Collaboratively compiled and edited by education experts Patricia A. Crawford and Kathleen Glascott Burris, It's Elementary: Special Topics In Elementary Education is a selection of twenty-four informed and informative essays by men and women concerned with modern-day education issues and difficulties in the elementary education teaching business, and range from managing a classroom with a wide age range, to internet safety guidelines for teachers, to debunking common misconceptions about multicultural education. An erudite and learned compilation, thoughtful and thought-provoking, It's Elementary is highly recommended reading for all teachers and school administrators charged with the responsibility of teaching young children.

This book on the "Poet of the Organ", Jesse Crawford, tells us everything about the master of the Theatre Organ. Those were indeed the days, my friend, and Jesse was the man! He played all the great theatres of the times, and became the darling of all who loved popular organ music. We learn of his love of music and the organ, his wives and children, and his final days as a teacher and lecturer on the Hammond Organ, "Music's most glorious Voice".
His story is the story of Hollywood and the incredible Movie Palaces of the twenties and thirties; a time when the organ supplied the only sound there was for a movie, creating all the excitement from the many keyboards and pedals of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" Theatre Organs of the times.
Truly this is a well written and in-depth study of the man, the music, and the King of Instruments, the Organ. 5 stars indeed!

An excellent history and detailed analysis of the classic painting by John Singer Sargent. Although known mostly as a nineteenth century portaitist, Sargent's depiction of a Spanish dancer in El Jaleo received much critical acclaim. The book traces Sargent's artisitic influences and fascination with Spanish culture which inspired him to paint El Jaleo. There is also a great section featuring many of Sargent's early sketches and design studies. This book is a great reference for anyone interested in Sargent or this masterpiece of his early works.

This book is a delightful member of the broad category of Fantasy (of which Tolkien's _Lord_of_the_Rings_ may be the most famous work). But this is not a story of elves and orcs. It is, as you might guess, a story of camels, genies, noble Bedouin warriors, a beautiful (and clever) Arab princess, and the vast desert.

The central plot device is a genie who is turned into a man, and given the task of winning the love of a woman. Genies, we learn, have no souls, and so will cease to exist on Judgement Day, whereas men (and women, of course) will be judged, and earn eternal reward or punishment. And so Khaled, the central character, can reach Paradise if he can earn the love of the most un-sentimental woman in the Kingdom. The twists and turns of their evolving relationship sometimes have a distinctly Shakespearean feel.

One enjoyable element in the book is the serious attitude toward Islam, and the completely automatic assumption in the story that all the good guys are Muslims (and the bad guys are not).

Although this book qualifies as a typical coffee-table book, the photography and text provide an intimate, intriguing look at the many styles of architecture and decorating that can be found in LA. Especially interesting are the historical properties. I recently (and reluctantly) moved away from the City of Angels, and I miss the region immensely. I'm looking for a copy of this out-of-print book as a keepsake and an inspiration.

I have used previous editions of this book in my insurance classes for years. It just keeps getting better and better. If there is a better introductory text out there, I haven't found it! J. Edward Updyke, CLU Senior Vice President Settlers Life Insurance Compan

This book is the third level (not including ACS) in obtaining your FLMI designation. Of the LOMA books I have studied, this has been the easiest reading. The case studies in the book were easy to understand. This book is well written and very interesting. If studied/read all the way through, you will receive a vast knowledge of insurance and how federal/state laws play a part in the insurance world.

One of the unique strengths of a history book by William Loren Katz is the rare photographs that usually accompany the text. Books like “The Black West” and “Black Indians” immediately come to mind. And he has done it again with “The Lincoln Brigade: A Picture History”, a series of compelling portraits of the brave Americans who volunteered to fight with the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War in an army named after the great American emancipator. The photos, which contain riveting images of black and white Americans cooperating in armed struggle against the rise of fascism in Spain, is accompanied by a highly informative, succinctly written text by Katz and Afro-American journalist, the late Marc Crawford. It is a beautifully produced book that is an excellent introduction for the reader with little prior knowledge of that great conflict between fascism and democracy that presaged World War II. In the preface to “The Lincoln Brigade” NYU historian Robin D.G. Kelley argues the fundamental importance of the Spanish conflict to the worldwide conflagration that followed. Says Kelley, “My students generally know nothing about the Spanish Civil War, but they follow my lines of reasoning…But when I tell them that nearly 3,000 volunteers traveled to Spain to defend the Republican government from fascist forces, and that they were joined by another 35,000 from around the globe, that is when I lose them…They cannot fathom why anyone in their right mind would travel half way across the world to fight, and possibly die, for a country that is not their own.” This volume answers that question. Divided into three parts and fourteen chapters, the book describes the political and economic conditions that prevailed in America and Europe at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the nature of the war itself, and what kind of reception the American vets got upon their return home after the triumph of General Franco’s fascist forces in Spain, then follows them into the World War and beyond. One of the most fascinating chapters in this book is “Volunteers,” which presents a series of brief profiles of some of those who fought. The first thing that will surprise most readers is that they are quite a mixed bag. “Most came from cities in large states,” the author tells us. “The largest group comprised members of trade unions, especially seamen. The second largest was made up of college students and professors. Dozens called themselves artists—writers, poets, painters, dancers, musicians, and three acrobats. There were Catholics, Protestants, Japanese, Chinese, Afro-Americans, and Native Americans. In the age of Hitler, Jews made up 30 percent of the Lincoln Brigade. There were Democrats, Republicans, Socialists, Communists, and people who rejected any kind of labels.” With minimal training and equipped with hand-me-down weapons and uniforms from many national armies around Europe, these volunteers went into combat and fought gallantly for an ideal that inspired those who prized freedom and democracy the world over. The descriptions of various battles are so detailed that it is as if we are there. And the photographs in this volume capture some poignant moments from that grand struggle to decide whether democracy or fascism would triumph in the world...The grotesquely beautiful photo by Robert Capa of a Republican soldier taken at the moment of death by gunfire is said to be the most famous picture of the Spanish Civil War, and deservedly so. But this book is full of powerful pictures of every aspect of the Lincoln Brigade’s struggles, the defeats and triumphs, and the learned text helps bring them to life. This book is a splendid way to introduce the Spanish Civil War to the novice, and an invaluable keepsake for surviving veterans, their families, and other partisans seeking a memoir of the heroic saga of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade...

This small book is a lovely guide for people who want to start their own garden that grows by the light of the moon. You even get a free package of seeds with the book!

I highly recommend this book to all gardeners and flower lovers who want to be unique and try something different!