hi there. i wanted to give a review on marion's magicshoes. this book puts back the fantasy in a child mind. there are somany violent books out there for kids to read. i feel this book will keep the young child interested just as those others books would.keep up the GREAT work wanda,because these types of books are what we need our children to start reading instead of all the violent ones. i think it deserves a five star rating. in my opinion all children should read it sometime. they would enjoy it once they started reading it! GREAT WORK!

A fantastic fantasy of a young boy and a special friend who needs help to get back to his fantasy world. Marion is granted one wish for helping his friend. You will be very curious to find out what the boy wished for. It kept me reading to find out the boy's wish and it will you too! Marion travels to a far off unknown world. It's a treat to find out what goes on there and the type of characters displayed. This book is a must read for children of all ages! You will truly enjoy this short story.

I picked up this book at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu and read it while touring around Oahu and Molokai in late 2001. Having been to all the islands of Hawaii I can say this work really catches the flavor of the place. Twain narrates his own adventures as well as providing his unique commentary on the customs, culture and history of the islands.
A very entertaining piece, particularly for those who have been to Hawaii or are planning a trip.

This is a book taken from the letters of Mark Twain during his visit to the Sandwich Islands,which are now Hawaii. It is a very interesting and informative look at Hawaii in the 1800's. Mark Twain uses his usual humorous and lively writing to tell of his experiences and adventures while there. Experiences from the humorous writing about his horse "Oahu" to his adventures touring the islands and volcanos by horseback and entering an active volcano crater at night! He also tells of the great beauty of the islands and rain forests. Very good book and easy to read and understand.

Some of the people pictured are my relatives,one is my father.
I've found this book to be a good connection to my past

For anyone interested in African American History in St. Louis, and particularly in Webster Groves-this book is a must! Filled with interesting photographs and charting the development of a unique community, this book lovingly portrays North Webster as only a resident could. If you know the area, you are sure to see places you'll recognize!

Many short papers have been published on potassic igneous rocks. However, this is the first comprehensive work on that topic. The book is well written and 'userfriendly' for all geoscientists interested in the association between alkaline rocks and gold-copper deposits worldwide.

There is a number of literature published on potassic rocks. However, this book provides a guide for all geoscientists interested in high-K alkaline rocks, particularly those associated with gold and copper deposits. Well written and edited!

On 13 December 1939 the Graf Spee, a German pocket battleship commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff engaged three British cruisers in the South Atlantic. Questions remained as to (1) why did Langsdorff disobey orders and engage a British force; (2) why did the damaged Grap Spee make for British-friendly Uruguay instead of German-friendly Argentina; and (3) why did Langsdorff scuttle his ship instead of making a nightime escape across shallow water to Argentina? The author, Eric Grove, addresses these questions in a well researched account much of which is from previously unpublished private sources.

Contrary to popular belief, under the limitations of the Versailles Treaty the German pocket battleships were not designed as commerce raiders but were built to counter a naval threat in the Baltic Sea. However, with the outbreak of W.W.II, these ships were employed as commerce raiders, and the text narrates the Graf Spee's 1939 commerce raiding in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

In direct disobedience of standing orders not to engage enemy naval forces even if they were inferior, when returning to Geermany for a shipyard overhual Captain Langsdorff decided to attack escorted convoys. On 13 December Langsdorff closed range to attack a convoy encountering not a convoy but the British cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Achilles and HMS Exeter under the command of Commodore Henry Harwood. The author notes that Langsdorff could not run because the British cruisers would shadow the Graf Spee until reinforcements arrived so that "Langsdorff knew he had to sink or disable all three enemy ships."

The text contains a good account of the battle. The Graf Spee was hit at least 23 times and sufferred 37 killed and 57 wounded including the captain who remained in command as Graf Spee was chased towards neutral water. Unaware of the pro-British feelings, Langsdorff put in to Montevideo where he hoped Grap Spee could repaired for a return to Germany. Commodore Harwood remained off shore in neutral waters with HMS Achilles and HMS Ajax; the damaged HMS Exeter was sent to the Falklands for repairs. Grap Spee was trapped in Montevideo. The text gives an excellent account of the gamesmanship played by British and Germans diplomats in Montevideo; the Germans wanting their ship repaired and the British working to delay its departure until naval reinforcements arrived. Uruguay decreed that Graf Spee carry out essential repairs and leave by 2000 hours on 17 December.

Germany did not want the Graf Spee interned in Uruguay but the ship was not seaworthy on 17 December so that Langsdorff had three options (1) fight the British; or (2) run for Argentina; or (3) scuttle the ship. Erroneously believing British naval reinforcements had arrived, the options of fighting or running weren't considered feasible so the Graf Spee left Montevideo on 17 December and was scuttled. The German crew was picked up by Argentine ships and were interned in Argentina. Criticized by the press for not going down with his ship and having no future in Germany, two days later Captain Langsdorff committed suicide and was buried in Argentina. A respresentative of Langsdorff's former commerce raid prisoners attended his funeral which the author calls "....a remarkable tribute indeed."

The author's account of the disposal of the sunken Graf Spee is intriguing; basically the Geermans indirectly sold it to the British as scrap metal. The text's account of internment is interesting; some escaped internment and once in Germany the officers resumed active service. In a quirk of fate, Graf Spee's gunnery officer was assigned to the Bismark and was killed when the British sank the Bismark.

The final chapters outline the history of the remaining German pocket battleships and of the British cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Achilles and HMS Exeter. Captain Langsdorff had picked a difficult adversary as Commodore Harwood was the leading British authority on combating surface commerce raiding. Following the battle, Harwood was promoted to admiral while for disobeying orders Langsdorff paid with his life thus becoming the Graf Spee's 38th fatality.

This excellent book is well worth reading. Other W.W.II events have overshadowed Graf Spee's battle; however, the Royal Navy's victory over Graf Spee was important as it was the first British victory in W.W.II.

Eric Grove again proves why he's among the best of today's military historians with a fresh and insightful look at the classic December 1939 confrontation between the Graf Spee and Harwood's cruiser squadron in the South Atlantic. Purists consider this the last of the "old fashioned" naval battles -- pre-ULTRA, and so on. Grove makes a compelling case for the fact that regardless of the state of technology, the human factor remains key to the outcome of battles. The author's portrait of Langsdorff -- "warts and all" -- is free of the propaganda-induced biases that have plagued some other writers. The book shows the man to be undone in large part by his desire to make a definitive statement about the effectiveness of German sea power in the earliest days of the war, and his willingness to do so in spite of strict orders from his superiors to avoid engagements with enemy warships. The author's portrait of Harwood, Bell, and the others on the Allied side is cogent and insightful as well. Grove's analysis of the (relative in-)effectiveness of the gunnery on both sides is well presented, and he does a good job of interpreting the Graf Spee's battle damage in terms of its effects on the vessel's fighting and seakeeping capabilities, should a breakout from Montevideo have been attempted. He does the same with the intricate post-battle political sparring that helped seal Graf Spee's destiny, and offers a comprehensive look at the fates of the people involved on both sids of the fighting. Grove also provides some brief but interesting commentary on the 1956 movie done on the Battle. Throughout the book he makes minimal use of "hindsight" and succeeds in presenting a familiar story in a fresh and compelling manner. The only flaws I found in the book could have been rectified by some careful proofreading; in one instance the date of the battle moves from December to January and in another the word "judgment" is spelled two different ways on the same page. But the book overall is an excellent addition to the WWII naval history cannon and delivers keen insights into one of the war's most publicized engagements. Highly recommended!!

Great book about the dreamers of the South Pacific. It is a collection of short stories of important and not so important dreamers who have wanted to make a name for themselves in the South Pacific. Stories range from brutal mutiny to the early history of the Hawaiian Islands.

I read this book several times and would recommend it to any one interested in the history of the South Pacific. I have read most of his books, and found it to be one of his best. I enjoyed Tales of the South Pacific, but his non-fiction work was very informative.

"Groves' poetry is visually appealing; it is direct, and the images are clear. Her writing depicts pleasure and challenge, an honest confrontation with experience." --MultiCultural Review

"Maketa Groves has a strong, bright lyric gift. Her poems come out of music and are full of music. They bring us the sounds of the streets and the sounds of nature, and make us see once again that they are parts of the same song. She celebrates American lives as they are lived today: the mother scrubbing her kitchen floor at midnight, the drag-queens in the Tenderloin, the homeless woman knitting in the courtyard. This is poetry that relentlessly shows us the beauty in the world, with all its struggles and complexity, and demands that we go out to meet it with open hearts." --Diane di Prima

mullets r good mullets r bad but some mullets make me sad sad sad. like this mullet today it was one outta sorts u see, this was a bozullet one of the first. it made me so happy but yet so sad becuz i didnt have a camera to capture the lad. and he had his own way of speaking. somehting that sounded like it would come from a bozullet mouth and then he left just walked away never returned but yet the bozullet haunts me to this very day!!

This is the greatest book I ever found about ancient ship painting. It took me such a long time to find this kind of wonderful book. It is a must buy for a marine painting lover or artist

The clarity and color of the reproductions of marine paintings in this book are nothing less than superb. While the individual styles and, to some extent, the specific subject matter of the five artists vary, I find it impossible to single out any one of them as being "better" than the others. Each is a highly talented artist who brings the past to life in a most convincing manner. While men-of-war are probably the most frequent subject of the paintings in this book, merchant vessels and ships of exploration and even of pleasure are not neglected. It is pure joy to just leaf through this volume and gaze at the wealth of images. Anyone who is fascinated by the sea and sailing ships cannot fail to be enchanted by this book.

Abby's family and Luke begin searching the sugarcane business in Kauai when their friends the Kendalls lose their ranch. They are soon offered jobs and a place to live, but shortly after are tossed into a crazy atmosphere. Now it's up to Abby and Luke to find out the truth about Reese Cutter before it's too late.

This is an excellent historical adventure for readers of all ages.

I was fortunate to have Dick Grove as a music teacher and used his harmony books extensively. They are the absolute best at organizing modern music theory in a practical and useful manner. This book absolutely rocks!