From 1941-71 Classics Illustrated comics introduced millions to abridged, comics-style version of literary masterpieces. Classics Illustrated tells of the birth of this popular medium, founded by Russian Jewish immigrant Kanter whose operations saw both the heyday and decline of the golden age of comics. The focuses on artists' creations is particularly involving.

The thing I appreciate most about this book is the soberness (with no lapses into pretentiousness or portentousness) the author brings to his subject. A survey of Classics Illustrated, to be sure, could have very easily elicited yet another visually engaging pretty-picture book saddled with a stridently jokey, throwaway text --ala Chronicle Books. We can be thankful that the tone here is intelligent, the level of detail scholarly, and very few, if any, stones are left unturned. The author has done all his homework, giving all known writers, editors, artists of the series coverage commensurate with their contribution.

This is a thoughtful, caring volume that is so much more than a tribute to a long-gone comic series, although it could be read as that too. One can't help but feel this is a primer on the way more books about popular culture really ought to be written.

About every five or ten years, when the nay sayers are about to bury Classics Illustrated again, they bloom from the earth like the Phoenix rising from the flames. And now, Willian B. Jones Jr has taken the baton for this decade, for this century, and brought new and exiciting joy to the legion of Classics Illustrated collectors. How much more new information is there to be found on the wonderful illustrated stories that Al Kanter first brought to us in Octover of 1941? The answer is that we will never know but we keep on finding more and more. We can speculate about Red Majic, Action Play Books, Red Projectors, Tatoos, Classics Boxes, Pen and Pencil sets and many other yet to be explored items of the Classics Illustreated lore. But here, Bill Jones has filled in a tremendous gap for all of the ages to enjoy. What a tremendous effort! What an overwhelmingly comprehensive peeling away of the darkness to open the lives and tribulations of anyone who ever picked up a pen, pencil or brush to bring us Classics Illustrated. As the acknowledged Father of Classics Illustrated collecting it brings unbrided joy to my heart to read and reread the wonderful stories that Bill weaves on every page about the men and women behind the comics we came to love as Classics Illustrated. His effort is now in a second printing and deserves many, many more. My Classics Illustrated collectors friends are buying this book whenever they can. It is a joyful six hour read to be then put aside and opened randomly again and again with refreshing illumination with every new opening. Buy this now! You will not see the likes of this ever again. Raymond S. True, Classic Comics Library

Personally, I don't know how Inspirational Press stays in business! They have all of these high-quality books for bargain-barrel prices. And the printing aspects are high-quality-the binding holds up to my vicious attacks with the pen and constant pondering and page-turning and re-page-turning!

This is a "tree-fer," containing some of C. S. Lewis's best work.

"Pilgrim's Recess" is Lewis's proto-work or Q-document, where he give in allegorical form a thumbnail of his thought, or rather his Thought, since he is consistant ans unified in this thinking.

"Christian Reflections" and "God in the Dock" are two books with one theme, that is defense of the faith and answering questions to and about the faith. Lewis is a mind awake and does not
shirk from sharp and jagged questions, and he gives substantive and serious answers.

If you have thought about buying even one of these books, get this trilogy since you will always want more of Lewis!

The previous reviewers were "spot on" - this is an excellent compendium of three of Lewis's best works. Personally, the essays in "Dock" and "Reflections" have been most memorable over the last 20 years, and I find myself frequently remembering concepts, illustrations, and analogies from them.

The high point of this volume is the essay in "Reflections" entitled "Christianity: Reality or Substitute." The essay deals compellingly with the topic of faith, boldly asserting a perspective that will appeal to atheists and agnostics, while challenging Christians who think faith has nothing to do with the life of the mind, rationality, and the ability to approach God with the critical questions.

An honest, earnest searcher for the best in Christian thinking need look no further.

For the cost of this book, I would have gladly paid the same price for "God in the Dock" alone. Yet, with this compilation, you get "God in the Dock" along with two other CS Lewis classics. The Pilgrim's Regress is a fictional story with an autobiographical twist. The main character, John, is in search for his island, something he has been drawn to his entire life, but never could quite put "his finger on it". Knowing CS Lewis' past, and how he went from atheist to Christian, and you'll see this book reflects his own personal struggles as he searched for the truth. Christian Reflections (14 essays) and God in the Dock (48 essays) are compilations of a plethora of essays CS Lewis has written on a large number of issues. From the justifiability of war (CS Lewis wrote a large number of essays during the World War II period), to answers to atheistic questions, ethics, prayer, common theological questions and church music, Clive Staples Lewis leaves no stone unturned. The Pilgrims Regress is a perfect introduction to CS Lewis, and will get you geared up for the theologically heavier fare that you will get with the other two books. Reading the two other essay driven books is easy, once you get accustomed to CS Lewis' mannerisms, and the essays vary anywhere from 4 to 5 pages in length, to 20 or more. The prose is rich, and CS Lewis is one of the greatest Christian authors of all time, and after reading this compliation, you'll know why.

"Cruzatte and Maria" is basically a replay of Bowen's earlier "Wolf, No Wolf," where the noble ranchers are pitted against the eco-ninnies, and in this book, the Yuppies who putter up and down the far reaches of the Missouri in their canoes and stinkboats. The local residents defend their rural stretch of the Missouri against all intruders, and shoot a couple of guys who were actually writing a pro-rancher, anti-ecoNazi book. This is where Harvey Weasel Fat Wallace, the Blackfeet FBI guy calls on Du Pré to find the murderer.

Another FBI guy, Ripper sums up the plot:

"These people out here have had it, basically, with the twentieth century, and who can blame them? But potting passing canoe paddlers is, and I must make this perfectly clear, like the late Tricky Dick, not going to be the protest of choice. It's illegal. It's also wrong."

Everyone leans on Du Pré in this book, including his daughter Maria. She persuades him to help a group of filmmakers (her boyfriend is the assistant director) who are shooting a documentary about the Lewis and Clark expedition. As it happens, Maria and her father are Métis descendants of the fiddler, Cruzatte who was a member of that famous 1805 expedition.

Even Du Pré's long-term mistress Madeleine gets into the act, and tricks her man into trying on glasses:

"'Du Pré,' said Madelaine, 'I think you maybe got eyes like a hawk, see things far away, up close you got eyes like a pocket gopher.'

"Du Pré grunted.

"'Put a bead on that ...needle,' said Madelaine.

"Du Pré picked up a bead, poked the needle at it, and missed.

"...'Okay, Du Pré,' said Madelaine. 'You try these on, yes.'"

Madelaine whips out a bag of dime-store reading glasses and Du Pré is made to realize that he hasn't seen her face or her beadwork in years. The dialogue in this book is up to Bowen's best standards, and I love these scenes between long-time friends. The author telegraphs just enough information to give us readers a warm, fuzzy sense of involvement.

The scenes I don't like usually take place in a bar, where the ranchers gather to literally and metaphorically bash guitar-playing, expensively-attired Yuppies, eco-Nazis, and film-makers. Too much drinking. Too much smoking. Too much high cholesterol. Too much violence. Bad for sensitive Yuppie stomachs like mine. Don't read this book if you have the flu.

Otherwise, read it. "Cruzatte and Maria" is the latest in Bowen's excellent, tough-love series of not-so-hard-to-figure-out mysteries.

Peter Bowen has been writing his tales of Gabriel Du Pre, a Metis Indian, master fiddler, detective and righter-of-wrongs extraordinaire for some time now. Du Pre, his mate, Madelaine and his many dear friends in Toussaint, Montana have acquired a loyal following during that time. Bowen's new book, "Cruzatte and Maria" is his finest yet, and will greatly please all readers, new and old.

When Du Pre's old friend in the FBI, Harvey Wallace, asks him to look into a series of disappearances in the White Cliffs area of the Missouri River Gabriel is troubled and refuses to become involved. Residents of that area, mostly ranchers, have been under continuous attack by environmentalists and encroachment by yuppie wilderness seekers. Du Pre understands the ranchers' struggle and senses an underlying, irresolvable tragedy.

Unfortunately, Du Pre's is unable to maintain his distance. His daughter Maria has returned to Toussaint with her boyfriend to help with the making of a television special on the Lewis and Clark voyage. Maria is descended on both sides from the four Metis Indians that accompanied the adventurers and Gabriel is dragged into the production as a consultant and advisor. Naturally, the movie is to be filmed on the banks of the Missouri, in the same location as the disappearances. Gabriel smells a set up, but concedes gracefully (actually he curses a lot) and undertakes both missions. As the story progresses Du Pre's worst fears and greatest hopes are realized. Metis life and history, politics, Hollywood and the rancher's struggle for recognition and independence mix together in a heady, sometimes disquieting, stew.

Bowen is an absolute wizard with characters. Not only Du Pre, but many other characters come brilliantly to life, even in the short space of this novel. Bart, Du Pre's billionaire friend and Benetsee, the mad/wise holy man who drives Du Pre crazy with riddles stand out. A new and special character is Pallas, one of Du Pre's eleven grandchildren. She will totally charm the reader with her seven-going-on-thirty attitude and her sharp, accurate tongue. The ranchers, members of the movie company and countless bit players are all unforgettably painted.

Perhaps the best thing about Bowen's writing is his insight into the Metis Indians. They are a tribe mostly forgotten to American and Canadian history, who played a great part in the fur trade in Canada and Montana. As a multi-tribal mixture of indigenous, French and Scottish blood they have had great difficulty gaining recognition as an independent culture. The are strong folk, with a rich musical tradition and an indomitable spirit. Bowen's Metis are people of great character, wry, fun loving, and deeply respectful of their people, their friends and the land they live on. Bowen captures their language and dry sarcastic wit perfectly. The reader will leave "Cruzatte and Maria" delighted to have spent time with these remarkable people.

Du Pre's daughter Maria comes home from school with her boyfriend Ben who is the assistant director on the movie being made on Lewis & Clark. Maria asks Du Pre to be the historical consultant on the set and Du Pre reluctantly agrees. Harvey Weasel Fat asks Du Pre to check into the disappearances of several people at the White Cliffs area of the Missouri River. These two tasks come together and make for murder.

The local residents don't like newcomers and somebody is making sure that strangers don't stay. Two environmental journalists are found in the river and it doesn't look like it was an accident. Du Pre must find out who is doing the killing before anybody else gets hurt.

Peter Bowen does an excellent job bringing out the local customs and mannerisms of the Metis people. Du Pre is an offbeat but thoroughly engaging sleuth. Makes you maybe want visit for a while.

Using sources ranging from official documents and ship's logs to personal letters and the Farragut family bible, Lewis presents the fascinating true story of David Glasgow Farragut. An officer in the U.S. Navy at the age of 11, he was prizemaster of a captured British whaling ship (and required to put down a mutiny by her former Captain) at age 12! Described by his Commanding Officer as "Seven pounds of uniform and seventy pounds of fight!", he travels the world, learns several languages and grows to be the officer who is arguably the best American Naval Officer ever, later to become our first Admiral . His life is an example of heroism and bravery told with amazing detail and wonderfully dramatic action. It is compelling and edifying reading. His epic Civil War battles are to be read in Volume II.

An excellent review of an excellent man. Historically accurate and using sources ranging from offical records and ships logs to personal letters and the Farragut family Bible. The first of a two volume set, this volume depicts the life of Farragut from birth to the beginning of the Civil War. A Naval Officer at the age of 11, his Commanding Officer remarked that he was seven pounds of uniform and seventy pounds of fight. He was made a prizemaster of a captured whaling ship, in the war of 1812, at the age of twelve. This is not dry historical subject, but a fascinating account of a truly heroic man. Read this book! The examples of character and heroism in Farragut's life can give us all standards, stories, and examples to live up to.

Using sources ranging from official documents and ship's logs to personal letters and the Farragut family bible, Lewis presents the fascinating true story of David Glasgow Farragut. An officer in the U.S. Navy at the age of 11, he was prizemaster of a captured British whaling ship (and required to put down a mutiny by her former Captain) at age 12! Described by his Commanding Officer as "Seven pounds of uniform and seventy pounds of fight!", he travels the world, learns several languages and grows to be the officer who is arguably the best American Naval Officer ever, later to become our first Admiral . His life is an example of heroism and bravery told with amazing detail and wonderfully dramatic action. It is compelling and edifying reading. His epic Civil War battles are to be read in Volume II.

Like previous "day in the life," books...this one features 125 of the top photo jounalists capturing a slice of life of a given subject. These are photo jounalists...not to be confused with studio portrait photography...this is an amazing portrayal of the hard work, discipline, and tradition of the military. It tells the tale of new "greatest generation," those young men and women who sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy everyday. If you have doubts about the direction of this nation...one look at these pages and you can rest assured the future is well cared for.

This book is filled with great moments and beautiful photographs, and shows a lot of the behind-the-scenes moments. It's a tribute to all the young men and women who have put their lives on the line and dedicated themselves to service to our country. I think it's a great gift for all American families to remind them of the sacrifices that the military service makes.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES continues the fascinating tradition of the "Day in the Life of ..." series. In case you are unfamiliar with the premise: a large number of photographers focus on one particular lifestyle for a 24-hour period and they compile their photographs in a coffee table book. We were first introduced to this concept in 1986 with A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AMERICA. Since then, it has become a virtual franchise with nearly a dozen books published, depicting life in India, Africa, Israel, Japan, the Soviet Union, and more. I love this series because I love gaining insight into the daily lives of the non-famous.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES contains oversized, crisp, color pictures of our military men and women in many countries all over the globe. It is almost as though A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES is a photographic supplement to Gore Vidal's DREAMING WAR: BLOOD FOR OIL AND THE CHENEY-BUSH JUNTA, which I had just finished reading. In his book, Vidal claims that the USA is an empire. I had doubted this, but after seeing A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES, I realized that Vidal has a point.

I have both copies of this book (for Pagemaker 5 and for 6). It is the best book on the market by far for beginners in desktop publishing. I would like to use this book as a textbook in an adult ed program. The students in this class are novices in computer experience but need something basic for their small businesses or church offices or small private schools. I sincerely hope this book keeps pace with new upgrades of Adobe Pagemaker, the easiest and most versatile layout program on the market for the small business, inexperienced computer user.

The best part about this book is the extensive introductory section packed with design ideas for different kinds of work. I teach PageMaker classes, and this is always my top recommendation!

This is kind of book that leads you from "inconcious unawareness" to "concious mastery" not only on PageMaker, but also on design at the whole. Everybody knows that one cannot learn design by book; after reading "Desktop Publishing by Design" which is fulfilled with so many tips and techniques, advices and examples, one won't be so certain about the beginning of this sentence.

I've been gym climbing off and on for years, mostly in the last three months as there is an excellent wall at the school I go to, and found this book to be quite helpful in getting me ready for the trip outside. I have been able to climb outside in the past only with the help of other more experienced climbers, and thanks to the help of this book and other resources, I am beginning to feel comfortable going out without the help. However, do not let this book be your only resource. There are many terms not adequately defined and several concepts are not introduced, but are referenced. For instance, the author refers to the "magic X", a method of attaching to anchors, but never defines it, and doesn't even say anything more than "use the magic x method of equalizing the anchors" for many pages. However, if you have other available sources of information, this guide can fill the gaps.

Any gym climbers who are aspiring to climb outside must buy this book. It is a very comprehensive book that helps guide the transition from gym climbing to outdoor climbing. There are detailed exercises on proper top rope placement, rappelling, self-rescue, and a number of other safety issues. The advice is clear and safe. You really should go with someone more experienced when you try these techniques, but the book makes an excellent case for being safe and going beyond what is normally done. For example, you should back up your rappel with an autoblock or a fireman's belay. Why not do this easy thing that may save your life? Your friend that teaches you how to climb may not show you these lifesaving techniques. I rarely see people back up their rappel!
As you get more experienced and want to make the transition to trad climbing, it teaches important techniques like making a multi-directional anchor for your first trad anchor by using a sliding girth hitch. It takes extra time, but it may save your life by preventing all your gear placement from zippering (popping out) after your fall. Happy climbing and safe climbing to you!

One book every climber must have. Much more specific to rock climbing than "the bible", "Mountaineering: the Freedom of the Hills".

If you and a partner go through the exercises you will be better skilled than most of the climbers on the rocks.

Covers basic skills, and has great sections on setting up Toprope anchors and placing protection on Lead.

ONLY problem is the casual use of girth-hitched slings. Girth hitching seriously reduces rope strength.

Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C. S. Lewis was one of the most influential Christian thinkers of all time. Whether through symbolism in the Great Divorce, biting satire in the Screwtape Letters, or unflinching logic in Mere Christianity his brilliance shows through clearly. "The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics" contains his seven most popular works - Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Miracles, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, and The Abolition of Man. While I read many of these years ago as a young Christian and college student this is the first compendium that I have reviewed. Make no mistake about it; this is a collector's edition in all respects - hardbound, nice dust jacket, crisp quality printing, and even an attached ribbon bookmark.

"Mere Christianity" presents the basic tenets of Christianity. C. S. Lewis breaks the book up into four parts - Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe, What Christians Believe, Christian Behaviour, and Beyond Personality: Or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity. This book is one of the most commonly recommended books for new Christians and those who want to understand basic Christian doctrine from a well-rounded apologetics point of view.

"The Screwtape Letters" has been one of my favorite books for many years. While it is fictional it soon becomes quite clear that we are dealing with real world problems. Through thirty-one letters to his nephew, Wormwood, Screwtape consoles and instructs him in how to keep his "patient" from becoming a Christian or at least from becoming an effective one. Using the vehicle of these letters C. S. Lewis examines various issues and problems of the Christian life. For example, he points out to Wormwood that if he can make his "patient" start going all over town looking for a church that "suits" him instead of being loyal to his local church it will reduce his effectiveness. By searching for the "suitable" church he learns to be a critic of churches instead of a pupil of Christianity. Not to mention that the "congregational principle" makes each church into a kind of club for a specific type of person and eventually that becomes a faction. Each letter points out one or more of the insidious ways that a Christian or church can be slowly changed into nothing more than an ineffective shell.

"Miracles" is an examination of the possibility that supernatural events happen in the world. Within the pages C. S. Lewis develops a compelling argument for the existence of miracles and God's personal interaction with the world. Lewis examines miracles not only in the light of Christian belief but also addresses the positions of agnostics and rationalists and shows why their view is less tenable than the existence of miracles.

"The Great Divorce" is another fictional tale in which the narrator takes a bus ride and visits both heaven and hell.
On this fanciful trip he meets supernatural beings and those who have passed on to be consigned to one or the other. Through discussion and observation he soon realizes that the people who are consigned to hell are there because they refuse to give up even minor sinful thoughts for the greatness of heaven. It is sure to challenge your concept of sin, heaven, and hell.

In "The Problem of Pain" C. S. Lewis examines one of the most common questions of Christianity. If God is all-knowing and all-loving then why is there pain and suffering? He deftly deals with that question from a generic point of view and does an excellent job. You have to realize that it is not specific and so will not answer why something happened to someone in particular. However, reading it does help provide a positive understanding of how pain and suffering can actually be a tool to grab our attention and to purify us for heaven.

"A Grief Observed" is one of the best books on grief and working through the effect that it can have on your faith. After losing his wife, C. S. Lewis comes to face grief and the feelings of anger and doubt toward God that often accompany such a loss. Here we see a strong Christian and apologeticist having his faith shaken to the core and come to understand that these feelings are a normal part of grief. However, over time he comes around to working through his grief to a stronger understanding and deeper relationship with God.

"The Abolition of Man" examines moral relativism and education. C. S. Lewis argues that all morals are not relative, some are absolute. His examination of the issues also applies very well to today's concerns with situational ethics. Lewis points out that due to poor education, bad logic, and the advances of science mankind will eventually destroy itself.

If you would like a collection of some of his best known works in a solid collectible single volume you will want to add this one to your library. "The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics" is a very highly recommended purchase whether to read for the first time or as a quality edition for the C. S. Lewis enthusiast.

C. S. Lewis is remarkable in his depth of faith and logic while remaining consistently humble about his opinions. Also, he purposefully avoids denominational battles or speaking on denominational doctrines, focusing on Christ instead. When he discusses Christianity, he makes every effort to avoid advancing a denominational agenda and focuses on the things that unite Christians instead. CS Lewis is a refreshing breeze to those who believe that we should be presenting a united front to the world.

Contents:

MERE CHRISTIANITY: An excellent exposition on the necessity of a good, personal God based on observational and philosophical evidence. He then moves to an argument that Christ is a "personality" of that creator God and that Christianity follows "naturally" from what we have already acknowledged to be true. His arguments are 100% as true and effective today as they were when written - I find myself using them today (and surprisingly, belief systems that portray themselves as more "rational" have not yet responded to these criticisms in the past 75 years or so...)

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS: one can chillingly find the demon Screwtape's suggestions being carried out in our own actions on a regular basis. CS Lewis has an intuition of human nature!

MIRACLES, THE PROBLEM OF PAIN: these two didn't thrill me, but we each respond to different things. Lewis at least develops these ideas very well and that development was interesting.

THE GREAT DIVORCE: This was my favorite work. Lewis displays once again a keen insight into human nature, set in the backdrop of arriving at Paradise from Purgatory and having to shed their old selves before they are willing to enter Heaven.

A GRIEF OBSERVED: This chronicles the spiritual journey of CS Lewis after his wife's [end of life]. It is very open and honest, and thus very painful to read. Sometimes we benefit by reading of others' trials as well as their triumphs.

THE ABOLITION OF MAN: A fascinating analysis of post-modernism and where it will lead us.

The Signature Classics appeal to the rational mind the way the Narnia Series appeals to the imagination. For many Christians who grew up in the faith, trying to converse with non-believers is like trying to describe colors to a blind person. C.S. Lewis helps both believers and non-believers understand the Rationality of Faith. Having these works collected in a single volume is quite a treasure and belongs on the bookself (or in the hands) of every Christian.

So far the only two complaints I have with this edition are quite minor. The first is the size of the volume. I would have preferred the publishers had added more pages and decreased the highth and depth to make it more easily fit with other books when resting on the shelf between readings. The second is that they (very nicely) provided a ribbon book mark but THREE would have been even nicer. Many of these writings are very dense and need to be consumed (or re-consumed) in small increments. Switching from one to another allows the mind to digest the material before continuing, and having several bookmarks is almost a necessity.

To prepare for going to Istanbul to attend the engagement party of my oldest son to the lovely Özlem, I thought it might be helpful if I could speak a word or two of Turkish.

There isn't a better book than this one on the market (actually, I don't think there are any other elementary Turkish language books ON the market). It is a great little book, with actual lessons laid out at the end of each chapter. You're given several sentences to translate from English to Turkish and vice-versa.

I would have given it five stars, but the downside is they don't tell you that you MUST have a Turkish dictionary at hand. I didn't realize this until I was in Istanbul trying to do my homework.

There's a short dictionary in the back of this book, but it is Turkish to English (which makes it hard to look up some of the words you're supposed to translate from English to Turkish - and some words just aren't there).

The CD tape I bought simply wasn't enough, so I added this book. (You absolutely need a CD, though, so you can understand the pronounciation -- extremely important in this language!

Highly recommended.

Almost 10 years ago I went to Turkey for the first time as an exchange student with the Rotary Club. I was living with a Turkish family and I was determined to learn the language. One day I met another American woman in Turkey who spoke fluent Turkish. She sent me home with this book and a few words of advice. "Elementary Turkish" is truly a classic in the world of Turkish language acquisition. The book proved to be extremely helpful to me, especially as it gave me grammatical categories for all of the words and phrases that I was learning from the Turks around me. Lewis Thomas understands the language well, and his book explains it in very readable, but challenging lessons. After receiving the book, I spent about an hour with it every day for around 3 months. It was an integral part of my Turkish language acquisition.

Now as a fluent Turkish speaker, I use this book often to help train people who are going to Turkey, either long-term or short-term. In some of the vocabulary lists and colloquial expressions it is somewhat dated, but overall this short textbook is still the best. It is packed with helpful vocabulary and language lessons and exercises. It can be used either to study over a long period of time (as I did), or to peruse for vocabulary and basic grammar (as I have used it to train others).

If you have no exposure to spoken Turkish, buy this book along with one of the many cassette tape courses available. If you plan on learning Turkish in Turkey, then this book is all you need.

This was my first text book in Turkish (some 28 years ago). Despite many new and innovative techiniques in language teaching and acquisition, this little charmer is still one of my favorites.

If one takes one's time to work through the exercises step-by-step -- the result will be an excellent basic command of Turkish sentence structure and verb system. Professor Thomas has a very systematic style which I appreciate as a student (especially when learning by oneself)

Alas, no one has taken the opportunity to make recordings of the examples or exercises. This would make a great package -- Hint, hint if the publisher is reading.

Anyway, affordably priced and fairly complete in itself (except for the lack of audio), you can't lose if you want to learn Turkish!

This volume is a good selection of Lewis's complete works, even tho it is not quite the book I would have made. However, it does lay a fair claim to presenting the essential CSL both in terms of what he was best known for and what his devoted readers would agree is most important. Included are two of his indispensable essays, Abolition of Man and De Descriptione Temporum. Two novels are included, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe; and Perelandra. Poetry, writings on literature, autobiography, letters and apologetics are all represented. The only glaring omission in my opinion is his introduction to George MacDonald: An Anthology, but it could be argued that that essay was about someone else and did not really belong here. And my only real complaint about the book is that it is printed on what appears to be rather cheap paper: books like this one are meant to be kept for a long time.

A few months ago I was browsing the CS Lewis books at Barnes and Nobles. A woman approached me, said her brother wanted to know more about CS Lewis, and asked which book she should get. I recommended Mere Christianity, but the Essential C.S. Lewis was not available. This book, with its wide range of works including two complete novels, a selection of essays, and others is certainly the choice. C.S. Lewis is for the thinking Christian and you find yourself, especially with his essays, looking for a piece of paper to write down the ideas.

The binding of this book and the paper make it very attractive. The size and type of font are easy on the eyes. The price of this book makes it a bargain.

This volume is a good selection of Lewis's complete works. This book gives an excellent, balanced introduction to the ideas found in C.S. Lewis' works. It includes some complete works of differing genres, and many selections from an even wider range of his works including letters and essays. Many of the most quoted passages from a large number of works are included.