I play this tape in the car when I'm going around with my kids ages 1,6,8,10 and 12. This is one of their most requested songs because it is actually fun to listen to. I even enjoy singing some of the songs with the kids. It also keeps the kids from getting bored and in trouble.

This collection of interpretations about Vergil's Aeneid aids the reader in "understanding and appreciation of Vergil as literary artist and philosopher-poet." As a standard of Latin literature, the Aeneid is too often taught as an application of grammar, figures of speech, and scansion, skimming the surface over the depths of meaning. However, this compilation of essays is accessible to anyone interested in Vergil's epic, regardless of whether he or she has studied the original Latin. The book starts out with a synopsis of all 12 books of the Aeneid and several different translations of the first 11 lines. Throughout the book, quotations from the Latin are always translated.

Stephanie Quinn's book gives a glimpse into the depths of meaning, offering varied views of Vergil's work as well as comparisons to other classic epics. Besides the meaning of the words, some essays deal with such topics as the structure of the poetry itself and the Golden Proportion, encouraging an appreciation for all aspects of the Aeneid. Others put the epic into context by providing background on religion, tradition, and history.

"Why Vergil?" brings the Aeneid into a different light for each reader. The critical essays develop a background of historical and modern interpretations, allowing the reader to form his or her own understanding. Ultimately, then, the editor stays true to the original question: we choose to study Vergil because everyone finds a different meaning within his work.

Not much can be said about this book: you get exactly what you have in mind. First part of the book lists every problem from 1985-2000 Putnam exams, the second part provides hints to each of the problems in case you are stuck. The last part contains detailed solution(s) to every problem. It is an excellent book... Good luck on the test if you will be taking it.

This book has the problems and solutions to the Putnam contest from 1965-1984. The editors/authors have taken time to carefully put this book together.

The solution to each problem is given, and often times, more than one solution is given. The solutions presented are generally concise and elegant (and correct, of course) - in other words, they are mathematically well written.

The book also gives the results - the names of the top five individuals and the top five teams for each year. Also given with each solution is the number of contestants among the top 250 or so who scored 10 points (a perfect score), 9 points, 8 points, ... 1 point - this is useful in estimating the degree of difficulty of the problem.

I didn't find any typos, errors, etc. The editors have done a good job with the book.

Yet So Close is an apt title for this collection since you wonder if love for the author has been "Yet So Close", though still beyond his grasp, but you will immediately realize when reading each poem, each line, that these thoughts have indeed come from the heart, soul, and experiences of someone who has been touched by almost every aspect of love - friendship, hope, wonder, joy, sharing, romance, sadness, loneliness, etc. Mr. Putnam through his vital words makes us feel each and every emotion of love - as though we were going through it right along with him. A sensitive, realistic, and touching tribute to love and all its' wonders. If you love poetry this is one book that will bring you joy, and understanding, at the same time. If you are or ever have been in love, or hope to be again, the living words in these pages will surely give you gentle, pleasing reminders of love's goodness. The title infers that love may be close - all you need do is reach out, his words make you want to. Read Yet So Close, experience love and all its' splendor, you won't be disappointed! (Note* - this is not a professional review - just an objective review from the heart of one who loves poetry and loves. . .)

I was actually assigned this book for an anthropology class, but I couldn't put it down. Boyer and Nissenbaum look at every possible contributing factor to the witch craze that took hold of Salem in the late 17th century. They are careful to present all of the data upon which they based their hypotheses, allowing the reader to judge the validity of their claims. Salem Possessed provides an enlightening look at the pressures (social, economic, religious) that affected all of the villagers, and manages not to vilify any particular person.

This book's strength is it's thoroughness, but it is also it's major drawback. It can be difficult to keep track of all the names, households and dates. However, it is well worth the effort, and I heartily recommend this book.

Boyer and Nissesnbaum's work on Salem is a fascinating look into the social stresses which were at the root of the explosion of accusations in this small Massachusetts town. Each of the elements in this disaster, i.e. the questionable ministerial skills of Samuel Parris, property disputes between the Proctors and Putnams, the conflicts between Salem Village and Salem Town, are thoughtfully analyzed as part of a whole. I higly reccomend this book for anyone wishing to have a deeeper understanding of the true causes of the Salem trials.

This has been a very popular book with many Salem Witch Trials researchers. This particular book focuses on the competition and jelousy over land in Salem Village. Some very excellent chats also depict the "Anti Parris" people of the time and how they were connected to those accused. Interesting points are also made in regards to taxation.

A definite book to check out if you are interested in all aspects and theories of this truly sad time.

It would be impossible to write the perfect book on American Bulldogs. Our breed certainly has its share of unknowns, but Dave Putnam did a great job in writing this book. His research and investigation allowed him to discuss aspects of the American Bulldog that are not widely known. Dave addressed American Bulldogs of all types with fairness and equality. He spoke of specific breeders and trainers yet he kept the American Bulldog in full focus. I highly recommend this book for the new comers to the breed as well as the old timers. It is a very interesting and educational reference source for the American Bulldog.

I personally believe, given the limited amount of information available to the searching public on the subject of the American Bulldog, that this publication is well worth the buyers time and money. As one of the breeders mentioned within it's pages I assure you that our names are not found there as mere filler and we all sought no advertisement whatsoever. It is my honest belief that Mr. Putnam truely desired to gain perspective from those among us who have been involved with this breed for a number of years. This was proven by the amount of effort that he had personally put into both time and travel. As stated above so correctly by Mr. Deleon, "Currently this book is the most acurate and informative book out about this breed" . Thank you for your effort, Dave.

I love this book and find myself referring back to it frequently to find pictures and information on important dogs and breeders in the AB world. I especially enjoyed the chapter on AB history as Mr. Putnam even-handedly presents several possible theories on the controversial origins of this breed, many of which I have not heard anywhere else. I also enjoyed reading about the author's first up close exposure to the sport of hog hunting. Get this book!

this is a pretty funny book about an errant-knight and his many misadventures. only problem is, there's really only one joke in this massive (1000+ page) book, namely, what a fool and madman this gallant knight is. after a while, the joke begins to wear thin. i don't think this is the greatest novel ever written. it's too poorly stuctured and one-dimensional for that grand distinction. i think the reason this book IS so famous is because of the character of don quixote himself. the image of the mad don charging giant windmills is one of the most colorful and memorable in all fiction. don quixote is one of the few examples of a character who transcends the book that created him. hamlet and falstaff are two other examples.

a good read, but doesn't live up to the hype.

I read this book in its original language, spanish (since it is my first language too), and I found Don Quijote's adventures fascinating, comical, and sometimes even slightly pathetic.
"El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" is about a man, Alonso Quijana, who reads so many books of knights from the middle ages (this was written in the baroque times, NOT the renaissance or the enlightement as other reviews say) that he loses his mind and decides to become a knight as well. This anacronysm is the first clue of the comic life Don Quijote leads from then on.
The whole novel is a mockery of other books about knights (although not about the knights themselves), as Don Quijote continually struggles to do justice and to right wrongs, but is met with nothing but sad defeats.
Overall, although it is very long and uses somewhat complicated language (it is written in spanish from the 1600s, although I suppose that the translation makes it simpler as it is to modern day words), Don Quijote and his adventures are something that I'd reccomend to anyone with the patience to read it.

I took the time to read both volumes of Don Quixote, starting at the end of this past summer, and just finishing up in mid-November, and even better, in the New Century Library version, lovely old leather bound books with gold ribbons for markers. I didn't read it straight; it was interspersed with many other books on my stack.

Oh my. What a satisfying read. Of course you are familiar with the basic premise of this book, the mad Don Quixote tilting after windmills, his faithful squire Sancho Panza at his side and always on the lookout for a good meal. What I was not prepared for, and was totally delighted by, were the many and varied side stories, the topsy turvy relationship between madness and sanity (and who is which, anyway?), the wisdom of Sancho Panza as Governor (at long last!) of his very own island, and the surreal relationship between the narrator, the author, and the narrated.

This is a complex work, and could be discussed with many different themes in mind--idealism vs. pragmatism, honesty vs. duplicity, madness vs. sanity, the follies of the rich vs. the follies of the poor. Chivalry. Romantic love. Storytelling. Renunciation. The Quest. Devotion. Class structure. Religious persecution.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was that everybody was endlessly enchanted and ready to give the benefit of the doubt to beautiful young men and women, that beauty in this book equaled virtue and a kind heart, a small complaint indeed regarding this masterpiece.

If you've already read this book, this is just preaching to the choir. But if you're trying to decide whether or not to take the time, the answer is yes, yes and yes! You won't regret it, and your heart and soul will thank you.

Fallout by Richelle Putnam is about a boy named Micah who comes with his mother to live with her parents leaving behind Micah's alcoholic father. The only problem is Grandpa is acting strangely and the whole town knows it. The story question becomes then, how Micah can fit in.

My twelve year old devoured this book, finishing in record time, mainly, I suspect, because fitting in is the major question of any kid in junior high. Putnam's Micah was real to him, if a tad too adult to me. Discussions with my son after he read the book proved that he had taken in the issues of family loyalty, popularity, and doing the right thing in a hard situation, which was, afterall, what Fallout was all about. Bottom line: if you are looking for something for your middle school kid to read this summer, Fallout is a winner.

As the publisher for this book, I can honestly say as a small press publisher that this book written by Richelle Putnam is one of our bestsellers, as it continues to enlighten and bring inspiration to those who may have found themselves in the type of situation the main character found themselves in. Richelle Putnam is a caring individual who is an inspiration to all children and adults with regard to learning how to substitute a bad situation for a good one....

The story is about a boy and his mother whose dad was a drunk. The mum and boy move in with the grandparents to escape from him. I liked the story a lot, my personal opinion was that it was great. The writing was very good too, and the fact that it is written in first person makes it more interesting, more understandable. The book is very interesting, but also very shocking, it shows the feelings of the boy, about what he feels for his grandpa and how he's forgetting about him, and caring more about whether he's going to have one of his panic attacks in front of his friends, and how he considers himself an awful person for even thinking it. It is a short story, but not at all like other books that I've read before. It shows what a real person would have felt or done being in the position that the boy was.

This is Verne's classic story of the trip of Phileas Fogg (who is obsessed with time), Passeportout, Aouda, and Detective Fix around the world on a wager. The book is filled with beautiful time and space imagery throughout (I would bet that one could write an entire thesis on all the time and space references in the novel). Thirty-three years after its publication, the world first learns of the space/time continuum (although I'm certain Verne was not anticipating Einstein). Fogg bets his fellow club members that he can circumnavigate the globe in a mere eighty days. He leaves immediately with his valet Passeportout and is pursued by Detective Fix, who thinks he is a bank robber. Through many adventures, including the rescue of Aouda from immolation, they all return to London. Interestingly, a few years later, after a number of improvements had been made in railways and roads, a U.S. journalist named Nellie Bly (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane) decided to attempt to break Fogg's "record." Leaving New York on November 14, 1889, she was able to circumnavigate the globe in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds. But, she didn't rescue a Hindu princess! It should be noted, however, that one has to be very careful concerning the translations of this novel. There are some terrible ones being sold. Perhaps that's the reason for the few poor comments by earlier reviewers. There is an excellent translation by William Butcher that appeared in 1995.

Before there was any kind of high-speed travel an English gentleman named Phileas Fogg betted 20,000 pounds that he can travel around the world in 80 or less days. He starts his journey in London. On his way he meets a beautiful Indian Princess. Fogg also gets mistaken for a criminal. During his whole journey he has a detective following him trying to arrest him when the warrant arrives. In the book you follow Fogg's adventures through four continents when he is racing against time. The book is fast-paced, action-packed adventure with both romance and danger.

The characters in the story were introduced very well, especially Phileas Fogg. In the beginning of the book you get to know that Fogg is a very private gentleman. He never goes to any social places except the Reform Club. A remarkable thing about Fogg is that his life is centered around the clock. He is very precise and always on time. Every day he follows the exact same schedule. Phileas Fogg does not have a wife or any kids.

The setting of the book was very jumpy. Since Fogg travels through many continents and countries the setting changes all the time. You still feel you know a little bit about every place that he comes to, even if he only stays there for a couple of hours.

When I started reading the book I thought it would be a really good book and it really did meet my standards. I would recommend it to any one who likes adventure and action. Since it is written in so many different versions a person almost any age can read it.

I think this book is a superior book because it is full of action. This book is about a man named Mr. Phileas Fogg, and his faithful servant, Passepartout, that wager a bet that They can travel the whole world in eighty days stopping at Suez via Mont Cenis and Brindisi, then to Bombay, then Calcutta, Hong Kong, Japan (Yokohama), San Francisco, New York, back to London, all within eighty days, and by steamboats, and trains. However, a nosy detective, Detective Fix, tracks them down, and tries to arrest Mr. Fogg because he believes that Fogg stole fifty-five thousand pounds. As one may guess, this greatly detains Mr. Fogg, and it seems like he may not make the trip around the world after all. However, the Fix never seems to catch up with Fogg, and Fogg triumphs over most of the obstacles that come his way, like missing boats, missing trains, missing people, and Fogg even meets and rescues a beautiful Indian Princess called Aouda. However, Fix finally catches up to the detective, and everything seems lost for Fogg until Fix discovers that Fogg was not the robber, and Fogg is released. Even so, Fogg is one day late, and in doing so, misses the train that would have taken him to London precisely to win the bet. He ordered a special train, but even in doing so, still misses the bet...or so he thinks. The ending of the book is a very unexpected one. Read this book and find out!