Even if this book had no words, I would still love it, because the illustrations are that brilliant!!~~
The wording is quite clever.
This story tells about a little island, and the changing seasons it lives through.
This island is home to many creatures, and serves many, many purposes.
Lobsters crawl underneath the island to find dark hiding places.
Seals come to have and raise babies.
Birds come to build nests and lay eggs.
In spring, flowers bloom on this little island. In summer, strawberries ripen.
One day, a family on a boat stops at the island for an afternoon picnic. With them, there is a black kitty.
The kitty observes:
"My what a small island. You are as small as big is big."
The island converses with this kitty, and teaches him that everything is a wonderful part of this world, and equally unique and important.
The kitty learns a secret from a fish- 'All land is one land under the sea'.
In autumn, the pears ripen on the lone pear tree on the island, and finally winter comes with snow.
It was good to be a little island. A part of the world, and a world of its own.

_The Little Island_ has always been and continues to be my favorite children's book -- and perhaps my favorite book of all (close second: _Kees_ by Marian King). The brief story of tranquil connectedness and of faith passes like a gentle wave in the author's magical description of a quiet, beautiful, eternal little place. After 4 decades, each trip back to the island still always brings a smile and a dreamy sigh.

well, i'll find Donald Wayne Mitchell ("Top 10 Reviewer", above) a hard act to follow, or easy, if i simply say, "yeah, what he said." i have a copy of this book. i don't plan to give it away, at least not right now, i just have it. i just like to pick it up at times and look at some of the pictures, and read some of the words: "...And the fish told the kitten how all land is one land under the sea. The cat's eyes were shining with the secret of it. And because he loved secrets he believed. And he let the fish go." yes, as my contemporary points out, this book does work at more than one level, and masterfully so. for no more than this book costs, there is no reason not to get it. it is a jewel.

The title above is what my great-uncle inscribed on the inside cover of this book. He is the Tommy Morris whose story is told in the pages of this book. Like many more famous sailors and soldiers, Uncle Tommy (who died only two weeks ago after a long decline, for those readers who might be interested)used to tell me and my grandfather (Tommy's brother) that it was impossible for him to think of people as "civilized" having seen how we turn our new discoveries and technology so easily to the unhappy task of killing each other. He also said to me once that his role in the Quincy sinking was that of a "damsel in distress".. which description was follwed by that sort of masculing deep-seated chuckle which only come forth from heroic men who have seen hell on earth.

I am biased, but I wer I not, I would still think this an excellent book!

Gary Morris

Between August 1942 and February 1943, a land-sea and air battle was waged for an island in the south pacific called Guadalcanal. The six-month long battle for the island would be one of the definitive battles of the war. It was also one of the costliest. Thousands of Allied and Japanese soldiers died. And a channel north of the island had so many ships go down there that it was renamed Iron Bottom Sound.

It is possible that more men died in the waters off Guadalcanal then on the island itself. But for many years, most of the ships were out of reach to divers and eventually were all but forgotten. Then, in 1992, Oceanographer Robert Ballard, who had found the Titanic and the Bismarck, decided to explore the area using the latest in technology. It is quite an experience to see a past battlefield on land like Normandy, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg or Guadalcanal itself. But the battlefields were obviously cleaned up afterward and don't look the way they did when the battle concluded. But time knows no boundaries in Iron Bottom Sound. The paintings by Ken Marshall and the photographs show many of the ships still upright on the ocean floor; Their guns and torpedo tubes still trained outward as if firing at a long gone enemy. But some of the ships are not so beautifully preserved. The Battleship Krishima, for example, lies upside down in two pieces on the ocean floor. And the Destroyer Barton is broken in half and lying on its side from two torpedoes. Nevertheless, most of the ships appear ready to rise up and continue fighting.

Lavishly illustrated and with a detailed text, The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal will make a welcome addition to the collection of any War, Naval or Shipwreck enthusiast (If you can find a copy that is).

Dr. Bob Ballard discovered the Titanic in the mid 1980's using cutting-edge underwater technology. For this book, he turned that skill and knowledge to lead an expedition to examine the wrecks of one of the bloodiest naval battles of World War II, one so full of death and destruction that veterans of the battle gave the waters of Gualdalcanal the nickname of "Iron Bottom Sound" because of the number of ships and aircraft that lay underwater. Guadalcanal was the linchpin of American and Japanese military strategy for control of the south Pacific islands. The Americans controlled the airfield, but the Japanese controlled the island and the waters around it. The Japanese couldn't resupply its army because of attacks to its freighters by Allied aircraft and the Americans couldn't resupply its airfield because of attacks to its fleet of ships. In one single battle in the pitch-black darkness of night, the mighty Japanese fleet engaged a weaker American destroyer group where American guns were aimed by radar and Japanese guns were aimed by looking for the flashes from the American weapons. The American fleet was destroyed but it was a Pyhric victory because the Japanese supply ships failed to reach the starving Japanese troops on the island. Dr. Ballard does a remarkable job of capturing both the essence of the battle and the essence of underwater archeology to create a wonderful book filled with full-color pictures of the wrecks and period black-and-white pictures of the war. He also includes the fantastic paintings and maps in the style that has adorned his other books to show how the wrecks would look if there was absolute clarity underwater and with a "God's Eye". This book is one of the better ones I've found that deal with the ships of Guadalcanal and underwater archeology. I've noticed copies adorning the workbenches of many model-ship builders (including mine). Its a great gift idea and sure to please anyone interested in great battles, maritime history, WW2, underwater exploration, or tales of bravery (by those who fought and those who study the ocean).

Viewers, I know Betty Crocker Cookbook has been around for a very long time; long before I knew how to say Betty Crocker, but when I first discovered MaryAnn's Cookbook, I was living in Cali, and I had to order the Cookbook thru a major Bookstore. Upon reciept of the Cookbook, I started with the Meatloaf by the Professor...It is the best I've ever had; now don't get me wrong I do enjoy making meatloaf the ole fashion way, but that recipe will leave you coming back for more. So I relocated to the South, and left my Cookbook with a relative to use, unfortunately, I never got it back, so I contacted every Bookstore in this town, and everyone is sold out, or can't order the Cookbook. So, I saw on the Amazon.com that I could order the Cookbook, and I've always been reluctant about putting my CC number online, so I sent a MO in to the address listed on Amazon, and to no avail, my MO was lost in the shuffle, I went belistic, so I am now forced to put my CC online in order to get the Maryann Cookbook, and I will tell each and everyone out there, if you've tried the rest, then you MUST try Maryann Cookbook, it is the BEST. It's worth losing the money from the MO and having to go another route to get my Maryann Cookbook. God only knows, I wish I could have ordered the Cookbook from Maryann herself, then I know I would have long recieved my Cookbook by now. Again its worth it!!

Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook is the coolest. Haven't you just always wanted a slice of her Cocunut Cream Pie? WELL NOW YOU CAN! The book has over 350 great recipes from Gilligan's Island (all in which are extremely superb). Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook isn't just you're average boring cookbook it's more than that. It includes anecdotes, regular and rare pictures from the TV series and a whole bunch more. Not to mention that the author is Dawn Wells (the original Mary Ann's Summers on Gilligan's Island!). So maybe it's not Gilligan, it's everyones favorite Mary Ann! Unfortunately, Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook is OUT OF PRINT but it may be found in some used bookstores. FIND IT TODAY!

Not only does this book have some great recipes, but Dawn has done a masterful job of both blending and separating the fictional characters of Mary Ann and the real- life Dawn Wells through the various anecdotes that are sprinkled throughout the book. A must have for every Dawn Wells fan.

Incredible true life adventure. Full of a lot of interesting history and insight about the bahamas out islands. His adventure of transforming his life of recluse as a school teacher who lived with his parents until he retired, into a legend in the Abacos is incredible and awe inspiring. An execellent read for anyone that has ever dreamed of transforming their life and escaping to paradise.

Highly recommend the book, especially if you are thinking of visiting Abaco... I recommend taking a trip to the Abacos and finding your own new addition. It won't cost you any less, but it will be worth a lot more.

I borrowed this book from a friend in New Orleans. I was a little dubious about it from the '60's cover art. The very first chapter cast a net over me! I stayed up for hours to finish the story and have read and re-read the book. I have to return the book so I'm going to buy the newest print. "De Doctah" did something so many people haven't the courage to do by "going island" and then putting it in print. If you are an armchair adventurer, this book may make you get up out of the chair! This book is a WOW! I'll even say it backwards "WOW"!

During a visit to the Bahamas in 1972 I read this superb and incredible biography. When I finished it I flew over and met Evans Cottmann while he was seeing patients in his little office. I visited his fairy tale green castle, saw his ketch and authenticated for myself this unbelievable and beautiful story. This book proves what man can do who is endowed with limited means, unlimited imagination and a desire to give and share his life.

If you are a fan of Antarctic exploration then this wonderful book should be in your library. Many know the incredible story of the Endurance and the trials those 28 men endured when the ship was locked in the ice and eventually crushed. The beauty of this book is that it documents the story with the remarkable photos of the expedition photographer, Australian Frank Hurley. When you consider the time period of this story (1914-1916) you can only marvel that Hurley produced such amazing images with the equipment that was available at that time. Additionally, the initial introduction to this photo collection is excellent. It presents a good recap of the Endurance expedition with many quotes from crewmembers that have not appeared in previous books.If you are a professional photographer, or even an amateur, the information on Hurley's equipment and the story of his early training will be of special interest. The over 500 photos will hold your interest for hours! I've read almost every book on Endurance and this will rank as one of my favorites.

I was fortunate that I could follow Shakelton on T.V. while reading and viewing these excellent pictures. This book is outstanding and I would urge anyone interested in either Shakelton or photography to get it. I could not help but think that every member of this expedition had story to tell. We have heard only a few. Amazing the limits of human endurance and to think that they had a photographer with them who realized what he was filming, and did so for all of us to see.To Hurley was far ahead of his time, and I am inclined to think that Ansel Adams had probably learned from Mr. Hurley.

This is the most defenitive retelling of Shackleton's adventure in pictures. Frank Hurley was an exceptional photographer who just happened to take pictures of a journey that without them would be simply unbelievable. Any Hurley's picture of the Endurance expedition is a treasure, and in this book are all of them!

While this unique book could have used more of Neruda's poetry, the essays from friends who knew him well and the black and white photographs of his collection of homes and flotsam and jetsam antiques (mastheads, bottles and shells washed ashore, etc.) are proper tributes. These views/voices of his personal world shed light on the passions and ideas that ruled his writing.

There is purity and uncontrived artistry in his eccentric living places. I am in awe.

Luis Poirot is one of my favorites photographers. This book about Pablo Neruda is great, not only for the quality of the beatiful images, but also for the investigation with the people who knew Neruda well.
Absolutamente recomendable!!!!

I love looking at the pictures and reading his poetry. I also love knowing the little tidbits of information. I have been to his three houses in Chile that are pictured in this book. When I look through it I have this rush of emotions and a pleasant rememberance of being there.

I've never read a romance novel before, but on a friend's suggest I read this one. It was brilliant. It had adventure, humour, and more...

When is a romance novel not just a romance novel? When it's Sand Pirates by Ellis Hoff! Though I am not a fan of contemporary romance, I thoroughly enjoyed this romp around the island of Sava with Petra, Frans, and the ever-so-foolish Clark. The exotic setting, well-defined characters, and snappy plot drive the novel merrily along its way to a satisfying conclusion. The author's unique "snapshot" style of writing allows the reader to absorb all points of view within the novel, and proves adept for building suspense and reader anticipation. The only thing that I didn't like about Sand Pirates is that it ended. Ah, but truly good things just can't last forever, now can they?

Sand Pirates was one of the best romance novels I have read in a long time. I am looking forward to Ms. Hoff's next book.

This is kind of a scattershot book, but interesting and fun to read for all that. Mr. Nicolson is the aristocrat-author owner of the Shiant (pronounced 'shant') Islands in the inner part of the Outer Hebrides, and he wrote the book as a 'love letter' to them. In it he takes up geology, archaeology, history, genealogy, biology, ecology and ornithology, and also considers boat building, shepherding, fishing, folklore and the tragedy of the commons, all in an effort to explain and share his love for the islands; which task, in the end, he manages pretty well.

The book is roughly structured around a year in the life of the Shiants, but Nicolson doesn't let this stop him from ranging wherever his desire leads; which means that while it isn't exactly a page-turner when looked at as a whole, each section is entirely coherent and quite compelling, and the overall structure means they flow into one another reasonably enough. The biggest portion of the book is given over to archaeology, shading into speculative (in the good sense, as practiced by Farley Mowat) history. Nicolson a exhibits strong desire to recreate for his readers the lives of his islands' earlier inhabitants, which also leads him to examine more recent history. Here and there he leans towards overly romanticizing the lives of the islanders, but on the whole he does a wonderful job of conveying the realities of their existence: most strikingly in his account of Campbell family, who lived on the Shiants in the mid-19th century. He also throws in a fair amount of what might be called tangential information--his description of shepherding on the islands and his scale of the edibility of birds eggs were particularly good--which together combines to create a fair picture of the islands; or, at least, the islands as he sees them.

Obviously, the islands themselves are the common theme holding the book together. But also present throughout the whole account, from a derogative cartoon about him that Nicolson includes in the first chapter to his closing ruminations about passing the islands on to his son, is the question of what it means to own the islands, and indeed to own land in general. Nicolson approaches the question on two levels: on the first, he quotes a drunken pub patron who once told him that his shepherd tenants are the Shiants' real owners, and on the second he includes a letter from Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which tried to obtain the islands as a public trust in the '70s. The last chapter of the book includes Nicolson's account of an ongoing discussion about what right he has to the islands and whether they ought to be public property. Nicolson is far from a stereotypical grasping absentee landlord, and in fact he rather agrees with his drunken accuser. He's not convinced, though, that public ownership would be any better for the islands: he feels that 'protecting' them would actually end up attracting more visitors, while at the same time tying management of the islands with layers of needless complication.

And to his credit, Nicolson ends the book with an actual invitation to visit the islands: if you email him, he writes, he'll give you the keys to the cottage. What public trust could provide that? How the scheme will work under his son, who gets the islands in 2005, and under any potential increased pressure from visitors, is open to question; but Nicolson does a good job explaining his position, and the question of ownership provides a tension and center to the book that would otherwise be lacking.