This deck has delightful illustrations and is a joy to read. I find this to be a pleasant change of pace from my Universal Dali tarot deck. If you want to learn tarot, but the Rider Waite deck is not your thing, I suggest you take a peek into this one. The size of the cards are pleasant.

Russian Tarot of St Petersberg is my first deck.
I believe it is one of the best waite clone decks.
Many people recommend beginners to start with a Rider Waite deck, but I think the artwork of Waite Smith deck is quite poorly done. Beginners who are looking for a good looking version of Waite deck should buy Russian Tarot of St Petersberg.
The artwork is delicate and detailed. Conservative individuals should buy this deck as well as there are nearly no nudities.
I strongly advise those who wish to buy this deck to buy the book written by Cynthia Giles as well. The text is informative and interesting. It would let readers look deeper into the symbolism of the deck.

I just got these cards, and I love them. I knew they were for me when my eyes fell on them. They are very beautiful, the artwork is amazing. The book that accompanies them is very helpful for learning about Russia and it's history, and where the creator of this deck is coming from. Not only that, but they shuffle so nicely, and read VERY well. Highly recommended.

I read this book to my 25-month-old boy often. I really love the illustrations and the carefree way it relates love in terms my son can understand. It is absolutely my favorite book to read to him!

Great book with wonderful verses and illustrations. Highly recommended!

My husband and I have been reading this book to our baby-to-be since the first week of my pregnancy (we are now at 26 weeks). Of all the books we've read, this is definitely our favorite. It's the perfect way to end our day (we're hoping our little baby boy feels the same way).

Check out barewalls.com for 3 different posters based on illustrations from the book! I just ordered a couple to hang in the nursery.

Also a beautiful gift for an adult interested in working with craft projects, especially paper. Beautiful illustrations, with rich color, of bridges from around the world. Excellent descriptions of various bridge types from suspension to rope bridges. A book for budding engineers, future artists, but especially new readers! A far better gift to give your young nephew, niece, grandchild, or cousin than a stuffed animal.

This is my boys' all time favorite book. Living in NY it's only natural they developed a fascination with bridges. I bought this for them when they were 3+4 yrs old. It's got wonderful illustrations. We found it quite educational too. How many 3+4yr olds do you know that can drive across a bridge in NY and tell you 'this is a steel suspension bridge'! :) Would be a huge hit with the K grade level.

These cut-paper illustrations of bridges are so complex and exquisite that looking at one a day is enough! Their texture and depth is astonishing. There's not a lot of text with each illustration, and that's probably just as well, but what there is is nicely designed. Add this ostensible children's book to your collection of art books.

I loved reading this book to my grandchildren. Even my husband was listening and enjoyed hearing this cute story. I shared it with my neighbor and her grandchildren wanted her to reread it over and over. Little Miss Mischief mentions Mr. Tickle also in the story and a great follow-up book to go along with it. All of the Mr. Men books are great fun to read, and I will keep them on hand for any little one who will sit still to listen to me read it to them. I enjoy the stories as much as the children do.

Back in college I got a job as a summer janitor at the local elementary school. One of the things I had to do was clean up in the library. I took this time as an opportunity to catch up on some reading... in the form of the Mr. Men series. Mr. Tickle is a great book about a man who likes to tickle. If you like to laugh, this book is for you. If you like to tickle, this book is for you. If you are a mean spirited and grumpy person, perhaps you should try another book

I remember reading this book a long time ago, and I loved it. I still do. Mr. Tickle has always been my favorite Mr. Men character because he liked to have fun by tickling people. In an episode of the Mr. Men and Little Miss show, Mr. Small got stuck in a tree, and Mr. Tickle used his long arms to get Mr. Small down. That shows that even Mr. Tickle knows there's a time to be silly and a time to be serious. I'd recommend this book to kids, because it's wholesome, something that a lot of books today aren't.

"Wumble Jungle" as my two-year-old calls it, is a day-long safari that introduces young children to different wild animals. It features catchy rhymes that may or may not make sense (but this doesn't bother my two children, 5 and 2), and bright cheerful pictures. It's become part of our stable of bedtime story reading material. Keep an eye out for Andreae's other book, "Giraffes Can't Dance". I read it in my son's class and got applause from enraptured children at the end of the tale.

Nice bright pictures, cute poems....my daughter loves it!!

I read Rumble in the Jungle to a 3rd grade class for "Read Across America Day." I figured it might be a little below their reading ability but the humor and pictures made it all worthwhile! They loved the goofy rhymes (one is about an animal "being cool.") I'll be buying it for my own kids, ages 2 and 6!

Although aimed at a young audience, parents will enjoy this book also for its quiet pace and emotional appeal. The book tells the story of a young girl who has to face great loss--and it is a loss that no one fully explains to her. But during this time of loss and confusion, she gradually discovers great treasure in a new relationship with her grandmother. A quiet, sympathetic, but not maudlin tone makes this a gem for reading aloud, even to children who could read it on their own. The book will illustrate to a young reader that unexplainable tragedies may occur, but life still contains beautiful things and wonderful, strengthening relationships. The book has the added benefit of giving the reader insight into another culture in an interesting, informative, and palatable way.

BREATH OF THE DRAGON is a beautiful book, subtle, its language spare and poetic. It is the story of Malila, a young Thai girl who comes to live with her grandmother after a family crisis. Malila's grandmother is a wonderful person, creating an atmosphere where the little girl's artistic talents can flourish and where she can feel safe and loved. Within this story Giles seamlessly interweaves fascinating information about the customs and culture of Thailand. I highly recommend this book and eagerly await more works by Gail Giles!

I bought this book as a birthday present for my neice and read it in one sitting. It is a well written tale of Mailia, a small girl sent to live with her grandmother after her father's death. She learns that her father was a thief and considered unlucky. She inherits this label and has to overcome the situation by discovering herself, her own talents, and her self-worth. In the process, she learns that relationships continue through life and there is much reward in them. It is a gentle coming-of-age story wound around Thai tradition that is a great way to interest children in other cultures.

THE TAROT by Cynthia Giles is frequently cited (by the late Joseph Campbell for one), and although many of her more salient points are mentioned elsewhere, the book remains a classic and a must read for anyone who would know more about the Tarot. My own copy is so underlined and earmarked I hardly know where to begin this review.

Giles' book covers the 'History' and 'Mystery' of the cards, as well as the 'Lore' in a final section where she provides a sampling of decks, a booklist, and a number of 'Tarot Ideas.' In the 'History' section, she reviews what was known about the Tarot cards as of the early 1990s. Unfortunately, research funding for this topic is not easily acquired, so the full history--which would require an investigation of primary sources including material in the Vatican, not a rehashing of material collected by 19th Century scholars-has yet to be written. Even the six-volume series on WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN EUROPE edited by Ankarloo and Clark has given the Tarot short shrift, although the sixth volume on Witchcraft in the 15th Century due out in December 2002 may make up the difference.

The Tarot may have first appeared in 15th Century Italy. Initially, it may have been nothing more than a set of playing cards, or, the Minor Arcana may have been a set of playing cards tacked onto the Major Arcana. On the other hand, the whole deck of 78 cards may have an 'arcane' history. Certainly, the images found in the Major Arcana appeared in one guise or another prior to the 15th Century. Artists and writers have long recognized the importance of these images, but in the 20th Century, the psychologist Carl Jung suggested they were linked to archetypes of the unconcious and set loose a flood of prose and poetry. Recently, a new spate of books linking the Tarot to Psychology have appeared.

Giles covers the 'Mystery' of the Tarot in the second section of her book where she reviews four major levels of a Tarot reading: Rational, Psychological, Psychical, and Metaphysical. Certainly, some charlatans have used a rational approach to trick an unsuspecting client. On the other hand, the rational approach may be used by an analytic reader, a thinking personality type who relies on the content of the cards to deliver the message. The Psychological reader may use cues obtained from the querant at a feeling level, while the Psychic will rely on intuitive avenues such as ESP or clairvoyance. The metaphysical reader uses a form of sensory input not detectable by most people. These four types of readers are linked to the four Myers-Briggs personality types - Thinking, Feeling, Intuitive, and Sensate (or in the language of Tarot - Swords, Cups, Wands, and Pentacles).

Lest you think the Divinatory properties of the Tarot are impossible, Giles reviews recent developments in Quantum and Particle Physics, as well as material on the Holographic Universe that indicate the universe is not a well known entity. Her discussion of the shortcomings of believing only what one can empirically deduce with the five senses is cogent and fascinating reading.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the background to the Tarot. This book does not give you instructions on how to read the tarot, though. But if you are interested in the various theories about where the Tarot comes from and who it has influenced, this is the book for you. Cynthia Giles does a good job of explaining various points of view, even ones she does not particulary believe in. When it comes to history, most books just choose the one they hold as true and don't even bother to offer evidence to back it up. Giles not only offers evidence for her theory but also for the ones she discredits. As far as the mystery section, Giles does an above adequate job of comparing the Tarot with other esoteric pursuits. The lore section has a pretty good resource list of Tarot decks and other books to check out. A great book for an intermediate who wants to understand the foundations of the Tarot.

This book makes an excellent reading about tarot - it's very readable, and it approaches the subject in a sensible way.

The first four chapters deal with the history of tarot, which is presented in a based manner (= based on what historians can tell about tarot) rather than in a romanticezed manner (= based on wild fantasies, e.g. about the tarot originating in egypt).

The next four chapters describe the "mystery" of tarot - it's relationships with such subjects as alchemy, kabbala, chakras, etc. Included is an explanation of why does tarot works based on quantum physics, which I personally dont like - it sounds too much like psuedo-scientific mumbo-jumbo.

The last part deals with tarot lore - a part that lists various types of decks, which is nice for somebody who wants to find a deck to her taste, an excellent list of books about tarot, and a dozen tarot ideas which is recreational if nothing else.

All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in tarot. It's 97% gold, 3% tin, and a gem in a time where tarot is misunderstood by many.

In this book, you will find out why? This is easily one of the funniest books that I have read in a long time.

Yes, it is very easy to poke fun at our president, no matter who that may be, but President Bush sure makes it simple. In this diary-style book, the president's innermost thoughts are scribbled out in 3rd-grade penmanship.

The book is outright hilarious. We get an in-depth look at the president's IRS audit list, his thoughts on making a movie about his "poppy," his feelings about Dick Cheney, and his outright fear of Hillary Clinton. The mental notes are also hilarious, and the added illustrations make for a complete funny experience.

This book was a really fast read, and it was extremely humorous. It is definately for anyone with a mere pulse of a sense of humor.

I spotted this highly satirical masterpiece on accident, and loved every page of it. I tried reading it to curb bordem, and kept laughing out loud so much that everyone one had to know what was so funny. All of my freinds, right and left alike, thought it was utterly hilarious. I have lent it out to everyone; My Goverment teacher read it aloud to the class; it even had a bit of a waiting list from time to time.

The scariest element- it is all too true! The book is filled with mispellings, childish handwriting, and mis-informations that sound as if they came from the mind of a 3 year old. Therefore perfectly accurate for the 42nd, er, 43rd President of the United States. ("I wonder if Trent Lott is related to that guy in the Bible whose wife turned to salt?"). Bravo, and encore!

This book is a hilarious spoof on our president's first 3 months in office. I can just picture this as a SNL skit. It's great airplane reading - funny and quick.

The format of this book is wonderful -- the pages unfold to become full 20x22" images. This is a perfect size for a poster or teaching aid -- IF the image quality weren't so poor! I wanted to like this book, really... but I've seen Klimt's work in person as well as in many other books, and the reproductions here are just so dull and grainy. Rich violets appear brown; the firey red hair in several pieces looks very subdued. "The Kiss", shown on the front cover, shows the couple with skin that is positively green. And the golds that Klimt is famous for, while I appreciate that they must be difficult to photograph, just do not come across.

I would have gladly paid more for this book if the publishers could have reproduced it better. It is obvious they intended this to be a picture book -- there are literally only two pages of writing -- so it would make sense to give the best reproductions possible! Even using a glossy paper instead of the dull matte finish would have given a better presentation.

If you are interested in truly appreciating Klimt and his work, I would recommend Taschen's posterbook for large, good quality reproductions. I also would recommend "Silver, Gold, and Precious Stones" from the Adventures in Art Series. This is geared toward a younger audience, but it beautifully laid out and presented, and actually uses a gold finish on the areas with gold leaf (nice touch!).

I had no knowledge of this artist before receiving this book as a Christmas gift. What a wonderful, enlightening book!

The book has large plates of about 40 works, and smaller black and white prints of some others (including a number that were destroyed in a 1945 fire). The contrast between the exquisitely expressive faces, drawn with the precision of a renaissance master, and the wild, unrestrained clothing and background is captivating.

The author provides a good biography and helpful insights into the allegorical interpretation of the various works. A real bargain here.

klimt's work is endlessly fascinating... its eroticism, its mythological references, its composition. klimt captures the power and symbolism of color and shape in a way that is unique amongst artists in the canon. his images are not merely pictures of women (and a few men), but stories with complicated layers of meaning. all this delicate beauty could be easily lost in printing, but this book has somehow managed to preserve it, and it is amazing! the text gives biographical and historical context, which is always helpful, and even ventures into analysis -- i enjoy knowing other people's perspectives, because it helps me to read deeper into what i'm seeing. all the master works are here, as well as many treasures that are often overlooked. if you are interested in art nouveau, art history, symbolism in art, and/or art history you really should own this book. believe me, it is well worth the price -- i wasn't expecting much for (the price), and would have willingly paid much more. i wish i had it in hardback though...

With writing that immediately and effectively captures high school dynamics of teen-age boys on the edge, Giles has created a dynamic psychological, page-turning thriller. There's no holding back on the kids of cool who play Cinderella to the geek Glass. He will become Mr. Popular. Observer and teller, Young's first person narration -and chapter introductions by other characters- foreshadow the shattering, not only of Simon Glass, but all that is yet to come. Steel yourself for an all-night read! You won't be disappointed...

Shattering Glass

Reading the book Shattering Glass opened my mind to a new level, It made me see that no one is perfect and that you cant always trust the ones you think you can. Maybe not even your best friends but the ones you least expect. Shattering Glass is a great book of the real world. As the pages of the book wined down, you really get the feelings that Simon Glass feels. The feelings of not fitting in, being over weight, loneliness, and heatache. As the popular kids take him under their wings, he gets a taste of a new life. Soon he becomes popular but things get a new twist, a bad twist. All you have to do is read to book to realize how real it is.

Shattering Glass is that rare book, a thrill ride *and* a great character study. You will not want to stop turning pages as the tension rises in this story, but take time to savor Gail Giles' fascinating characters along the way, boys who are villains and victims/heroes and bullies/conflicted yet tragically sure of themselves. Shattering Glass is a stunning suspense thriller, and more.