It's unclear why two people who clearly loathe James Bond would bother to write a book about the legendary spy. My only guess is that this book was commissioned by Vin Diesel to kill off James Bond and clear the way for more movies in the XXX series, the gen-X James Bond wannabe. Andy Lane and Paul Simpson have almost nothing kind to say about any of the films. For example, the description of every film's credit sequence is in a section called "cringe-worthy title sequence." This is strange considering that the millions of Bond fans around the world love the title sequences, one of the most sacred components of the 007 formula. (Yet the authors praised the witless title sequence from the dull Never Say Never Again, which seemed straight from a television film). Another section for each film is entitled "Mistakes Can Be Fatal," in which the authors try to be clever and witty by exposing errors, but instead only demonstrate they don't have a clue about logic and continuity. For example, they state that in GoldenEye it's illogical for a dam to be in the mountains (?!). Well, I live in the mountains, and there's a dam nearby. Worse, the book provides little behind-the-scenes information; most information about the films can be gleaned from imdb.com or a DVD cover, or just watching the movie. I feel sorry for anyone who reads this book. I pity even more the authors, who clearly wasted a lot of their time, which would have perhaps been better spent playing bocce ball or pitching a Remo Williams sequel.

Unfortunately I can not recommend this book. I used to welcome books about James Bond because they were far and few to be found in the world of publishing. This book falls into the plethora of recent publications about Ian Fleming's creation. Being part of that trend this book carries the stigma of glaring inaccuracies when it tackles Ian Fleming's written word. Many authors do not do their homework and the research into the actual words that Fleming put to paper. Fleming's sublime knowledge into the world of espionage, esoteric life styles and curiosity pieces is something analogous to the riddle of the Sphinx because in many instances the reader either misunderstands Fleming's prose or the reader just glosses over his words totally oblivious to the intent Fleming implied. Hell's belle's.

What can I say? This is one of the best books ever written about James Bond. It tackles every single medium Bond has appeared in, from Ian Flemming's novels to the unwatchable series James Bond Jr. There's plenty of behind the scenes info and some best (No, I expect you to die) and worst (I'll buy you a delecatessen in stainless steel) lines. There's even a comprehensive list of flubs for each book and film. Overall, a must-buy for anyone who loves Bond.

Although all of the harriet lane handbooks are excellent references for anyone in pediatrics or even just doing a pediatric rotation, the 13th edition is somewhat dated. The 14th edition is more up to date, and the 15th although more bulky is excellent and a real must for anyone in pediatrics.

This is a quick guide used mainly by housestaff for drug doses. It does have alot of information about many topics with quick reminders. One has to remember that it is written by pediatric chief residents and is not the gold standard by which all is measured. There are mistakes in it, often in regards for doses and drug availability. It is a good quick guide for pediatrics but should not be used as the sole source of information.

harriet lane lists dilantin as available as a 125mg/5ml and 30mg/5ml suspension. the manufacturer has removed the 30mg/5ml dosage form from the market due to prescribing confusion. (we are not aware of a generic equivalent) many practitioners use harriet lane, and still write for dilantin assuming that the 30mg/5ml dosage form is still available. we have seen one case of dilantin toxicity from a dilantin dispensing error that originated with a prescription for 30mg/5ml dilantin. (Rx misfilled for the prescribed milliliter dosage amount except the 125mg/5ml dilantin was dispensed) the practitioner wrote the prescription for 30mg/5ml dilantin based on the notation in harriet lane. medication information is often incomplete. due to format and layout constraints, harriets does not provide complete drug information, however, many practitioners are under the misconception that harriets is an exhaustive reference. many of the charts, tables, etc. provide a minimum amount (and often not enough) information to make therapeutic decisions. when called about ambiguous medication orders physicians often respond "but it was in harriets"

harriets attempts to provide too much general information in one reference, and often there is not enough specific information on the topics covered. many practitioners use this is their primary and only pediatric drug reference. other references are available that provide more specific information that is better organized and more useful (such as pediatric dosage handbook.)

why waste money on this?? get the lyrics for FREE of the internet. If it becomes a collectors item it'll be solely because no-one bought the darn thing!!

Well the book title sums this up altogether. All the bands lyrics in a 112 page book with just that...lyrics. Not 1 picture of the band, just lyrics.

These lyrics you probably already own if you have the bands albums. The only lyrics that you won't already have in the album booklets is the Load and ReLoad lyrics which are published officially for the first time right here in this book along with the lyrics to the bands last single "I Disappear" which featured in the film "Mission Impossible 2".

So out of the 74 songs on the albums you only really buy this album for 28 songs.

Only get this if you are a die hard Metallica completist or desperate for the lyrics to the Load and Reload albums and I can't see many people shelling out the money for lyrics to those.

being a fan of a major band like metaliica is like being in a marriage you stick by them through thick and thin, they have matured in life and musically ...being big and selling millions of records over the period of 2 decades ,dix. this book deserves to be looked at and read over to fully understand their songs...

Maybe I am just a sucker for the strong, alpha male types, but I had a hard time liking Nick Pryce, Viscount Somerton. He begins the book as a serious wastrel and ends the book still not up to my standards of hero. I just never bought that Willie would be drawn to a man who kidnapped her, humiliated her in front of a bunch of strangers, and then allows her to become a servant in his home. I'm sorry, but I just did not get the attraction. Sure, he was cute, but there have to be better men out there.

Despite my problems with the "hero" of "The Viscount's Bawdy Bargain," it did have some nice moments and some fun characters, especially the Cyprians turned chambermaids, the alleged poisoner turned chef, and the pugilist turned valet. These saved the book from the donation bin before I had finished it.

Overall, not my favorite hero or book. I'm willing to give Connie Lane another shot, but this book is definitely not a keeper.

In 1816 an intoxicated Viscount Nicholas Pryce knows that the honor of his group of rowdies the Dashers are at stake to defeat their rivals the Blades who put down the gauntlet. The Dashers must come up with something unique quite shortly if they want to win 1000 pounds. Nicholas suggests they parade a virgin. His target is the daughter of the brimstone and fire Reverend Culpepper. His group abducts Wilhelmina, show her to their opponents, and win the bet.

Wilhelmina sees Nicholas as an opportunity to elude a proposed bad marriage to her hypocritical father's chosen one so she remains in his bedroom over night. To his surprise, she refuses his offer of marriage, but accepts employment. As she disrupts his lifestyle, causing his staff to walk out in protest over his failure to do the honorable thing, they fall in love. However, can a commoner's daughter who has brought hookers and thieves into his home and a blue blood find happiness especially when she refuses to wed him.

This Regency is a fun tale that uses the decadence of aristocratic youth to spin the plot. The story line never takes itself seriously yet contains an important undertone dealing with employment opportunities for the poor. The lead couple is a delight and much of the cast adds depth though her dad is so obviously avarice he could have been a televangelist.

Harriet Klausner

Although a lot of times I do not agree with Romantic Times - I do this time. It was an enjoyable read. I have read one of her other books Romancing Riley and that was good also. This book however just felt like it lacked a certain something to make it a 4 star book. Sometimes I found some of the writing confusing - who was thinking what etc. but she did a great job of building interest in characters that I am sure will be in the next book from her, namely the Duke of Ravensfield and the american heiress. So I am sure I will read the book if that is the case.

First off, this book holds some entertainment value, but it has no basis in reality. Just about every bit of information is distorted beyond belief; talk about rewriting history...

Secondly, in response to Mr. Lowe's review, "Othello" was a FICTIONAL character. It is extremely doubtful that Shakespeare ever set eyes on anyone of Black African extraction, and his Othello character was based essentially on myth.

In Elizabethan times the term "black" was used to describe anyone who had very dark skin, negros or someone black in CHARACTER which AFFECTED his appearance and made him SEEM black. In otherwords, Othello, given the essence of the play, could have been an Arab, Negro, Mulatto, Turk, Greek... In other words, anyone from Morocco (and south of the Sahara) to the Arabian Peninsula. The truth is that Black Africans were hardly known in the British Isles until sometime late in the 16th century, when the horrid transatlantic slave trade led to the establishment of slave markets in Liverpool, Manchester and several other cities. At that time significant black slave communities began forming in these towns.

Unfortunately, blacks made no cultural contributions in Iberia. Negros in Spaniard and Lusitanian lands, and in other parts of Europe, were slaves and servants, in great part. That is the sad truth. "Moor" was (and is still today) a very ambiguous term used to describe a number of different peoples, but, predominantly North African types-Berber or Arab. Groups that are Caucasoid/Semetic/Hametic-essentially whites of non-European origin. Of course, the "Moors" did contain negro elements. In the Arab/Berber invasion of Visigothic Iberia (711), there were very small groups of black slaves and servants along with some freedmen. Later on, during the Almoravid advance in the 11th century, blacks from southern Morocco and Senegal were incorported into the fighting force, either as converts to Islam or mercenaries.

It must be said that the Almoravid period in Iberia was the lowest point of Muslim history in the Peninsula. The Almoravids occupied large parts of Southern Iberia but, in the 50 odd years they were present, never really controlled considerable territory. There was great territorial flux due to endless conflict with Christians and Arabs alike. The Almoravids were fanatical Islamic "purists" who twisted religion to suit their pursuit of power (much like the Taliban). These people were extermely repressive and responsible for numerous social and cultural abuses/atrocities. So feared and hated were the Almoravids that some of the Arab califs actually joined forces with Christian kingdoms to defeat them. A good example of the level of hatred for the Almoravids is found in the town of Tomar in Portugal,a Knights Templar. In the aftermath of an early 10th century town siege the Christian knights captured approximately 6,000 Almoravid troops and beheaded them all in the city's main square.

The point of all this is to clarify a little bit of Iberian history with respect to the Moors. The clear fact is that the Moors were NOT black/negroid...hardly. Yes, Islamic blacks fought alongside Moors but they were completely different ethnically. The bottom line is that Moorish cultural contributions in Spain and Portugal came from the Arabs, and, to a much lesser extent, Berbers...Enough already with absurd fantasies!

Lane Pool's classic is very innacurate but a fun read, from a travelog perspective. However, what Jackson projects in his introduction is incredibly distorted. The reality of Muslim Iberia is quite simple: Arab armies (mainly from Syria) along with Berber tribes from what is now Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia invaded Iberia in 711. These people were Muslims but overwhelmingly white. A small number of blacks came to Spain as slaves or servants of the Arabs and Berbers. Moors, a confusing term because it has been so misinterpreted throughout history, were NOT Negroes at all. Rather, they were Arabs and Berbers. The Muslim Arabs/Berbers in Spain (and Portugal) made clear racial and ethnic distinctions between themselves and Black Africans. Black African cultural contributions in Iberia were/are, for all intents and purposes, non-existent. That is the plain truth Mr.Jackson, not the "truth" as YOU would like to see it.

Stanley Lane Pool's book is a classic in the field of Hispano-Arabic studies. However, the introduction by Stanley Jackson is extremley misleading. The Muslims of Spain or Moors as they are known historically were not black Africans. The Arabs which crossed the Straits of Gibralter into Iberia were originally from Arabia. Also they did not make up the majority of the troops who invaded Spain. The majority of the Islamic peoples who came to Iberia were North African Berbers of the Hamitic branch of the white race. Furthermore, the indigenous Iberians always outnumbered the Arab, Berber and Black contingent. The Indigenous Iberians were simply islamicized, adopted the Arab culture and were thus called Moors. It was not until the Almoravid empire which arrived in Iberia in the 12th Century, where large numbers of black Africans began to enter into Iberia, being that the Almoravids originated from Senegal and southern Morocco. Blacks did make important contirbutions to Iberian history, such as the great medieval Spanish linguist Juan Latino who helped unify the Castillian language. However, he was a freed slave and a Christian not a Moor. To say that the Moors were of the black race as Stanley Jackson posits is misleading and irresponsible. His introduction is Afrocentricism at its worst.

How can anyone be against bringing the arts into hospitals to ease the pain of hospitalization, to comfort the afflicted, to provide patients diversions from the unpleasant things that are happening to them, and to offer them some measure of control over events?

But that's a far cry from the sweeping claim of the authors that"Art heals you, and it heals others, and it heals the earth" (p.38).How can we know that arts healing does all the marvelous things that the authors claim, any better then, say, eating chicken soup or watching TV or playing chess?This question is made more difficult to answer by the fact that "healing" is never defined. In some places, it is treated as a behavior, like praying or making art, all reported to have the same physiological attributes (p.1). In still others, it is treated as a belief system, a treatment, and even a cure for illness (pp.7, 275). So it's hard to pin down just what the authors meanwhen they say that art is "healing" or to know if it "works."

The authors present a host of sweeping claims, but little evidence, that this is a book about "conquering illness" (p.2) The evidence presented consists largely of anecdotal data which, of course, present only individual successes, never failures, or of studies done in fields other than the arts. The authors brush aside the need for proof. "Do we need proof," they ask (p.97) "that the soul exists to use that word, or that God exists to pray?" Yet they refer to their "medically proven" technique (p.2) with which "we believe that many people have cured themselves of cancer, AIDS and depression"(p.7)

In fact, there is constant reference to research. The book cites work done by investigators like Dr. Herbert Benson, who found that meditation and prayer lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate as evidence that art works the same way, although Benson never mentioned art. Nor do the authors refer to the fact that Benson found that the repetitive use of nonsense words had the same effect as "spritual" activities like praying or meditating.

Neither Benson nor Noman Cousins (who found that humor aids in recuperation) makes the kind of lofty claims that appear in this book. Nor did Dr. William Fry or Dr. Steve Allen (son of the comedian) with whom I shared a platform at the National Library of Medicine of the NIH on the subject of The Medicinal Muses.

The traditional way of finding if a program is accomplishing what we want it to accomplish is to conduct an outcome study, comparing people in this program with those who have had other experiences, other treatments, or no attention at all.

But the authors make it clear (p.32) that they are not intested in "outcome measurement other than the patient's experience of the process as being meaningful.Fair enough, but there are many ways of comparing patients' attitudes and perceptions of the experience of art with their perceptions of the meaningfulness of reading a book, or talking with visitors, or looking at flowers, or eating ice cream from the ward refrigerator, or even with the laying on of hands.

Without defining what the program is supposed to be doing, we can't validate it. And without outcome measures, how can we distinguish between healing triumphs and specious travesties? How can we know the difference between significant recovery and the feel-good results of the Hawthorne effect? Or of a stiff martini?

It's just these kinds of exaggerated and unsupported claims by some arts therapists that motivated my dance therapist wife and me to spend five years of research on our book The Art and Science of Evaluation in the Arts Therapies: How Do You Know What's Working?, in which we wrote: "Increasing numbers of . . .nonverbal therapists have come to accept the need for more than faith, zeal and anecdotal reports of cures in considering the effectiveness of their work."

But, contend the authors, they do accept the need for research. However, their concept of research is interesting. They write: "Research needs to be done qualitatively and quantitatively to determine HOW [not if] art heals. More research needs to be done to DEMONSTRATE THAT [not verify if]art improves the quality of life, reduces symptoms, and relieves pain. Important research needs to be done TO DEMONSTATE THAT [not verify if] art lengthens the lives of people with life-treatening illness and THAT {not if] it cures illness" (p.275)

Art these the words of an investigator or of an evangelist?

The authors distinguish between art in healing and the arts therapies (their understanding of which is seriously deficient, except for the fact that the practice of arts therapies requires training). In their comparison, they reject the need for training, and they state: "Currently, we believe that there is no need for licenses to certify artists in art and healing. The only license you need to be with another human being in a time of suffering is to be human, to be present, and to have the intention to be healing" (p.32).

In view of this clear distinction, it's puzzling that the home institution of one of the authors is offering both at the University of Florida and at a local community college, an art-in-medicine certificate program to promote "career options" for artists. While the physiological and psychological benefits of laughter have been well documented, the proponents of humor in healing would probably consider it a joke to suggest a certificate program in telling jokes in hospitals.

One may also wonder, in light of their clear distinction between art therapy and art healing, why an article in The Gainesville Sun, with no attribution other than "Special to the Sun" (which usually means that the article was submitted by an unamed outside source) describes the artists as "therapists," and why the program co-director (and the co-author of this book)refers to the program as "a complementary therapy."

As one of the artists with Shands Arts in Medicine, the pioneering program discussed in Creative Healing, I feel compelled to respond to some of the reviews that have appeared here. While the Shands AIM program is certainly not the first, it is one of the most comprehensive programs in the country. We have had hundreds of artists volunteer their time over the years.

Authors Samuels and Lane advocate art as an adjunct to medical care; they encourage sterile, dry, humorless medical institutions to add to their ranks those people whose only task is help patients express their pain, sadness, wishes, joy, anxiety, happiness, or fear, not from any clinical base, but from a human, craetive space.

I work with patients on a regular basis, and I see how patients and families are eager to have us enter their rooms. How much joy is expressed when we encourage them to sing, dance, draw, paint, tell stories, write poetry. They are eager to participate, to make art, to dance from wheel chairs, and squish paint together between pieces of colored paper, to write poetry. You have only to read the messages on the tile wall in the lobby and the healing ceiling tiles to know how important simple creative acts are to people with life-threatening illness.

Nurses and doctors invite us to visit particular patients. We offer creative breaks for hospital staff and welcome diversions for patient's families who spend long hours in the hospital often far away from home.

These stories may seem unbelievable, but I see amazing things happen every day I am at the hospital. Is it too good to be true? Nope. The synergy of art and healing is a surprise for anyone who embarks on the effort, not as a job, but as a gift.

Rather than laying claim to a concept, Lane and Samuels are spreading the word. It is past time for hospitals and medical institutions to integrate art into the healing environment. Healing is more than a result of medical attention, it's a result of attention to the whole body, mind, and spirit.

As far as the! comments about erroneous anthropology, one as only to read the great controversies within that discipline itself to know that there are already a variety of opinions on the subject. Science is even beginning to rethink evolution! And what about those flying dinosaurs? I think the past is open to speculation and I support those who are creative enough to view the world with an open mind.

Creative Healing has a wealth of information about creating personal art and about bringing art into medical settings. It's a do-it-yourself manual, complete with exercises, ideas, and experiences. I applaud the authors' efforts and look forward to hearing stories from other writers who have pioneered these concepts. The more that is written, the more likely those in charge of planning and designing hosptials will realize that an art room is as important as an operating room.

Many thanks to the authors for helping me to tap into my boundless creative energy and thus tackle my morbid obesity. My poundage has remained pretty static but at least I have been able to detract from it by holding my friends and family spellbound with my beautifully crafted semi-autobiographical free-verse epic poems and impressed by my congealed lamb fat sculptures. Thank you Mr Samuels for allowing my spirit to soar.

Be careful! The graphic details of horrible acts and images of demons may not be something that you would want your 4 -8 year old to conjure up when they think of their ABCs.

I don't usually write reviews but after seeing the opinion of the reader from SC who negatively reviewed Eve Merriam's work, I felt a need to express my own opinion. Merriam is a thought provoking and controversial poet. Her work, although in picture book format is intended for older readers. The illustrations are incredible and enrich the text beautifully. Fans of Lane Smith will enjoy this earlier work. Again, 1 star is an unfair judgement. Amazon should not list this book for readers 4-8 but then again, caregivers should always make their own informed decisions. I don't know about "getting deep down in your spirit" but the subject matter is definitely for older readers and highly entertaining. I hope some of you will take the time out to get to know this amazing poet. Always controversial!

(...) There is just something of a mismatch between format and audience: The fact that this is in an ABC format makes it seem suited at first glance to ABC-age children.

The compact poetry of Eve Merriam and sophisticated illustrations of Lane Smith (done before he was famous) make this a great book for older children who enjoy a slightly gruesome edge to their humor --think the movie Beetlejuice, for example.

Lend a copy to the ten-year-old in your life.

The only reason I read this to the end was that I was (erroneously) certain that it would get better. Wooden, prosy characters; awkward plotting that doesn't flow to its natural conclusions; and bad writing that's interspersed every few paragraphs with exclamations in italics -- e.g., "Fools!" or "Idiots!" or "Sanctimonious prigs!" It's incredibly irritating. If you want a good regency, try Georgette Heyer or Marian Devon or Barbara Metzger.

Diana's impassioned words of love frightened away a young Nicholas ten years ago, leaving her to marry an elderly neighbor and Nicholas to many years of debauchery and dissipation. She's now a wealthy widow and he has inherited a title and many responsibilities. Sparks still fly between them. What's to prevent a romance between them now?

Everything. First of all, Nicholas finds her more suitable to be a mistress than a wife. But Diana despises rakes and libertines, and could never succumb to a liaison outside of marriage. Diana has become the champion of a young neighbor who is being forced into an arranged marriage by her parents. Nicholas has taken upon himself the duty of finding a suitable match for one of his distant relatives. Through various diverse and equally unlikely events, both Nicholas and Diana become engaged to other parties, both completely unsuitable. It becomes very obvious that the only way to extricate everyone from these mismatches is through the threat of a scandal that would bring four sets of stubborn parents to their senses.

My biggest complaint with the book is the hero. The way he treated Diana ten years ago showed him to be a cad of the first order, and his sudden reformation at the end is simply not credible. Although he has supposedly straightened up his life in the last two years, he still indulges in incessant and scandalous raking, blaming it all on his attraction to Diana. It's only in the last 20+ pages that he can admit to himself that his behavior with her ten years ago was abominable and that she was not trying to entrap him into marriage at the time.

And Diana really nails him on it, too! Go girl! Finding myself enthusiasting cheering her on when she tears his character to shreds, I was exceedingly disappointed when she allowed herself to be convinced of his sincerity. I'm usually a sucker for happy endings, but this one was too saccharine even for me.

I would actually give this 2 and a half stars, but since this is the best book of hers I have read so far...

What I liked most was the ending, which reminded me of the screwball comedies of the 1930s ("let's change partners!"). Woah! That gives it away, doesn't it. Fear no more, because I will only tell why I like the book.

First of all, the heroine is quite appealing, and probably the most appealing heroine of Lane's that I have come across. She is not too stupid to live, nor spoiled, nor excessively modern (even if her ideas about proclaiming her sentiments publicly are rather far-fetched).

Secondly, some of her previous characters (at least two sets of heroes and heroines) show up briefly in her novel. For example, the poet Thornton reveals his identity, and so does Merriweather. [See THE EARL'S REVENGE for Thornton and Merriweather's story]. There are links to other books here as well, for example THE IMPOVERISHED VISCOUNT which is a sequel for one of the minor characters in this book. I confess to being a sucker for half-way decent series, where minor characters in one book become major characters or the protagonists in others. If you like this kind of interlinking book series, you might want to read Allison Lane, and more particularly, this book.

Thirdly, although the hero frustrates me sometimes with his attitude (and his wish to made Lady Diana his mistress), he is overall a decent man. Consider for example, his attitude towards his responsibilities and his dependants, as well as the way he feels responsible for watching out for his cousin. [Now the fact that he can't see her worse qualities is definitely a problem, but he is not perfect].

Which brings me to my fourth point: in this book, we see all kinds of couples and marriages - from the happily married rakish and/or modern(Thornton and Merriweather) to the happily married but convention (the Parkers) to the priggish but happy together (a couple who come together in the book), to the unhappily married (the hero's parents) to the vast numbers of conventionally married noble couples with "separate" interests (George's parents). In that sense, this book is rather more developed than most of Allison Lane's books which tend to verge on the melodramatic. I would have liked to have seen a bit more explanation for the way some of the minor (and major) characters behave, notably Sophia's parents. I do like the fact that Lane hints at why George is so priggish, and why Nicholas behaves the way he does. While I don't feel that Lane develops her secondary characters as well as some other authors do, this is definitely a way to make her books more interesting. [For the record, I do not like cardboard stock characters, and am finding them less appealing as time wears on].

The story is a little less melodramatic, although the story about Diana's uncle hearkens back to that. [Oh my - cannot Lane have an ordinary uncle, for once? Just a mean, stingy uncle would be sufficient]. Diana and Nicholas were once in love, became estranged because of Nicholas's own foolishness. When he meets her years later as the widow of one of his elderly friends, he believes her barren and therefore ineligible to be his wife - although he wants her. She will not become his mistress, and she is championing a young girl chafing at her restrictions. The rest of the story is about how Diana helps this young girl (Chloe) escape from a planned marriage, and find happiness with the man she really loves; and how she finds happiness for herself. There is a slightly farcical ending, which is brought about because one suitor realizes almost too late that he has been mistaken in the fiancee he has accepted, and because the lady's parents are convinced believers in arranged marriages.

I have to admit that elements of this story were hard to believe, but on the whole the plot was far less contrived than the usual Lane plot. The style was not the best, but it did not detract significantly from my enjoyment of the story. [Honesty compels me to say that I read the story a favorable mood to begin with, which allowed me to overlook minor problems].

I won't go so far as to give this story four stars (which I have reserved for the better books I have read so far), but it deserves three stars. I should warn you that if you are a purist in terms of language, style, tone and general tenour, you might not like this book. Nor is this book filled with evil villains and stirring adventures. As I said, if you have a taste for 1930s movies (think Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Hepburn and Tracy), you will probably enjoy this book.

The Grand Hotel is an anthology based around a single setting: a hotel in London, where the various characters either work or are guests. It's an interesting concept, and one which should, in theory, make the stories appear less as unconnected vignettes and more as 'chapters' in one longer story. But in practice, The Grand Hotel didn't turn out that way. It's something which could have been achieved quite easily, had the authors been given a plot thread which would weave throughout the individual stories and be resolved in the final one. As it was, the stories were very much stand-alone, with only brief references to common characters.

Carla Kelly's The Background Man is probably the best of the bunch, which is hardly surprising. Charles Mortimer, the assistant manager, is rarely noticed, because of his ability to blend into the background. However, substituting for his superior, he comes to the notice of Miss Carrington, a somewhat unusual guest. He falls in love with her immediately, and barely dares to hope that she will return his feelings. She does... but she's hiding a secret from him. Will this destroy any chance for them? My problem with The Background Man was mainly that it was too short, a common problem with anthology stories. The relationship really didn't have enough time to develop, and I wanted to see more of Charles and Millie together.

In Elisabeth Fairchild's Love Will Find A Way, Lieutenant James Forrester is about to meet, for the first time, the widow of his late commanding officer. Yet he feels as if he's known Annabelle Grant all his life. (Incidentally, Annabelle is a widow. Why does Fairchild refer to her as 'Miss'?). James, we see, had to read all her letters to Archie, her late husbamd, and once Archie was too ill to respond on his own, James wrote to her. He fell in love with her from her letters. Now, he has a few days only to get to know her and persuade her to consider marrying him. This is an interesting idea, and a nice, gentle love story - but again rushed by the pressures of coming in at under 65 pages.

Anne Barbour's The Castaway is the most disappointing, given Barbour's undoubted talent. A woman called Martha Finch arrives at the hotel to keep an appointment with Lord Branford, acting on behalf of the Marquess of Canby, the man whose granddaughter she claims to be. The reader is shown very soon that Martha is lying about her claim, and Barbour does not give her particularly sympathetic motives. I was hoping throughout that she would be exposed and that Branford, the hero, would reject her. Her lie is, of course, found out, but a far too convenient solution then emerges. This is one heroine I did *not* want to see end up with the hero.

Next, we have Barbara Metzger's The Management Requests. Captain Arthur Hunter (who should, in fact, be Captain Viscount Huntingdon, if Metzger paid proper attention to protocol) needs a room on the ground floor because of an injury. None is available, so he persuades the manager to let him have the room behind the reception desk. Because of this, a guest - Hope Thurstfield - mistakes him for the manager, a misapprehension Arthur chooses not to correct. (Why?) The secondary characters in this vignette almost drove me crazy, and I didn't especially care for Hope. Another miss.

And finally, we have Allison Lane's Promises to Keep. Maggie Adams has arrived from America to try to make peace with her father's family, from whom he was estranged after eloping with her mother. She bumps into a Marcus Widner at the hotel, who just happens to be related to her mother's family and who offers to help her in her quest - but who warns her off making immediate contact with her father's family. Lane lives up to her usual standards here by inventing the usual crop of one-dimensional villains, completely unbelievable in their audacity and villainry. I liked Marcus, but that's about all I can say for this story.

All in all, not worth the new purchase price, unless you're desperate to complete a Carla Kelly collection. My copy is going to the next charity shop collection.

The only reason it rated as high as 3 stars is due to Carla Kelly's short story. It was fabulous. She has a gift for opening a window to the lives of ordinary people - proving that ordinary romance can be the most magical of all. However, the rest of the stories were sadly flat and shallow by comparison. Still it's worth buying just for the Kelly story.

Although I'm not terribly found of anthologies because the brevity of the format inevitably results in shallow, partially-drawn characters, I found myself enjoying this one more than most. Why? Mostly because it included the romances of some ordinary people, not just those who are rich and titled. Also because it was (for the most part) the heroes who fell in love first and "loved from afar," instead of the women. And because some of the characters and events were intertwined in other stories and gave the impression of a single book instead of an anthology by five different authors. I'd like to see more anthologies like this one!

After (1) d4 - d5, (2) Nf3, that is the basic London set up, the author fails to mention a single word about some very often seen black replyes such as (2) c5, Bf5 or even Bg4!

Just for the record in the "Opening for White According to Kramnik" by the top GM Khalifman there are more than 100 pages of analyses regarding the black's second move replies mentioned above.

Gary Lane does not play the London System and has no idea how to handle this opening. If you are in doubt just check your database.

This is just another easy book with the only purpose of making money for the author.

The title of the book has nothing to do with the classic book written by Fine.

This is NOT a complete repertoire book for chessplayers wishing to start their game whith "d4".

The lines mentioned in the book are not complete and have a lot of flaws.

Finally please note that the back cover statement that "a repertoire easy-to-learn based on Gary Kasparov's favorite move 1 d4" is 100% false.

Kasparov favorite move has been "e4" and not "d4" for the last 15 years.

Kasparov has not played the London more than 2 times in his whole carear.

Thus do not foull yourself with this awful book.

This book has some decent attacking ideas, note -if your opponent is a novice and does not know how to develop his pieces or play defense-. It is a typical, one trick book. It starts off with a couple of games in which white creams the opponent. Then it goes into the london system for a chapter. Then the rest of the book is a mystery. It is kinda thrown together?? With the following chapters, each one gives a paragraph or two on an opening ex. kings indian defense, benoni, anti-benko, then it explores a game, then it describes how you can use the london system.. In a few of the chapters, the author admits that you cannot even use the london system. And he goes into a completely different opening..I was disappointed. Mr. lane has done better. It doesn't explore all the openings and give insights and ideas behind them. This book is more of a 'system book' geared towards one system....It is nothing like fine's book where he covers all openings and gives ideas and suggestions about the openings. But, if you are a Gary lane follower, then you may decide to keep it. Otherwise, try MCO,ECO, or any true opening book.

This is a book dedicated to making it easy to play 1 d4 against everything. Mr Lane wants us to play the London System because it is easy to learn and there are possibilities to attack. It looks good to me who has a rating of 1860 and has been playing this opening for years.I particularly like the ideas against the Benoni and the Dutch. I now know about the Barry Attack and the 150 Attack which are good despite the odd names.
Can this book make me play better, yes!