This book is full of pictures of WWI battle locations. Half of the photos are black and white war era shots, some of which graphically depict the awful conditions of the trenches. Complementing these are beautiful color photos of the battlefields, memorials, ruins, and cemetaries as they appear today. The narration of the war in chronological order is largely from the perspective of those in the trenches, with interesting diversions about the life, geography, etc. that interacted with the battle areas. As I began to read the progression of this stupid war I was overcome with the same feeling I had viewing the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. -- A slow, sad journey into the depths of senseless death, yet presented in a way which honoured the millions who fell at these sites in WWI.

This book by Anne Roze is a pictorial history of the battlegrounds of World War One. Roze captures the deep sadness and utter futility of 'The Great War' with photos of the battlegrounds as they are today. These are accompanied by smaller photographs from the era itself, of which the majority are of soldiers in the trenches. There is also comprehensive text describing the photographs and historical background. The modern photographs are really breathtaking in how they convey the solemnity of what they are actually portraying. World War One is a not an often visited subject, both in literary or movie form, which in some respects is a shame. The scale of horror endured by the men on both sides is really staggering. To have the significance of this lost with new generations is like turning a blind eye to a lesson that should not be forgotten. This is an attractive publication and is highly recommended for those interested in the history of World War One, with emphasis on how the battlegrounds of old have aged.

This is about the coolest and funiest book I ever found! It tells you how to hide stuff and also all the ways you can make your own secret hiding places. Its so great to read this book! And it cost like FIve dollars. And there's an amazing web site at secrethidingplaces. com My friends and I started a club around this book and we are passing notes and having fun in school and making really good hiding places!!!! U won't believe what you are gonna learn from this book and the writer really writes in a funny way! It's like the besst book of the year! I recomend it to anyone who has a brother like mine! Go for it!!

Brad B.

If you're looking for an interesting, readable, and spirited guide to the Netherlands, then look no further. Ron Charles has written a book that is bold enough to have real opinions to help prioritize where to go, stay and eat. No photos, no ads, just the important stuff. Enjoy.

This book was by far the best of the 4 travel guides we took to Holland. I would prefer more photos, but the info in the book was solid and much different than the other books. A great companion in our travels.

Open Road`s Holland Guide is the book you will ever need while traveling in Holland. It has very good discussions on history, art, sights and the bars and restaurants guides and hotel listings are also very good and informative. Ron Charles really know how to write and whets your apetite for the culture and doesn`t let you down.

If you enjoy the style of Stephen Ambrose, you will like In Flanders Fields. As a story about a war little understood now, the book illuminates and chills the reader. I picked up this book in a tiny used bookstore on a whim, but immediately started turning the pages. I read it cover to cover immediately. I also recommend Lyn Macdonald also for coverage of WW1.

In these times of compassionate battlefield practices and high tech, the loss of several hundred men would be a great disaster and bring the general under closest scrutiny. It is hard for us to imagine a time when men lived in a sea of mud beneath fortified heights, drowned in shell holes, never saw a tank, and had negligible air support, while the enemy artillery turned over every square inch of ground. The loss of several hundred thousand in one battle was deemed tolerable and was to be encouraged if the general could gain several hundred yards of ground, nor was there any hope of it ever ending. If you read this book, you will understand the ideology, art and literature of the entire 20th century much better.

I read this book in 1965 and it easily won the award for "best book read this year" even though I read 41 other books that year. And I have never forgotten the searing way Wolff brings the awfulness of Flanders in 1917 home to the reader.

While surrealism is not everyone's cup of tea,RENE MAGRITTE is certainly one of it's most celebrated figure.What i like about that collection is that it's affordable, even if it can't have everything.You can not say you don't have your money's worth.MAGRITTE is basically a painter who thinks ,that's why his works is unique in a strange way.The visuals aspects of his sex oriented works are often quite funny.Rock fans will recognize the sleeve of JEFF BECK'S TRUTH a 1968 record who uses LA CHAMBRE D'ÉCOUTE(The green apple).Those BELGIAN artists MAGRITTE,DELVAUX and TANGUAY were really something else.

if asked to pick a favourite surrealist i would have to pick rené magritte, his images are so clean & refined. the apples, the bowlers hat, and the floating crowd, all signatures of magritte have become embedded in mainstream culture because of the beauty of his works. so far i haven't found a better source of magritte's artworks, this book is a must for your coffee table!

This 89 page book is great for, artists, art fanactics, or anyone interested in Magritte or Surrealist art. This book goes through Magritte's life as an artist. I think its a great deal because there is so much of his artwork included to go along with the text, and its all in color. I enjoyed the chronology at the end of the book and the photographs of Magritte with his family and other members of the Surrealist group.

I have used at least 7 Lonely Planet books, and this -though not bad- was well below their standard. (I do consider Lonely Planet above Let's Go and all other travel guides usually). But this one leaves a lot of information out (such as the cheapest hostel in Amsterdam). Its prices our outdated though it claims to be a 2001 edition. The Netherlands is not a big country, nor is the book, so why not include maps for more cities? Many towns do not have maps though the book is half the size of other guides. (i.e. it would be perfectly manageable to do so). Finally, one big way to travel around in the Netherlands is by bike. This guide is definitely insufficient to do even a 2-3 day bike trip. It needs mayor revising. New authors maybe?

General background -
================
The Lonely Planet Guides contain a lot of information. They are supposed to be of help to the common backpacker. However, due to the extensive coverage they offer about the countries they discuss, they can also be a very good source of information to travelers with greater means that are interested in a thorough coverage of their destination. Moreover, they can be of use to persons that are interested in learning about the country as a starting point for further studies.

When the reader wishes to travel he has two options of dealing with the wide-ranging material:
1. To read the book almost cover to cover in advance, aiming at planning the trip down to the last small detail while learning a lot about the country - culture, history, climate, geography, conduct and so forth.
2. To read the essential highlights from the book using the contents - in a relatively short time - aiming at learning the basic information needed for getting a good head start (forget about the long "facts About" chapter). Upon getting there it is easy to use the guide on a daily basis for further information.

The guide -
========

This guide is a very good one with one major flaw that can't be disregarded: the prices are given in Guilders, more than a year (!) after the country has completely converted to Euros, since the edition hasn't been updated since the 1st of January 2001. That fact poses a great difficulty at planning the budget for the trip (add to that the considerable rise of prices since the transition to the Euro). This is a serious letdown and not something you would expect from a distinguished publication house. Hopefully they will release a second edition soon.

Aside from the problem mentioned above, the guide is a real help for the traveler; the information and recommendations in the different sections were most helpful and the proved accurate. A good example is the emphasis that is given to a certain rental bike service at Amsterdam that offers no advertising for itself on the bicycle, and keeps many preying eyes away from the bike. The pictures presented inside are well taken and offer a beautiful glance at what the reader might see during his journey. The guide contains the wide assortment of maps of many important and interesting towns and cities the reader might visit with the familiar marking of the recommended places to see/eat/sleep.

I would like to point out that not all the best places to visit are pointed out in the book. I reckon they can't put everything inside and they should and do promote self-exploration. I walked around for hours in each and every place I've visited and was rejoiced to find buildings and corners that were breathtaking - on my own. I recommend you to do the same as in some cases - owning to the desire to stay compact and still comprehensive - the book provides rough guidelines that are superficial and personal opinions that might not always suit your taste.

The chapters about the Netherlands in general and the special boxed texts scattered throughout the book are very interesting and are best read during the trip to answer questions that may pop up. By and large, one will have time for that only once he is home and has the special interest in the country he has just visited.

Amsterdam-
-------------

The Amsterdam chapter may be the most important to the common traveler, simply because there is so much to see and do there. The guide offers good and detailed maps of the city, but too bad they are divided to small maps that are made to fit into the book like regular pages, rather than giving the readers a folded map they would be able to take out for their own convenience. That leaves no choice but to buy a map at the local shops, a reality Lonely Planet can change in the next edition.

As to the content itself, it's a mixed bag. They do provide top-notch info but also tend to exaggerate sometimes in describing places up to a tiresome point. The pages about the transportation possibilities are thorough. In the end of the day, it is more than enough and you wouldn't need the Lonely Planet's Amsterdam guide if you don't plan to live there more than a week or two.

Final note -
========

The Netherlands is a strikingly beautiful country. The cities as well as the countryside are absolutely dazzling, and the people are friendly and helpful. I enjoyed traveling in the land so much that I consider it the peak of my long trip that had been mainly to the countries of South East Asia. This guide contributed a lot to the general feeling I got thanks to all its good graces.

I have read this book several times now (While on the treadmill), and discovered it is interesting, and insightful. I look forward to putting this knowledge to use, once I go to Holland.

I really liked this book. I'm a teacher in adult education and I found this to be a very accessible, personal account of Ms. Loebl's experiences as a teenager hiding from the Nazis in Belgium during World War II. In telling her story she manages to bring in a lot of background information for people who don't know much about the war. The students liked it a lot.

This autobiography is moving, beautifully written, and hugely important to Holocaust Studies, Jewish Studies, and contemporary European History.

As a memoir, _At the Mercy of Strangers_ alternates between two voices: that of the young German Jewish adolescent hiding from Nazi persecution (the book includes Loebl's actual diary that she kept while moving from place to place in Brussels) and the retrospective voice of Suzanne Loebl, accomplished art critic, children's book author, and science writer, who survived the war and moved to the U.S. in 1946. These two voices are so beautifully counterposed it is easy to see the resonances of each in the other.

Her hiding places risky, the identity papers her family purchased for her detectably false, often hungry, always always alone, Loebl's diary recounts her daily struggle to find employment as a maid or governess (her cover from Nazi detection) and the daily reality of working for employers who, realizing she was Jewish, often took advantage of her, sometimes fired her at whim, and excluded her from even the most basic human kindnesses. Buffeted about in war-torn Brussels, Loebl's interrupted education, the disappearance of Jewish family, friends, teachers, resistance fighters, her constant hunger (physical, emotional, and intellectual) do not fundamentally dampen her spirit, which is so large it spills beyond the margins of every page.

This book is so accomplished it is difficult to categorize; it includes so much World War II history woven in and out of both narrative voices it should be required reading for college students studying this historical period. As a piece of Holocaust literature, this book illustrates the complicated ways that the story of one highly intelligent, articulate German Jewish adolescent is, itself, a political one. (In the tradition of New German Cinema, I can see this book rewritten as a screenplay depicting the impact of World War II on the personal life of one individual.) Without a doubt, _At the Mercy of Strangers_ is also the finest autobiography this reviewer has ever read.

As a child in grade school, I heard and read more than my share about the Holocaust, as I was very interested. But never has a book struck me in this way--pulled me in. It suddenly made me look at World War II in a different way. It gave the war a personal aspect for me...put a name and a face on it. This book has allowed me to look at the Holocaust in the different way.

Jane Andras starts a bit slowly, but her Odyssey really starts at the second chapter and after this, it is almost impossible to stop reading it. I finished the book overnight and re read it a gain the next Saturday morning. The book is really for women and about women. I recommand it to girls from the age of 15 to 85. Claire

A fairly easy to read book about a woman coming to age in the early fifties and tamimg every protesting element. It is not a Polyanna book though. I read it overnight because I could not put it down. Sarit Levy

I totally enjoyed this novel about a young woman's struggle against the challenges that she faced. It is a coming of age story that celebrates the intelligence and warmth of the main character.

The story is most captivating. I had trouble putting it down. The book is written in an uplifting,optimistic and romantic fashion.

I also enjoyed the various Euorpean settings in which the story takes place. This book provides insight into what life was like for women in the 1950s.

I would recommend this book to all women,regardless of age or background.

While I did finish the book, I was never emotionally committed to either the characters or the story line. Basically, the theme of the book is if you have enough money, you can get anything done. The pact between the friends was a bit unrealistic but because the characters were all quite well off financially, they could leave their lives, jobs, families, etc. for weeks at a time without any problems.

I picked up this hard back book for $4.98 at a clearance rack and it's about all that it was worth. Not on my list of recommendations to my friends.

In 1976, a helicopter crash in England renders three teen-agersorphans just two weeks after their graduation from the American Schoolin London. Originally from the US, the three--Olivia Segal, the daughter of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust; Annie Aldrich, Protestant from San Francisco, and Jamie Arias, Catholic scion of a great shipping family from Rhode Island--became friends while their parents worked in England.

Banding together, they create a pact--whenever one of them is in need of comfort, friends, whatever, it makes no difference--the other two will drop everything to go to the aid of the one who asks. ...THE PACT is a riveting, can't-put-it-down novel that will remain in your mind and your heart for a long time after you've read the final page. This is Hilary Norman's eighth book. If you've not read any of the others, you'll want to, after you've read THE PACT.

Three friends make a pact at the threshold of adulthood. They are bound together by one of our strongest human ties; grief from a shared loss. Nothing will circumvent their committment to one another, not distance, relationships, or careers. This pact is put to the test over the years and it holds firm and true. Then, as always happens in life, events much larger that themselves take over and some very hard decisions have to be made. This is a story of love cherished and deeply respected, of duty embraced regardless of what may prove to be the cost. You will laugh and cry... you will love "The Pact".

I enjoyed this book much more than the previous - Scales of Gold. Maybe because Ms. Dunnett went back to her original form of storytelling which combines history, geography, romance and high drama. This is an "edge of your seat" type of book even though it is longer than the others previously in this series. We see Nicholas with a whole new talent to add to his arsenal - that of divining. Yes these books are a bit soap-operaish, but they are exciting nonetheless. In this particular segment we get to see a lot more of Dr. Tobias. He is a treasure, and a great foil for Nicholas' impulsiveness. His Love-Hate relationship with Nicholas continues, but also develops into a trust. I wondered why Nicholas didn't take this earthy doctor into his confidence sooner. Toby is a wonderful character! We also see a confrontation between Nicholas and his erstwhile father, but true to form, it is not resolved, so we know we have to read further. I wouldn't recommend this series to the faint of heart. It takes a lot of effort and emotion to get through it, but it is worth it in the end, if only for the history lesson.

Nicholas has a new talent to add to his already stunning arsenal. The confrontation between father and son finally is realized with both surviving the encounter, but they are forever changed. Ms. Dunnett lets fans have a taste of happiness for Nicholas in the end but don't count the happiness to last. Readers know it never does. True to her form, she mixes politics, commerce and romance with skill and in doing so, weaves a story so deep and complex fans are left begging for more.

In this book of the Niccolo Series, we are introduced to the race set by Gelis and Nicholas to outsmart eachother. It was started by Gelis, trying to avenge her sister's death, but Nicholas understands he must do this to try and win her heart for good. She claims she is carrying the son of his archrival, Simon de St. Pol. He decides to travel to Scotland to find the truth. At the same time, he finds Scotland a great market to increase his fortune.

Pursuing Gelis, Nicholas has to find out if the child is finally born and what sex it is. Once he finds out, Gelis hides once more from him. They travel to Cairo, the Sinai Desert and end up in Cyprus once more. The book closes on the Carnival in Venice and a new discovery for Nicholas.

In this book we are newly introduced to Dorothy Dunnett's best: Scotland. She can present the atmosphere and living customs of the time with incredible clarity and knowledge. The people, the rulers, the history, the places, everything is depicted with accuracy and made very interesting.

I have also enjoyed and learned a lot by this book. Be it about European history as well as middle eastern.

I am on my way to reading the sixth book...

Look out, reading this book may make you hungry. The Belgians eat and eat, and then eat some more. The traveling gauls are in for a feast.

Vitalstatistix gets royally ticked off when he learns that Caesar has named the Belgians to be the bravest of all Gauls. He sets off to prove otherwise with a reluctant Asterix and Obelix in tow. The Belgians and our beloved gauls alternate between trying to best one another in contest and having a riotous good time together.

This is not one of my favorite Asterix books because the premise is a little weak; the chief's hot-headed stubbornness is not an interesting enough character trait to carry an entire adventure. It is however chock full of wonderful puns; look for the tribute to Belgium's famous little boy statue. There is also an interesting appearance by Herge's Thompson and Thompson as Asterix pays his respects to Tintin.

The humorous depiction of the adventures of the inhabitants ofone small village in Gaul, (modern day France) which defies romanoccupation in 50 BC with the superhuman power of a magic potion. Its full of beautiful visuals and excellent pun, especially the play of words in conversation and names of characters. Its gentle satire pokes fun on modern life, art and politics with caricatures of Napoleon, Shakespeare, Zorro and even James Bond. A comic that will reach out to kids and adults alike. A must for your collection. I recommend it with gusto!

The last story written by Goscinny! Fist written in French in 1979 as
Astérix chez les Belges, it was first published in English in 1980.

Chief Vitalstatistix is outraged upon hearing that Julius Caesar has referred to the Belgians as the bravest of all the Gaullish peoples, and immediately sets out for Belgium to prove him wrong.
At the suggestion of Druid Getafix, Asterix and Obelix accompany him, lest the whole venture come to a 'sticky end'.

What ensues is compensation between the Belgians and the Armoricans (Asterix and Co) to prove who can bash the most Romans, until Julius Caesar comes to Belgium with his army to intervene.

Our friends get to meet a robust and fiery people not unlike themselves, with curvaceous blond ladies, good beer and masses of good food.

There is a wonderful adaptation of one of those charming paintings by Dutch master, Pieter Breughel The Elder. The English translation uses to very witty effect, quotes by George Gordon, Lord Byron, William Shakespeare and John Milton.