Just like with their other book, San Diego's Old Town - Colorful Stories of the Past, the authors tell many colorful stories of San Diego's fascinating history. Alway being interested in a city's history after visiting, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I have travelled to San Diego several times and always enjoyed visiting Old Town, not knowing much about its history. After reading this book it will be even more interesting to return to that famous part of San Diego!

This book was a birthday present and I liked it very much. I like to hear about the world and how other people live and what they do. Our family traveled a lot and I loved all the stories. I am going to tell my friends about it. Karen

Is Led Zepplin the greatest band of all time? You bet! Is "Staiway to Heaven" their best biography? It comes damn close! As far as factoids and beautiful glossies, this book has it's bases covered. However in terms of looks, it could definetly use an overhaul. The cover is a bit garish and not at all fitting to the title, which is a bit jarring, but nothing to weep about. The insight it gives into the lives of Plant, Page and the rest of the "lads" is extremely interesting, whether you're a fan or not. And so if you love Led Zepplin buy this book, if not, buy it anyway and you will soon be! Peace.

I often teach about plate tectonics, a.k.a. continental drift, in my intro astronomy classes. Usually up to now, I didn't find geology too exciting and would seldom go out of my way to read a book on the subject. But this book by D. Ritchie is so well written, I am beginning to change my tune!

For its writing alone the book definitely deserves 5 stars. But I have given it only 4 because, in my opinion, there are many places where the text is crying out for a diagram or a map to help clarify the author's description. There are far too few of these. In one case (p.69), Ritchie describes the plate tectonic "hang-up" of Southern California--at this point, the reader badly needs a diagram, but it makes an unexpected appearance 18 pages later!

Don't be deceived by the reference to Southern California in the title. The scope is considerably broader than the "superquake" anticipated in the area of Los Angeles. Ritchie opens up diverse aspects of plate tectonics to the reader using earthquakes in general, and the expected L.A. quake in particular, as the chief focus for his narrative.

Ritchie's writing places him among the best sciernce journalists for his ability to make the dry facts of science come to life. This book is a page turner: reading it from cover to cover was a pure delight. All the way through, he floats the cargo of science on a fabulous raft of human drama, quoting lively anecdotes and accounts of earthquakes by first-hand participants. All the major recorded quakes of California are described, and the the greatest of them all, the San Francisco quake of 1906, is described in fascinating detail. ( But as I say, the scope is wider yet, and other quake prone areas in the US are described in the penultimate chapter.)

Unlike some popular science writings, he does not consign the science to play second string behind the human actors. While delighting the reader with the human drama of a diverse and articulate cast of human characters--including Mark Twain, Jack London, and charismatic indian chief Tecumseh--he seamlessly weaves the relevant geolophysics into his narrative.

My knowledge of earthquakes and plate tectonics has just made a huge "quantum jump," and with no sensation of pain or boredom. This book demonstrates that geophysics can be a heck of a lot of fun.

My 3 year old has already asked me many questions in this book,
so it hits the mark on being full of real questions that a real child would ask. The explanantions are short (about 1 paragraph)
and easy to understand - although I found the vocabulary sometimes a bit tough for my 3 year old. I often used simpler words while reading to her. I expect therefore that the rated age range beginning with 4 years is probably accurate from the point of view of understanding the explanations completely. The questions are arranged in groups such as "bathtime questions" and in a "story" order revolving around a child in that particular situation (ie. the child is getting a bath and is asking questions that start with "how does hot and cold water run out of the same tap" and ending with "why do my hands get all wrinkly after I've been in the bath a long time"). Each question and it's associated exaplanation and illustration cover a full two-page spread of the book. My only complaint is that the book does not actually contain as much detailed "science" content as I had hoped to find - since it is based on questions that children ask, not on concepts someone wanted to include purely for the sake of completeness. I would guess that 8 year olds might be left wanting more information that is given in the answers (which could be considered a good thing, spurning them on to further research). Certainly for the younger ages though, this is a great book. (More questions from the book: "Do the doors at the grocery store open by magic?" "Why do stars Twinkle?" "Why does it smell so good outside after it rains?" "Why do I have to use the toilet and where does it go when I flush?")

This is a good book to bring along on day hikes. Clear photos and identifying information. It is not about gardening wildflowers.

This book does not reveal anything about Edgar Cayce that wasn't previously known so Cayce fans won't find anything new in it and those who arn't into Cayce won't find it of interest. The book is published by ARE Press, the outfit that publishes all the Cayce material, so what else would it be about. There are better Cayce books and much better 'life after death' books around.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost someone they love or simply has a curiosity about what happens when we die. It answers so many questions that we all have regarding the afterlife. It gives hope to those of us who are grieving, that we will see our loved ones again. It's the best book I've read yet on the subject and it's my #1 recommendation. Well organized and written so that most readers can comprehend it. A great work!

So many books out there on life after death cover one aspect of this vast subject. In "The Place We Call Home," the author has answered a wide variety of universal questions concerning this subject and drawn from very credible sources. I'd read Dr. George Ritchie's book on his near-death experience, in the Place We Call Home, the author obviously interviewed him and brought out amazing details not included in Ritchie's books. Ritchie glimpsed the realms of heaven and hell - and Grant found correlations from diverse sources that shed so much light and all agreed! Grant detailed that God loves us unconditionally; but it is human beings who create their own hellish after-death state by hating their fellow man;harboring prejudices;being vengeful. Ritchie, Edgar Cayce, British writer Helen Greaves, all said where we go after this life depends upon how much we chose to love, to forgive, being kind,etc., all the virtues of the spirit. In short,all that we build in this life goes with us after death. Those who hate will find themselves in a place after death that reflects that. Edgar Cayce experienced the hellish realms in visions,and Dr. Ritchie saw the same things. However,unlike the fundamentalists beliefs, there is no eternal damnation. Grant managed to show a multifaceted picture that every soul has the opportunity to move out of the "shadowlands"; this is based not on one person's view, but on many. He also writes how we can work with dreams to help heal the grief from a loved one's passing. Dreams are a doorway,according to Grant,where our loved ones can communicate with us. In short,they still hear us and love us;and if we've got unfinished business,guilt,remorse like,"I wished I'd told her Iloved her before she died," the book shows,beautifully,that love can't die and it's never too late to say the things in our heart. They shed the body, at death, but that's it--they still love us and they feel our hurts, pain,and our joy. We've been taught it's too late after they're dead. Grant has a step-by-step exercise that brought me GREAT HEALING...I know now,like Grant said,"the bonds of love are spiritual,not physical...and they continue to exist after death..." What a relief, a joy and a treasure this book is. He discusses what happens during the dying process at the soul level - and that relieved and helped me so much. And reading it made me want to be aboutthe business of being kind,loving,compassionate NOW. Hell is seeing after you die that you chose not to forgive or be kind. And according to Grant, we will all have to review every thought, deed, and act of our lives. And we will experience the impact we had through the eyes of every person we helped,andthose that we hurt. That saying, "he's gone to his reward," is truer than anything. We go after death, to what we've built,and we inherit it. I thank God for this book. I have a new chance everyday to make a difference. And the good we just try to do here,according to Grant,goes out and uplifts the entirety of the universe! And yes,"that which you sow, (here on earth),"so shall ye reap"(afterdeath). This book made me stop and ask,"What am I building?" EVERYONE should read this book....There is a Light at the end of the Tunnel! (please edit this, I know Iwentoff on a tangent...if you don't print it,Iunderstand....maybe someonethere on your staff will pick up this book. If one person does, then my mission is fulfilled!

This looks like an excellent guide to seed collection and propagation. However it is highly specific to the southeast and I am looking for the high desert in Oregon. I could glean some information on mallows and yarrow, but although penstamons were mentioned they weren't discussed. I think a general recommendation for this type of book is to highlight the region that it covers.

I feel this book is an excellent resource for an persons desiring to learn about wildflower biology and, also those wishing to incorporate wildflowers into the perennial garden. While directed toward plants of the eastern, southern, and midwestern regions, most anyone would find this book useful. Useful suggestions are also provide regarding establishment of wildflower gardens.

This is a practical guide to propagating native plants. It is specific to the U.S. southeast to mid-atlantic regions. I have had pretty good results & the directions are very specific. I recommend it for beginners or seasoned gardeners.

I really liked this book and I enjoyed reading it. Obviously this book is not a "How to" book since the title says it's about history and tradition. It's hard to go back in time and see the past in focus without good documentation on the Chinese part due to secrecy. Nonetheless this book was very well written and it gives a more clear view of Wing Chun's roots. Perhaps this book will help to silence some of the traditional hog wash I've heard and read from so called masters. One thing I'd like to know more about is the European influence on the art. Surely when the Westerners came over to China in the 19th century and before, some fights must have taken place. From my studies I know they faired well and I think this probably influenced Wing Chun through the great Leung Jan. Have you noticed that Wing Chun doesn't look like most other Kung Fu styles?

A great book containing a comparison of various styles of Wing Chun. There are many Wing Chun branches around the world but this book gives an overview of nearly all the *main* branches.

It's a history of the art and explanation of the differences within the family of Wing Chun. It's not a technical how-to book. If you have reached an intermediate or advanced level in Wing Chun, the book will give you an unbiased insight on what your brothers and sisters are doing. Think of it as a family album.

As someone who owns most of the books that have been published on wing chun, I offer this advice: if you only own one book on wing chun gung fu -and it doesn't matter whether you are a seasoned wing chun practitioner or someone just interested in learning something of the system - this should be it. No other book comes close to providing the depth of material pertaining to both the historical traditions and conceptual underpinnings of more than eight different major lineages, or branches, of the wing chun family tree - some very popular, others exceptionally rare. And, no other book compares and analyzes the historical roots and technical repertiores of these various wing chun systems in an attempt to pierce the myths that have surrounded wing chun's history and present a comprehensive historical picture.

As a long-time practitioner of wing chun kuen from the Yip Man lineage, I found this book enlightening. The chapter on Yip Man's lineage is perhaps the best overall representation of that system that I've yet seen in print. And, by presenting it next to many of the other branches of wing chun, the authors have considerably expanded my personal view of the art. In my opinion, this book should be required reading for any student of wing chun.