My intent here is to convince as many as possible to read this biographical book about someone of whom they probably have never heard.

There is certainly nothing simple about my endeavor, just as there is nothing simple about the subject. He was far more than just a folk singer. He had as much charisma as Elvis, as much innovative talent as Chuck Berry, as much potential as Buddy Holly, and as phenomenal as it sounds, somehow managed to stay hidden in the shadows. He never achieved any wide spread general recognition.

The author recognized the importance of her subject's contributions, the scope of his talent, the scale of his influence, and with probing tenacity shone her light into those shadows, so we the reader might discover a true American troubadour, Bob Gibson.

The book paints the picture of an artist who reached the zenith of his profession, a world class entertainer, a man who literally changed forever the entire genre of folk music. To paint this portrait the author delineates the man in the shadows with the words and stories of his friends, fans, family and of course the musicians, singers, and songwriters of the 50s and 60s whom Bob Gibson affected.

Only after you read the book will you understand why she chose to tell the story in this manner. Simply put, of the many talents Bob possessed, his most amazing attribute was the positive manner in which he affected virtually everyone whose life he touched. The dichotomy was he still somehow managed, in his own enigmatic way, to remain virtually unknown.

Without this book, Bob Gibson, might never have received his final encore, one he richly deserves and one we readers can be thankful that the author provided. The amount of effort it took to compile this heretofore "untold story," could only have been powered by the energy derived from working on a true, "labor-of-love."

Like the dichotomy that was Bob Gibson's life, this book will make you happy and sad. Sad that you weren't aware of him earlier, and happy that the author persevered in her quest to illuminate and thus honor this dynamic individual. This book is Bob Gibson's last spotlight.

P.S. Better than apple pie the book comes a la mode. Tucked neatly into the inside back cover of the book there is a full length compilation CD of some of Bob's best known music and songs. Get it and enjoy the story and music of a little known legend.

This was a very interesting book for me. I didn't know much about Bob Gibson, had heard some songs but hadn't really paid much attention to them. I found the book to be well written and most importantly, to me, it made me wish that I had been more aware of Bob Gibson's music. The book makes you feel like you knew him and that you cared about him. The CD has some great songs and it is especially interesting to listen to it while reading the book. I think everyone should own a copy of this book!

I have to say I am SO happy to see someone tell Bob's story and bring to life the credibility and praise that he so righteously earned. Having been a loyal fan of folk music since it's early days, I have known how much influence he has had on the evolution of folk music throughout the sixties, seventies, and even today. Yet I have been consistently amazed at how many people are not aware of this. We hear all about Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, and other household names, but Bob's name goes largely unrecognized, even though he personally influenced all of these people...a fact which is frequently made evident by the many contributions to this book by other artists. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone with an appreciation of folk music, whether you know of Bob Gibson or not, you will wonder why someone didnt write this book sooner.

Meeting a grizzly on the trail is terrifying. So is battling cancer. Scott Bischke's creative mind connected these two fears and the result is the cleverly interwoven story Crossing Divides. This true-life tale recounts the trials and triumphs of Kate's (Scott's wife) battle and eventual victory over cancer. Their celebration takes them home to the Continental Divide for an adventurous traverse across their home state of Montana. The challenges of each journey show us the power of attitude in all endeavors. Crossing Divides is a riveting read that does not gloss over the tough parts of life - it infuses them with the hope and strength to persevere.

Crossing Divides is a beautiful love story of a young couple's successful struggle through the wilderness of cancer.

Kate and Scott were a young, athletic, married couple in the prime of their lives when Kate received the diagnosis of cervical cancer. It immediately became "their" cancer.

Their love of wilderness and their desire to return to nature became the focal point of their healing process. Kate and Scott take us along on their post-treatment hike though the beauty of Montana's section of the Continental Divide while relating the story of their cancer ordeal.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an insight into cancer and everything that relates to it. I especially liked the story because they won.

This book gives hope to anyone who has had to deal with cancer. Katie and Scott fought a tremendous battle against "their recurrent cancer" and came out as the victors by always staying in control of their choices in treatment and caregivers. They researched all their options completly and came up with a plan that would work best for them in beating the odds. I say "their cancer", because Scott was there through each and every step, supporting Katie, so she was never alone. This is a love story between a couple who have great strength and determination, as shown by the parallels of their battle with cancer and the journey they took on the Continental Divide trail of Montana soon after Katie's treatments. It is also a great book for any outdoor enthusiast who loves nature and a happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Mary Roberts Rinehart was the American Agatha Christie. Both were great mystery writers. While Christie was justifibly famous for her ingeneous plots, in my opinion Rinehart was the better writer. Furthermore, Rinehart had an uncanny ability to creat and sustain throughout each of her books an atmosphere not merely of suspence but of foreboding. Although reading a Rinehart novel is great fun, it is also rather scary. Her classic story The Door is no exception. If you like well-written mystery novels that make you want to keep the door locked while you read them, read The Door -- and all of Mary Roberts Rinehart's other classics.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE READ THIS BOOK! MARY ROBERTS RINEHART WEAVES A STORY LIKE NO OTHER AUTHOR I HAVE READ. THE SET UP, THE CLUES, THE VICTIMS, THE MURDERER AND THE FINALE! ALL FANTASTIC! I CANT WAIT TO READ THE YELLOW ROOM!

i had picked this book in 1983 or thereabouts from a sale, when i started to read it i just had to finish it to see who the person was committing the murders but to my utter horror some creep had torn off the last page and i never knew who it was. i have searched for this book at various stores but have not located it until today. ofcourse i have to order it from amazon !

Aspiring and experienced Eastern sock fanatics! This is your book! Full color photos and charts and sketches of how to knit Eastern socks. Shows many historical beauties in enough detail to copy. Here are my thoughts on knitting these socks. They are dreamy and historically compelling--but the foot of yesterday's Eastern women is shaped totally different than my foot. I need Western socks with western shaping. Would I ever knit a pair of these socks? Why sure--when I die and go to knitting heaven and get 20/20 vision and magic knitting needles that lead my hands to create these art socks. Do I reccomend this book? Of course. I've spent many wonderful afternoons in the hammock with this book, dreaming which ones I'll knit. I usually pick the Eastern Anatolian stockings as I think the lovely russet shadings will look great on my feet as I hop from cloud to cloud. Now--down to earth ! The best part of this book is there are directions for minature samplers of the major sock styles in this book. You could knit these as a collection and display them as an art grouping--or sew them into quilt squares for a stunning wall hanging. I think it's a very pratical application if you desire to try your hand at knitting these intricate designs successfully. This is a beautifully well thought out book and has given me many hours of pleaure reading and viewing these socks and the directions for making them. :)Miz Socks Cox

I'd recommend this book to anyone who's been knitting for a while and wants to learn new techniques - NOT "just" sock knitters. It's certainly not a "how to knit" book, but it covers subjects that could improve any knitter's technique.

The subject of the book is the Art of sock knitting, as practised in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Art section of the book is well researched and well presented. The pictures make it fun to read.

The focus of the book is on the Craft by which these works of art are created. This book includes a compendium of cast on techniques, analysis of knitting styles, detailed instruction on how to spin yarn which will wear well and maintain its shape, and great information on designing, especially with multiple colors.

The section on knitting intarsia (multiple colored pictures) IN THE ROUND is worth the cost of the book by itself. There are multiple options for shaping toes and heels, and for solving typical sock knitting and fitting problems as well.

This is a wonderful book if you've become fascinated with knitting socks. Priscilla covers the traditional, knit from the toes up socks of Central Asia. She also covers spinning your own yarn, East/West hybrids, and working sample socks to learn the techniques.

The book is well written, well laid out and the socks are fabulous! It covers some of the same territory as Fancy Feet and Anatolian Socks, but I'd recommend this book if you could only have one!

This book, GIBSON GUITARS: 100 YEARS AS AN AMERICAN ICON, by Walter Carter (ISBN 1-57544-014-8) is one powerful book on THE most legendary musical instrument company of our time. To give you an idea how riveting it was, I was up 3 nites until 3 a.m. reading it. I CAN HARDLY SEE I AM SO TIRED, YET SO GEARED UP. This is complex, comprehensive and filled with substantial and very subtle information, on both the instruments and Gibson artists. Gibson builds the best looking, best sounding instruments, bar none. Check out page 234 for a little sample of one of the thousands of nuances every player and collector will cherish. Jimmy Page, no doubt playing Stairway, is on the usual over/under 12/6 SG; BUT, note the regular humbuckers to catch the beautiful ambience of the acoustic side. But when it comes to the lead, he has two double coil flamethrowers, the 496R and 500T's, the best ceramic pickups ever made, under the 6 string neck! This book is powerful, beautiful, and extr! ! emely interesting. THE BOOK on the making of a musical legend. I cannot wait to see what the next 100 years will be like for Gibson, because they are getting better by the day, and they have tricks up their sleeve we can only imagine. EXQUISITE!

Anyone with an interest in music, whether it be a curiosity over which guitar (The Super 400) that Roy Rogers played, to the very stars themselves, like Little Jimmy Dickens, Emmylou Harris or Cindy Walker, will be delighted with the 314 page history of Gibson USA, GPG's "Gibson GUITARS: 100 Years of an American Icon," by Walter Carter.

This amazing collaboration of works (every specialist or researcher methodically covers each and every era of Gibson's ownership, management, philosophy, stars, and more) is jam packed with information on the performers, their instruments, carefully interwoven with a history of the fast changing musical trends of the times. Gibson nearly always lead the way, from the very beginning, and how they did it is clearly, concisely written about here.

From fans of mandolins, laptops, archtops, dreadnaught acoustics, and the rock and roll heritage of Gibson (known as THE TONE) will get more than their money's worth from this veritab! ! le chronicle of the company's entire history, beginning with the day Orville H. Gibson conceived his first guitar.

Each and every era is given full coverage, from the artists and their instruments of the 1930's, generation by generation, all the way to fans of rock legends Jimmy Page and Pete Townsend, will find everything they ever wanted in a book on GIBSON, in this work. And, frankly, far from being a Gibson-is-the-only-way ad, this book frankly, if brutally, deals with the steep decline of Gibson under Ecuadorian railroad and beer distributors, in the early 1980's, the loss in quality, and the modern day heros that rescued the legendary manufacturer from certain extinction, to pre-eminent leadership yet again, and perhaps greater status (and quality) than ever known before.

This an exemplary book, graciously adorned with plenty of pictures of mint condition Vintage (read 1930, 1940 and 1950 - and later) Gibson Instruments from various vintage collectors such as Geor! ! ge Gruhn. In my opinion, this book rates FIVE (5) stars PLU! S, and is a must read for anyone who ever wondered about the music of the 20th century: who created it, and what devices were used in doing it. There are some technical schematics to please the most picky purists.

If you are interested in any area of American music, you will more than likely find some reference to it in this book. So will your parents, and maybe your grandparents! There is something for everyone in this enjoyable and fascinating story of a modern musical legend.

Okay. I have a confession to make. I have a slight bias about Gibson Guitars. They are the ONLY guitars I play, ever have played, and, unless I get my hands on a Rickenbacker 12 string, the only guitar I ever will play.

"Gibson GUITARS 100 YEARS OF AN AMERICAN ICON", by Walter Carter, is a 314 page chronicle of each and every single era, dichotomised into a neat, organised and painstakingly concise tome of this musical titan, beginning with the Orville H. Gibson (creator of the Gibson instruments) era, and taking the reader on a roller-coaster ride of the triumphant ups, and near fatal decline, of this legendary manufacturer.

This book is worth every penny you will pay for it, and more, because it expands on every phase of Gibson's development, every epoch of the sea changes in the industry, while entertainingly interweaving changes in musical tastes, trends, and featuring leading artists, mainly those who used Gibson instruments, such as Pete Townsend, ! ! Duane Allman, virtuoso Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, the legendary innovator and artist, Les Paul himself, Jeff Lynn, Mick Ronson, Chris Hillman, Billy Gibbons, and many, many others. It is no coincidence that most of them were or are the preminent artists of the world's musical stage.

Make no mistake about it. This is no P.R. book, or propaganda espousing Gibson as the ALL TIME WINNER-greatest manufacturer ever jive; this book is painfully frank about the good times and the bad times with professional, dispassionate, objectivity, each chapter narrated era by era, by industry professionals from all corners of the musical field.

This book also debunks many of the myths, misconceptions, and misinformation floating around about the company. It takes the reader through each level of ownership, outlining the strategic decisions, for better or worse, as a company with a passion for being the leader in a fast-changing industry. And, later, I will address some of the false presumptions ! ! about the more recent models.

No doubt, Gibson was in its! hayday in the postwar period. It was a money maker and a winner. It's decisions were based upon well thought out and carefully crafted tactical decisions, a motivated workforce, and a desire for excellence.

Quite equal time is devoted to the acoustical and electrical divisions of the company, the key players in each ownership regime, and the masterful unveiling of each new product, extraordinarily chronicled often by Gruhn Guitars' George Gruhn, co-collaborator with the author, Walter Carter on a variety of other projects, and nationally acknowledged expert on musical and vintage instruments; the book is literally filled with high quality color photos of vintage instruments dating back to the early 1900's.on through the 40's, 50's and 60's, to the present, thanks to George Gruhn's extraordinary collection of vintage instruments.

I was blessed with playing excellent Gibson instruments since the early 1960's, and own a number of their electric guitars, and having played f! ! or 34 years, was equally lucky in NOT playing one of their products during their steep decline in the late 1970's and early 1980's, when very poor decisions by Norlin almost destroyed this national treasure. Tom Mulhern and George Gruhn detail the self induced problems which perpetuated when opportunists from an Ecuadorian beer company, railroad company, and mineral extractor nearly ran this company into extinction. A great example of knowing your industry or else.

By a rare fortune of fate, passionate and educated guitar efficianados (with engineering backgrounds) came to the rescue. Henry Juskiewicz, Dave Berryman, and Gary Zebrowski rescued this company, and the manner in which they did it is not only fascinating, but amazing in that they purchased a near crumpled empire, and brought it back to resurgance, and debatable superiority yet to be appreciated.

At issue over many debates is the worthiness, or lack thereof, of re-issues, of 'vintage' Gibson instruments. Unti! ! l I read this amazing book, I was of the impression that th! e re-issues were just attempts at nearly duplicating the successes of the past. Recently, however, and thanks to this book, I have discovered otherwise.

Anyone who has heard Jimmy Page's blistering, intricate lead on the First song on CD 2 of the BBC Sessions KNOWS what a Les Paul can sound like. Perfection. Well, I have re-created that exact same tone, and lead on my Les Paul 1960 Classic re-issue, with the proper equipment, and I can assure you, the quality is still there, waiting to be explored. This book tells you WHY. That is the most intriguing part. Yes, you MUST know your equipment from stem to stern, amps, tubes, effects, guitar intricacies (sorry, that info is classified; I do not give away 34 years of technical knowledge). But as has not been said about other instruments as Gibson's re-issues have been wrongly labeled: just because there are no Beatles now, no Led Zeppelins, no new supergroups, it is NOT because they don't make great microphones, pianos, and stud! ! ios like they used to (the bum rap hung on Gibson solid body guitars). The absence relates more to the lack of talent, and technical expertise, than to the properties of the instruments.

This book has drawn from the very best and most knowledgable professionals in the U.S. and U.K. to present a detailed encyclopedia of mandolins, guitars, banjos, and other instruments that made Gibson the frontrunners in music, giving an amazingly full chronology of its past, and looking ahead into the future for this promising company with a glorious past and an unlimited future.

Having read this excellent book, I look forward to the next 50 years of glory yet unimagined now, for Gibson USA.

This is a very, very fine book, extremely well researched, documented, and a joy to read. Anyone with an interest in music, be it Country and Western, Bluegrass, Jazz, or Rock'n'Roll will be proud to own this chronicle of modern music, and the company that virtually single-handedly brought us here.! ! To say this book is purely exceptional is quite an underst! atement. It is beyond that. And it is fun too. What more can a reader ask for? Five Stars + from me.

This book is amazing ! Plenty of pictures about special effects, battle scenes, actors, makeup, soundtrack, landscape, a must have to all lovers of history, civil war or movies. I had never seen before such a work for a book about a movie ! You even could read the entire screenplay at the end !
Really, a wonderful job, Mr Maxwell !

The collaboration of Ronald F. Maxwell (who wrote, produced and directed the film version) and Jeff Shaara (who wrote the book upon which the film was based), Gods And Generals: The Illustrated Story Of The Epic Civil War Film showcases an epic movie. Presenting the full-length screenplay as well as extensive revelations and insights about the making of a classic film, full-color photographs, a selected Civil War filmography, and so much more, Gods And Generals is the perfect companion volume for anyone who truly cherished viewing this great and enduringly popular film.

For those of you who saw "Gods and Generals" and did not understand what was happening, then this book is for you. Filled with outstanding photographs from the set and scenes from the film, this companion book to the film not only takes a look at the making of the $ Million epic, but a look at the real-life characters and events that inspired the cinematic masterpiece that is "Gods and Generals." For history buffs and cine-buffs alike! Grade: A+

I got this when I was a kid from the Museam of Fine Art in Boston. But I still re-read it even today, for reference and fun. The life of the gods and the epic adventures of ancient greece are summed up nicely without being dumbed down. The illustrations are increadible too. A lot of thought was put into this book and it is just as well written. Highly recommended.

I first read this book 25 years ago as a child. I still remember the larger-than-life illustrations and the intriguing stories. This is a wonderful introduction to the Greek myths and to mythology as a whole. Children will love the pictures and the characters; parents will love the keepsake quality of the volume.

Gods, Men, and Monsters presents an anthology of the Myths ofAncient Greece. Though geared towards elementary and middle schoolstudents, it is written well enough to appeal to any age level, with descriptions of the myths that are at once entertaining and informative. It provides the reader with a general knowledge of Greek mythology, in addition to a fairly deep understanding of the Ancient Greek gods and their pantheon.

By far the most stunning feature of the book, however, is the artwork. It contains 18 magnificent full-color illustrations, in addition to drawings and sketches at the beginning of each chapter and throughout the book. It is the artwork that sets it apart from other similar anthologies.

Overall, Gods, Men and Monsters is the ideal book to introduce children to Ancient Greece, partly because it appeals very much to the adult reader as well. It provides decent knowledge, understanding, and most importantly an interest in learning more. With relatively short but complete chapters and an extremely engaging text, it is really a very excellent choice both for bedtime reading and for studying. It is very useful as an introduction to Ancient Greek culture, as well, as the myths are presented in a way that implies aspects of the culture to a young adult reader.

It is also one of a series of books (The World Mythology Series) that maintains stellar standards in presenting the mythologies of various cultures. A truly excellent buy.

This is a great book to get your athletes motivated. The fun and easy to read format makes the book essential reading for every competitive gymnast. Coaches, if your gymnasts read this book, it will make you a more effective coach. I also enjoyed Going For It "2" the sequel to this book.

It is a great book, that addresses many of the underlooked parts of gymnastics. Setting goals, dealing with fears, overcomming obstacles, and basically becoming a more well rounded gymnast. This and his book "Going for it 2" are must haves for every coach and gymnast. (Coaches buy 2 so you can lend one to your gymnasts...)

This book was extremely helpful with many athletes that were lacking direction. They found this book easy to read- could be read in about 1-2 hours. Teaches athletes the importance of goal setting, hard work and risk taking. Excellent for young athletes in all sports.

I have tried to read the Gospels several times, and had always come away dissatisfied, feeling that I was missing the true meaning. This book (and part two) solved that problem for me. Barclay takes anywhere from one to several verses at a time and discusses them in the contexts of the time they were written, the prevailing religious thought, and their admittedly proseletizing purpose. He demonstrates how Matthew took ideas from the Hebrew Scriptures and showed that they predicted the coming of Christ. He also tells that many of these references were inappropriate, but because Matthew was intended for the Jews, this method was used. Beyond this, though, Barclay explains the meaning of the words and deeds of Christ, making opaque parables and homilies clear and compelling. The love of Christ and his ministry to save mankind come alive in this book. Barclay elucidates the message of Christ in a powerful, heart-gripping and understandable way. I am a Jew, and recommend this book to people of any faith if they wish to understand Matthew.

this book is really good...i especially enjoyed the depth of knowledge and insight. it tells you how customs and manners were relevent to that time period and why people did the things they did during that time. ive been looking for books of this nature for a long time and finally found some. it is a very good book and i will probably buy the entire series.

This is one of the two volumes Barclay wrote on the Gospel of Matthew - each covering roughly half of this book of the Bible. These are a part of his series on the New Testament, where Barclay clearly discusses each section of each book of this portion of the Bible. Each section of the book starts with William Barclay's personal translation of the text and then goes into a discussion of the text, the times, the culture, the people, and the beliefs surrounding the text. William Barclay talks about the Bible in the context of when it was written and how it applies today. It is not surprising that the writings of this scholar hold up now as they did 30 years ago. Funny how truth stays the same year after year - it keeps going, and going...

Compiled and arranged by Leslie Ann Gibson, The Woman's Book Of Positive Quotations is a collection of 7,341 spiritual, inspirational, upbeat and meaningful quotes by a wide variety of respected women, ranging from Teresa of Avila, to Virginia Woolf, Doris Day, Margaret Thatcher, Susan B. Anthony, and many more. Organized under 62 general subjects and 703 subconcepts, The Woman's Book Of Positive Quotations is indexed by author for easy reference. An uplifting joy to simply page through at random, and a veritable treasure trove of imminently practical advice ("The attributes of a great lady may still be found in the rule of the four S's: Sincerity, Simplicity, Sympathy, and Serenity.") The Woman's Book Of Positive Quotations" is whole heartedly recommended for self-help, self-improvement reading lists, as well as Women's Studies supplemental reference collections.

As the author of a self-help/relationship book, I'm always looking out for new resources to improve my writing or develop ideas. My first book used "The New Beacon Book of Quotations For Women" as a primary resource and my next book will use this book extensively.

As a man I find that women writers tend to be more colorful, personal, and subtle in their choice of words. That is why I prefer this type of book over a giant glossary of quotations.

The best part of this book is the way the quotations are assembled around motivational-personal development themes. The choice of these themes shows a lot of enlightened thought and understanding by the editor, Leslie Ann Gibson. I've never seen such a high-quality collection of quotations around such well-chosen themes.

The only thing that I miss is a more thorough biographical index. It's hard for me to write or speak about what someone says unless the audience (and myself) knows who it is. So unfortunately, I have to spend a lot of additional time researching.

But all things considered this is a truly fine book that all serious writers and speakers should have in their personal libraries.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I liked how some quotes appeared under different headings, making it easier to reference to drop into emails, cards, etc. A great compilation of affirming, positive quotes, and a nice gift for Mom.