My friend gave me this book about 10 years ago. I had hoped that there was a newer edition out. I think every breeder should have this book on hand. It tells you everything you need to know about what to do if there is a problem with foaling. Easy to understand drawings of foal's positions and details about what to do if there is a problem. This could be a life saver if you ever have a problem. You don't have time to read and try to figure out what they are talking about. The pictures say it all and tell you how to reposition the foal and when to get the vet to do it. Many helpful feeding information charts on hays and grains, what size to expect your horse to grow up to be, lots of information of potential diseases, how to handle your new foal, feeding your nursing mare. Etc. Well worth the money.

This is an excellent source of information for breeding horses. It gives terrific information on stallion and broodmare management. It also gives information on diseases affecting the reproductive system in both mares and stallions. The foal development part of the book is also very informative and interesting. It discusses the different stages of foal development from the time of conception to the time of birth.

This is a great book that deals with all the aspects of owning/operating a breeding farm. There is more to professional breeding than having a few ponies in the backyard. I especially found the cost analyses and tax examples very useful.

This book is excellent. It is written at a level for the new 4-her to understand, yet detailed and advanced enough for the Veterinary Medicine student to use in her studies! I have owned this book for 11 years and it is my favorite. It helps the owner to understand ailments, anatomy, treatments, etc. Well worth the price!

GREAT book, very informative. Every horseowner should have as many of this series as possible. Will be ordering more of the books in the series. Definately a must have. Can't say enough!...

The book was easy to understand . It made it so I the reader would be interested in what it had to say. It is the best book you can buy to learn about horses.

Nancy Dixon has done a very good job of piecing together the experiences of those of her ancestors who came among the Palatine Germans around 1710, to upstate New York. This is not a general work of genealogy with passenger lists and lists of families, but is more specific to her own clan. This in no way takes away from the book as her history may be extrapolated to cover the experiences of many of the Palatine families who were in similar straits. Nancy knows when she can take the liberty of poetic description, and has not turned this book into historical fiction. It is a decent work of history, and if you have Palatine roots, I strongly recomend it.

A formal review of this book appears in the January, 1996, issue of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register

In his seventh novel, David Wagoner strikes gold in more ways than one. The Road to Many a Wonder has been called "one of the funniest books in English," and "an irresistible comic romance," but these accolades don't do the book justice. The story of 20-year-old Ike Bender's trek to the Denver area during the 1859 Pike's Peak Gold Rush is more a story of the triumph of optimism and faith over overwhelming odds. It's only incidental that the author uses witty, appealingly humorous Western-style backwoods-sounding dialogue and verbal sketches to paint an accurate picture of Ike, his 16-year-old bride Millie, their adopted mule Mr. Blue and the characters they meet up with on their journey.

Through 500 miles of wild and perilous country, past fierce Indians and belligerent villains, Ike and Millie never stray from their upbeat, joyous goal: to be together, happy and prosperous-with gold or without it. With every step, the two young travelers face down the weary and spent faithless who are struggling to retreat.

Ike sums it up best as he describes his confrontation with an unfortunate fellow on the trail: "I didn't have no cause to fight and no time to spare for it, so I just left him behind, wasting his breath and not enjoying hisself or his surroundings, probably not even seeing the way the sun come wavering off and on across the sand and getting hisself all worked up worrying about somebody else getting the best of him. I vowed then and there I wasn't going to do nothing like that, but do my work and take my turn and prepare for the worst and hope for the best and manage with what come along."

This is a message young adults today should hear and ponder. In today's tough world where money means everything and the race is on for who can sprint up the ladder fastest and farthest, students need to be reminded that the joy is in the living, not in the getting.

David Wagoner's heart-warming, upbeat tale of strong faith and love in the face of despair is a top-notch teaching tool. The key to reaching kids today is to make them think they discovered a fabulous new road to take on their own. An invisible push from you and David Wagoner will surely help.

In his seventh novel, David Wagoner strikes gold in more ways than one. The Road to Many a Wonder has been called "one of the funniest books in English," and "an irresistible comic romance," but these accolades don't do the book justice. The story of 20-year-old Ike Bender's trek to the Denver area during the 1859 Pike's Peak Gold Rush is more a story of the triumph of optimism and faith over overwhelming odds. It's only incidental that the author uses witty, appealingly humorous Western-style backwoods-sounding dialogue and verbal sketches to paint an accurate picture of Ike, his 16-year-old bride Millie, their adopted mule Mr. Blue and the characters they meet up with on their journey.

Through 500 miles of wild and perilous country, past fierce Indians and belligerent villains, Ike and Millie never stray from their upbeat, joyous goal: to be together, happy and prosperous-with gold or without it. With every step, the two young travelers face down the weary and spent faithless who are struggling to retreat.

Ike sums it up best as he describes his confrontation with an unfortunate fellow on the trail: "I didn't have no cause to fight and no time to spare for it, so I just left him behind, wasting his breath and not enjoying hisself or his surroundings, probably not even seeing the way the sun come wavering off and on across the sand and getting hisself all worked up worrying about somebody else getting the best of him. I vowed then and there I wasn't going to do nothing like that, but do my work and take my turn and prepare for the worst and hope for the best and manage with what come along."

This is a message young adults today should hear and ponder. In today's tough world where money means everything and the race is on for who can sprint up the ladder fastest and farthest, students need to be reminded that the joy is in the living, not in the getting.

David Wagoner's heart-warming, upbeat tale of strong faith and love in the face of despair is a top-notch teaching tool. The key to reaching kids today is to make them think they discovered a fabulous new road to take on their own. An invisible push from you and David Wagoner will surely help.

You have got to read this book! If you like country music. You have got to read this book. If you like the weird side of country music then you have to read this book. Even if you think you know Porter Wagoner this book will give you information that will amaze you.

A rat nibbled part of his ear off when he was a child. He took the engagement ring pretty Miss Norma Jean threw back at him, when he refused to get a divorce, and had it made into a ring for Mel Tillis. He produced an album for preacher Tony Alamo on which Tony sings duets with his dead wife, who Tony had promised to raise from the dead. He brought James Brown to the Opry, and he performed country music to a disco beat. He pioneered the attempt to bring country music to crossover audiences.

This book is not yellow journalism. Based on solid research, some cooperation from Porter, and many interviews, Steve Eng simply tells the amazing story of Porter Wagoner's amazing life. If more of America read this book and knew the facts about Porter, he would take his rightful place as a premiere icon of country music in popular culture.

In here you will find the true story of Porter songs with cult followings like "The Rubber Room" and "George Leroy Chickashea". You'll also hear the unlikely story of his first big hit, "Satisfied Mind". Dolly Parton fans will find loads of information on her years with Porter.

As you can tell, I love this book. I can't imagine a better one being written, although I hope someday that Porter himself will release the autobiography which he has described as "too hot" to publish. But even then you will need this book.

Eng is a constantly provocative writer, with insights into popular culture that resonate far beyond the immediate subject. This is one of the best biographies ever written of a country music star.

This book is very exciting and interesting from from the begining to the end. It tells how Abigail almost dies as a child. She lived through the Revolution. Abigail also marrys the second President and is the mother of the sixth President.

If anything was left out, I can't imagine what. Anything and everything you would want to know about horse lameness. Easy, clear, consise reading, with hundreds of drawings and illustrations. An incredible source of information. Every horse owner should own one.

I found this book disappointing, especially after reading the rave reviews of others. This book tells the story of Harold Wagoner's bike ride from Seattle to New York. While I admire him for the adventure, most of the book is just reporting mileage, temperature,and meals. It is more a log book/journal than a travel story. We see little insight or growth from the author as he makes the trip and when it is offered, it is all Archie Bunker and bumper sticker slogans. By the end of the book, I was ready for the trip to be over.

I gather this book is published through the modern day version of a vanity press. There were some enjoyable moments and the author has writing talent. But jarring typo's, punctuation errors, and spell check errors like using "they're" for "there" reduce the enjoyment. He could have benefitted tremendously from the help of a good editor.

I don't think this book was worth the price.

This book tells the story of a man who rode his bicycle across the northern route of the U.S.,from Seattle to New York City. But it tells more. We are included in reminiscences of the authors early farm life as well as his apprection of nature. His narration takes us with him into headwinds, up incredible grades, and down hills with rewarding tailwinds. What comes out overall is this mans love of like and his country.

I thoroughtly enjoyed reading 28 Days Behind Bars. Wagoner knows how to bring things to life with words. It was as though I were right there with him throughout his tour.

I have been looking for a book about the Mormon culture that would be interesting to non-Mormons. I think that the Mormon culture is fascinating in its idiosyncrasies, and I have been excited for a long time at the prospect of someone writing a book about its idiosyncrasies.

Most Mormon literature that I have read is very preachy in nature. The climaxes have been that the protagonist realizes that the Mormonism is for him or her, and the main struggle has been about whether or not Mormonism is true. While this can be a good subject, it is entirely overused in Mormon fiction.

This book is different. It is a book about the complex relations between Terry-the disturbed mathematics professor, Blake-his gay son, and Terry Sr.-his homophobic ultra-religious father. That is why I say that it defines a new genre, because it is a well-written book about relationships inside of a Mormon culture, not about a book about Mormonism.

He has a very good vocabulary, and is very good for a first time novelist.

The following paragraph of criticisms made a very minor impact for my appreciation of this well-written book:

If you don't like flashbacks in books, then this book is not for you. The book is mostly a series of flashbacks. It contains flashbacks within flashbacks, and contains an every-other-paragraph-is-a-flashback scene. Also, the narrator uses words and phrases that are unique to the Mormon culture such as "beseechingly," "murmurous," and "bear testimony to this truth." The use of these phrases is not extreme, but may make this book a little hard for a non-Mormon to read. And even though the characters in the book that are gay are very complex, the discussion of the nature of homosexuality is relatively simplistic.

Also, if you are offended by swear words or by frank discussions about homosexuality and stories of a sensual nature, then you will be offended by this book.

For a first book, Dancing Naked is excellent. In fact, I'd say it would be excellent for a 2nd, 3rd or 4th too.

This story is about a father's difficultly in accepting his son and his son's differences (whether those are the son's homosexuality or even just his 'sensitivity') and ultimately dealing with the poignant results of that rejection. The father's desire for a ordered world is never found.

I loved this book, to put it simply. As a gay Mormon born outside of Utah but having lived there for 5 years, the characters, who are very well developed, rang true. Only one did not seem particularly "Mormon" to me, Terry's father (the father of the main character). I've met many a homophobic Mormon men in my 20 years as a Mormon, but none seem to fit this character. A small point.

Yet, this book is more than just a book about Mormons and homosexuality, like any good literature it is about something universal, set in a very specific situation, of Mormon Utah. It is about parenthood and the struggle to accept our children when they 'disorder' our world.

I agree with an earlier assessment, it is rough in parts, mainly the flashbacks are a bit heavy at times, but overall the writing is excellent, the story enthralling and the characters well written.

I really hope this book gains a wide readership.

Trey

P.S. As to the one review with a "Brodie" recommendation, seems like the reviewer has an ulterior motive in the review. The book does portray Mormons quite well and relatively balanced (but it can never be a broad portrayal, it was not meant to be at all, the reviewer missed the point of fiction).

"Robert Hodgson Van Wagoner has written the first great Mormon novel," according to Martin Naparsteck in the Salt Lake Tribune. Tracing the life and problems of Terry Walker, a mathematics professor at the University of Utah, Dancing Naked is "about the way love manifests itself and how it can turn on us and be our enemy when we don't understand ourselves. It is also about secrecy and distrust and what they do to relationships," said the author, Van Wagoner. The main character's son dies early in the novel by accidental(?) hanging in the family bathroom, the first instance of "dancing naked" in the book. His son's revealed homosexuality, causes Walker to struggle with the results of his own religious upbringing at the hands of his father, a violently homophobic Mormon. Paul Swenson, in the Salt Lake Observor, declared the book to be a "love story, with moments of peace and hilarity, but ... also dense and painful." The appeal of the book extends beyond those in Utah or with Utah or Mormon ties. Anyone with a gay friend or family member will find resonant chords here. And, as with all fine literature, the wordcraft and the insight into human nature speaks to us all

Anyone that has ever run at any time in their lives will love this novel. In The Long Run is a compelling and charming story of truly vivid characters. Tim Van Wagner manages to weave an enchanting and authentic story and propel us along for the ride, or rather, the run! Josh Chamberlain, the main protagonist of the book, has resolved to run his first marathon and while doing so gets into "the zone". It is in this "zone" that he contemplates his past and distant heritage and where he meets "the colonel" his great-great grandfather and Medal of Honor recipient. Whether you happen to be a Civil War buff or not; you will find the entire tale a joy to read. Tim has a runners soul and an historians attention to detail. My only regret was that this excellent book had to end. I'm already anticipating Tim's second novel!

Lynn Seely; runner/ author

My brother advised me to read this book as he knows the author via sports. As I love to read, I was happy to oblige him just to see what he was talking about. I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that captured my interest from the first page! The author's style is easy to read and well done, and his sense of humor and detail appreciated by me. The story of the past and present Joshua Chamberlains blended together well and I was entranced.
Maybe I loved this book because I'm from a small town in Upper Michigan, and my dad was a Civil War buff and took us to battlefields and made history come alive with his stories.
Maybe I liked it because my brother was a basketball star and our small town team went to the state finals in the late 60's against those Detroit teams and won!
Maybe I liked it because I have run 10ks and walked a marathon and know what that's like.
Maybe I liked it because I read a lot and can recognize a good author and tale when I read it.
Maybe I have told a lot of others about it because I feel it's a "sleeper" and a good read!
Thank you Tim V for a great tale and enjoyable read!

This book caught my attention being a marathon runner and a Civil War buff. Having both together seemed too good to be true. Not entirely what I expected but certainly not a disappointment either. I found myself focusing more on the non-running aspects of the book, but was still acutely aware of Mr. Wagoner's description of the marathon that were unique and descriptive. A smart, smooth use of multiple times enabled me to correlate the main characters life with his progression through the marathon which I found very clever. Surprisingly so, this book made me feel like a teenager again. I'm not a love story type of guy, but I would highly recommend this book. Made me feel good about people again.