Though this anthology does in no way substitute for the biographies themselves, the book points you toward wonderful biographies of famous and important Americans. A bit uneven , exerpts range from unsatisfying (George S. Patton), to appetite-inducing (George Custer), to concisely authoritative in themselves (Eleanor Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson). Certain omissions, such as Douglas MacArthur, scream out, while inclusion Anita Hill but not Clarence Thomas seems woefully outdated.

Brian Lamb, host of C-Span's Booknotes, has pulled together a collection of short, enjoyable, highly personal biographical glimpses into the lives of famous Americans - political notables ranging from John Adams to Lincoln to Edison to Bill Clinton.

Booknotes Life Stories contains more than 75 four-to-eight-page profiles, reflecting the informed, entertaining, and controversial opinions of scores of leading biographers and historians, as told to Lamb in his decade of Booknotes interviews.

While other available biographical references are more detailed, the charm of Booknotes Life Stories is its tendency to cut to the chase, presenting only the relevant points of the historical figure's life in an informal, enlightening, and sometimes irreverent style.

This impressive compendium belongs on the bookshelf of writers, history buffs, students, teachers, politicians, and those who just plain enjoy a good, educational read. (Reviewed by Angelo Parra, award-winning writer and dramatist, who also writes and edits personal and family memoirs.)

The origin of this book weighs rather heavily on its content. Some of the pieces are a bit superficial and many tell less about their subject than one would have wished. On the other hand, this book is a great opportunity to get acqainted with people you would not ordinarily read about. Who would ever have thought that Henry Clay was a funny person to be with or that Paul Revere was not the only one on the road that famous night? And there are many surprises: I ,for one, didn't know that Sojourner Truth's first language was not English but Dutch( she grew up in the Hudson Valley). Among the pieces that dig deeper are those on Whittaker Chambers and Harry Truman. For every reader this book will have its eye-openers and discoveries. It does best what it was meant to do: getting you to read more books.

This book makes many valid points, and I agree completely with the message and the politics that inspired it. The execution of the idea is excrable, though. It seems the author is talking down to the reader. The inclusion of court citations as footnotes instead of endnotes exposes the author as a lawyer who is trying to sound like a lawyer. "We are not impressed." This book, when reviewed by any literate person, is an embarassment to the firearm-rights movement.

I'm a cheap-skate so you know this must be good for me to give a copy as a gift without it being someones birthday, christmas, etc. Heavy reading? No way. But totally illustrative of a simple fact that most people are unaware of -- THE POLICE ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO RESPOND TO YOUR 911 CALL!!! If you think you don't need to defend yourself (i.e. just call 911) then you need to read this book before it's too late. It'll open your eyes to the simple facts.

A review by the author of all the different states, plus Puero Rico, showed that the police are not required by law to protect your or "yours" as individuals. The 911 call is a request, not and obligation for help. You are required to protect yourself.

Self defense means a loaded gun in the hands of a person familiar with the weapon (something that takes only a few hours). Only potential losers take baseball bats or knives to a gun fight. Data indicate that mearly showing that one is armed usually ends the conflict. Every person should be prepared for self defense.

After readin this book, it is obvious that gun control advocates are illogical "warm & fuzzy" thinkers. They should put a sign in their front yard saying. "This is a gun-free home", if they truely believe what they preach. Outlaws do not observe gun control laws, if you would believe this book.

This book may have many samples of typefaces but it does not have all alphabet. Some typefaces only have four letters. And all of them have no punctuations.

If you're looking for a type specimen book, try Adobe Type Library Reference Book (ISBN: 0321136462) instead! Though it shows only one size (about 20pt,) and Adobe's only, it has everything in that set.

A great reference!

The reason some typefaces in this book are incomplete is that . . . they are incomplete! A complete alphabet does not exist (read the text, dummy).

Believe it or not (and setting aside the ambiguous ethical question of appropriation), the purpose of a book like this is not to provide ready-made cut-n-paste-able typefaces for you to rip off, but to serve as a reference.

This is a valuable reference work with the type faces very well organized. If you are interested in type face design and the history of type, this book is a must!

As an American having lived in Singapore for much of the past 30 years, it seems to me Mr. Hellander hasn't spent much time there. Much of his 'facts' and 'tips' are out of date, or just plain wrong. His 'tips' on hotels and restuarants in particular seem to be based on marketing data, and not real world experience. If you are planning to go to Singapore, there are many other, better written and more accurate, books to read. This would not be one of them. Insight and Essential Explorer do a much better job.

...We found this book to be a very solid reference for transportation and side trips. Compared to Fodor's Singapore guide, which we also carried, this book has more accurate and helpful information on sightseeing and transportation options, e.g., local places to buy bus or ferry tickets for side trips in Malaysia and Indonesia. The book is also a good source of ideas for exploring outlying islands, forests, and neighboring cities.

We were not impressed with the "Places to Eat" section...With two broad exceptions, the descriptions of "Places to Eat" and "Places to Stay" are too brief to be of much use in choosing a specific restaurant or hotel. However, each publisher covers hawker centers reasonably well...Lonely Planet's treatment of budget and alternative lodging arrangements--such as camping--seems fairly comprehensive. Finally, you will find more shopping advice in other guides, although this book's shopping section is not bad.

The information in the book is well organized and generally easy to find. While it is not a "pocket size" guide, its size (approx. 5 x 7 in. or 12.5 x 18.5 cm) makes it very easy to take along in a backpack, camera bag, or briefcase. At 200 pages plus maps, it is light enough to go almost anywhere.

For getting around in the city and to more remote locations, we found ourselves relying on this book. If you are familiar with Singapore, have already arranged accommodations, or are more interested in exploring and side trips, the options in this book can take you much farther afield without stress. First time travelers to Singapore (other than those with extremely limited budgets) or those who go only for the shopping may find the Fodor's guide more helpful.

Lonely Planet maintains a very good website...which features detailed content, including updates about Singapore and other locations. I have rated this book four stars, a very usable little reference that will likely become more useful the more you visit. Combined with the website, the book can prepare you well for nearly all aspects of a visit to Singapore, especially if you intend to use Singapore as a hub for excursions elsewhere. More detailed descriptions of hotels, including further treatment and recommendations in the top half, and more material in the shopping section would give the book a stronger appeal to a broader audience.

While this guide was useful in all the mundane ways (accomodation, eating), I'm grateful to for the way it got me thinking about some of the less understandable aspects of Singapore. After a couple of days of walking around S'pore I began to wonder at the odd sense of artificiality about the place, and the strange way my hosts and others talked of the city-state. I was glad to be reffered to Stan Sesser's book *The Lands of Charm and Cruelty*, which told me of "the fear that even the best educated Singaporeans feel towards their government." I am also grateful to this guide for steering me towards Ian Buruma's essay "The Nanny State of Asia," in his book *The Missionary and the Libertine*, which went into a lot of detail about the police state behind the facade of Singapore's clean toilets, etc. The guide was useful in all practical matters, but by dealing with some of the unpleasantness that is the reality of Singapore, I came away with a better understanding of the place which grew increasingly creepy the longer I stayed. Lonely Planet Singapore is an excellent, thoughtful guide that did what it was supposed to do, yet also led me to other books which helped enrich my business trip. For understanding some aspects of Chinese behaviour in a business setting, I also recommend Bo Yang's *The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture*. Paul Theroux's *Saint Jack* is a novel set in Singapore - though written in the 70's, I found the attitudes and actions of many of the characters still relevant to locals and expats of Singapore today.

The author/illustrator has found a clever way to combine the illustration and text, as if to portray the sound of Thelonious Monk's music. I read this to a third grade music class. The students commented that the words were placed on the page like notes on a music staff. They also noticed that the size of the words changed throughout the book, perhaps suggesting the dynamics in his music. Although the book doesn't share specific factual information about Thelonious Monk, it is fun to read. I would recommend it for all students and music lovers alike. As a music teacher, I really enjoyed this book!

I was skeptical about this when I picked it up from the library. My 6 and 3 year olds absolutely loved it. The way the words were scattered over the page made it impossible not to read it rhythmically! We read it months ago, and still, every time someone says the word "mysterious," they start chanting the words of the book. Raschka has done it again!

One wouldn't think it possible, but Raschka has recreated Monk's "Misterioso" into a beautiful synthesis of color and word by matching the 12 musical notes of the chromatic scale to the 12 values of the color wheel, and repeating word phrases with slight variations, as with Monk's playing.

I am a total beginner and I made the mittens listed in the book. I learned how to add another color and how to put the mittens together. I found the abbreviations a little confusing and the substitutions weren't totally accurate (counterpane stitch substition for slip stitch wasn't clear when adding or dropping stitches). Also, I could have used more detailed instructions on how to put the mittens together. I liked that there were contemporary patterns (tank top, tote bag, hat) instead of patterns that remind me of my grandmother. This is worth buying for the cool patterns, even though the instructions may drive you batty.

I have this book and several others by Ms Turner. I found her book to be a great addition to my crochet library. Pauline Turner is a gifted teacher. Her international correspondence course "Crochet in Design" is the best in theory and practical design. Pauline uses great crochet artists to work and design some of the projects in her book. These projects compliment the workshops and give the crocheter a chance to futher practice the stitches or other information given within each chapter. Please give this book a try, I think you will like it.

I am an experienced crocheter, but I always like to find books that give time-saving hints and better ways to "build a mousetrap". This book has lots of interesting patterns, stitches, and hints.
I use it frequently as a reference.

this book will only appeal to those seeking an alternative lifestyle. It does not represent modern hunting or hunters. Buddists, yurts, and nude chanting in a spa! Give me a break.I wish I hadn't bought it, and so will you.

I met Ted Kerasote in Katmai, Alaska, while writing Chapter X of Travles with Samantha. Here's what I wrote...

As it happens, I wasn't the only PowerBook addict in camp. Ted Kerasote, a writer for Sports Afield and Outside magazines, was here writing about bear management. We happened to be sitting next to each other around the lodge fireplace and he'd already heard all about me.

"You must be that guy from Boston."

Ted beautifully illustrated the mellowing effect that living in a Wyoming town of 90 for years can have on someone born on the Lower East Side. In a patient soft voice, Ted summarized his new book Bloodties, about animal rights and hunting.

"Hunting in one's bioregion can be ecologically more sound than being a supermarket fossil-fuel vegetarian, i.e., someone who has plugged-into America's factory farm system which has destroyed so many different types of wildlife. Remember that the wheat field used to be a buffalo range, pesticides kill animals, and combines kill all kinds of small animals. Exploration for the oil that powers the combines and makes the pesticides displaces and kills animals."

What about Prudhoe Bay? It is only a 250-square-mile outpost on the Arctic Ocean and produces all of Alaska's oil. With millions of square miles of identical wilderness all around, how could this tiny settlement make a difference?

"Good point, but think about the Dalton Highway that was built to service Prudhoe Bay. That opened up those millions of square miles of wilderness to hunters who go in and kill moose and wolves.

"My book calculates the fossil-fuel cost of different diets. A guy in Wyoming expends 79,000 K-calories to shoot 150 lbs of elk meat. The equivalent amount of Idaho potatoes costs 150,000 K-cals. Rice and beans from Northern California 477,000 K- cals."

That's great, but I hadn't seen too many elk roaming around my Boston suburb, whereas we are well-supplied with supermarkets. Can a significant number of Americans really live off game?

"There are more white-tail deer now than when Columbus landed because the forest has been opened up and they flourish on the edge of timber land."

[Reviews of Ted's book spoke volumes about the difference between East and West Coasts. The New York Times review read much like this synopsis, focusing on his argument and its numerical underpinnings. The Los Angeles Times review started and ended with a discussion of the similarities between hunting and sex.]

This book won't appeal to the hunter who views a succesful day only by the weight in the game bag, nor will it appeal to the anti-hunter who thinks all hunters want to do is kill. It will appeal to those who look for a deeper understanding of why they, and other people, hunt. This book should appeal to those who keep a copy of WALDEN, or A SAND COUNTRY ALMANAC within easy reach on the book shelf.

Shelley Stewart is absolutely NOT the man he appears to be. As a member of his family, I have seen his astonishing greed and selfishness towards the family he supposedly cares so much about. He has poor relationships with his son, and most of his other children. He cares only for himself, and offers no help his family. Take it from me; buy another book. Large portions of this book were admitted to be largely fictional.

you think you had a bad childhood? Shelly Stewart had one that is hard to believe. This is shown in this wonderful book, and how he overcame this handicap. He is now a successful businessman and is helping other people. This memoir reads like a novel, I could not put it down.

I don't know how to start this, but I just got to write something about this book. If this book don't affect you to the point of sadness or tears, I don't know what to say for you. This book was nothing short of a miracle. I have encountered people with similar backgrounds and they just get by, and expect you to feel sorry for them. With Mr.Stewart, you just want to applaud him. The fact that their father would kill his wife in front of his children with an axe and let her fall out the window onto a tree with not so much as remorse,well, I had no sympathy,no nothing for him, and like his sons, I felt nothing for him or that second wife or those aunts for that matter. What kind of woman feeds fried rat to children? Where is your humanity, where is your heart? what kind of man tells his son(a child) such heartless things, and allow such treatment that your own children leave you before puberty? what kind of woman mentally and physically break down a child just so the white man doesn't? Yet, it was a white man that took him in his own family when you didn't want to be bothered? This is just too much, and then here comes the military giving shock treatments just because you speak up for yourself and feel that despite your early life you should just go on? What kind of stuff is that? This is what happens in Shelley Stewart's life. He went through so much abuse, so much living from one pillar to post,so much betrayal(like the high school principal who wouldn't give him a chance at a scholarship despite the fact that he had the grades and know how to do so) yet despite all of that, he STILL makes something out of himself and is one of Birmingham's living legends..Folks, we hear of how we can't do this because of our background, childhood, someone said this or whatever, I say if this man can go through the stuff he went through and still live to tell the story, and is a man(and we know that men just keep their feelings to themselves and all),well, he deserves my salute, and I say GET THIS BOOK. You may want to scream, you may want to cry(Lord knows I did), but if the best thing you can do with this book is give it to some person who needs a lift in the right direction and say,"Read this",perhaps, we have made the life of one person better in order for him to make a contribution to this world.I reccommend this book highly, but, if you are faint at heart and always need a kleenex(which you may need), you have been warned.This ain't no pretty story.It's gritty,and if I could get this man down to my neck of the woods in lower Alabama, I would. Matter of fact, the book deserves 10 plus stars.

If you are new to the Beats, this is a pretty good overview of them. Things that make this book stand out are the pictures, which are not all the usual ones, and the "where are they now" section in the back of the book. But really, could it hurt to do a bit more editing? I mean, I found several typos, and, according to this book, Jan Kerouac died in 1966, three years before her father....

Great photos, nice text. This isn't the book for the hardcore fan of Kerouac or the Beats, but for someone like me, who really enjoys spending a few hours with those boys now and then. You can whiff the Beat cigarettes, sexism, and excitment in these pages. But you also learn about the depressive, conservative, and finally alcoholic side of Kerouac. I'm glad I bought this book, and I would recommend it to most.

I have to admit, I'm a beat-freak. And I suppose when we think of Beats, we automatically think of Jack Kerouac (or Ginsberg or Borroughs)--I know I think of Jack. JACK KEROUAC: ANGELHEADED HIPSTER was a great find on my part. It's a rich visual biography of Kerouac. The book houses a montage of beautiful pictures of Jack, et. al, and is designed in a very aesthetic way--the typeface is supposed to remind us that typewriters did exist back then (I guess they still do, but their not as popular). I liked the book best for it's the photographs Kerouac. The text is not that hard to read, but if you're looking for more substance about Jack, I recommend you buy another Kerouac biography. The book does give you a sense, nonetheless, of who this legendary man was. For folks that want to see the man the book calls "The James Dean of the Typewriter," this book is the one for you. I found myself flipping through the book day-dreaming about being with him during such a revolutionary, exciting, and historic period. (I suppose it was just my luck that I was born two decades too late.) This would be a great addition to anyone's collection.

Whatever other pearls of wisdom this book may have to offer, the sidebar on page 212 destroys the author's credibility. It reads, "Do You Have a Neck Problem? A Simple Test Can Tell You" -- then, courtesy of Howard Loomis, D.C., you are instructed to lie on your back on a table with your arms crossed on your chest, raise both legs simultaneously while keeping your knees straight, then lower both your legs. You may not have a neck problem as "diagnosed" by using this technique but CONGRATULATIONS! -- you now will have a lower back problem. Lita Lee, Ph.D., was definitely remiss in not "road testing" this one! I tried this and then found out it is literally a prescription for lower back strain. It cost me three days off work, a trip to the doctor's office, a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and a prescription for a muscle relaxant. Gee, thanks Lita! The only piece of information that would be even more valuable is where to find the nearest trash receptacle so I can do justice to the rest of your book.

I didn't really like the book. I've found it to be OK for novices who don't know what enzymes are and what they do. I wanted some practical information for a particular condition but didn't find it here. While I won't say "Don't read this book", I wouldn't recommend it to my friends if they wanted some practical information. Glancing over it in a book store is all one would need to grasp most of the information in the book.

This book is excellent, like all books printed by Burton Goldberg. There is about 100 times the health information in this book as in any other health book. By that I mean, you learn about many ways to address each disease discussed, not just by using enzymes.

Enzymes can be used to treat inflammation, TMJ, candidiasis, weight problems, headaches, hormonal imbalances, etc. There is virtually no condition which would not be improved by the use of enzymes.

The only thing I don't like about the book is the author's emphasis on one brand of enzymes. Readers would be better served to know which enzymes a person needs, not which formula from this brand in particular. I hate to criticize this book, as it is excellent, but this is the only weak point. Constantly referring to certain formulations that are only available by prescription seems to make enzymes unattainable to the average reader.

Enzymes are available at any health food store. Ask for anti-inflammatory enzymes, that's usually the only formula they carry, but they are enough to get you started.

For more precise info, the book to read is "The Healing Power of Enzymes" by DicQie Fuller, Ph.D. This book gives lists of symptoms that are likely to occur if you are deficient in a particular enzyme. You can diagnose yourself and work on getting the correct enzyme formula.

For example, people with high cholesterol often have a lipase (fat digesting) enzyme deficiency. Taking lipase supplements will enable you to reduce your cholesterol level quickly.

I definitely suggest you buy this book.