If you are looking for a book that covers the special forces of WWII and how to incorporate them into the GURPS game system, this is it.

Mr. Fisher has done an excellent job of maintaining both historical accuracy and game integrity. The writing style flows well and makes for an easy and informative book. For those of you who are not experts on WWII, this book may even prove educational :-)

GURPS has long been known for the attention to detail that it displays in its world books - thankfully GURPS WW2: Hand of Steel lives up to the pedigree.

Don't expect a wide range of detail in this book - it is one of SJ Game's new "mini-book" supplements. If you want the full low down on World War II and its participants, buy the core book and the other full size releases in the line.

What you do get though is a concise, intelligent, and historically accurate portrayal of the "special forces" in the conflict that spawned the modern understanding of that term. Everything from Wehrmacht combat engineers to US Marine Raider battalions - you are not limited by theatre or nationality, although the ommission of Italian special forces (extremely minor though they were in WW2) is a noticeable ommission.

Not that that effects the way the book works. If you want a Tech Level 6 military orientated campaign source, this book is essential. Games following the Real World WW2, Alternate Earths campaigns, even contemporary and near future special forces orientated games will benefit from the information in this book.

I am thoroughly satisified that I bought it - a great gaming aid and a good historical read. Nicely done.

Soft cover, BW photography, 187 pages. The second volume (1993) is a companion to the hard to find and out-of-print landmark 1983 text (if you are lucky enough to find book 1-buy it!). Authored by legendary aluminum collector Dannie Woodard, Books I and II are landmarks in the history and appreciation of handwrought American aluminum. Woodard's work represent the single most profound early influence on the aluminum collecting field.

Book II shows a much better quality of aluminum design with greater emphasis on more desirable pieces. This is only natural as collectors, educated by her first volume, had forwarded Woodard photographs of better items in anticipation of Book II. Woodard was at least a decade ahead of the collecting field in recognizing and categorizing the vast array of handwrought aluminum. Book II (still available) remains the only useful general guide to aluminum. The collector or dealer is well advised to stay away from the other general guides to aluminum which are riddled with inaccuracy and inconsistency.

Although the specialized collector may prefer a spectacular and scholarly guide to Wendell August Forge aluminum, as well as several manufacturer-specific monographs that are now available from private sources, Book II is highly recommended as the best general overview for the general aluminum collector or dealer.

Soft cover, BW photography, 183 pages. This hard to find and out-of-print 1983 text is the first book ever published on hammered aluminum. If you are lucky enough to find it-buy it! Authored by legendary aluminum collector Dannie Woodard, it is a land mark in the history and appreciation of handwrought American aluminum. This work represents the single most profound influence on the aluminum collecting field.

Woodard was at least a decade ahead of the collecting field in recognizing and categorizing the vast array of handwrought aluminum. This volume, and it's companion book II (still available) remain the only useful general guides to aluminum. The collector or dealer is well advised to stay away from the other general guides to aluminum which are riddled with inaccuracy and inconsistency.

Highly recommended if you are lucky enough to get your hands on it!

This is a wonderful book of instruction. I was determined that I would not attempt machine applique because it was just too messy unless one used a fusible. Beth's instructions are so crystal clear and easy sounding that I just had to try it. The results were amazing. Not only did I have all the information that I needed to try this technique, but I was successful on the first try. The book is full of wit and humor and VERY clear direction -- the patterns are wonderful and the close-up pictures are helpful as well as beautiful. I recommend Hand Applique by Machine highly.

I've been a confirmed hand applique person. After buying and reading Beth's new book on hand applique by machine, I've changed my ways. Beth gives very clear and easy to understand directions. Her designs are absolutely beautiful and her directions are so clear. I can honestly say this is a very good book. A book that needs to be in every quilters library.

I am a novice wood carver. I took a weekend class in Febuary, which which is the first time that I took up a carving knife. This book is an excellent resource for the beginner. Step by step instructions on two of the projects prepare you for the others that are contained in the book. It is illustrated in color, and has front and side view patterns for each of the projects. My proof that this is a worth five stars? My first carving from one of its patterns is recognizeable.

I really like this book. The layout is nice and the patterns are great. Some are easier to carve than others, as usual. However, some of the patterns are perfect for a beginner to tackle (I'm think mostly of the snowmen).

Mike has a great carving style of his own and does a good job showing you step by step what he is trying to accomplish.

If you like the subject matter then this is a great book to add to your collection.

This, and the other book by Sue Newhouse, are my favorite embroidery books because they really opened my eyes to the possibility of doing original work - and having it be easy! The stitched examples are by Ms. Newhouse's embroidery students - not by the author herself - showing how these techniques really can foster creative expression. One thing I like better about this book is that she provides the sizes of the pieces - it's easier to get a feel for a piece with a sense of scale. The book does provide good instruction on technique but I found the photos of embroideries to be the most important feature. I highly recommend this author's books!

Probably the most difficult thing about this new method is learning how to translate from the Queen's English to North American English. One of the primary items used in this technique is hessian. Hessian is burlap! English sheeting is bed sheets, the high quality 180 count sort. The technique is applied embroidery. Various parts are made separately and then attached to a painted background. It is akin to stumpwork but with a modern twist. The examples are pleasing and imaginative.

Written in the form of a boy's diary, this book lets you live with it's characters for a while. It describes life in the ancient Arab city of Damascus in a very beautiful and emotional way. The main message of this book is a call for Freedom of Speech, but it is not political. I read the book for the first time in German in the late 1980's and now during the war on Iraq (2003) I came back to it and it helped me a lot to make up my own mind about the conflict. This book is not only suited for teenagers, it is also quite exciting to read for adults!

A wonderfully complex world of characters & cultures! The exotic setting feels familiar as we explore modern Damascus with a spirited teenage boy. Political chaos & poverty push him into adult responsibilities, as we see him becoming a fine, brave young man.

This is my fifth Goddard, and each maintains a freshly unique, suprising, suspensful character. The Spanish Civil War is an active character in the novel, and offers a valuable learning experience in itself. The theme of webs, connections and linkages continues from Goddard's other novels. All issues are finally resolved but not without unexpected twists and turns that make it difficult to put the book down.

The plot is well thought out. Unlike most of Goddard's books, half way through, I was sure that I fully understood what was going on and who had committed the murder. All the facts fitted my suppositions so I was a little disappointed at how easy it was to determine what was going on. Then the plot changed dramatically and all my suppositions were proved to be wrong. Red herrings galore! The final pages of the book reveal the most plausible of solutions to the scenario. As with most of RG's books, the final pages reveal a solution not thought of, but altogether too plausible. An Excellent read! Terry Hockenhull

Peter Harris creates a memorable and mythic character -- Junior Baby. Hip and cantankerous, Junior Baby raises the consciousness of readers with a narrative worldview that links Black men of the 90's to traditional Black values.

Peter Harris creates a memorable and mythic character -- Junior Baby. Hip and cantankerous, Junior Baby raises the consciousness of readers with a narrative worldview that links Black men of the 90's to traditional Black values.

The alchemy of Linda Watanabe McFerrin's work is a combination of several elements she mixes in that brilliant workshop-of-a-mind of hers. She manages to provide gorgeous details that reveal much about her characters while not clobbering the reader over the head with heavy exposition. Her observations of the human condition are full of profundity and incredible heart. Her awe-inspiring mastery, though, is often elusive--as potent in what she chooses not to tell as it is in what she chooses to tell.

And, when you've reached the end of one of her exquisite stories, you are left both satisfied and wanting more. In fact, most of the stories in The Hand Of Buddha stayed with me for several days after I had completed them--especially the title story--because I felt a sense enrichment and yearning at the same time.

McFerrin's stories almost seem as though they were written by a divine, non-judgemental hand--Buddha's hand--and as such, can serve as reminders to us all that the seeming everydayness of our lives is truly numinous.

The wry, humorous, warm-hearted viewpoint of the story-teller in these tales of women switching gears to get out of crisis-mode builds bridges across great divides-between religion, ethnicity, location, and between the secular and the sacred. I loved Linda Watanabe McFerrin's novel, Namako: Sea Cucumber, and this book is an amazing follow-up. I can't wait to read what she writes next!

I am enchanted with this book, one of the most exquisite books I have seen in a long time. The photos are beautiful and thought provoking. The carefully chosen texts reflect not only the scientist's natural bias toward the provable, but also the respectful awe of the scientist who cannot totally explain the observable phenomena. It is a book I want to share with many.

THIS BOOK REALLY TAKES YOU TO THE WORLD OF "BEYOND" AND MAKES YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE REALLY HOLDING THE HAND OF GOD. A MUST FOR ALL WHO EVER WONDER IF WE ARE ALONE, IT WILL BE ANSWERED EVEN IN THE INTRODUCTION.