I took four of his courses. English 101 was pretty good. 102 was great. 131 and 132 [were bad]. Read the book, ...

Bound For Shady Grove is Steven Harvey's celebration of the music arising from the southern Appalachian mountain communities. Harvey's essays derive from the four seasons of a life in music. The early pieces describe playing music in the log house of friends born and raised in the mountains, or entering a banjo contest and losing with style. Then there are his essays about fiddles and the devil, homemade instruments and homemade weapons, a trip to England to trace mountain songs back to their elusive sources. As Bound For Shady Grover progresses, the mood darkens, with essays exploring the connection between music and resentment, loss, and death. Harvey's explorations showcase descriptions of music, hills, and people, and take the reader just where the music and the mountains took him. Bound For Shady Grove is very highly recommended and rewarding reading for students of Appalachian history, culture, and music.

'Bound for Shady Grove' is a collection of personal insites into music and life. The music and words of some Appalachian ballads are woven with events in Steven Harvey's life, playing in a banjo competition, a trip to England, recovering from heart surgery. I found an instant kinship in his outlook.

Perhaps I should have let dear Dodie remain a bit of a mystery. Ms. Grove's portrayal is anything but flattering - and seems just plain mean at times. For those of us who have loved Cassandra Mortmain, perhaps it's best just to continue reading (and re-reading) The Town In Bloom, It Ends with Revelations, A Tale of Two Families, and hope one day to latch on to one of the many volumes of her autobiography. Stick with the source to continue appreciating her true voice!

Valerie Grove has written a supremely readable life of Dodie Smith. Recommended for anyone literate, and essential for Dalmatian owners (Smith wrote "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" and loved the breed).

Having come across Smith's utterly charming book,' I Capture the Castle', last year (see my review under that title!) and quickly reading everything I could get my hands on by this remarkable woman, I was curious as to how much of her fiction was thinly disguised autobiography. Grove's carefully researched bio., culled from literally thousands of pages of journals, scrapbooks, letters and Smith's own 4 volumes of autobiography answers that question (quite a bit, actually!) and provides a close-up view of not only Smith and her eccentric friends and family, but also a detailed portrait of an exciting time and place. Grove, for example, tells about Smith's own theatrical ambitions as an actress, her experieinces with various troupes in the 20's and '30's and how they led her to write about provincial theatre in 'It Ends With Revelations" and "The Town in Bloom". If you are a fan of Smith's fiction (and who among those of us who have read her is not!), I think you will find she is equally good company through this enlightening book.

Though a great effort, the book should not be used for breed identification. I was very disappointed in the attempts to represent over half of the breeds that the artist was trying to convey. Either the artist was not a horse person, or she could not convey the breeds' charactaristics through this medium. The pictures in themselves were, lovely, full of motion and life, but if one were to try to identify horses through this field guide, they might run into great difficulty.

Bird-watchers have field guides. Hikers have field guides. Even weed-lovers even have field guides. Now horse-watchers have a field guide.

"Field Guide to Horses" by Kindrie Grove (Lone Pine Publishing, ...paperback, 176 pages) is a colorful and accessible reference guide to identifying horses. If you like to look at horses, but don't know a fetlock from a fore cannon, this is a remarkable little book. Thanks to easy-reading summaries and sharp artwork, you'll be able to find and identify horses by markings, coloring, gaits and behavior, and learn about equine history, vernacular and evolution all at the same time. This is a great book for people who drive across the country and wonder what all those pretty horses really are.

If you want to go a little deeper, pick up Gail Bunney's "Horse Stories: Riding with the Wind" (Lone Pine Publishing, ...paperback, 224 pages). Bunney, a Canadian horse-trainer who even got married on horseback, collects her own horse tales, trying to convey some passion for the animals, as well as her own savvy and horse wisdom. "These stories don't tell how to buy a horse, how to train a horse, how to handle different temperaments or even how to break a horse to ride," the book says. "They are stories about one woman's enduring love for horses."

I think that a true horse lover would definitely enjoy this book.This book isn't a chapter book like regular books,but it's still good.The auther divided the book into sections.For example,the first section is about the different breeds of ponies.The author has a picture of the horse,ponie,or other equines and underneath the picture it has information about the horse,ponie,etc.Well i've probally bored you enough with this review,and i probally won't win.So that's about it for my review.Oh and i recomend this book to all horse lovers everywhere.

White Wolf has been alluding to the (somewhat ridiculous) term "Hedge magicians" for years, to distinguish these folks from True Mages. Finally they "clear it up." There's no real difference between the magic of a Sorcerer and that of an Awakened Mage. One is "linear" and the other is "affinative" (whatever THAT means.) Why then, if they cast the same spell, does a Mage incur paradox but a Sorcerer doesn't? Why wouldn't Mages study Sorcery, to have a few paradox-free tricks in their bag? The book even goes as far to claim that "trying to create divisions is a waste of time -- magicians have better things to do." Huh? The Order of Hermes NOT making divisions?

The second part of the book deals with Psychics -- neither Mages nor Sorcerors, who have powers markedly similar to Vampires (i.e. Obfuscate, Movement of Mind, etc.) I'm not sure how they connect to Mages or Sorcery, or if a connection was even intended.

Yet it's still a neat book. What's cool about Sorcerers is their independence -- no Traditions, no Ascension War, none of metaphysical pomp and circumstance of Mage. As far as magic goes, this IS your father's Oldsmobile: alchemy, hellfire, and broomsticks. But the system is coherent and interesting, and as a stand-alone game, Sorcerer might actually be fun.

This is a truly useful book. It describes Sorcerous societies and tells about the roll of Sorcerers in the World of Darkness. It now makes the distinctions between Sorcerers and Mages clear. One type of magic isn't necessarily more powerful than the other, yet the magic is learned differently: mages gain overarching understanding while Sorcerers gain their knowledge in a specific area a little bit a time. Best yet, the book can be used with any game just to give it a little extra flavor. Overall, if anyone is interested in Sorcery (or Linear Magic as the book calls it) or wants to add some extras to existing games, then this book is for you.

I frankly cannot understand how ANYONE could dislike this book. It is well laid-out, well-written, the rules are balanced nicely. Some of the skills are a bit lame, but that doesn't matter. It is an excellent book. I'd recommend you buy it.

I have to admit, this is the first of the new Clanbooks that genuinely disappointed me. I pored over Tzimisce, Ventrue, and Lasombra, and was delighted with what I found in Tremere and the others I've seen. In contrast to the non-Revised edition, I found Clanbook: Toreador to be a pale imitation. As other reviewers have stated, gone are the additional Merits and Flaws of the first edition. Similarly, the guidelines for creative expression in the game, which provided an interesting framework to see if artistic pieces met with the standards of their creator, have similarly been removed. I'm sure an argument could be made that they were overly mechanical in their treatment of art, but it's nice to have a framework to examine, even if individual Storytellers or players disagreed with the system.

There's been a recent move in the Revised Edition Vampire books to make ancient history more nebulous, which is probably a good decision. Not every Clanbook has to reveal the ultimate secrets of the Antedilluvians, but the Revised Toreador book heads too far in this direction, I believe. The history insinuates that famous figures from Greece and Rome were Toreador, seeming to fly in the face of the Revised Edition's move *away* from making every celebrity a Vampire.

The medieval elder who narrates the clan's ancient history spins a yarn that I'm sure was designed to shake up our conceptions of what Noddist history is all about... but just ends up falling a little flat. There isn't enough there to make me think we have the story wrong... only enough discrepancies to make me believe our first-person narrator is misinformed. Similarly, the focus on moving away from Eurocentric conceptions of Toreador is overdone. What was handled elegantly in Clanbook: Tzimisce Revised (with its treatment of Indian and African methusalehs), now reads like a sophomoric attempt to apologize for previous editions by overly focusing on Africa. There's little to no treatment of Toreador in the Middle East, ignoring a fascinating period of the Toreador's development that the Dark Ages books are expanding almost monthly.

In the end, Clanbook Toreador Revised failed disastrously for me. It's the first of the Revised Clanbooks that I wouldn't recommend to anyone, and would instead direct you to its predecessor.

I've been an avid player of V:tM for a few years now and I think that in contrast to the first clanbook, I think this one has a little more to it. I own both books and was extremely happy to see the added features to the new book. Although I was a tad bit upset over the lack of certain elements. I think that if you indeed, decide to purchase this book, also get the older version.

The best thing about the revised clanbooks is that they are mainly focused on improving the game's setting and literature.

Clanbook: Toreador is not an exception. Compared to the previous clanbook, this one almost brings no mechanics and game systems. I think this is OK, since in the main Storyteller rulebooks we already have more rules than we might be able to explore in a lifetime.

As a storyteller, what I really expect from a clanbook is to give me a deeper view on the clan, and this book does it very well.

The text is mature and intelligent, and avoids wasting much time with silly statements such as "the Toreador divide themselves into two groups, the Artists and the Poseurs", and things like that.

The reading is also interesting and fun. This Clanbook tells us a lot and still keeps many things mysterious, as it should be.

Read the original clanbook too, if you like. You will find some useful rules and system that are completely absent here.

But, if roleplaying is the most important part of the game for you, and if you like to have a good time reading, this one is the book for you.

It's an inspiring and charming view on the most passionate of clans.

I teach English to immigrants and international students in the U.S., so I'm very familiar with techniques for teaching and learning languages. If you are not planning on actually taking a class, I would say that this book is excellent. It provides tips on pronunciation based on American English. (Most other books don't have the pronunciation tips, but you have to spend extra money on a cassette or CD.) The person who complained about the book missed one important factor. This book provides language than gradually integrates it into the "directions." Most book give directions in English only, this one substitutes those words that you've learned already in Norwegian! It also does what is called "Scaffolding" - they introduce an idea or word in one place, then re-introduce it later. This book is also very colorful and offers flash cards, sticky-labels and more! Personally, I recommend the English as a Second Language version of this book to my beginning level students- because if you really are interested in learning the language, this is a very inexpensive and effective tool. The down side to this book is that some of the sticky-labels don't make any sense. For instance, where are you supposed to stick "Good morning???" Others, like "Kitchen" or "glass" are better. I would recommend doing this book first and then moving on to "Teach Yourself Norwegian" - or use both at the same time, because they reinforce each other.

I see another review on this book and I believe that author missed the point of this book. The objective of this book is not to have you write a sentence in English then translate to Norwegian, nor be a comprehensive source for learning Norwegain, but expand your vocabulary used in learning the language.

The book has several mutually supportive exercises in expanding vocabulary and proper word usage. There are sentences with fill-in-the-blank missing words. There are little stickers to help you memorize the names of common household items. There are also exercises that help with gender, numbers, and common expressions.

This book is definately not going to teach you Norwegian except when used with other resources, but this is a great addition to the other tools that one uses to learn Norwegian.

I can't say enough good things about this book. There's so much useful information, including common words and how to pronounce them. Best of all, it's presented in an entertaining, fun way that makes you want to use it. In addition to reading, you have to write the words and phrases, which as anyone knows from school is the key to remembering what you've learned. I particularly like the stickers for rooms and items around your house. Every time you look at the item or room you see the sticker and this helps to reinforce the Norwegian words. Before long you're counting to yourself or looking at things and mentally saying the Norwegian word. Finally, there are cut-out flash cards and a laminated pocket guide to take with you so that you can work at learning Norwegian wherever you are. I wish there were intermediate and advanced versions of the book. This truly does make learning fun. I highly recommend it.

I actually purchased this book, brand-spanking new, for $2.95 from the Harvard Bookstore. I had heard the name of Lewis Mumford many times before - a name that I have come to respect by virtue of his sophisticated and insightful perspectives on society and history. The life of Lewis Mumford is certainly exemplary, considering his vast literary accomplishments. I'm always fascinated to read about the intellectual development of history's greatest thinkers.

However, I'm still puzzled as to what benefit I actually derived from this book. If you want to reap the fruits of the man's thought, his books are the best place to start. On the other hand, if you're bored and you *really* can't find anything better to read, I guess this book makes for decent reading.

All in all, this is a decent biography of Mumford, who will probably be remembered as America's last true renaissance man. One major flaw though, is that the book really bogs down about halfway through with way too much information about Mumford's many extramarital affairs. It would have been better off to spend more time on his writings and other work.

The subtitle claims "Modern Rhymes and Limericks..." and I bought the book for the latter. There is not a single limerick in this book. If you're looking for limericks, look elsewhere.

If it's your present day fate I pity you. If its in your past I'm sure you'll laugh with yourself and others about the situations and relationships people put themselves in. A great articulation of human predicament. I look forward to the next one.

I must disagree with the first reviewer of this book. I found this "Introducing..." installment to be unclear and unhelpful, unlike most in the series. The author hurls terminology at you with little, and sometimes no, explanation. Each page seems to introduce a new concept without building on the previous ones discussed. Perhaps this is a good overview or refresher for those already familiar with Lacan's work, but for the beginner, it is useless.

Like many, I have struggled with Lacan's "own" words in English translation, sensing ideas of importance that are lost because a) Lacan intentionally obfuscated his ideas to make the very points he wrote about, b) French linguistic play doesn't translate into English, & c) translators vary in quality, in part depending on their audience (e.g., cultural studies, which often misconstrues Lacan as a postmodernist). This book is a wonderful introduction, although I suspect it is of greatest value to someone like myself who has already attempted to fathom Schema L with frustration.
For the beginner, I suggest making a try at Lacan himself especially the Seminars, for example, Seminar XI: The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. After enduring one or two of these, come to this book, and then return to Lacan, who should now seem much more illuminating and witty. You may even understand why Lacan seemed so frustrating to you, which goes to his essential points about what language does for the sense of self.
Another strategy is to read any number of works by Slavoj Zizek (for example, Looking Awry, Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Hitchcock), who can slice and dice popular culture in a fun way, all the while with a very lucid understanding of Lacan's ideas. It helps to have one or two videos of Hitchcock handy as you do so.

When you need an introduction to Lacan, buy this and forget the rest. This book has at least three merits. First, the author is an orthodox lacanian psychoanalyst. This advantage could not be overstated. So many books titled so-called "Introduction to Lacan" are written by non-professional (e.g. professors of French, Cultural Studies or literary critic) with some dubious leanings and irredeemable confusions. Those books are rather personal accounts than good introductions for beginner and of no use to understand one of the most difficult writers of all time. Darian Leader's book is different. This book was written by lacanian professional rather than self-appointed "interpreter" of Lacan and supervised by Jacques-Alain Miller, the successor of Lacan. This fact makes the book the most faithful and reliable introduction to Lacan. Second, this book explains the clinical significance and origin of great Lacanian terms, e.g. repetition, sinthome, lalangue, so on. The result is that the approach makes it easy to understand. This is why other books by non-psychiatrist could be by no means competitors. Third, this book is written by exceptionally clear language and aided by intelligent graphics. Clearity is not a Lacanian virtue, but this book makes a immensely satisfying exception.

First, I would like to point out I love the game, both Live Action and Paper. Now on to the Review, let's start with the good parts: - Balanced Play: The revised edition approaches LARP with a much more balanced perspective than previously available. - Documentation: The book provides considerable opportunity to truly understand the Garou perspective. - Cohesion: By using the mechanics standards presented in Laws of the Night Revised, the rulese systems are finally equal. And on to the bad points: - Editing: Possibly the most poorly edited game manual I have ever read. The placement of materials is good, but the errors are glaring. For instance, Background:Rituals says that you can buy one level of ritual per point spent. In LARP, rituals aren't leveled like theis, they are Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and not numbered.

We're now on our third incarnation of Werewolf rules for the Mind's Eye Theatre. For the third time, White Wolf has failed to even perform cursory review of their work. This is not a critical issue, but the errors have been carried over through all three incarnations! For instance, in the "Backgrounds" - "Rites", the work states that for three points in this background you can have one level 3, one level 2 and one level 1, or 3 level 1 rites. Problem, rites are ranked Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, not 1 through 5 as the paper game. A similar situation exists throughout the work. This poor work goes to show that the product was published for money not to truly enhance the game.

Although Werewolves are not something that any vampire wants to see, a Storyteller can often use them to stir up a campaign. This book has rules that make it easy to both create and properly role-play werewolves, or the lupines, as the licks like to call them.

Either way, these 10 foot tall terrors should make anyone afriad. Very, very afraid.