your favorites." I am the Managing Editor of Urban Knights, a subdivision of Sire Publishing Company, and I enjoyed the pre-read so much that I'm buying a handful as gifts to my female friends!

Extraordinary Girls exposes you to the wonderful world of girls by introducing the reader to a variety of young women who are doing extraordinary things all over the world. A great book for any girl. Also, this would be a great supplementary book for use in a social studies class, or any class dealing with diversity and world studies.

Girls Can! Girls Do! If you have a daughter, have friends with daughters, or volunteer to help with girls' organizations, get this book and ask them to take a look. Before you know it, they'll have read it from cover to cover. With a smile. "Extraordinary Girls" is . . . extraordinary. It is inspiring. It shows girls how their peers around the world have set goals for themselves, then have achieved or exceeded those goals -- how they have made their mark on the people around them.

Parents, friends, counselors -- and girls -- should read this book.

j. lewis

I find it difficult to describe the appeal of this in a few short sentences - like Carter's other work it is fabulous, provoking and sexually charged. Here again are her enduring themes - domination and transformation ('Master'), the ultimately desireable loss of innocence ('Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest'), and forays into the dark, folk-tale regions she has navigated with such effect in past works.

They are described as 'pieces' and justly so; but pieces that are remarkable, fascinating and lose nothing for their brevity and strangeness.

Yes: in FIREWORKS, Angela Carter manages to tell stories dealing with Japan, medieval torture tactics, incest, gender-bending, and mirrors (LOTS of mirrors). It's a beautiful book...only a glimpse into her imagination and only a small taste of her bizarre politics. And, as she explains in her afterward, these stories are not stories, but "pieces," "tales"--a nod to Poe or even to the Brothers Grimm. This is a very unusual--and rewarding--collection of writings.

The word BORING is what usually comes to mind when I read textbooks for my classes. They are not something I look forward to because I typically drift off into never-never-land. Usually they're missing some dynamic, and as a result they just don't seem to capture my attention.

However, this textbook sparked a DIFFERENT reaction in me. First off, I found the futures and opinions market interesting and the material in the textbook easy to understand. It was teeming with examples and diagrams that enhanced my grasp on the fundamentals behind the market. Unlike other textbooks, I found that I ENJOYED the reading. In particular, I enjoyed the numerous real-world applications provided in the boxes throughout the chapters.

I believe the greatest asset in this book are these real-world applications like: how price movements in the orange juice markets market could forecast freezing temperatures better than the U.S. National Weather service, to the enormous role hedging plays for the airline industries. By intertwining stimulating examples into the required nitty-gritty, it held my attention. I thought reading this textbook was both educational and FUN. It sparked in me a new-found enthusiasm in futures and opinions.

An outstanding introduction to futures and options markets, clear, concise and bursting with examples and current issues and controversies. Unlike most futures and options textbooks this text focuses on all types of assets - commodity, financial, energy etc. The book's blend between theory and applications and examples is outstanding. The applications, which are an intergral part of each chapter makes this a must for students and established researchers who want to gain a full understanding of the current state of the futures and options industry.

Get up early in the dark, quiet morning, and join the workers traveling to the worksite. It's time to "get to work, trucks!" There are big trucks and little trucks, busy all day, and hard at work. Meet the loader and the dump truck. Watch the digger dig a deep hole, and the bulldozer push dirt into other holes. The cement mixer is hard at work mixing and mixing. The crane lifts beams high in the sky, and the roller flattens the road on the ground. And as a special treat, see if you can find the visitor on each page who just can't get enough of heavy equipment.... Don Carter's simple, descriptive text, written in short sentences, is kept to a minimum. The real story is told through his bold, bright, and busy, eye-popping illustrations. Each two page spread dazzles with vivid color, texture, energy, and humor, and little ones will be itching to hop aboard the dump truck, or maybe the bulldozer, or crane, and get right to work. Perfect for preschoolers, Get To Work Trucks is an engaging and informative little gem of a book, that's sure to become an instant favorite at your house.

Using acrylic paint, foam board and plaster to create his colorful illustrations, the artist and author has created an entertaining look at the heavy equipement needed to build a bridge. Each double-paged spread has one or two sentences describing the action. A turtle who gets in the way of the construction workers is never mentioned, but provides humorous visual action in the story. Although the illustrations appear bold and simple, there is enough detail to invite close inspection of each picture. This will work very well as a book for a child to look at alone, and for use in group sharing, such as storytime.

This book is amusing and painlessly informative, and the art is really great. But I like the recipes best. They work like a charm; follow them and you and your guests will be eating like the royalty of old.

GLUTTONY: More is More is for everyone who has ever eaten, dieted, binged or indulged a secret passion for Mallomars. Filled with stories of great banquets, diet fads and gustatory anecdotes of the rich and famous, it also includes recipes adapted from historical cookbooks, as well as some of the funniest and most gorgeous classical artwork of people enjoying their food. A sinful delight from cover to cover!

...This is the only one you'll ever need.

Well, sort of. Hattie Carter's "Great Cooking Ideas," this phone book-sized MONSTER is FILLED BEYOND BELIEF with easy-to-make appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, stews, desserts, beverages, breads and tons of other things ... Quite a selection, considering this is probably the ugliest cookbook I've ever seen.

First released in the 1970s, the book itself is deceiving -- It looks like it could have been found thrown in a bin at Woolworth's, right next to the dollar crossword/word search books. It, literally, looks like a GIANT coloring book (that is, the 1978 edition, which I own). Black ink on colored newsprint, funky clip-art-like illustrations, using a simple LARGE Helvetica/Univers as the font (each recipe takes up 1-2 pages, 574 pages total) this collection is more utilitarian than anything else.

But the recipes -- this is the gold.

Just about everything I've tried -- from the German Meat Balls to the Jambalaya to the Sukiyaki came out great. Expertly seasoned, even "secret" ingredients (like chocolate in the Mexican Chili) and complete dinner serving suggestions are included. Ever try a new recipe from a new cookbook and it just doesn't work? These all nail it. Chicken with Olives is my favorite (and I add a bit more olives than the recipe calls for) and the Italian Beef Stew served with polenta leaves an aroma in the kitchen that just makes you want to devour your supper (remember to use a good quality sausage!).

I occasionally see old beat-up copies of this book -- in thrift or antique stores -- and my advice is: if you can snag a copy, grab it. Backorder this one today -- if you love cooking, there's something inside for everyone. You won't be disappointed.

I LOVE this cookbook. The recipes are the best. It is my favorite cookbook.