2 comments about The Prevention Get Thin Get Young Plan.

1. This book is a great step by step guide to weight loss and an increase of health. It goes through the weeks with you to help you to not only lose weight, but also feel more healthy. The common sense answers, that most of us do not pay attention to, are encouraged in this book. It will give you ideas on the best foods to eat, exercises to do, and lifestyle changes to make. The main focus is on living healthy and therefore becoming thin and younger feeling.



2. The PREVENTION Get Thin, Get Young Plan
   
   Look Fit, Firm, Fabulous and Younger in no time!It's true...you can Fight Fat with Fun!
   
   Forget about deprivation-lose 10, 20, 30 pounds or more all while having FUN!. The PREVENTION Get Thin Get Young Plan shows you how to turn weight-loss into an adventure - a journey of self-discovery that leads to a slimmer, sexier, more self-confident you!
   
   In just 12 pleasure-filled weeks, you'll feel and look years younger! You'll discover:
   
   * Dozens of fun, exciting, no-sweat ways to shed pounds that don't feel like working out. You'll laugh your way to thin in no time!
   * How to actually lose--not gain--pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. This simple method has been scientifically proven.
   * The five-step make-more-time for yourself program and still lose weight. You deserve a strategy like this.
   * PLUS dozens more tips that work-516 pages worth!

5 comments about Glass Hen on Nest Covered Dishes: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Shirley Smith's GLASS HEN ON NEST COVERED DISHES IDENTIFICATION & VALUE GUIDE packs color photos on nearly every page of its value guide, and is a pick for any who frequent flea markets or garage sales in search of glass hen on nest covered dishes. From American to Asian and European productions, identifying marks, written descriptions, and comparisons and contrasts between makers and items seek to clarify the collecting experience to avoid confusion between makers and products.



2. like it picture are great way to compair. Need to have a few more definitons on Glass type and colors.



3. This is a comprehensive book on glass hen-on-nest covered dishes. Kudos to Shirley Smith for a job very well done. She has made it quite easy to identify most any hen-on-nest dish you will encounter. It is a must have for any collector.



4. Wow. It is rare to find an antiques book like this in any field-- Smith's book is authoritative, complete, easy to use, and profusely illustrated.
   
   THis book covers all of the known hen on nest dishes made in America and abroad from the 1800s through today. Photos are big, easy to see, and really helpful. If you buy this book, you will definitely be able to identify the maker of your hen on nest dish, and to learn a good bit about the manufacturer. I especially appreciated the sections on Atterbury, Challinor Taylor, Flaccus, and Portieux/Vallerysthal. Those who collect more modern dishes will appreciate the Westmoreland, Fenton, Hazel-Atlas, Indiana, and dozens of other sections.
   
   Shirley Smith's book has been reviewed the National Milk Glass Collectors Society and has been endorsed as accurate and excellent. I personally found it to be exactly what I needed and incredibly helpful.
   
   The only thing I would caution readers about it the "price guide" aspect. Antique prices fluctuate dramatically and regularly, and prices for hen on nest dishes have dropped in the age of online auctions.



5. Not a really good reference guide especially for the ones who need the most guidance...like a new collector. Too complicated.

5 comments about Ricochet: A Novel.

1. I have never read a book by Sandra Brown that I did not like.....until now. IT was long drawn out and just downright boring at times. If this is by chance the first book by Sandra borwn that you have read don't make it the last. All the other books that I have read by her were great!



2. Sandra Brown's books are usually very engrossing and enjoyable. However, this was the one exception. Except for the opening scene, there was very little in the way of drama or action. It was mainly police interrogations followed by the "he said...she said" type of stuff. And I grew weary of reading about Detective Hatcher's hard-ons for the victim/suspect (who happens to be married) on every other page. I normally finish a good book within 4-5 days and I had reached the point where I was dreading having to pick this one up. It took two weeks for me to make it only halfway through the book before I decided to put it down for good.



3. Yuck factor with the personalities of the characters and their choices. Not into the theme that Sandra Brown has taken in a couple of her books - suffering wife needs a real love/lover outside her marriage. The book seemed to drag with the lack of action. Motivation and justification at the end of the book didn't work.



4. I had typed up a longer review of this snoozefest, but it must have self-destructed from the novel's dullness!
   This is a lightweight 'crime drama-legal-thriller-romantic page-turner', which doesn't do justice any of those three genres.
   Yet another tired, cliched mess, filled with characters who are either unlikable or forgettable...much like the story itself! It's amazing how stories that read as if they were written in a few days can be so dull, they take weeks to finish!
   Once again, I find myself reading an author for the first time, disliking the story, and reading a lot of apologetic reviews from 'diehard fans' claiming that 'she's usually so much BETTER!' No offense, but I find Sandra Brown 'in contempt of readable fiction', and will not 'bail her out' by reading another one of her books.



5. This book was a disappointment. I couldn't get drawn in because I didn't like the main characters. Duncan Hatcher was especially hideous. I don't know which was more disturbing, his involvement with suspect Elise, or his total disregard of police procedure. The story never seemed to end, and didn't have the expected drama and suspense.

No comments about Warman's Rookwood Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warmans).

No comments about Antique Trader Radio and Television Price Guide.

5 comments about Haywire.

1. A good,useful guide to the era Brooke lived in. I received a clean copy promptly and uneventfully.



2. I read HAYWIRE when it first was published, and I have continued to think of its sad story throughout all of the years that have followed.

   I found this work by Brooke Hayward to be a courageous report of the events which tore apart her family. She was the daughter of producer Leland Hayward and actress Margaret Sullavan, whose first husband was Henry Fonda. Fonda's children from his next marriage were among the Hayward children's best friends. This was the cast which peopled Brooke Hayward's childhood.

   After Sullavan's death, Leland married Pamela Churchill, whose first husband was the son of former English Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Hayward family's problems trascended Pamela, but Brooke's portrayal of her is as a classic wicked stepmother, a thesis since confirmed by subsequent biographies of Pamela.

   Since the author here came from a famous family, and since many of the events experienced by her family were extraordinary, HAYWIRE makes for fascinating reading. Brooke Hayward writes a heartbreaking story with style and dignity.




3. This booked touched me on so many levels. I am pleased to see it has had the same effect on others. The story is fascinating and the writing superb. I owe a debt of gratitude to Brooke. She fueled my imagination and inspired me to read many books that related to her story. Biographies about step-mother Pamela, another Mrs. Hayward's autobiography (Slim)and most recently her husband, Peter Duchin's autobiography. And there were others. The tale of her family, as told by Brooke, is a remarkable one. Beautiful, sad and remarkable. If you have any interest in Old Hollywood or the Broadway of days gone by, don't miss this book. It deserves a special place in your library.



4. At the reception after her sister Bridget's funeral, Brooke Hayward said to Tom Mankiewicz, "I'm the daughter of a father who's been married five times. Mother killed herself. My sister killed herself. My brother has been in a mental institution. I'm 23 and divorced with two kids." Mankiewicz replied,"Brooke, either you've got to open the window right now"--they were on the 10th floor, overlooking Park Avenue in her father's apartment--"either you've got to open the window right now and jump out, or say,'I'm going to live,' because you're right, it's the worst family history that anybody ever had, and either you jump out the window or you live."
   
   Hayward decided to live, and to write about her family history. She did it so well that this book stays in memory long after many have faded.
   
   Hayward's father, Leland Hayward, was the most colorful, dynamic and successful of theatrical agents. He repped such stars and celebrities as Greta Garbo, Ernest Hemingway, Judy Garland, Billy Wilder, Gregory Peck,Boris Karloff, Lillian Hellman, Fred Astaire and Dashiell Hammett. He was elegant, flamboyant, high-powered. After Sullavan, he would go on to marry the famously beautiful Pamela Digby Churchill, who clearly didn't care for his kids.
   
   Hayward's mother, Margaret Sullavan, was a beautiful and beloved star of stage and screen. She'd been married to Henry Fonda: the Fonda and Hayward children were always close. They had everything. Jimmy Stewart as a babysitter. A house of their own, separate from their parents'. Nannies and tutors. Going up in daddy's private plane, with daddy, who just loved to fly, at the throttle-- almost before they could walk. Hollywood extravaganzas for birthday parties.
   
   Their lives were as privileged as any American children's, and would likely be envied by minor princelings and princesses abroad. The kids were beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, charming. Brooke was on the cover of Life magazine at 15, bought her first convertible, juggled modeling and The Actors Studio, while Bridget began working backstage, as she'd wished to, at the Williamstown Playhouse, the most famous and prestigious of summer theaters. Yet the potentional for disaster was there all the time; in the end, it was no good. Bridget committed suicide before she was 21; Bill was in Menninger, a prestigious mental hospital, and only Brooke was left to try to understand what went so wrong.
   
   Obviously, a lot went wrong, and Hayward only had to get it in writing, with honesty and sensitivity, to produce a riveting book. The sensitivity she had, and she somehow found the honesty to record the almost Greek tragedy that the Hayward kids lived. She's produced a deeply moving, affecting book that I think you'll find hard to put aside, providing you can find it,of course. And I think that, like me, you're liable to remember this book for quite a time to come.
   
   "Haywire" is a history of people who acted with overwhelming emotional extravagance, extreme self-centeredness, and great carelessness. Brooke Hayward might almost be the issue of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "careless rich couple," Daisy and Tom Buchanan, who, in the end,cost Jay Gatsby his life in "The Great Gatsby."



5. This book was well written and very interesting. I learned so much about actors I had previously known little about. Margaret Sullavan, a lovely, talented woman, Leland Hayward, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Peter Fonda,etc. From this book I became interested in reading more about these people and went on to read "Capote"by Truman Capote who was friends with Slim Keith,"Don't Tell Dad" by Peter Fonda. Jane Fonda's "My Life So Far"and "The girl who walked home alone" by Bette Davis, who had some history with Henry Fonda early on.
   
   Brooke's life, and that of her parents and siblings, started out idylically. A fairy tale childhood, at first. The breaking up of her parents marriage seemed so impossible when they seemed so thrilled with their family. Sad they let it get away. All their lives would have turned out so differently had they managed to work things out.

3 comments about Collecting and Investing Strategies for United States Gold Coins.

1. You would be better off buying the Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins. It gives much more information in much greater detail. If you already own the Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins or a similar book, you definately don't need this one, as it contains only redundant information.



2. I found this book to offer all of the basic information on coins without being overly dry and dull, as often books of this type can be. The format is easy to follow and skim. Overall a good book worth the money.



3. The price of gold just hit $1,000 an ounce. With the decreasing value of the dollar, the emergence of significant inflation, the unpredictability of the stock market, and the expanding recession within the general American economy, gold and precious metals has resumed its traditional role as a place that capital is being invested to protect it from the instability of the national and global economies. Part of the Zyrus Press 'Official Strategy Guide Series', Jeff Ambio's "Collecting And Investing Strategies For U.S. Gold Coins" is a premier instruction guide to understanding the specialty investments in, and collections of, rare American gold coins. From gold dollars, quarter eagles, gold pieces, gold stellas, half eagles, and double eagles, each variety and sub-variety of gold coin is identified, illustrated, described, backgrounded, and provided with investment tips. An indispensable manual, "Collecting And Investing Strategies For U.S. Gold Coins" is a core and essential addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library gold coin collection and investment reference shelves.

5 comments about Miracle at Midway.

1. Gordon Prange devoted the second half of his life to researching and writing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He spent seven years in Japan during the occupation collecting material on this operation. He is the author of the book "Tora, Tora, Tora" and the screenplay for the film of the same name. His masterpiece on the attack is "At Dawn We Slept." He died before he could finish this book and two of his students, Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, turned his unfinished manuscript into a publishable book. In the course of his work on Pearl Harbor, he kept stumbling upon material related to Midway. Prange decided to write a book on Midway as well, which was also unfinished at the time of his death. Goldstein and Dillon finished this book as well.
   
   The strength of "Miracle at Midway" is that Prange tells both sides of the story, American and Japanese. He offers more coverage of the American side for understandable reasons. The Japanese commander, Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi died later in the war, and valuable records were destroyed when the four aircraft carriers sank during the battle. Prange, though, makes up for these shortcomings with interviews he conducted during the occupation years with a number of survivors and important pilots and staff officers at this battle like Genda Minoru and Fuchida Mitsuo. On the other hand, developing the American side of the story is pretty easy. All the major figures in this engagement survived the war as did their records and written reports.
   
   Developing the Japanese side of the story is important, because Prange basically argues that Japan lost the battle more than the Americans won it. The problems the Japanese faced were not the work of any one individual, but rather were large, systematic shortcomings like a flawed battle plan that had two conflicting objectives, overconfidence in their abilities, poor command and control, lack of resources, and sloppy intelligence work. The Americans owed their victory more to luck than any other factor. With those points made, Prange gives a lot of credit to Chester Nimitz for knowing how to use his theater resources, to Raymond Spruance and Frank Jack Fletcher. Prange also argues that Nagumo, who is often seen as being indecisive, made the right decision with what information he had at the time in shifting the armaments of his planes.
   
   Luck was what carried the day for the Americans and Spruance admitted as much. The Japanese had little regard for American torpedoe attacks and with good reason. The U.S. Navy had poor equipment and lousy training. It was only Lt. Cmdr. Wade McClusky's decision to use an unconventional search pattern as his fuel was running low that allowed the Americans to pounce on the Japanese at the moment when their ordinance was unsecured and the fighter coverage was too low to stop the dive bombers.
   
   The shortcomings of the book are more minor than substantial: the writing at times seems overly flowery. The story builds slowly. When it gets to the sexy parts, the fighting, it really gets going. The maps vary significantly in quality. Some are quite good, others are atrocious and appear to have been hand drawn.
   
   To wrap it up: this book is a good sequel to Prang's study of Pearl Harbor. It won't be the last word on the subject, but it is an important one.



2. I have read several renditions of the Battle of Midway, but this is by far the most intriguing and interesting one to read. The author writes it like a story and draws you in-it was hard to put down. He has many sources and looks at the battle from both the Japanese and American perspective. This battle was probably the most important one we fought in the Pacific. If we had lost, the Pacific would have been Japanese home waters. The only book you need to read about the Battle of Midway.



3. Thousands of airline passengers pass through the original Chicago Municipal Airport each day. The facility has been in existence for so long that the original dedication plaque bears the name of the city's last Republican mayor. Although the airport has been surpassed by the larger O'Hare, it is exceptionally convenient and affordable, once you reach it. The recent renovations and upgrades look great.
   
   During the Forties, the airport was renamed in honor of a significant naval victory in the Pacific. More recently, a modest sculpture has been added to recognize the sacrifice and heroism of those pilots and sailors who achieved the naval Miracle in the battle for the sea lanes and the fueling facilities near Midway Island. The outnumbered American fleet triumphed due to daring leadership, long hours spent deciphering and analyzing enemy codes, inclement weather and a large measure of good luck.
   
   Historian Gordon Prange did not live to complete this book; two of his students completed the task. Nevertheless, it is a fitting companion to Prange's acclaimed account of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor, "At Dawn We Slept." Both books are balanced and provide candid assessments of the leadership and personnel of both navies.
   
   Thousands of busy commuters pass through Chicago Midway Airport without stopping to reflect upon those singular events or pausing to look at the sculpture, but, after reading this stirring book, I am no longer one of them.



4. It's incredible to believe that the turning point in the Pacific came down to the ninety seconds it took Max Leslie's and Wade McCluskey's SBD dive bombers to destroy three Japanese flattops. But without the sacrifice of John Waldron's Torpedo 8 Squadron it never could have happened. This book tells about it all: the over confidence of the Japanese High Command, the ingenuity and brilliance of American Intelligence, the tenacity and guile of the U S commanders and the bravery and skill of the Navy Pilots. This book is riveting, entertaining, and above all, inspiring! A must read.



5. This is a pretty thorough study of the famous battle. I think Walter Lord's classic volume is better written -- Lord was a better storyteller. Prange's writing is, as other reviewers pointed out, sometime unnecessarily flowery, resorting to some forced, obscure metaphors and analogies. On the other hand, Prange's book has a lot more raw data -- quotes from documents, diaries and interviews.
   
   If you have to read only one book about Midway, I would still recommend Lord's book, but if you are a Midway junkie of sort, then this is the book for you.

2 comments about Gun Digest Book of Ruger Pistols and Revolvers.

1. As the title says, this is a decent enough book, but it does have some inaccuracies. Right off the bat, the author states that Rugers first gun was the MK1. Not so, it was the Standard Auto, or Standard Model. Now granted, the MK 1 was just the same gun with adjustable sights and longer barrel, but this is a pet peeve of mine. In another place he states that a bobbed hammer on a SP101 will keep dirt out of the action! Now, an enclosed hammer will keep dirt out of the action, but a bobbed hammer will keep no more dirt out of the action than a regular hammer model will. On page 28 there is a picture of what is obviously regular Blackhawk revolvers, but the caption states they are Bisley-gripped Super Blackhawks. No, they are not! They have the regular grip frame and hammer, not Bisley grip frame or Super grip frame and not their hammers either. The author also states that there were no Old Model Convertable Blackhawks, which is not true, and he states the .45 Colt/ACP Convertable was the first, which is not true either, as the .357/9mm was the first. Then, on the very last page he states that the serial #s for the Single Six are on the butt of the gun! No, if the serial #s were on the butt of the gun it would be a simple matter to swap the grip frame, which I am sure the ATF would frown upon. The #s are on the side of the grip frame, just like the Blackhawk. Now, some of you may think I am nitpicking, but if you are going to write a book about a subject, it would be good if you were sure of your facts! Now, that being said, most of the book is pretty enjoyable, the pictures of the Ruger factory being the highlight of the book, in my opinion.



2. I really anticipated buying this book to add to my ever-growing firearm book collection. Too bad it falls short of all I expected. No color photos, DOZENS of grammatical errors, misspelled words, an overall sloppy editing job. I respect Sweeney, I have his G.D. books on the glock and the AR-15, and they're decent, but this book just overall sucks.

5 comments about In the Arts and Crafts Style.

1. This is a comprehensive book that covers (in five good sized chapters) the origins and influences of the Arts & Crafts style, hallmarks of the style, furniture, objects and accents, and case studies. I am a woodworker and I use this book quite frequently for inspiration and reference. For those interested in this period I highly recommend this book.



2. This book has a wonderful compilation of ideas, rooms and history to inspire one to run out to the antique mall. The details of every type of room done in this fashion gives a wealth of ideas for bringing this style into your own home.



3. An arts and crafts website recommended this book as the place for beginners in the movement. Following their lead, we purchased the book and have not regretted it.

   The advice is true. This is excellent background for the movement, giving it a skeleton which can be used to hang more and more on, including sources, wonderful photographical examples, and resources. We're finding it is desirable and so, so useful to restoring our bungalow to have a wealth of books on hand such as these to give ideas for restoration and decorating.




4. What a lovely book, for the A&C afficionado and the newbie alike. Dividing her content into Influences & Innovations; Hallmarks of the Style; Furniture; Objects and Accents; and Case Studies, Mayer presents a stunning and inspirational tour of homes and objects from the Arts and Crafts Movement. My sister gave me this when she realized I loved the style, and I nearly wept. How amazing to have someone understand your passions!
   
   The only disappointment in this book is the inclusion of a case study "American Gothic," which highlights an anti-A&C aesthetic with a profusion, Victorian-aesthetic in its genesis, of tiles, metalwork, and pottery, that Stickley, Voysey, et al. would have abjured. Still, this departure from the style's reason for being serves to remind us of how valuable that reason was.



5. I am a librarian and a woodworker and thus have access and interest in many books on this subject. "In the Arts and Crafts Style" is a beautiful book that is deserved of much praise. The color photography is as plentiful as it is beautiful. I appreciate that the subject matter for this book does not seem to be drawn from the same dozen houses that so many others have used (As much as I like them, how many times can we look at the same pictures of the Gamble House, or Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio?). The text in this book is very well written and conveys clearly what is so special about the subject matter. I was also very impressed with the excellent resource list given at the end of the book.
   
   If I had an axe to grind about this book it is that the best photographs of A&C furniture are not contained in the (relatively short) chapter on furniture, but rather they are scattered throughout other chapters. This is a minor irritation in an overwhelmingly well done book.
   
   I highly recommend this book for any collection relating to historic homes, furniture / interior design, and lovers of the Arts & Crafts lifestyle.