This is pleasant piece of fluff as unsubstantial as a sweet meringue. Cleone, beautiful as only a Heyer heroine can be, has been loved by her neighbour Philip since childhood and is piqued to find herself taken for granted by this very decent but unpolished young man. She advises him to take himself off to gain a bit of charm and polish, but when he returns, painted, powdered and mincing in satins and lace and affecting a languid air, she realises that she prefers the honest young man to the fop that he seems to be. Of course it's all an act and true love wins out in the end.

I found that this work lacked the gripping characters, suspense and hilarity that characterise the author's other works. The characters were particularly disappointing; the heroine is a work of insipidity and the hero moves from being a stiff, but likeable country bumpkin to an irritatingly controlling male who is invested overnight with incredibly pretentious society manners.

Nonetheless, the period detail is fascinating as always and there are moments of fun. I'd also recommend brushing up on your French before reading this book. I don't know any, so perhaps that's why I didn't enjoy it much.

This book is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer romances (you simply can't pick one favorite!). Phillip Jettan is a man who disdains the current fashion for powdered wigs and light-hearted flirtation, but he adores his childhood friend Cleone who has tasted the elegance of a London season and isn't content with her crude lover. With the help of his frivolous Uncle Tom he sets off for Paris, and is transformed into "le petit Philippe" who becomes the darling of French society - much to the dismay of Cleone! This story sparkles with witty dialogue, and wonderful descriptions of costumes and festivities of the 1700's. I re-read it at least once a year and I enjoy it as much as the first time, again and again!

The Rose and the Ring is a great classic. This edition, however, is an outright fraud. The original has rhyming couplets across the page tops, this edition omits them. The original has illustrations by Thackeray, who originally intended to pursue a career as an illustrator, but this edition omits them. It's like printing an Alice in Wonderland without the Tenniel drawings and with none of the songs. This edition is a waste of paper. Shame on Amazon for selling it! Now I have to return to the search for a real printing...

This is a very funny and clever book that deals with the appeal and danger of beauty. It is a great book for all ages with some very well done illustrations through out the book. The bottom review is from the back of my copy of the book.

A magic rose and ring which make those in the possession of them attractive, togather with a mischiviouse fairy who adds, "a little misfurtone" to the lives of a prince and a princess, creat hilariouse complications on a unusual fairy story.

This is a classic funny story that has stayed in my mind for 30 years. I first read it as a kid less than 10 and it was as wonderful and meaningful then as it is now.

The story of Giglio, Rosalba, Angelica and Bulbo casts a magic spell. Then of course there's Countess Gruffanuff.....

Classic's are classics with good reason.

The is a review of the Dark horse TPB that collects issues 1 to 4 of Star Wars ' Droids ' Rebellion. Unlike its nearly 200 page predecessor, this is 112 page TPB. I am reviewing ISBN 1569712247 published in Jan. 1997.

This comic is divided into 4 chapters and is a step down from The Kalarba Adventures in terms of quality of production. The paper and inking are good, but of lesser quality. The artwork is of comic strip style, but the inking is very good. The stories are fun but the lack of awesome light saber fights could not keep my sons interest. My youngest, a daughter, did like the stories. I give this 3 stars because there are few choices in the marketplace that combine a politically neutral story with pictures.

This is an incredibly fun romp through the Star Wars Universe from the viewpoint of C-3P0 and R2-D2 and other droids (as was originally intended anyway). Its very fun to see as the humans and aliens fade into the background bringing the mechanical beings to the forefront.

The art in this is beautiful: full of detail while keeping a slightly cartoony feel to emphasize the fun tone of the whole story. The comic writing matches equally well to bring you a story of the droids as you would never have imagined before.

C3-P0 as the charismatic leader of a revolution, reaching untold "delusions of grandeur" as he leads his fellow droids into battle! The "gonk" droid, tortured mercilessly by idiot humans, getting his eventual revenge. These and many others are great scenes that bring the world of the Droids of Star Wars into the light, onto the comic pages, and into our hearts.

The droids comics, are often times irreverant and funny, and i like this. i give this book 4 stars because, it is a little 2 silly, for most tastes. but the story does fit into star wars contiunity so far, so it is a good read if you wanted to know more about what the droids were doing between episode 3?, and episode 4.

This book was one of the best books I ever read. It is really funny. I think the author did a really good job writing the book. This book is not about a submarine. It is about kids trying to sink their substitute teacher. To sink is to make him/her cry. Then the sub tells them a secret this is her first time as a sub. They think they can sink her because she is a first timer. And they come close. They flood the room, change names, they even hit her with snowballs. Do they make her cry? Read the book and find out.

You probably think this book is about submarine right? We'll you're thinking wrong. This book is about kids who try to make the substitute cry before the week is over. They mess up the chalkboard, they throw snowballs at her. Do they make her cry? If you want to find out you'll have to read the book.

Kind of slow. A great way to show kids kind of a different perspective to teachers and substitutes. Not something I would enjoy reading but a pretty good book.I'd recommend it to someone who likes reading realistic fiction.

I would agree, this edition is pretty lackluster. Not only that, the stories are inconsistent. Some are extremely well done, especially the better-known stories;and the writing is great, but the symbolic devices, such as paintings and mirrors, are way over-used.

This lends a repetitiveness to most of the stories. The gloomy tone, revealing the hidden darkness of man, pervades throughout. For someone of his talent, Hawthorne repeats himself. I think his novels are far better than his short stories. I would recommend Scarlet Letter and House Of Seven Gables instead.

Hawthorne is one of the greatest short story writers of the English language--of any language. I won't go into too much detail of the stories that make up Twice-Told Tales (I'm saving that for the Library of America edition), but I want to take a minute to talk about this Reader's Digest Edition. It only contains the 'Twice-Told Tales', but those are some of Hawthorne's best known stories: 'The Minister's Black Veil' and 'Dr. Heidegger's Experiment'. It's a well made volume with nine illustrations that aren't very well done. Really, you are better off getting the Library of America edition of Hawthorne's Tales and Sketches. It's more complete, better crafted, and doesn't have those horrid illustrations. What is interesting about this edition are two reviews contained. One by Poe and the other by Longfellow. Unfortunately they are here 'in an adapted form' which is a problem Reader's Digest seems to have. It's nice to have them here, but it would be nicer if they were in the original form. I give a five for the stories, but a 2 for the Reader's Digest edition. So I've settled on a three for this review.

This Modern Library edition of Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales is one of the better I've seen in a long while. (A reveiewer below has mistakenly reviewed a Reader's Digest edition of the stories in this space. There are no illustrations in this book, and contrary to that reveiwer's estimation, the selection of stories here is very wise indeed.) Any good collection of Hawhtorne's stories should include the classics such as "Wakefield, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, "The Maypole of Merrymount," and "The Haunted Mind," as well as a few of the lesser known stories, of which there are many. This collection holds an excellent mix of both, with an amusing and insightful introduction by Rosemary Mahoney, and very informative notes by Gretchen Short. Hawthorne was, and remains, the American master of the dark, psychologically driven tale. I would challenge anyone to read, "Wakefield," "The Gentle Boy," or "The Hollow of the Three Hills" without feeling at least a little frightened and thrilled. These are among Hawthorne's best stories in a handsome new collection. I highly recommend the book.

Donna Burke and her friends anxiously attend the school carnival. Filled with thrilling rides, good food, and sales-booths, the carnival promises a fun time! Unfortunately, the fun turns to horror when Tammy Peters buys a pair of ruby-red shoes at a mysterious booth at the back of the field. The saleswoman hastily sells Tammy the shoes, warning her that they are cursed. When you wear them "you'll be given incredible fortune, but unfortunate luck." Tammy dismisses the claims, yet Donna is uneasy. Tammy wears the shoes for the school play and mysteriously breaks her leg backstage. Did Tammy fall victim to the evil curse? Where are the shoes now? Claiming their next victim? Who's next?.....

I thought that "Dance of Death" was a pretty good book. The story claims to be a thriller, yet I found that it wasn't very thrilling. I thought that it would want you to think that the shoes were at fault, but it turns out that an actual person is behind the accidents. Unfortuantely, that wasn't the case. The shoes really were cursed, and I don't care for those types of stories. I like horror/stalker-type stories, and this was more of a sci-fi book. Also, Jo Gibson's writing style is so repetitive it's uncanny! Every other page has someone blushing, and one of the scenes mimicked a scene out of one of her other books. I had deja vu! Overall, the story was good, but isn't one I'd recommend often! Instead, for a real scare, I'd recommend "Slay Bells" about a group of people stranded in a mall with a twisted killer in their midst, or "My Bloody Valentine." I've written reviews for both of these stories! Be sure to check them out! Enjoy!

Also recommended:
a.) "Slay Bells" by Jo Gibson
b.) "My Bloody Valentine" by Jo Gibson
c.) "The Train" by Diane Hoh
d.) "Vampire" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
e.) "Starstruck" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
f.) "Trick or Treat" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
g.) "Double Date" by Sinclair Smith
h.) "The Boy Next Door" by Sinclair Smith
i.) All R. L. Stine young adult thrillers
j.) All books by Joan Lowery Nixon

I read this book, and loved it. Donna kind of got of my nearvs. She always talked about her grandpa. Besides that it was good. The plot was good, evil shoes. The book would have been better if it told how the shoes got evil.There should be an other a part 2!!!!

A book that is what it says it is. This is mostly a compilation of standards, in the format of a reference book. I was looking for specific implementation details for MPEG, and this was not the book for me. Still, I am keeping it as a reference and anyone looking for the same will not be disappointed.

Digital Compression for Multimedia by Jerry D. Gibson, et al presents data compression types and techniques in eleven chapters. Each chapter describes in a simple way about different types of coding, including lossy and lossless. The material covered in this book ranges from the classical Huffman Coding to the most recent MPEG standards. It covers JPEG, multimedia/video conferencing, and MPEG. This book covers the basic principles and standards and their applications in great detail. Also presents mathematical foundation and algorithmic details in appendices/special sections. However, some mathematical background is required to understand the mathematical equations or the proofs. It includes a wealth of figures and tables as well as a list of acronyms with definitions. It's very easy to understand and follow the compression algorithms. This is a very informative book and can be used as a textbook for advanced undergraduate/graduate courses.

This book was very useful to me in my research. My research is in the area of data compression and its applications to communication networks. The title of my dissertation is Data Compression Techniques in Modern Communication Networks.

C.S. Rani, Ph.D.

This book is mostly a dissapointment. But first the good. There are ten good designs here. They range from the simple and unadorned kneesock-like hose, to some highly embellished, true kilt hose. The photographs for most of the designs are acceptable- more clarity and better lighting would have been appreciated. But the hose are photographed from the side only. Some of the designs are centered to the front and one can only surmise what the whole of the design looks like and what the effect is viewed head-on.
Now for what I think is this book's greatest flaw. The gauge called for here is way out of proportion with what makes good kilt hose or even good knitting in general. It's just too loose a gauge for worsted weight yarn. The gauge here is 17 stitches per 4 inches. This is even looser than the general standard of 20 stitches per 4 inches for worsted weight yarn worked over stockinette stitch. The stitches that result, and this can be seen in the cover art as well as inside, are ill-formed and sloppy-looking in several patterns. The knitwork is full of holes and is too open for it's purpose here. This looseness combined with the worsted weight yarn used produces a somewhat coarse and rough-looking hose-- not what we seek in kilt hose, especially for formal or evening dresswear. If the patterns were re-sized to 6+ stitches per inch, the use of worsted would be aceptable to those of us without the patience to work in finer yarns. Sportweight yarn and somewhere around a size 2 American needle would be as coarse as one should go. These patterns would require a lot of re-working to be knit as such. The hose that you end up with, as patterned in the book, will also be lacking in adequate stretch, so they will not have a nice "cling" to them. I think that when actually worn, even the hose that appear to be solidly knit in the pictures, would pull open, showing the wearer's skin under the knit. Using smaller needles to remedy this will work, but that would scale down the hose too much to fit most men. The author states that "Most of the patterns have been written in such a way that extra stitches can be added or subtracted as required." Other than working with a smaller needle, you're on your own as far as making these patterns work. The patterns are nearly useless as they are, except for the imagination shown in their design and this is a shame. It is also another reason this book is overpriced. Even at today's prices, this 60-pager seems pricey. That, combined with the actual "usefulness" of the book, makes it of real value only to the completist kilt hose or sock enthusiast. This is a further shame as there are very few resources out there for kilt hose knitters to find.
For some reason that isn't clear to me, a few of the designs call for flat knitting on straight needles for the tops of the hose. I don't know why this is, as none of the patterns appear to be one that cannot be converted to circular knitting.
So, overall, I cannot recommend this book to the inexperienced knitter without a working knowledge of sock structuring, nor really, to anyone expecting how-to's that won't need a lot of fiddling with to work. But,if you're a kilt hose enthusiast desperate for design input with [extra money], this book will fill a certain need for you.

To date I have knitted 6 pair of hose from this book,2 pair of the Kintail and 1 each of the Bramar,Fearg,Pipers and Isle of Skye.The Kintail was the most difficult and took 2 weeks of on and off knitting for each pair.I really like this book,the patterns are well written and my husband and I get continuing compliments at Scottish games with people asking where we purchased them.
This book is the only one that I could find with patterns written specifically for kilt hose, two others books with patterns that I tried were modified ethnic socks with too tight a stitch and looked horrible.This books only flaw is that the socks are photographed from the side making it difficult to determine the final pattern but,this is only a minor flaw and the book is well worth the money!

This is a great addition to the sock-knitter's library. The only other book I know about kilt hose deals with the tops (the ornamental folded-down cuff.) Probably will be of great help tot people who take part in historical recreation as certainly will be of interest to sock knitters in general.

I did not like this book at all. I really thought this was going to be a really good mystery book but I was wrong. I do not recommend this book.

I have read the first two books in the series and loved them!I received the third installment after I had already started reading "Paradise." It moved very slow for me and I couldn't connect with the characters. Micklebury is an excellent writer and even though I didn't like this story, I love her writing and will continue to support.
C.M. Miller---Author, Taxes, Death, & Trouble
Accrual Way To Die

As a defense lawyer with her own security firm, co-owned with Jake Graham, African-American Carol Ann Gibson lives the American dream. Carol and Jake have offices on both coasts and are so popular they have a large international clientele.

Their latest customer is the Caribbean nation Isle de Paix, who recently had a bloodless coup that replaced its Communist leader with an individual friendly to the West. The island country wants to become a tourist haven to build up its fledgling economy and top rate security is a must. Upon first glimpse, Carol Ann thinks she entered Eden, but though feeling idyllic, she sets out to enforce security and insures roads are built so that an infrastructure can begin to form.

However even paradise can be interrupted when snakes are about, especially since the road will destroy the lucrative cash crop marijuana. Soon a man keeps popping up who may be a dangerous felon or part of the DEA. Pirates seem to sail freely on all sides of the island, leaving Carol Ann to wonder what is going on and the determination to learn who is interfering with paradise.

The fantastic heroine is a believable person who wants to make the world a better place. Her partner is a hunk and the support cast (on the isle and in the courtroom) helps readers understand what drives Carol. The dynamic story line relegates race to a minor bar of local politics even as the reader obtains a different taste then normally seen of an island paradise. As usual, Penny Mickelbury escorts her audience on a tour of Paradise with this superbly written mystery.

Harriet Klausner

I read in anticipation to learn why a strong and powerful man such as Josh Gibson would die at the young age of 36. Yes, there were references to his drinking and drug use. There was mention about him possibly having a brain tumor. That's where the book missed the point. If it was a brain tumor, the author simply skated the issue by saying that the record keeping in the 40's left something to be desired. Certainly there were people to interview who were affiliated with the hospital where he stayed and was diagnosed. I think a stronger case for or against a brain tumor should have been made by the author instead of glossing over the matter. Way too much detail of the balls and strikes of games was given. Who cares about that stuff? I wanted to know about Josh the man and got some of that, but not nearly enough. Page after page was filled with box score details that were meaningless for the most part. If he truly had "many women", who were these people and did any other than Hattie and Grace play a major role in his life? Lots of questions and few answers from the author. Sorry!

It's easy to see why this writer also wrote a book about Satchel Paige. Their careers are so intertwined, he already had the research. And, in fact, you could almost call this a history of the Negro Baseball League.

The negatives to the book are that it early reads somewhat like a rehash of newspaper articles. The author was forced into this because the two primary sources were the weekly black newspapers and "embellished" word of mouth. The set-up is a little long on the history of the two Pittsburgh teams that Josh played for but since this rivalry was so intertwined with Josh's history, it was almost necessary.

The positives are that this is a classic "tragic hero". Humble beginnings and tragedy, develops into a tremendous player, personal flaws erode his skills, and then he has a young, controversial death. When you overlay that with the rumors and embellishment of his accomplishments, it's easy to see how the legend has grown. The author did a good job of balancing legend with documentable evidence helping the reader draw a conclusion on the stories that may be overstated exaggerations.

This is a great story and a very good read I enjoyed. Obviously, Josh Gibson and Satch Paige paved the way for Jackie Robinson and have their place in baseball history. I STRONGLY encourage you to watch "The Soul of the Game" on HBO which takes the history of Paige, Gibson and Robinson and overlays the facts into a reconstruction. It was one of the best movies I have ever watched and never fails to draw you emotionally into the story. This book and it's careful research, allowed me to realize virtually every scene in the movie was drawn from some fact and not an overstatement.

Mark Ribowsky has researched his material and subject very well. A very powerful but sad message comes from this book. Josh Gibson had tremendous and unlimited power and potential. As a victim of a racist America of that time, we will never truly know just how great he could have been. A sad epitaph exists for all Negro League Stars...Statistics are terribly lacking and wrought with inconsistencies. More often than not we are left to the colorful imaginations of those that were witness to this era. No question, they were all highly talented. No question, they were robbed and we were robbed. Josh Gibson is about as poignent a subject as anyone. Such a shame! Thank you, Mark. Thank you for at least allowing us to have a glimpse at what it was like for Josh and many others of a bygone era. It was not an easy time for them. Josh was the one that was hardest hit by the climate. The truth is known, it is ugly, but it is known.