This is an excellent volume for teaching quality literary
criticism to collegiate-level students. In primary and
secondary school, the emphasis is on sentence construct.
i.e. A good sentence must have a subject, verb and object.
Although students may learn the mechanics of writing,
they do not pick up fine nuances in literary expression.
This work forces the student to develop a basic idea or theme.
Once developed the point of view must be defended persuasively.
The thesis of the work is contained somewhere in the first
paragraph. Sentences should be simple and stated actively.
Finally, each work should be developed in successive drafts
from the first to the final draft. I've found that students
have a problem differentiating literary criticism from a
simple regurgitation of what they read. The Practical Stylist
helps to focus each student's attention on enunciating
criticism of a person nature or within the experiential
domain of a first hand knowledge. It's painful to learn to
develop quality literary criticism because the primary and
secondary education simply does not focus on this aspect
in any meaningful depth.

I used (an earlier edition of) this book in an English composition class at the University of Kansas in the late 70's and have kept it with me ever since.

This book has so much to recommend it, it's hard to pick out one thing to emphasize, but the best advise I came away from the book with was Baker's admonition to give your writing the "Argumentative Edge." Like so many students, I found writing exceedingly painful: to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and begin writing inspired me not at all. I thought that I had to sound like Encyclopedia Britannica to write well.

Sheridan Baker slaps you around good to get that notion out of your head. To make your writing interesting (and as a bonus easier), he insists that your writing take a position, express an opinion, argue a point of view. Ditch "fairness" and objectivity--at least to get you started--and all of a sudden, writing becomes pleasurable.

I've never read this advice anywhere else (not even in Stunk and White), and it, along with many other jewels of wisdom have stuck with me for 20 years, making my writing life so much more fun than it otherwise would have been.

Goog work, Sheridan.

I first used this book in 1967 when I was aboard ship taking a course in Expository English offered by The Harvard-M.I.T. Commission on Extension Courses. It has everything one needs to know to become a clear, concise writer. Easy to understand and enjoyable. I used it for many years, then it was stolen. I have been looking for another copy ever since and was afraid it was out of print. I'm about to order my second copy.

Poythress provides a very thoughtful, honest look at dispensationalism from a reformed perspective. It is a short and easy to read book, and should be required for all dispensationalist (or anyone who has fallen in love the Left Behind series). Before I read this book I read Keith Mathison's book Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the Word of God? and couldn't help but think that he used huge over-generalizations and was more content to attack dispensationalist that open a dialog with them. Poythress avoids this trap with a fair interpretation. He points out that dispensationalism has a very high degree of internal coherence. While many reformed theologians point out the problems with dispensationalism, they do so from within the reformed mindset. As Poythress points out, dispensationalism makes complete sense when viewed within a dispensationalist theology. He does, however, point out why the dispensational theology is flawed and, ultimately, incorrect. Finally, he is careful to observe the distinction between classic and progressive dispensationalism. Since there are, as Poythress points out, many areas of agreement between reformed and progressive dispensationalists, he directs most of his critique towards to more radical classic dispensationalism.

With dispensationalism being popularized by the Left Behind series, you'll want a handy and peaceable book to give to the duped: Poythress provides such a book. It's short and easy to read. Not all covenant theologians will agree with Poythress on all points, but he does a fine job illuminating the issues--he does not attack, he explains. This is an irenic book.

There is no doubt that Dispensationalism is fatally flawed, but Poythress manages to avoid any nasty confontational language and attitudes towards those who hold this belief.

Giving credence to his thesis is the fact that he spent time at Dallas Theological Seminary doing research for the book. In fact, he thanks the staff and students for their help! Given the often dogmatic and unloving attitudes that persist on both sides of the interpretive divide, Poythress is very effective and genuine in his style.

Poythress has a number of arguments against Dispensationalism that can't all be summarised here. He does, however, point out that Dispensationalists often paint themselves into corners - they believe the Bible is the literal word of God (which Poythress believes as well), but are unable to cope with basic exegetical problems that contradict their theology. Rather than allow their theology to be changed by the Bible, they interpret the Bible via their theology - thus removing a central part of their belief system that the Bible determines theology.

I challenge any Dispensationalist to read Poythress' work and still remain committed to their theology. But, like Poythress, I do this in the spirit of love, recognizing their faith and love of Christ.

danny sheridan is the bomb!! anyone interested in betting on football needs to read his book first.

Danny Sheridan, known for his fantasy football forecasting, takes a step back from the stats sheet and covers the other game football fanatics love...football pools. He does a great job of presenting handicapping systems for winning your office pool. From general techniques to team specifics to Mascot power (ok, that one's not that serious), Danny gives sage advice on how to beat the line. As a bonus he also includes a section detailing several types of pools and scoring systems. This is an indispensable guide for the office pool manager who wants something a little different this year. There aren't many books on this subject, so Danny could have written a half way descent book and still reached the specific market...but instead he wrote a great little guide that may reach out beyond the fanatics. Enjoy!

Danny Sheridan covers the basic needs to win your football with this book. He shows you how to get a better more accurate view on every Nfl team's potential play against the over/under and the point spread. He explans how a home team is likely to win on Monday night. and many more helpful tips on football games to help you win your football pool

to add to the two reviews, these comics have a fabulous wealth of detail in every little picture, right down to the bottom of the page where fat freddy scat is usually upto some adventure of his own. Inspired artwork - the facial expressions are extremely funny, as is the evocation of sense of place ( as in their trip in Mayheeko ). The storylines are superb, and a hilariously riotous scathing look at humanity with all its hypocrisy and corruption. Its way, way more than just sex and drugs and late 60s counterculture ! So far I have seen people either LOVE them or HATE them. There is no middle ground. the latter group of people are usually the ones who have never interacted with people different from themselves ( in my experience ).

The second volume of a four-volume set. Our friends at The Ripoff Press have encapsulated all of the mind-blowing insanity of the '60s drug scene in this tale of three hippies (Freewheelin Franklin, Phineas, and Fat Freddy) who spend their days tripping from one score to the next while dodging the landlord, the cops, bikers, street gangs, hillbillies, even the FBI! No well-rounded adult should be without the complete set. Check out the Freak Brothers web page and see what I mean.

The first of a four volume set, this compendium of the Ripoff Press' infamous comic strip "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers" will have you rolling on the floor in tears. Provided, of course, that you can see the satirical humor in a strip about three drug-crazed brothers (Freewheelin' Franklin, Phineas, and Fat Freddy) who live only to make the next score. Each page is filled with vulgar language, drugs, sex, violence, nudity, crime, and more drugs. These things are not glorified in the strip, but merely revealed to you as real and ridiculous as any of mankind's endeavors. The black-and-white strip is drawn in a peculiarly heavy-lined style, which gives it a very earthy feel. You simply have read it to understand it, and once you stop laughing, you'll be hooked. Truly the funniest thing I have ever read.

"What kind of activities are there for the Alzheimer's patient?" is a question that comes up often. I always recommend this book. Carmel describes all kind of activities: music, exercise, food preparation, crafts, gardening, solo activities, family games, and reminiscence. I especially like the chapter on reminiscence--with the life collage, memory book, memory box, and more. Activities are very important, as is explained in this book's introdution: "The more involved patients remain with the world around them, the more resourceful they become at finding ways to keep that world for slipping away."

Thanks to this book, I have found dozens of creative ways to keep my mother (who is in the middle stages of Alzheimer's) involved and free from boredom. The activity ideas we found in this wonderful little book have improved my mother's quality of life tremendously and have made caring for her a lot easier and more enjoyable.

This excellent book provides dozens of ideas for keeping the person with Alzheimer's involved and stimulated. The focus is on using activities such as music, exercise and reminiscing to enhance quality of life. Family and professional caregivers can use these activities and many of the ideas outlined truly work wonders. This is undoubtedly the most useful book available on using activities with people with Alzheimer's.

When I purchased this book, I expected it to have the script of the show. Now, I know that it is a nice biography about Cameron Mackintosh. You can learn about his life. I expected a bit more about the concert of Hey, Mr. Producer. I expected a program or something. I enjoy reading it.

When I first saw this book in a store here in Australia, it hit me that the producers had some style. A very classy coffee table book and spectacular photographs of stunning Mackintosh Productions, Hey!, Mr. Producer is what you have to have. Written in a passionate style toward musical theatre, once you pick it up - you won't put it down.

This is a really great companion book to the popular PBS program celebrating producer (duh!) Cameron Mackintosh and his endless contributions to musical theatre. It has fascinating little tidbits about show after show, including "Les Miserables", "Miss Saigon", "Cats", and "The Phantom of the Opera".

I found this gem by accident on the shelf of a secondhand store, along with several other books on the subject of cruising (which I also bought). This was by far, the best written of the bunch! They say the key to being a good author, is finding your "voice" on the written page, and Jim Moore has certainly done this. Jim has a narrative style that is entertaining as well as informative. He seemlessly blends together the tale of an adventure and lifestyle story that is full of amusing anecdotes, along with truely useful information about sailing, navigating, and living on a sailing vessel. I also appreciated Jim's ability to maintain continuity throughout the book (something not common in the others I've read). Read it the first time for the shear enjoyment. Read it the second time using a highlighter (if you ever plan to go cruising)!

I'm sorry to say, I haven't read Moore's first book, but I can certainly recommend this one (after reading it twice). Moore has a down to earth writing style and is a real thinking sailor. By that, I mean that he has come up with a lot of good solutions to sailing problems, and he shares them in this book.

Besides a running narrative of his experiences, some of which have little to do with cruising, he shares what he has learned about seamanship and life on a boat. He demonstrates how to make a boat leakproof, how to anchor properly, and how to avoid a knockdown while you're sleeping. He throws in a few fishing tips as well, including one that involves vodka (a surprisingly useful tidbit).

In comparing this to a similar book, Lin Pardey's "Cruising in Serrafyn", I'd have to srongly favor Moore. Pardey wrote intirely too much about personal relationships and not enough about sailing.

I've read some pretty negative reviews about Moore's first book, but, IMHO, this one is worth the read.

Jim Moore takes us on Swan his home made 36 foot sloop in the pacific and then around North America. You learn about Molly the Mate, Vane the proud wind vane, CN (Cool Navigator) the smart allec Sat Nav and other picturesque characters. You will travel to places you will not want to leave. You will also find some of the lessons that the author learned on sailing, cruising and fishing.

I've lived in Arizona most of my life, and had a good general background understanding of information on earlier times in Arizona. This book really helped to fill in a lot of blanks, and explained things in a very sensible, well-thought-out manner. Starting in pre-historic times, leading into the early Native American migrations and settlements in the Southwest, on to Spanish exploration and colonial days, followed by Mexican and then American ownership of this territory - all of this is well laid out, and well researched and explained.

I would highly recommend this book for any resident of Arizona, anyone interested in early history, and especially for anyone with interest in how we ended up where we are today.

I've read several books on Arizona history and in many ways this is one of the best. I think that there are several things that set this book apart. First, it is very thorough. Each of its 400 plus pages is filled with fact and information. Additionally, it covers some topics in more depth than similar books. For example, this book contains a lot of information about early Hispanic settlers, their history and impact on the state. Other texts seem to focus more on the history of European settlers who came to the state. It also seems that the author spent a lot of time researching this book from original records and documents. He is not just restating information found in other history books. If I had to come up with a negative for this book it's that the writing style leans toward being "academic." If you're looking for a "fun" book on Arizona, full of colorful stories or humorous anecdotes, then this is not the book for you. However, if you really want to learn about the state's history then this book should be part of your collection.

Phil Sheridan lacks a worthy biography, but this is the best around. It focuses on the post-Civil War period but ( I think)
could have done more to save the General's reputation from that of a 'bigot and Indian hater'.

For example, the unfair ascription of the so-called proverb 'The only good Indian is a dead Indian' is not challenged, I wonder when it ever will be. From my own limited research, I have found the first recorded public use of this phrase by a Montana politician in 1868, one year before Sheridan is supposed to have uttered similar words. Further, Sheridan's brother Mike also traces the phrase to Montana, saying 'some fool' ascribed the words to Sheridan. Finally, we only have the hearsay evidence
of a single witness (ie someone told someone else who wrote it down), written down 20 years later, that Sheridan used the words at all.

There is of course the larger accusation, that whatever Sheridan said, this is how he felt. Hutton effectively refutes that charge, I only wish he had come out and roundly stated it somewhere in the book. Sheridan shared the objectives of his contemporary humanitarian critics - he wanted Indians to settle down on reservations and adopt white ways, or just live of the bounty of the government. Where he differed was how he treated 'hostiles' or recalcritant Indians. Sheridan believed in waging war on the Indians just as he had made war in the Shenandoah Valley - devastate the enemy's resources, limit his power to make war by depriving him of supplies, with the added extra of rounding up families to be taken to where they white soldiers could watch them.

In essence, Sheridan was given a dirty job, and did in the only way he knew. But he had no especial hate for the Indians - he was not a Himmler figure, as some have made him out. He was fair to Indians who kept the peace. For example, he adjudicated in a dispute between Indians and cattlemen who had leased reservation land. Despite his personal feeling about development, he came down firmly on the Indian side, and thanks to him, the cattlemen were given 3 months to remove their herds, which humbered hundreds of thousands head of cattle.

Sheridan also sponsored early efforts to study Indian lore and customs, and was instrumental in preserving Yellowstone National Park for the nation.

In short this man was not a saint. He had glaring defects - for example, he aggressively defended subordinates even when they were in the wrong, he looked after cronies in the Army and outside. But he was totally uncorrupt in a corrupt age (his personal fortune was quite small at the end of his days, even though he could undoubtedly had many opportunities to enrich himself illicitly). Also, one feels that someone who said "If I owned Hell and Texas, I'd live in Hell and rent out Texas" can't be all bad! Right or wrong, he had a certain spirit, that Little Phil!

If anyone wonders how Custer could have been so driven to relentless pursue Sioux and Cheyenne to the Little Big Horn one must understand his mentor Phil Sheridan. As Hutton points out, Sheridan aggressiveness from his men and he could inspire them to such great lengths that one Union Soldier at the battle of Five Forks shot through the primary artery in the neck starts to seek medical help only to be blistered by Sheridan. Although mortally wounded, the young man turns to continue to attack and then immediately collapses to his death. The picture of the angular red haired cadet Sheridan at West Point looks just like the devil and his temper was evident there as he almost bayonets an upper classman that chews him out on parade. Sheridan applies his aggressive nature to the Indian campaigns such that if he is unable to capture the Indians (typical), he systematically destroyed their way of life by eradicating anything they needed to exist. Whether its buffalo, horses or village food stuffs, Sheridan essentially does to the Indians what he did to the Virginia Shenandoah valley during the Civil War where he or Grant made the comment that "a crow would have to carry rations if it flew over the valley" after Sheridan got through. Sheridan's effective Indian campaigns were often fought in the winter when the Indians had less food and were less mobile. Custer and Terry's campaign was desperate from the start since it started in the summer when the opposite was true. Hutton demonstrates Sheridan's black and white side and his Victorian views when Sheridan refuses to trade six horses for a captured white woman because he imagined her to be too sullied by the Indian braves and thus unfit for civilization. Hutton states in his introduction that he hopes that his daughter never has to meet a man like Sheridan which if he were your enemy it would be a relentless challenge without rules of war.

It is time we had books that celebrate the great HEROES of freedom like Grant Sherman Sheridan ect instead of the cowadly likes of Quantrill and his gutless backshooting ilk who would have run from a Blue Coat drummer boy or a Federal Army nurse!
It is about time that Americans honored those who stood and fought for freedom and WON. This book is a fine start.

This book just flew off the shelf of my local used book store right into my hand. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't give it back either. It remains on my shelf now when one of my friends aren't reading it. I keep looking for more of Ainslie but could only find trophies. Some one please tell her to keep writting!!
If you can find this book buy it.

Someone contact Ms. Sheridan and tell her to write some more books! This one was wonderful! Wonderful, exciting plot, and real horse stuff!

Amusing, trashy, romance, yes - all of the above. However, the sub-plot around the early days of the AIDS epidemic is at once moving, frightening, well written, and very deeply felt. Recommended for anyone on or off the "A" Circuit.