The unusual courtship and marriage of a young man struggling to achieve his dreams and an independant, wealthy young woman who wrestles with her love for him and her father's disapproval and attempts to control her life. Very well written, and gets the flavor of small town Southern society just right

This book oozes southern charm. The characters are very realistic and well written down to even the most minor characters. These people are real, as a southener, I know these people. This book is definitely a keeper!
The reader will love this layed back southern charmer, Billy Bob Walker.

If you get the chance to buy this book do it and be prepared to keep it in your keeps library. I have it and I read over and over it is one of the best written romances I have found. The only negative is that the author doesn't seem to be producing anymore books I keep watching and I haven't seen anything from her in 2 years.

This is another good book for the Forgotten Realms line. Detailing the most famous of the (semi) secret societies. Also included are Harper NPC's the complete and slightly boring history of the Harpers, and other fun stuff. A must have for any Forgotten Realms DM.

This book is a must have for any game based in the Forgotten Realms setting.

This is one of the most coveted AD&D supplements of all time. Providing the in-depth source material for the incomparable Harpers, this 128-page book provides exclusive information on: the Code and its profound implications, the complete history of the Harpers, ways and powers of the Master Harpers, profiles on the most powerful Masters, lots of complete stats on famous characters, the High Heralds, allies and secrets, the famous, ever-veiled Haunts, new magic and spells, new magical treasures, nemeses, ballads, a new monster, and much more. This book has an unparalleled reputation for excellence - if you can, find out why!

This textbook is an excellent introduction to anyone who wishes to study ecology in an academic context.I have found it very useful in my undergraduate studies.

Begon's book is the best way to get a serious handle on the complexities of ecology. This book attempts no dumbing down and gives more resources than could ever be used in a lifetime.
The explanations given for basic concepts are unique and cannot be found anywhere else. For example, this book makes a clear point about the relationship between evolution and ecology. Chapter One starts off with a discussion of natural selection that is unique; seems that one must rely on an ecologist for a full understanding of evolution. Begon suggests that the word abaptation be used to describe the match that most organisms display with their environment because that word carries with it the historical meaning that is left out of the picture when the word adaptation is used to descirbe the match between organism and environment.
All important areas of ecology are covered; population dynamics, energy in communities and biological diversity. Again, I have yet to see, after having examined several major publishers' offerings, a better book for either someone just getting started in ecology or a person already well versed in the topic.

An exelent book, covering almost any area of ecology. Lot's of useful references. An essential book for any ecologist.

"Flesh and Gold" is an amazing SciFi novel. Phyllis Gotlieb has used her poetic style to create an atmospheric story with the pacing of a crime novel. It tells the stories of such a variety of beings, humaniod and other, with such insight into character...something unexpected in most SciFi books. There's Skerow, a naive, gilled lizard woman, her opal sucking pet, an amphibious eel-tailed mer-woman called Kobai, psychic slugs given mobility in elaborate carapaces made of gold, silver and copper called Lyhhrt, and humanoid futuristic gladiators both male and female. The planet on which they have imprisoned themselves is as much a character as any of these aliens. A truly fantastic book by a little known though prolific author.

As a satisfied customer I'd like to thank you kindly for including my own book in your list of recommendations for me. I can say without reservation that after three years of hard work wwriting it I have already read it many times.

Yours faithfully

Phyllis Gotlieb

Several admirable plot synopses have already been provided above, so I'll try to stay away from a summary. But I will say that "Flesh and Gold" is an excellent book: as science fiction, as a mystery, as a novel with real and believable characters. Set in the same future universe as Gotlieb's "A Judgement of Dragons" and its sequels, the story features an amazing array of aliens and humans whose environment is as fantastic as the characters themselves. Skerow is a Khagodi, a telepathic saurian whose world's atmosphere is so thin that all its stars can be seen in the daytime; she works as a circuit judge on Fthel V, otherwise known as Starry Nova, which is a seedy flash-brilliant world full of crime and entirely fascinating. Kobai is a "delphine," a kind of mer-woman bred as a gold-finding slave in the seas of Khagodis...without the knowledge of the Khagodi government. The Lyhhrt are protoplasmic lumps who build themselves intricate workshells of precious metals; the Praximfi change shape as part of their religious rituals; determining the gender of a Pinxin gives the studious reader a headache. The human characters are no less compelling. Ned Gattes, a professional gladiator and part-time GalFed agent, gets stuck with the role of hero-in-spite-of-himself; yet he's not a stock character by any means, but as fully-fleshed as Skerow or Kobai or even Skerow's bottled-brain ancestors who have gone a bit nuts as a result of their immortal confinement but are still willing to give their great-great-great-granddaughter a helping hand.

The true test of any book is whether or not it can hold up under a second reading. So far "Flesh and Gold" has taken two readings without hurt and I expect a third will be equally as good. This is a special kind of book. Gotlieb does not write science fiction about gadgetry; there is no "gimmick" to the story. Nor are the characters a framework to hang the mystery on; that has no trick to it either. Phyllis Gotlieb writes intricate fiction about people-and whether they are human, saurian, or robotic, she makes them real. And that makes it good.

No anthology of United States literature is going to be ideal for every student, teacher, or general reader. But "The Harper Single Volume American Literature," under the general editorship of Donald McQuade, is probable the best overall anthology of its kind. Weighing in at about 3000 pages, this is a huge gathering of American voices. The third edition of this text includes some major changes.

The anthology starts out with such foundational texts as Native American myths, an excerpt from an Icelandic saga about the discovery of the New World, and writings of Christopher Columbus. There follows a good sampling of 17th century Colonial literature. From there, the anthology moves chronologically to the contemporary era.

There is a great diversity of material here: poetry, autobiography, letters, speeches, short stories, excerpts from novels, plays, political documents, and more. The authors chosen represent the ethnic diversity of the U.S.: there are Asian American, African American, Native American, Jewish, Latino/a, and other voices. There is a good balance of male and female authors, and an interesting representation of lesbian and gay literature (most notably the first part of Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America"). Through it all, most of the great names in U.S. literature appear.

There are informative introductions to each of the book's separate sections. Also fascinating are the several "Cultural Portfolios" scattered throughout the book. These are gatherings of texts and (in most cases) images that reflect a focused theme: the Salem witch trials, the Harlem Renaissance, etc. The most interesting of these Cultural Portfolios, in my opinion, is the one entitled "Who Is an American Writer?" This portfolio questions why some writers are "excluded" from the "canon" on the basis of birthplace, citizenship, or language in which they write; the portfolio includes examples of the writings of Vladimir Nabokov, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Maria Irene Fornes, Bharati Mukherjee, and others.

As excellent as this anthology is, there are some flaws. There is a virtual exclusion of important science fiction authors. Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Ursula LeGuin, Ray Bradbury, Samuel Delany: neither these nor any of the other great sci-fi writers appear. The neglect of this important genre is lamentable.

I also question the inclusion of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in its entirety. This book is a pivotal masterpiece, but it is widely available in a number of inexpensive additions. I would have used the space in the anthology to include a variety of other works by Twain and other authors, and let interested teachers order a copy of "Huckleberry" separately.

Despite its flaws, this is a truly outstanding anthology. If you have a serious interest in the literature and history of the United States, I recommend that you get this book.

This is a nice collection for the 21st century, including lots of new voices while still maintaining enough of the canon for a good survey course. It's a big, heavy book (for a paperback) that might have been easier to read in two volumes, but as far as content goes, this one has Norton's beat by miles.

but this is undoubtedly the best Anthology of American Literature available, if only because of the sheer variety and bulk of literature contained in it. As an added plus, there's background information on every author contained in the book. The writing varies from Columbus's diaries to late 20th century poetry, so there's something to interest everyone. All in all, it's a wonderful buy for the price.

To Kill a Mocking Bid is definitely one of the best books in American history. It clearly describes the unjust discrimination against the blacks in the south in the 1930's. It taught me alot about racism in the south. I really admire Atticus Finch, the main character in this novel, he stepped up to defend a black man despite losing all his friends and reputation.

Here in Duluth everybody in town is supposed to be reading Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," and there are all sorts of literary discussions, dramatic events, and the like going on all month long. In addition to rereading the novel, which is probably my favorite in American Literature, I have been looking over the various study guides available. Barron's "Literature Made Easy" guides are based on "modern scientific knowledge of how the brain works," which means not only using pictures and graphics, but unique "mind maps" that summarize details students need to learn. The idea with these is that you use them to take notes and develop a personal outline of your thoughts about the character and plot of the novel which branch out from a central point. Now, this might look a bit intimidating to me, but the goal is to build simple chains of key associations regarding what is happening in a novel and what it means. Ah, the joys of 21st century education.

This book, written by Mary Hartley, also makes use of icons for key themes from Harper Lee's novel: growing up is a cake, courage is a heart, racial prejudice a face half black and half white, etc. A typewriter is used to highlight commentary about Lee's choice of words and imagery (i.e., style and language). These icons pop up during the commentary section so that students can trace the develop and interaction of the various themes. The guide begins with some background on the author and the time in which "To Kill a Mockingbird" is set, followed by a synopsis, a discussion of the main characters, and an overview of the main themes of the novel.

The commentary section breaks each chapter into sections. For example, Chapter 1 is broken down into The start of it all, Atticus and the Finch family, Dill's arrival, Boo and the Radleys, and "Just go up and touch the house." Each section starts with the first and last sentence that define it, followed by a list of what happens in that part, commentary, and questions marked with stars which young readers are supposed to stop and think about. In comparison to similar study guides, such as Cliffsnotes, this approach has the key values of inviting active participation from the readers and dealing with more discrete units within each chapter. The little pieces add up to some significant whole without the students realizing what is going on.

The back of the book has Topics for Discussion and Brainstorming, suggestions on How to Get an "A" in English Literature (which probably translates to American Lit as well), an Exam Essay, a Model Answer and Essay Plan, Glossary and Index. My feeling is that this book is geared more towards junior high students, which is fine since that was the grade level at which I taught "To Kill a Mockingbird." Teachers can certainly find some useful things to emphasize in class discussions, even if students are not using the guide. Other volumes in the "Literature Made Easy Series" look at "Animal Farm," "Julius Caesar," "Lord of the Flies," "MacBeth," "Of Mice and Men," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Romeo and Juliet."

Great life lessons, on racism and hate. It makes you sympathetic towards the outsiders.

If you are looking for a sweet love story with some angst and heartbreak, this book is for you.
Kate Blakely is a widow of 6 months with a 8 year old daughter. She is trying to make ends meet on her farm since her husband has gone missing. But she is finally free since her husband was a religious fanatic who was abusive to Kate and their daughter Mandy for years, mainly because Kate was too beautiful and a woman.
Zacariah McGovern moves next to her on is own homestead and notices the lovely widow and Mandy right away. At times Zach is a little to dark and angst filled but still understanding and wanting to help Kate whenever he can. But Kate wants nothing to do with him. She has secrets such as what really happened to her husband and his brother Ryan who becomes as fanatical as her husband was. He wants to marry Kate who refuses, but if she doesn't do what he wants, he will take away Mandy. Kate has to try to keep Mandy away from harm and herself while battling her new feelings for Zach.
Things comes to a head between Zach and Kate which moves the story along. The love scenes are minimal but in a way that mkaes sense and shows how two damaged people can grow and rely on each other.
If you are an Anderson fan and like Americana themed books, check out this book that was one of her firsts.

This is her best work. It's the only book I ever finished, and then immediately reread - the same day. Excellent. You can still find it in some libraries.

This book will touch from the beginning until the end. I have read it several times, and when anyone asks me if I have a book they can read, this is the one I suggest. Hopefully you can find a copy somewhere, I loan mine, but it is a permanent part of my library.

This is not really a 'diary' of lillie Langtry. Lillie's life (and her real-life acting tours across the USA) is used as a literary conceit to put together a series of biographies of contempoaray 'famous' american women.

A lot of these women had quite significant achievements in their lifetime, but I had never heard of them before.

While I found their lives interesting I was dissapointed to see how little the author developed Lillie's Life story. Beware of the 'other rememberances' in this book's title, because they, not lillie, take up the bulk of the book.

Buy this if you are interested in a series of biographies on dis-seperate, but ground breaking women - don't buy it if you want an interesting book on Lillie Langtry, because in the end it's not really about her, despite the title.

I was greatly surprised at the approach Ms. Harper took with this book. Lillie has been written about for a very long time and her own biography has been of great enjoyment. The lady traveled extensively which gives credence to the stories in this book, put together in a novel form by Ms. Harper. Lillie did in fact meet the likes of Bat Masterson, the Moon sisters et al. Harper has taken archival files and pieced together the lady's life well. Her attempt at purchasing a huge piece of property outside of Middletown, CA was a flash in the pan, compared to recent stories and Harper puts it together honestly.
Yes, the book is about women and Lillie is the linkpin. It's worth the read and very much worth keeping on your shelf.

Reads like an exciting anthology of short stories. Ms. Langtry shines as a real heroine of her time. And all the traveling she did on horseback, carriage and boat must have consumed her spare time. Very much worth the read.

I thought this book was kinda boring when I first started reading it. But as I progressed in reading it I realize it was good. I felt Jennifer Blake's pain. I know that happens in alot of family's so basically it was a real life situation. I would recommend this book to any and evrybody who enjoys mysteries and suspense novels.

I was not only beguiled by this novel, I was lost within it. Whitney has once again won my heart! A favorite, along with "The singing stones".

As any Phyllis Whitney fan knows, her work is very thorough and researched. "Feather on the Moon" is no exception. It grips you from the very beginning. The reader immediately begins to emphatize with Jennifer and the loss of her child whether you have children or not!

Whitney weaves her gothic magic upon us as we decipher good and evil, willing and wrongful -- all the way through to the end. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, but there are so many false turns and twists that you're not sure until the last chapter. Once again Whitney gives us the suspense we have come to crave and expect from her. This is such a excellent read!

-book is a little below my expectances, but still attend my needs; -english-portuguese section a little poor in the contends: i thought it would be richer with 80000 entries.

I have to agree with Luis Hernández on the quality of this dictionary. This is the one I use at home! At work I use Random House Webster's pocket Portuguese dictionary (0-679-40060-5) as well as Collins Gem Portuguese dictionary (0-00-472409-7), both of which are fine dicionários-mirins in their own right!

Simply the best Portuguese-English dictionary on the market, Harper-Collins' Portuguese-English dictionary is simply the best one out on the market. Although it is no longer published, the dictionary offers the best coverage on Portuguese vocabulary, grammar, and structure that other famous foreign-language dictionaries such as Lagenscheidt and Oxford have never been able to grasp. The book, which is in a condensed collegiate edition, is great in its' classification of use (e.g. it distinguishes words used in Brazil vs. those used in Portugal), and the book's overall design is excellent. If you need the best Portuguese-English dictionary on the market, my two suggestions is to (1) write to Harper-Collins and request them to release a new edition, or (2) go through an out-of-print book service that might be able to locate a copy for you. I guarantee that you'll love this dictionary when compared with all the rest on the market.