I travel in Europe a lot, and while I am not a student of theology or religious art, I find both very interesting. I have always found the art regarding the devil to be some of the most heartfelt, visceral work, and I was excited to find this book. It lived up to my expectations, with beautiful pictures and a deep, well-reasoned analysis of the symbolism involved that took into account the conditions and beliefs of the times. I found myself involved and interested, and was well-educated by the time I was done with it. However, I wasn't finished with it at the end; I had to give up early. This is because near the end, Lorenzi goes into the devil in goldsmithing. While this was another prominent religious artform, it became too technical, with too many names and periods to keep track of. If it hadn't been for this last section, the book would have recieved five stars from me.
The book is still a fascinating read, and well worth your money. There aren't many books to be found that focus so effectively on the devil in art, and this is a good one.

This book struck me as an interesting thing to read when I was recently discovering the beautiful city of Firenze for the first time. I appreciated the biblical and social aspects of this non-fiction approach at devils and demons. I, also, not being a student of theology, found myself learning more about the history of the old testament of the bible while I read over the book. It kept me (an avid fan of FICTION.. ) attentive... I read the book in about two hours. If you are interested in the history of Florence, as well as Brunelleschi and other Florentine artists and architechts, I recommend this book. It is also a good read for people interested in devils, witchcraft, etc.

Two traditions exist side by side in the literature of natural history: the scientific tradition, running through Linnaeus and Darwin to the evolutionary biologists of today, and the romantic tradition, passing from Gilbert White to John Burroughs and today's conservation and nature movements. The American naturalist Florence Merriam Bailey (1863-1947), the subject of this biography, was one of those rare individuals who was at home in both traditions. In her early years Bailey was active in the crusade against feather hats, and we see her vigorous work "in the trenches" of Smith College and of Washington society. On the scientific side, as sister to C. Hart Merriam and as wife to Vernon Bailey, pioneer figures in the U.S. Biological Survey, Florence Bailey was an explorer of the American West, and her many expeditions provided material not only for her technical Handbook of Birds of the Western United States (1902) and her Birds of New Mexico (1928), but for dozens of travel and life history accounts in the popular press as well. Ample quotations from Bailey's writings give a vivid picture of the early West, and make it easy to understand why her works were appreciated by both professionals and amateurs.

The weakness of this biography is that, unlike Bailey, its author is at home only in the romantic tradition. We are told on three occasions, for example, that the scientific method of bird study was to "shoot first and ask questions later," a derogatory characterization Bailey would probably not have made inasmuch as her brother and husband were among the greatest collectors of their generation. Florence Bailey comes through as an admirable figure, but the manner in which her story is told will tend to reinforce the prejudices that members of both the scientific and romantic traditions have toward each other today. [Adapted from my review in Archives of Natural History, 18(3): 415, 1991.]

I highly recommend this book. It is a wonderful read about a highly individualistic, inspiring woman who lived a fascinating life. I found it soothing and stimulating at the same time: it made me get up off my duff and get back out into the big outdoors to take another look at birds and the natural world, and it also gave me hope about what we can do as individuals to learn about and protect the environment. Florence helped start the movement to ban the practice of putting birds and bird feathers on women's hats that nearly wiped out many of our bird species around the turn of the century. Her early life in the woods with minimal schooling allowed her to see the world in a less cynical, socially molded way, making it possible for her to become one of the preeminent naturalists of her day. She traveled all over the West camping with her naturalist husband and observing birds so that she could write some of the first field guides for these areas. As a writer and a scientist, I found the author's descriptions of Florence's scientific technique, which relied on intimate observations of birds' daily lives, fascinating. What a role model! I will read this book again whenever I need to replenish my stores of hope and curiousity.

The book was very well written, and reminds me of the story "I Remember Mama" which was about a Norwegian family living in San Francisco during the early 1900s. Florence had a very interesting but somewhat sheltered life. This is the type of book one writes as a family history. The suprise is the family relationship with George Eastman (Kodak) which was very low key, along with Sir Edmund Hillary (Mount Everest).

The book would have held a little more interest if there was a index of names, otherwise the story was very touching in a romantic way.

This is a most interesting book about one woman's life which is filled with experiences that most have not known. A life that has taken her from Sweden to growing up and living all over the world. A must read!

Although I thought this book was "ok" I couldn't help but feel that this book was written more to increase the number of books Rick is selling, rather than to fill a need for this type of book.

I was also surprized to find Rick, early in the book, slamming the Eyewitness Guidebooks. His books we are told, are all one requires, and that you should "borrow" an Eyewitness book from those you might bump into on vacation, if you want.

On the good side, however, there was museum information in this book that was very useful.

Just returned from a trip to Italy, and found this book saved us a bundle at museums. Unlike the Italy 2003 book (which we also had), the Florence book also takes an in-depth look at several of Florence's most popular museums, taking you step-by-step through each, and giving a suggested path you can follow to walk through the museums without missing the most important sights. There's also a description/background for all the important exhibits, which meant we weren't stuck having to buy a guide at any of the museums--we could just read Rick's book. Saved us a bundle.

The restaurant reviews here were also spot-on.

One note: Rick recommends making reservations for the Uffizi and the Accademia. While it worked out wonderfully for us at the Accademia, it wasn't so helpful at the Uffizi. There was still a mob scene to get in, even with advance reservations (the museum gives out WAY too many tickets for each time slot. Better to both reserve, AND to choose a first-thing-in-the-morning time.) And, of course, the mob scene at the door is rife with pickpockets. The couple standing beside us had their camera stolen right at the door. So beware!

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the book. It saved us a great deal of headache at the museums, and offered a great guide to all five of the museums we visited.

Joseph Bailey
Reading 03
April22, 03

Florence B. Freedman's Two Tickets to Freedom book is magnificent! It was as if she was Ellen Craft being zapped into the book as she was writing it! Ellen and William had to be on their tiptoes in alert so they could escape their slavemaster. With Ellen posing to be a white man as her slave, they escape to Boston only to find they have to go to Canada! This true story is amazing because it takes you back to 1848 in Macon, Georgia. Many people help them but when law is passed that fines anyone that helps a slave for 1000 dollars, will they make it? "Tickets for myself and my slave." Ellen says on the trip. Some people get suspicious..........

Two Tickets to Freedom is the true story of a fugitive slave couple that travel the road to freedom in disguise -- Ellen (by all appearances white) dressed as a slave master and William posing as "his" slave. Their encounters both encourage them and cause them untold fear as they meet abolitionists and slave traders along the way. Faithful to the Lord, they trust solely in His deliverance along the way and on several occasions narrowly miss being caught and returned to slavery.

The book continues with the story of their life in the "free" states under the fugitive slave law, their contribution to the freedom movement, and their escape to England where they could be truly free. Finally, Two Tickets to Freedom tells of their return to The United States at the end of the Civil War and the reality of "freedom" in a now "free" land.

The book was a wonderful experience for me, having read The Underground Railroad by William Still. Two Tickets to Freedom tied together names, places, and events that I had previously read about in sketches. And these people were real people.

I was disappointed with the book in one way. The book promised initially to be written with careful descriptions and appropriate references, making it an easy read aloud for children with a wide range of cognitive abilities. As the book progressed, it became easier to read and flowed easily. Nearing the end, however, the words became more difficult, the concepts more difficult to understand, and the subject a bit harder to recognize. The topic of racial prejudice could have been approached more effectively had the book flowed a little more carefully at the end. And I would love to have had a bit more information about the life of Ellen and William Craft as they began again in Georgia.

Overall, I really liked the story and feel it is a valuable addition to a child's collection of books on American history.

"Astronomical Lore in Chaucer" is a pretty interesting idea for a book, but buyers should be aware that this is a reprint of a book first published in 1919. This was after Einstein's first papers on relativity were published, but long before the idea of the "Big Bang" was a hot topic. Astronomy has progressed a lot since 1919. So, the author makes occasional statements about astronomy that will rest uneasily in the mind of the alert reader. Also -- social science in general was a very different scene in 1919 than it is today, so be prepared for some statements you may actually find offensive.

That said, the writing style is pleasantly, rollingly Edwardian, reminiscent of Saki or Olaf Stapledon, and the book is packed with intriguing notions. In Chaucer's day, astronomy and astrology were not differentiated, so let's just say the science isn't always overwhelmingly hardcore. Nevertheless, Chaucer was apparently considered an expert with the medieval astrolabe, so he did have things to say that were actually cutting-edge science in the 14th century.

The book is divided into four sections, dealing with I.)Astronomy in the Middle Ages, II.)Chaucer's Scientific Knowledge, III.)Chaucer's Cosmology, IV.)Chaucer's Astronomy, and finally V.)Astronomical Lore in Chaucer. The actual quotes don't really kick in until chapter two. There are many entertaining, illuminating little passages sprinkled throughout this highly neato book. All you need to be wary of is the fact that the book is a little out of date, and then you can relax and enjoy it. Two thumbs up.

Unlike Lister's previous book, *Pot Luck: Adventures in Archaeology*, her account here is less anecdotal and personal, but she goes into more scientific detail as she focuses in on five prehistoric Southwestern U.S. sites, namely Lowry Ruin in Colorado, Awatovi-Kawaika-a in Arizona and Kuaua, Pottery Mound and Gran Quivira in New Mexico. The prehistoric pueblo Indian time frame is from the 6th to the 13th Centuries and the conquering Spanish overlays are investigated up to the 17th Century. Archeological discovery times covered are from the 1930s to the 1960s.

College students, Native American helpers, and professional archeologists uncovered scores of embellished walls, different kinds of pottery and evidence of agricultural practices of the pueblo peoples, but conserving the finds was tricky at best and impossible at worst. Some of the most stunning finds were at Pottery Mound in the Rio Puerco in New Mexico. Wall paintings were startlingly abstract, complex and sophisticated. Shells, pottery, and gemstones not found in the area evidenced trade with Mesoamerica while pictures of fish and bison indicated exchanges with plains Indians.

The downside of these finds, the inside story of how archeologist Frank Hibben fudged on and suppressed some of the data at Pottery Mound for instance, is also chronicled by the author. At the end of her chapter on the subject, she states that "It is a pity that they are beclouded by controversy and that the original records are today beyond the reach of further scientific study."

Photos in this book are clear and intriguing. An excellent beginning and in my opinion a must-read for anyone interested in any or all of these five sites.
...

Florence Rush has done an excellent job in delineating the problem of the sexual abuse of children. If this book does nothing else, it may alert people, parents in particular, to the extent of the problem, the denial that often accompanies it, and certain strategies of defence. On the minus side, Rush seems to assume that nearly all the sexual abuse that occurs is perpetrated on females, and while she does devote one chapter to the sexual abuse of males, she seems to regard this as the exception rather than the rule (I find this odd, consodering that mosr abusers seem to be male, and sexual predators have been found almost invariably to have been victims of similar crimes themselves). Also was a rather pointless excerpt about why Lewis Carroll was not a child molester, but merely a bloke who liked little girls (? ). Anyway, the book is an excellent resource for everybody despite it's shortcomings, and should be read by all people, but parents in particular.

What a cool story! Beasley, a robust hippo, is growing bigger and bigger, and is affraid he is growing too big to be good at anything. Beasley desperately wants to be good at something. He wants to win a blue ribbon that spells out FIRST PRIZE. He tried to win several contests, but failed. His loving Aunt Emerald suggests, "Never give up...you can always find something that you can do well." Then it hits him. Why not have a Bigness Contest. He would surely win that...or would he???

This book is full of many issues that parents/teachers may enjoy discussing with children, like learning to love yourself, being different, etc. A humorous, simple story with a positive message.

If you are looking for a guide that will help you "narrow down" the choices of sights to see in Florence, this one is not for you. If you are looking for extensive lists and reviews of hotels, again this is not for you. Finally, if you're looking for detailed restauraunt information, you won't find it here. Basically, this guide is not a planning guide. I have used the Internet for most of my planning (e-mail me if you need some help finding some great sites MarySorens@yahoo.com).

What this guide does have to offer is an amazing amount of cultural, historic, and artistic information in a very packable sized guide. This will be the guide to read when you are doing your own tours of Florence. It will tell you far more than any tour guide would.

This guide also has map pages included. At first they are difficult to read and understand. But once you get the hang of them, you will love them. They are very detailed, and who wants to be seen walking around a city with a two foot map in front of their face??

The blue guide also gets you oriented to the city. Even if you don't use the Blue Guide's walks, they will show you which attractions are grouped together and will help you plan your routes (this is the one sense in which this guide works for planning). I haven't left yet,and my guide looks worn!

In conclusion, I am putting together my own itinerary that will contain details like restaurant and hotel addresses. And then this will be the only guidebook that I take with me to Florence. And I am looking forward to reading it and absorbing as much of the city as possible! If you are remotely interested in history and art and more, you will not regret purchasing this guide. I have used many guidebooks for trips, and this one is the most informative and educated.