If you need to find out about fossil vertebrates of Alabama, this is the book you need! And I'm not just saying that because my maiden name is Thurmond and my father is the author! :) He lived in Alabama (which is where I was born)for quite a while and taught Paleontology at Birmingham Southern University. Please read my father's book! It's great for research, too! He won't care about royalties (I'm sure there aren't many...it's not on the best seller list or anything...) but he will care about spreading his vast knowledge to others who are interested in the subject! That is what he loved to do before he recently retired from teaching (after more than 25 years!). Enjoy!

I selected this book as the text for the professional VB courses that I teach because it covers the material in a clean and concise manner. The book is well organized, and the later chapters can be learned in any order, depending on the needs of the student. The reviews from the students of my course usually rank the book as one of the best they've seen on the topic (many of my students have taken similar classes before)

Frederick Douglas was one of the most important African American leaders of the 19th Century. He was a man who spoke and wrote with an unsurpassed eloquent on the issues confronting the American people during his life. His commentaries ranged from the abolition of slavery to women's rights, From the Civil War to racial lynchings, from American patriotism to black nationalism. Frederick Douglas: Selected Speeches and Writings was originally edited by Philip S. Foner and has been abridged and adapted in this superb "The Library of Black America" edition by Yuval Taylor. Frederick Douglas: Selected Speeches And Writings will form a core title in any personal, academic, or public library Black Studies collection.

This is a comprehensive work on the First Amendment. It is a must for anyone interested in Free Speech. I especially liked the chapters on the multicultural history of free expression...really something for everyone.

Wilma Dykeman spent six months in the early 1950's, driving with her husband through the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee to research this book. She spoke with local farmers and loggers, visited libraries and newspaper offices, and read numerous accounts of the history of the French Broad River bioregion. The result is a very solid history of the region, spiced with plenty of local color. Although her prose is at times dry, and although her attempts to include quotations and jokes from local people sometimes come off as awkward, her fidelity to the people who are the subjects of her book is unwavering, and she makes numerous insights about the region's history and future which remain true today. The chapter, "Who Killed the French Broad?" is particularly prophetic; no doubt Ms. Dykeman must be happy in her Newport, Tennessee, home to see that the river runs cleaner than it did back in 1955, when the book was first published. A classy book by a classy woman.

French Sound Structure comes packaged with a CD and provides travelers with a comprehensive description of the correct pronunciation of modern Standard French, including details on regional and social variation and phonological changes which are apparent in modern French. Any studying French as well as seeking to use the language will find this an effective, important guide.

If you're curious about the path of American drama in the past thirty years -- that is, American drama other than what Broadway had to offer -- then this is the anthology to get. It's huge, diverse, and full of surprises. If you haven't been paying close attention to off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and nowhere-near-Broadway theatre, then there are likely to be unfamiliar names here. That's okay; the editors are knowledgeable and have made their choices carefully (Mac Wellman is himself an excellent playwright). Yes, you'll discover some familiar names, since many of the major American playwrights of the past few decades are included here -- Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, etc. However, the excitement in this anthology is how much you will discover: there's Maria Irene Fornes, perhaps the greatest of the avant-garde playwrights to emerge in the '60s; and Len Jenkin, whose plays tend to be a cross between all the good parts of Philosophy 101 and the X-Files; and Suzan-Lori Parks, who is, simply, a genius.

It's certainly not all easy reading, for these are plays by playwrights who love to explore the boundaries of language, of imagery, of theatrical imagination, but if you're adventurous and willing to have your conceptions of the theatre's possibilities be expanded, then this book will be a treasure-trove for you.

The only anthology to rival this one is Michael Feingold's Grove New American Theatre, which includes six wonderful scripts. From the Other Side of the Century includes over thirty. Get both if you can, but if you can only have one, then this is the anthology to buy.

Probably one of the best books on post-war Germany - basically this is about the US Occupation of Nazi Germany. Botting tells tales from the smallest of people to the generals, both American and German. Also interlaced are hardships having to do with coal shortages, food and DPs (Displaced Persons). A fascinating read for anyone who enjoys reading about occupied Germany.

It really works to read this book before visiting Italy. After reading this book, I had a good idea of what I was after in my visit to Italy, of the authenticity of the people, of the places I had to go to in order to find what I wanted. It's a great read, and the recipes are good, really good. Pretty easy, too, a lot of them. It's an odd mix, this book--literary and hands on. I liked it, and it really made my trip (and my cooking!) complete. I think this woman writes books for people who really know how to love food and cooking.

Fulfilling Lives is a fascinating, useful, research-based survey of what success really means, not only professionally but as a spouse, parent, friend and citizen. It literally lists the characteristics of successful people, as determined by the research subjects as well as their friends and colleagues, in these life-roles and others. Heath defines what makes up a "fulfilling life", and tells us what specific factors lead to such success (no, high SAT scores do not predict success...)

The book is very valuable for educators, for example, who are wondering "what kind of people do we want our graduates to be?" The book is valuable for parents, and for anyone's personal assessment of our own values and priorities.

Fulfilling Lives is based on one of the most valuable and comprehensive studies ever undertaken to investigate questions related to maturity, success, fulfillment and "the good life". It is based on sound science, but Heath's writing is inviting and enjoyable.

This book is well worth seeking out. It is likely to be one of the most relevant and helpful books that you will ever read.