No comments about The Irish Wolfhound: Great Symbol of Ireland.

5 comments about Dragon: Hound of Honor (Julie Andrews Collection).

1. You can definitely count on books from the Julie Andrews Collection to contain good story lines and inspiring messages. DRAGON: Hound of Honor is a perfect example of the fine quality work the collection encompasses.

   When the knight, Aubrey de Montdidier, mysteriously disappears there is an immediate sense of something amiss. Everyone in the kingdom is shocked, dismayed and horrified when, with the help of the knight's dog, Dragon, his bloodied body is found. No one can imagine why this terrible thing has happened, least of all his best friend Guy deNarac and his young page Thierry, plus Aubrey's future bride, the lovely Lady Isabelle. Through the dog, Dragon, a most unlikely suspect is eventually found, but how can a dog communicate this kind of information?

   Many interesting characters bring this story to life, but the most fascinating one is Dragon, the great white wolfhound. This dog is intelligent and loyal, and ultimately helps bring the murderer of his young master to justice. Readers will be amazed at the dog's courage and willingness to sacrifice himself --- this is the story of a real hero.

   Multiple expressions and words, which reflect both the time period and the French language, are found throughout the book. Helpful glossaries of French-English and medieval terms are provided for readers at the end. The authors have worked hard to tell a wonderful story and give an accurate picture of life during medieval times. Kids will undoubtedly enjoy this excellent book, which is perfect to use in an educational setting. Recommended for grades 5-8.

   --- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts (stibbetts@maine207west.k12.il.us)




2. A story of mystery and suspense, a book of honoring, and a thriller for the whole family. This book, dragon, is like a Sherlock Holmes mystery: Dragon is the explainer of what happened, DeNarsac is Sherlock, and Thierry is Watson.

   I suggest this book if your interested in the things below:
   1.Mystery
   2.Medieval times
   3.Knights
   4.Dear Watson
   By Jake




3. The book is about a dog and knights. There are a lot of surprising details in the book. The characters are all great, too. My favorite character is Dragon the dog. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes knights in battle. Thank you Julie Andrews for writing this book.



4. My daughter really loved this book. She is entering 4th grade and it was perfect for her.



5. This is a very nice book that every kid will love. The story is well kown legend of my country (france)with a lot of action and very good details of the middle age. Unfortunately, the author has obviously never met an Irish Wolfhound. I own one and believe me she has absolutely no idea of the power, strengh, weight and size of those dog!! Her descriptions are those of a large german sheperd not of a 75kg Wolfhound.
   If you are an Irish Wolfhound owner and buy this book for that reason, you will be disapointed.

1 comments about Irish Rebellions, 1798-1916: An Illustrated History.

1. Helen Litton's book is a good start if you are at the beginning in your research of 800 years of horror and abuse inflicted on the Irish people by the British government. If you are already well-read on the subject, then this book offers little enlightenment. It is, however, worthwhile as a visual aid. There are excerpts from long lost books, lots of drawings and many black & white photographs. This is a very thin book. I recommend it as a starting point because it is very easy to read and does not have that text-book-feel that many historical documents are cursed with. I also recommend Morgan Llewelyn's 1916 if you are looking to spark passion and interest in the Irish struggle. Read that, read this & then you will have some background info. It will help to keep you from getting lost in the details of less colorful writers like Tim Pat Coogan. Litton's book attempts to be unbiased. It puts some of the Irish atrocities on display right along with the British crimes.

   By the way, what do they mean when they say The Luck Of The Irish? Don't they know it was pretty dreadful until Michael Collins came along?

No comments about Irish Wolfhounds 2009 Square Wall Calendar.

1 comments about Literary Tour of Ireland.

1. 'A most beguiling, glittering book that offers riches of information and the pleasures both of recognition and discovery.' That is Elizabeth Healy's subtitle, and very aptly chosen it is.
   
   Ireland is an endlessly rocking cradle of culture and the source of much that is great in literature written in the English and the Irish languages.
   
   There is no better way to appreciate and understand this noble and great country than to take Healy's volume in hand and traverse her green hillsides and rocky promontories overlooking the wild North Atlantic. En route you'll see the homes and favorite haunts of the greats and the lesser known writers.
   
   It is still something of a miracle that such a small place can have produced such literary wealth: Swift, Sheridan, Goldsmith, Burke, Wilde, Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, and Beckett have made a major contribution to world literature over the past 300 years. Ireland's four Nobel prizes for literature have gone to Yeats, Shaw, Beckett and Seamus Heaney.
   
   Ireland is especially blessed with a glorious language of its own: Irish. Healey does not stint in giving us many Irish passages, both from the storied past and present-day writiers, such as Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, whose verses, according to Healy, capture something of the fierce tenderness of Kerry's rocky acres.
   
   Healy is especially good in her maps and illustrations. She literally shows you the way there. I took this book with me to the Aran Isles, County Galway and Connemara. I walked the Bloomsday walk in Dublin, paused for coffee at Davey Byrne's, and also journeyed to Swift's tomb in Dublin.
   
   SWIFT has sailed into his rest;
   Savage indignation there
   Cannot lacerate his breast.
   Imitate him if you dare,
   World-besotted traveller; he
   Served human liberty.
   
   Perhaps my favorite spot of all: Yeats' rebuilt Norman tower of Thoor Ballylee, set in a glen by a flowing stream and overlooking cow pastures near Gort, Galway. And just up the road, Coole Park, with its evocation of the patroness of Irish literature Lady Augusta Gregory:
   
   Here, traveller, scholar, poet, take your stand
   When all those rooms and passages are gone,
   When nettles wave upon a shapeless mound
   And saplings root among the broken stone,
   And dedicate--eyes bent upon the ground,
   Back turned upon the brightness of the sun
   And all the sensuality of the shade --
   a moment's memory to that laurelled head.
   
   William Butler Yeats "Coole Park, 1929"

No comments about The Wolfhound Guide to the Irish Wolfhound (Wolfhound Guides).

5 comments about Sight Hound: A Novel.

1. There is much to like about this book, but it is not ultimately as satisfying as it might have been. First, the many good things.
   
   If you like dogs, know one, have one, would like to have one, then what's likeable about the book is the homage it pays to dogs and what they can do for people. For folks very rooted in empiricism, it may be a little over the top, because the dogs are given complex consciousness, understanding, and generosity. But for dog lovers, it can be fun to imagine that degree of complex thinking in our canine companions. The dogs are hard not to love.
   
   The writing is light and funny. Great turns of phrase, irony, hyperbole, even jokes. So it's an amusing read.
   
   The story touches on some poignant themes, especially the illness of the main dog character, an Irish wolfhound named Dante. There are two important aspects of this theme: the refinement of veterinary medicine through Dante as experimental treatment subject; and the emotional growth of Dante's owner Rae as she comes to terms with loving and losing her beloved Dante through illness and death.
   
   Another appealing theme is Rae's progress through faulty love affairs to finally emerge with enough self-love to recognize a good love match when it comes her way. [Dante is given as much credit for this outcome as either of the human protagonists, and that's another bit of dog homage that may appeal to doglovers but might leave the uninitiated cold.]
   
   Now the not so good aspects of this novel.
   
   Another reviewer here made the point that there are lots of characters who speak and tell the story and that it can get confusing. I didn't share the confusion but I couldn't get interested in all the perspectives because some of the characters were not developed enough for me to care what they thought of things. They seemed like extraneous filler.
   
   And that leads me to agree with yet another reviewer here that the voice and language or each character were not distinct. Several characters blended right in with each other so that it seemed to be the same perspective offered despite the different names assigned to the narrative.
   
   Finally, the book had a good beginning and strong ending, but the middle part didn't seem to go anywhere. There is a suicide midway that doesn't seem related to other things going on in the book. There is a hockey player character who is too exaggerated to be either interesting or convincing. A drought that the main characters must endure conveys respect for nature and the characters' nostalgia for the beauty of the Colorado landscape. But because not all of the characters are well developed to be important, the novel reads like good, strong bookends holding up a library of only mild interest.
   
   That said, I still recommend the book for the positive qualities I mentioned above, because it has moments that are moving, and because it is entertaining.



2. This is one of my top 5 favorite books. Dante is a dog that you will fall in love with- one you will cry for- and one that will bring you hope. Houston shows with a unique perspective what our companion animals can bring to our lives.



3. This book pulled my heart strings. I too lost my "soul mate" dog to bone cancer and it was eerie how many links there were to my real life. Hearing Dante talk was theraputic, I would dearly love to know what my dogs think. Rose describing her favourite treat couldn't have been put better! The emotional ups and downs between the humans and dogs are the best I've read and help put this book in my top 10.
   
   I also loved Pam Houston's chapter in Dog is my Co-Pilot.
   
   But the first chapter is tough (power through everyone it is worth it!) and the human characters are not real, they seem "Hollywood" (ie created for a television movie and manipulated).



4. This book was a bit hard to get into, but grabbed me and held me tight soon thereafter. A must read for anyone whose ever loved a dog as much as a person. I loved the unique way she told the story from many perspectives, especially the dogs.



5. This was a truly enjoyable book by Pam Houston. I liked her writing style, where each chapter was told by a different character in the story, thus offering multiple perspectives on the action and plot.
   
   It's a rather sad story about an Irish Wolfhound with osteosarcoma, and his owner, a playwrite from Colorado, who must deal with the dog's illness. It's not all doom and gloom though...there are some very funny parts. Ultimately, however, the book is about faith. Faith in love, faith in relationships, and faith in oneself.
   
   The main characters are a hodge-podge of damaged eccentrics: two vets, two playwrites, a singer, a hockey player, a house sitter and an actor...but the most delightful chapters are the ones told by the two dogs and the cat. Dante, the enlightened Wolfhound, is the most endearing character of the lot, and the reader is drawn into the drama of his illness along with his owner Rae.
   
   A great read.
   
   - C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail

No comments about Irish Wolfhound (Comprehensive Owner's Guide) (Comprehensive Owner's Guide).

3 comments about Irish Wolfhounds (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. This book was so easy to read and understand. Every possible area of owning,feeding,training,medical,etc. is there and explained completely. This book will be a wonderful guide for the first timer interested in this wonderful breed. You will have a step by step guide on a lifetime of fun and enjoyment . Your Irish Wolfhound will thank you for learning about every angle to their behavior and demeanor....their wants and needs. The numerious pictures give a wonderful view of how a Wolfhound actually looks from puppyhood to adult. One can see the variety of colors this breed comes in. The "tips" of information are fantastic!!!!!!!! The chapter on finding reputable Breeders is a wonderful guide and great place to start. This book would be a wonderful gift for any occasion!!



2. A nice practical guide on raising Irish Wolfhounds.
   The smaller size makes it easy to leaf through at your leisure.
   Not an exhaustive guide by any means but covers all the basics.
   Lovely pictures and tips are sprinkled throughout.
   We bought this to read while waiting for our puupy.



3. I bought this book over 2 years ago before I bought my Irish Wolfhound. I wanted to really research the breed and know what I was getting into. For the most part, this book was very helpful painting a clear picture.
   
   Irish Wolfhound's are the tallest breed of dog and they have a relatively and heartbreakingly short lifespan. This book gives you some steps in taking care of your dog from puppy into adulthood, to ensure you have your Wolfhound for as long as possible.
   
   Table of Contents:
   
   Introducing the Wolfhound
   Finding the Right Irish Wolfhound
   Bringing your Wolfhound Home
   Caring for and Feeding your Irish Wolfhound
   Your Irish Wolfhound's Health
   Living with a Giant Hound
   Activities for your Wolfhound
   Information
   Index
   
   There is some important and valuable information in this book. There are also some pretty idiotic statements. One of those statements that is absolutely not true is the book tells you to not elevate your dog's food because it causes bloat, it tells you to let them eat off the floor. My dog's breeder was actually part of the bloat study and the opposite was found true. Plus, if you think about it, my Wolfhound is about 38-40 inches at the shoulder, can imagine how uncomfortable and difficult it would be for a giant breed dog to eat off the floor?
   
   The most important thing this book tells you is to find a reputable breeder. My dog is now two years old and I am still in contact with the breeder. She is a wealth of knowledge and information that a book can not begin to capture.
   
   Because these are such giant dogs, they have special needs and considerations. All in all this book does a good job of pointing out some of the pros and cons of the breed and is a good stepping stone to helping you make that decision. If you decide to bring one of these gentle giants into your home, it also is a fairly good guide to a healthy and happy pet and family.
   
   I read and rely on this book for very general information. But in the end found the most important and reliable information came from my breeder.
   
   Cherise Everhard, Feb. 2008

5 comments about The Magnificent Irish Wolfhound (A Ringpress Dog Book of Distinction).

1. This book is a wealth of information. I'm sure that everything you need to know about a Wolfhound is in this book. However, to read the book from cover to cover can be a bit boring as much of the information is beyond the grasp of the average person and not really "need to know". It is not a good reference book as there is no index. So, for example, if you wanted read about bloat, you would not know which of the 336 pages contained this information. Instead, you would have to scan the listing of chapters in the front of the book and figure out which one may contain that data. I would recommend reading this book before purchasing any dog as much applies to most dogs and not just wolfhounds.



2. I highly recommend this book. It has wonderful information for all Wolfhound owners and those thinking of getting a Wolfhound.
   Many beautiful pictures. It will be read over and over again.
   Lots of history on the Wolfound. Throughly enjoyed this book and will continue to enjoy it. It's a keeper!!



3. This book should automatically be sold WITH every Irish Wolfhound puppy! It answers almost every question about this breed. The pictures are marvelous and I will always keep this book by my bedside!



4. The Magnificent Irish Wolfhound (A Ringpress Dog Book of Distinction)
   
   This book is the BEST...Everything is covered in easy to understand and quick language...I was able to find any answer to any question quick and easy...
   
   I highly recommend it..



5. Buy this book, and get ready for hours of in-depth, caring, humourous and above all, experienced reading, because this is the book you are looking for. I bought this book because I am new to the breed and I assure you there is absolutely no risk in purchasing a book of this merit. The Magnificent Irish Wolfhound is a very well balanced link between all the primers on the internet and the more serious 'hands on' kind of engagement, which is up to you. If you've already done some internet 'homework' like I did, and are looking for something to lift your knowledge and appreciation to the next level, I recommend this book.