This book takes readers to the best walking routes along New England's Atlantic shores. Full details of where to find the best walking, how to get there, what to wear, etc. With lots of helpful maps and directions, this book really gets one out to the most attractive places without delay wherever one is along the New England coast. Loved it!

Every Professional Magician has this book on their shelves and return to it over and over during the course of their magical careers!

"The War of the Worlds" wasn't the only masterpiece that H.G. Wells wrote with the words "The War" in the title. "The War in the Air," which came out 10 years later, in 1908, is surely a lesser-known title by this great author, but most certainly, in my humble opinion, a masterpiece nonetheless. In this prophetic book, Wells not only predicts World War I--which wouldn't start for another six years--but also prophesies how the advent of navigable balloons and heavier-than-air flying craft would make that war inevitable. Mind you, this book was written in 1907, only four years after the Wright Brothers' historic flights at Kitty Hawk, and two years BEFORE their airplane design was sold to the U.S. Army for military purposes. In "The War in the Air," Wells also foresees air battles, as well as engagements between naval and aerial armadas. His gift of peering into the future is at times uncanny.
We see this worldwide war through the eyes of Bert Smallways, a not terribly bright Cockney Everyman who is accidentally whisked away in a balloon and lands in Germany right on the eve of that country's departure for war. Bert is brought on board one of the German airships, and so personally witnesses a titanic battle in the North Atlantic; the Battle of New York (in which the length of Broadway is destroyed and many buildings near downtown City Hall Park are levelled, looooong before 9/11); and the huge fight between the German and Asiatic forces over Niagara Falls. And these are just the start of Smallways' adventures. Wells throws quite a bit into this wonderful tale, and the detail, pace and characterizations are all marvelous. But this isn't just an entertaining piece of futuristic fiction; it's a highly moral one as well. The author, in several beautifully written passages, tells us of the terrible waste of war, and the horrors that it always entails. In this aspect, it would seem to be a more important work of fiction than even "The War of the Worlds." While that earlier work might be more seminal, this latter tale certainly raises more pressing issues. And those issues are just as worrisome today as they were nearly a century ago. In his preface to the 1941 edition of this book, Wells wrote: "I told you so. You damned fools..." As well he might! And it would seem that we STILL haven't learned the lessons that Wells tried to teach us so many years ago.
Perhaps, at this point, I should mention that readers of this novel will be faced with many geographical, historical and vocabulary/slang terms that they may not be familiar with. If those readers are like me, they will take the time to research all those obscure terms; it will make for a richer reading experience, as always.
I said before that this novel is a masterpiece, and yet, at the same time, it is not perfect. Wells does make some small booboos in prediction, for example. Zeppelins were not more important than airplanes in war; civilization did not collapse after World War I. He tells us that the distance from Union Square to City Hall Park is under a mile, whereas any New Yorker could tell you that it's more like two. Wells mentions that the Biddle Stairs (which were built in 1827, led from Goat Island to the base of Niagara Falls, and were demolished in 1927) were made of wood, while in fact they were made of metal and encased in a wooden shaft. But these are quibbles, and in no way detract from the quality of the work. Indeed, this is a novel that should be mandatory reading for all politicians, not to mention all thinking adults.

Ellen Gibson Wilson first encountered African food when she married a British man who had lived in Western Africa. "A West African Cook Book: Good Food From Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone" is an excellent cookbook, one of the best African cookbooks ever. By focusing on these four countries Ms. Wilson has produced a wonderful book, probably better than if she had tried to cover the entire continent (as many African cookbooks try to do). It contains not only 150 recipes, but also lots of information about cooking, food, and life which helps put the recipes into a cultural context. It is a pity it has been out of print; it is highly recommended and worth searching for.

Chapters include: "In Praise of Pepper and Other Characteristics of West African Food"; "A Simple Guide to Ingredients"; "Cooking the West African Way"; and "Eating the West African Way". Recipes are categorized in these chapters: "Classic Main Dishes"; "Classic Staple Dishes"; "Other Main Dishes"; Other Side Dishes"; "Starters"; "After Chop"; "Small Chop"; "Drinks"; "Some Feasts and Rituals". Many recipes appear in variations from two or more of the four countries featured in this book. The book includes a bibliography of rare African cookbooks and journal articles.

Sir James Matthew Barrie is one of the best known playwrites, and in my opinion one of the most talented playwrites of all time. Do not mistake him for a Shakespeare, but for those who cannot get through Sir William they might turn to Sir James. Sir James pulls together much of the thought of his time, as well as some old fashioned principles (deeply hidden, but available for those who look). Sir James is a veteran of the theatre, and, "What Every Woman Knows," proves his excellence even in a "small-scale" setting.

This is a great book with really interesting ideas for growing plants! I really like the format, and the easy, step-by-step instructions and pictures. It is full of unique projects, and they would be great for science experiments about growing plants! One of my favorite projects in this book is growing alfalfa in the shapes of hearts, stars, or whatever shapes you can think of. I would definitely recommend this book for parents and teachers.

Linda Gibson Gellar's book is a wonderful tool to have if you are an early childhood educator. She elaborately explains how teachers can encourage children to learn and expand language skills through the use of wordplay. To help us understand children's level of learning and development, she divides the book into three sections: "The Nursery Years (Three and Four)," "The Transition Years (Five through Seven)," and "The Middle Elementary Years (Eight through Eleven)." Within the chapters in these sections, she also includes play anecdotes, personal experiences, and quotes from other educational journals. This book will also help a college student, like myself, studying language and creativity in an early childhood setting. As I read her examples and experiences, I could relate to my own use of wordplay when I was growing up. Furthermore, I kept thinking about my experiences in my field-based classroom where the children would always tell me their made up rhymes. This book helped me to understand what these children were doing. Gellar has much to offer in her book. I would love to read more of her works.

An excellent testimony of a man and his family devoted to the Lord.

A legend in his own time at The University of Texas, Martin "Red" Gibson transfers his magical teaching ability into an effective and easy-to-read book with "The Writer's Friend." Written in a breezy, almost conversational style, TWF is design ed to teach you copy editing painlessly. Through his subtle Texas humor, brilliantly clear examples and common-sense approach, you will begin to think about what you and others write. TWF helped me not only as a journalist, but as a writer in day-to-day life. I know the people who read what I write appreciate the book, and I know that I sure do appreciate Dr. Gibson -- and miss him. Get this book if you want to write well.

I read Jane Eyre for my AP Lit. Class in the 12th grade. I figured, oh just another boring book. WOW! was I completely mistaken. ALthough long, Jane Eyre could have been 1,000 pages and I still would have read every page, with joy. The growth Jane Eyre, the novels main character and Protagonist, goes through throughout the novel is amazing. Born into an unloving world, with rejection and anger at every corner, Jane is forced to keep herself company and therefore, her only friend is herself. Adopted by her uncle, who soon dies, Jane is forced to live with her aunt Reed. I dont want to summarize about all this stuff, I am going to get down to the nitty-gritty. The novel mainly centers around Jane and her love for Rochester. When Jane becomes eighteen, she is hired to govern at the mansion of Rochesters, and to guide and teach his daughter, Adele. The marvelous love story between Jane and Rochester is as intense as anything you will ever read. At times while reading the novel, I would have to put the novel down and take in what I was reading. The passion and heart exhibited by these two characters was at times unbearable. If you want to read a true novel, full of power and emotion, read Jane Eyre- the best novel ever written. :-)

When I first read Jane Eyre, I (and I think many others) was taken in by the odd combination of romance and ominous overtones that makes Jane Eyre such a unique book. Of course, the Victorian-era writing and social commentary also made an impression.

But upon reflection, underneath all of this is a story of people with difficult lives learning to find and accept each other and hopefully coming to peace and happiness despite long odds. Maybe my second reading just comes from a twenty-first century mind reading things into a nineteenth century book that just aren't there. But to me, the book does have the feel of a modern story of hardship as well as a Victorian story of people trying to overcome their backgrounds to find love.

Jane Eyre tells the life story of an orphaned girl sent away to a harsh boarding school by a cruel aunt. Despite the harsh nature of the school, Jane thrived at the school since she is finally out from her aunt's crushing dislike for her. She graduated and took a job as a governess for a girl in the care of a mysterious man who spent much of his time traveling abroad, Mr. Rochester.

At first, the two do not like each other. This is compounded by the fact that Jane thinks she is plain looking and not worthy of his company. But the two develop a peculiar friendship, and there are many signs that their feelings are deeper. But Mr. Rochester is busy courting other ladies at the time. Mr. Rochester also seems to have a secret that he will not divulge to Jane but may have serious consequences for her.

Jane's job as a governess and the friendship that develops make it seem that the book will quickly become a Jane Austen book (which of course, would not have been a bad thing) in which the man and woman from different classes find love with one another, but from the point of the friendship blooming, Jane Eyre takes a few remarkable twists and turns that I had not expected and that make for real page-turning.

But it is as much the quiet desperation of both Jane and Mr. Rochester and their struggle to find each other despite this that makes Jane Eyre a book truly worth reading and treasuring.

I read this book in junior high school and, like so many other girls, fell head over heels in love with Mr. Rochester; after all this time, the book is still a terrific read. The first part is classic Cinderella with an interesting twist. Jane is an orphan who is abused and mistreated by her rich and evil stepmother and her nasty cousins; unlike Cinderella, Jane stands up age age 10 and fights back. She is promptly shunted off to a school for girls from poor families, where she spends the next eight years. Needing a change of scene and environment, she answers an advertisement for a governess and enters the household of Mr. Rochester. Rochester, however, is no Prince Charming; he's 17 or 18 years older than Jane, hard, bitter, cynical, selfish, and, unknown to all but a few, encumbered with a wife who is the prototype of the "mad wife in the attic". Rochester is a romantic at heart, however; he is captivated by Jane's innocence and simplicity. We all know how the book comes out so there is no sense in rehashing the plot; suffice to say that Bronte is a marvelous storyteller. The one problem I have with Jane Eyre is the same that arises in Bronte's other books, and that is her stifling insularity; she seems unable to find value in anything that outside her own narrow, English Protestant frame of reference. However, this is a small caveat in this book. "Jane Eyre" is a classic romantic novel that has entranced generations of readers and looks good for generations to come.