The SPIDER'S normal practice is to ensure he gets credit for his bodycount of criminals by marking them with a vermillion seal of a spider upon their recently deceased foreheads. But, incredibly, a number of these evil-doers have seemingly returned from the grave, to form a veritable Council of Evil, dedicated to destroying The SPIDER. Almost as an afterthought, they want to pull off the biggest robbery in the history of the world, destroying much of New York City to ensure their safe getaway.

This is pure slam-bang pulp action at a mile-a-minute pace. It is the actual story for the October, 1940 pulp issue of THE SPIDEr magazine, with the type re-set for easy reading, the original cover, the original interior illustrations, the original rear-of-the-magazine filler story, and an "interview" with the author. This issue is introduced by one of the last writers to have appeared in the original pulps -- best-selling author John Jakes.

Pure slam-bang pulp adventure action here. THE SPIDER fights bad guys all across the country. The action is everywhere -- in the sky, in the capital, in the deep mines of Colorado. From a start-in-the-middle-of-the-action opening scene, until the very last page, the pace of pulp action never stops!

No, it's not the UK basketball team, it's a collection of giant wildmen, under the control of a vicious master criminal, bent on -- Well, it's never exactly clear what they're bent on, but clear plots have never been part of THE SPIDER, nor are they that important. The important thing, as always, is slam-bang action. This has somew of the most intense action of any SPIDER story. Particularly impressive are Richard Wentworth's run through the mountains to spread the news about the wild-men, and his hand to hand battle at the farmhouse.

First they destroy his good name. Then they turn his friends against him. Then they take the millions. Then they kidnap his girl. They even take the penthouse apartment. But all this doesn't make THE SPIDER mad. Because THE SPIDER doesn't get mad; he gets even. Weather Forecast: Bad Times for Bad Guys!

Big-time Asian money-men seek to buy into the American political system for their own nefarious purposes. No, it isn't another Al Gore fund-raiser -- it's THE SPIDER battling the Cult of the Cobra, with the fate of the nation at stake.

Many of the early SPIDER adventures had colorful titles -- no doubt as a aid to the cover artist. These two adventures, "King of the Red Killers" and "Green Globes of Death" are first-rate stories that show the breadth of the series. "King of the Red Killers" has THE SPIDER dealing with a foreign invasion, ala Operator 5. "Green Globes of Death" is a first rate mystery, with a worthy arch-villain -- "The Fly", naturally!

With all the misbehavior of athletes these days, here are six who are truly inspirational for kids. The book is well-written and easy to follow, giving the basics of each person's life sprinkled with a few interesting facts. Reluctant readers will gobble it up.

Heartbreaking, especially as the book is non-fictional and about a close friend whose brave and stoic public front masked the anguish that the book brings to light. Not easy to read given the book's subject matter, but well-written without trying to crassly sensationalise terminal illness.

The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook combines information about aliens, ships, planets and characters in the Star Wars galaxy taken from Galaxy Guides One, Three, and Five. The game statistics have been updated to Star Wars: 2nd edition rules. The book is well-organized, neatly combining everything you know and do not know from the three movies. The book expands the epic saga's story with small anecdotes about anything from a tale from R2-D2's "eyes" to Boba Fett's tracking of Han Solo. For the Star Wars fanatic or avid Star Wars role-player, this book is a must-have.

There are very few books that focus on planned giving for the nonprofit organization. This is an excellent guide as it starts with a readiness assessment and then supplies each of the steps to build a successful planned giving approach.