The Majolica Murders

Book Description

When antiquer Jeff Talbot asks his friend Lanny to find some antique majolica for a gift for his wife, trouble begins--and gentle Lanny is accused of murdering a dishonest dealer.

Customer Reviews:

A Missed Opportunity.......2006-08-07

As a fan of this series I have always enjoyed its characters and the information provided about interesting antiques and collectibles. On those two scores this book does not disappoint. Ongoing characters continue to develop and I thought the new characters introduced were memorable. The background of antiques continues to provide interesting tidbits, in this case about majolica. However, I have to agree with other reviewers that the story progressed, maybe a bit slowly at times, but then the explanation came in a rush and did seem contrived and confusing. Honestly, I had to read it twice and was still left wondering. But I called this review "A Missed Opportunity" because the solution really did offer a fascinating plot line that, with some imagination, could have been developed through the book. The ending seemed to belong to a different story, and the story to a different ending. I'll still look forward to the next one but will hope for better.

Interesting, but flawed.......2006-07-11

In general, this book was a well written entry in a good series. Familiar faces reappear throughout the story, and the background information on majolica and its collectors is interesting.

There are two problems with the story, however. First, I was not a fan of the technique of putting the climax in the first chapter of the book, then doing an extended flashback showing how things got to that point. It's a device that can be used to good effect, but in this case, it eliminates most of the suspense, since the reader knows who is and who is not responsible all along.

Second, when the "why" is revealed, it is quite contrived. When the true identity and motive of the killer are revealed, the reader is left with the sense that the motives were insufficient to incite murder. Because the rationale is rather senseless, the reader has little chance of deducing the solution before Morgan pulls it out of the hat.

Even with the let down at the end, I still enjoyed the book, and it is a decent entry into the series. Let us hope for a little more careful plotting in the next entry.

BTW, what happened to the directory of antique references included at the end of the book in the earlier stories? I missed it in this one.

An Enjoyable Read..........2006-04-18

I read mystery series because I enjoy the change and growth of the main characters throughout each successive novel. Deborah Morgan's Antique Lover's series fits this bill nicely. The characters are interesting, with the bonus that each novel covers a particular area of antiquing. However, I must agree with some of the other reviewers. While the mystery kept the characters in motion, the solution was implausible and seemed to wrap up almost as an afterthought. This won't stop me from reading and recommending this author, but I hope the next novel has a better plot.

The Majolica Murders.......2006-04-17

I really enjoyed the previous books in this series but the ending in this one left me with many questions unanswered and loose ends that didn't make sense.
I re-read the last couple of chapters to see what I might have missed but as the previous reviewer stated it all seem a bit muddled. Hopefully Deborah Moragan will get back on track with the next book in this series.

well written mystery.......2006-04-04

Back in the days when Jeff Talbot was an FBI agent and John "Lanny" Smith was an informant, the two men got to know each other on a very deep level without knowing anything specific about their personal lives. Lanny gave honest, reliable and useful information about cases the Fed was working on and was instrumental in saving Jeff's wife when she was kidnapped.

Now both men are pickers, searching for treasures to sell to antique stores or individual clients. Jeff asked Lanny to look for certain piece to give as a gift to his wife; Lanny locates it at Fiona Brock's store along with a piece that he wants for himself. Fiona promises to save it for him but she sells it to someone else for an outrageously inflated price. Lanny and Fiona get into a fight witnessed by four people. Later when Lanny goes back to apologize, he finds Fiona's murdered body. The police arrest him and Jeff bails him out. Jeff is determined to find the real killer. He interviews a street person who was one of the witnesses to the fight, but she is later killed in her hotel room. Jeff assumes the two killings are linked and sets out to prove it almost getting killed in the process.

Readers get a fascinating glimpse into the world of antique collecting and pickers in THE MAJOLICA MURDERS. The protagonist is a hero in every sense of the world, a caring and understanding person especially to his agoraphobic wife, understanding and accepting her condition and loves her all the more because she is trying to overcome it. This tale is as much a drama focusing on the human condition as it is a well written mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Antique Lover's Mystery Series, Books 1-5: Death Is a Cabaret, The Weedless Widow, The Marriage Casket, Four on the Floor, and The Majolica Murders

Average customer rating:

Antique Lover's Mystery Series, Books 1-5: Death Is a Cabaret, The Weedless Widow, The Marriage Casket, Four on the Floor, and The Majolica Murders
Deborah Morgan
Manufacturer: Berkley Prime Crime
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VR87VG

Customer Reviews:

Starman Vol.3 - A Wicked Inclination.......2006-06-28

Volume 3 of James Robinson's well-written Starman series, starring Jack Knight(son of of the original Golden Age Starman,Ted Knight).
This trade collects issues 17, and 19-27.
Here's how the back cover describes the contents:

"This collection features the final team-up between Starman and the Golden Age Sandman in the Eisner Award-winning story "Sand and Stars". Also included is "Hell and Back", Jack's terrifying battle within a demon-possessed poster, as well as the touching tales "Talking With David '96" and "A Christmas Knight"."

A hero continues his education.......2001-06-29

There is a great scene in this collection where Wesley Dodds, the original masked crime fighter in DC's reconfigured universe, thinks back to a time when the original Starman saved his life. Now planning to help Jack Knight, he is faced with his own age and moratlity and he rises to the occasion with the words: "Life should be measured by quality. And so...if this must be the last thing I do, I am content." To be moved by comic book dialogue is a rare thing, and it is even less likely when it is a super hero comic, but this is just one more example of how well Robinson has crafted this series. It's just great fun to watch this hero grow up, and I think all comic fans should give this series a try.

"Stars and Sand" is *must* reading for Golden Age Fans.......1999-05-30

This trade paperback of probably one of the *best* books on the market also contains "Sand and Stars", in which the "next generation" (Jack Knight" teams with the one who "started it all" (Wesley Dodds, aka Sandman). A well-written meditation on life, growing old, and age, it even features a "cameo" by Guy Davis, who drew the late, lamented SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER. Plus, you get the "Demon Quest" arc, a Christmas story with a difference, *and* a "Talking with David" segment. Trust me, at this price, it's a *bargain*. And after reading this, begin reading STARMAN. You'll be glad you did.

Average customer rating:

Starman: a Wicked Inclination...
James, Illustrated by Harris, Tony et al Robinson
Manufacturer: DC Comics, 1996
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KOZE2K

Book Description

Seamm-Jasani, an ancient Tibetan movement system, teaches us how to look and feel younger than our biological age, to increase health and decrease illness, and to find inner peace, calm, and relaxation.

More than 10,000 years ago in the ancient Himalayan Mountains, an ancestral civilization committed itself to the study and development of the Science and Art for Eternal Youth. A form kept in close secrecy for millennia is now revealed for the first time in this practical and dynamic guidebook. The teachings focus on cultivating the powers of the individual's mind, the harmony of movements, and the discovery of internal potentialities as the ultimate force of self-healing to extend one's lifetime.

Comparable to a cross between yoga and tai chi, this ancient Tibetan system is designed to increase vitality, balance, and Inner Energy. The Secret Art consists of slow and fluid movements that improve coordination and strengthen equilibrium between body and mind through various breathing and movement techniques. In particular, Seamm-Jasani is known for its combination of relaxation, active motion, and breathing exercises.

Customer Reviews:

Take it from one who knows.......2007-09-27

Having practiced various martial arts, tai-chi, chi-gung, yoga and pilates for over 40 years this is by far the most effective and practical exercise I have encountered. By far. The book is excellent, the art of Seamm-Jasani is amazing.
First, I was able to actually learn it from the book. I read some reviews that call the author pompous and such but I did not get that from the book at all. He is blunt and unapologetic about preferring this gentler and less violent method of exercise to say karate or weight lifting or marathon training etc. Some others observed that this is simply chi-gung revisited. Apparently these people have not had any exposure to chi-gung other than by reading books. It is not warmed over chi-gung. There are some similarities but did it ever occur to those so-called critics that this art precedes chi-gung by millennia. Chi-gung is like Seamm-Jasani not the other way around. Besides, so the genesis of the art or even the author may be in question...the results are not.
My experience: I bought the book and practiced and learned many of the moves. I saw results very quickly and without any pain. I felt better, slept better and thought better after I started Seamm-Jasani. Mark me completely satisfied at that point.
Then I found out that Asanaro (the author) was conducting a weekend class at the Boston Baobom School in Brookline Ma. I live in Texas on modest means but I cashed in some miles and rewards points, signed up for the session and enjoyed the best training days of my life. It turns out that the book instructions were very good and I was doing most of the movements approximately right. But the weekend transcended the practice of Seamm-Jasani. Every member of the school staff and to my pleasant surprise, each participant were simply wonderful people.
As for the author himself, it would be hard to describe the humble, kind, almost monk-like Asanaro. The man exudes love, contentment and friendship. To say he is unique I would be guilty of vast understatement. He would patiently answer every question of every student until there were no more. He was such an amazing teacher that even people who had not read the book learned all the movements easily during the weekend's five mini workshops. His only request was not to practice the art in front of anyone because doing so would show ego and not be true to the energy of the art, which is after all, eternal youth and vitality. On that note I must add that upon my returning my friends and colleagues and co-workers could not stop talking about how much better I looked after my weekend trip.
Let me clear up some confusion about the so-called secret part of the art of Seamm-Jasani. Each student is shown and taught all the appropriate information for their level. Each level, provides more of the art but is given as the student demonstrates the commitment to the art. There were many questions I had about things during the session and many went politely unanswered. This did not bother me, as I knew that I was simply a beginner. Some people might have a problem with that, though I can hardly imagine why. The whole process, in fact the whole art, has tremendous integrity.
Great book, excellent instruction, easy to use and most of all it truly works. You may want to find and visit the Baobom website and see when they will repeat the course. It is priced incredibly low and no where near the value it provides for a lifetime.

This is the beginning of a wonderful JOURNEY!!.......2007-04-10

I am a former professional athlete and currently a martial arts practitioner for 10 years. I have been practicing this art for 3 months and I have read the book 3 times. Each practice session is a new journey. What makes this art unbelievable is that you do not have to practice each day to feel the benefits. The movements add benefit to everything you do. I would suggest this to all former athletes who want to feel the thrill of the energy of their playing days. I would also suggest to continue to read this book as it is full of clues to unlock personal limitations.

Many compliments to Asanaro for providing the road map to Discipline!!!

Great exercises to unblock stuck energy! .......2007-02-17

This book is fantastic and has just captivated me. I found it searching for simple and effective body-mind-spirit techniques to increase my healing power, stamina and body wisdom. Illness and emotional problems happen when our energy is blocked, but we all have inside the power to heal ourselves, and I have verified that these exercises are excellent to unblock stuck energy.

Most of the times we are so absorbed in what we are doing that we forget to move or even to breathe, with serious consequences to our health until we realize we need to change our habits.

The book explains through clear and easy to follow drawings and instructions 58 simple and effective exercises of breathing and movements, which now I know are essential for the free flow of energy through the body, producing immediate balance, health and well-being; of course that you need to be constant and follow the program given by the author.

I'm so happy to have discovered it! The practices have worked very good for me, proving once again that living a positive lifestyle can make a difference. Besides, the author has a corky sense of humor that really made me laugh.

I've become vital and healthy through these simple but powerful exercises, and they have absolutely given me a boost. An incredible energy practice!

Worthwhile in Spite of the Hype.......2005-12-09

I've done various exercise systems over the years and I'd say this one is far beyond all others in terms of giving a workout to the fingers and wrists, major sources of stress in the computer age. It is also a very methodical system, going step by step; for example, one exercise involves the legs, the next adds arm movements, and then another integrates breathing and visualization.

It seems to me that there are several key questions when trying to learn exercises from a book:

1. Are the exercises beneficial?
2. Are they explained clearly enough thru static images and words?
3. Are they presented in a way that encourages the learner to continue practicing them regularly?

I just completed the 12-week program in the Chart of Pedagogy and enthusiastically answer YES to all three questions. The system provides a thorough workout, carefully and compassionately filled with reminders not to push oneself. I found the reminders helpful because my initial stance was nowhere nearly as wide as that shown in the cover photo, but it increased as time went on. I should mention here that I'm over 50 years old.

The book has only a few minor flaws:

a. typo on page 68 (exercise 28 was already introduced in Week 3, so Week 4 should refer to exercise 35 instead)
b. exercise 11 on page 98 would be clearer if the arrow arc on the left side was swapped with the one on the right side
c. exercise 33 on page 126 has impossible arrows, which would make sense if the left and right ones were switched.

But the exercises constitute only about 100 pages of this 200-page book. If it focused exclusively on them, I'd rate it a 4 plus.

Before reaching the experiential part, the reader must wade thru more than 60 pages of background info, including an Introduction in which Asanaro portrays himself as a rebellious Prometheus who decided to teach against the advice of his guide. There is also the hype about Eternal Youth and the Art being 10,000 years old, as well as repetition of the urban legend that humans only use 10% of our brains. All this theory and preparation is chatty, but smooth narrative flow is not sufficient evidence of truth.

I suppose that having a school of meditation compels a teacher to explain how the exercises fit into broader goals, but Asanaro comes across as merely teasing: first hinting about advanced practices, then saying "That part of the art is secret and can't be taught through books." Then why mention it? In my opinion, keeping the book focused on the exercises would have been a clearer and cleaner approach, exuding the confident recognition that those who want more info will ask for it.

By the way, has anyone noticed a strong correlation in the feedback from fellow customers regarding whether a review is "helpful"? It seems that a review that gives this book 4 or 5 stars will get 90% "helpful" votes but any review that gives the book less than 4 stars gets under 50% "helpful" votes and is rebutted in a subsequent review. If someone feels disturbed by the few critical remarks I've made here, perhaps he or she should read my review of Halevi's book School of the Soul.

Great book! .......2005-11-11

I will reccomend this book to anyone! This is one of the best books!

Average customer rating:

Excellent as always

Fabulous cookbook on Italian holiday food

Lots of great recipes

Classic Mario, just not enough to meet expectations

Beautiful and traditional

Mario Batali Holiday Food
Mario Batali
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Italian | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Christmas & Hanukkah | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages

The Babbo Cookbook

Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style

It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes

ASIN: 060960774X
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Amazon.com

With the infectious enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning, Mario Batali--who presides over a culinary empire that includes the popular Food Network television show Molto Mario, four acclaimed New York restaurants, and a wine store--presents four complete menus for the holidays and captures all the fun and festivity that epitomize Italian celebrations. True to the commitment to simple cooking evident in his first book, Simple Italian Food, the dishes here deliver maximum flavor and enjoyment without being overly complicated.

Batali's version of the famous Italian seafood extravaganza traditionally served on Christmas Eve--known as the Feast of Seven Fishes--includes no fewer than 15 enticing dishes. Marinated Fresh Anchovies are both surprisingly delectable and delightful in their simplicity. Salt Cod with Capers and Mint, Grilled Lobster with Herbs and Arugula, and Sea Bass Ravioli with Marjoram and Potatoes would each be showstoppers as the centerpiece of any meal. Served together, they comprise a truly unforgettable feast.

The Christmas Day menu is equally lavish, centering on a succulent boned turkey breast stuffed with chestnuts and prunes, while the New Year's Day spread is pure decadence. The latter begins innocently enough, with a refreshing aperitivo of tangerine juice, Compari, and soda, then proceeds through a parade of richly flavored dishes, from the hot-pepper-spiked Octopus in the Style of the Prostitutes of Napoli, to the meatball-filled "mythic pasta dome" known as Timpano di Maccheroni, to the prosciutto-wrapped Braised Pork Roll. An irresistible selection of dolci (sweets), including Cinnamon Chocolate Pudding with Pine Nuts and Waffle Cookies, rounds out the meal. New Year's Day welcomes a relaxed daylong open house replete with an ever-changing spread of antipasti, pasta, and dolci, most of which can be prepared at leisure and served at room temperature, enabling the hosts to enjoy the party as much as the guests.

Photos, along with helpful wine suggestions and practical advice on technique, accompany each menu. Throughout, Batali paints a portrait of his Italian-American family that reminds readers that the simple joy of being together is what the holidays are really about. The 60 simple yet elegant recipes can be mixed, matched, and adapted for any occasion. Served together or separately, each is cause for celebration. --Robin Donovan

Book Description

Never is the generosity and spirit of the Italian table more evident than at the holidays, when great food and good times are on the menu in every household. In his new book, Mario Batali captures all the flavors of this festive season with enticing recipes that showcase the brilliance of simple Italian food at its best.

Four complete menus offer abundant meals for the holidays, starting with the seafood extravaganza known as the Feast of Seven Fishes, traditionally served on Christmas Eve. Mario's rendition includes almost a dozen delectable fish and seafood dishes, from delicate sea bass ravioli to the indispensable baccalà, here served in the Vesuvian style. A magnificent boned and rolled turkey breast stuffed with roasted chestnuts is the centerpiece of a lavish Christmas Day's menu, while an assortment of alluring finger foods and a showstopping ziti-and-meatball-filled pasta dome set the tone for a lively New Year's Eve celebration. For the relaxed entertaining of New Year's Day, Mario suggests a procession of marinated salads, pastas, and stuffed vegetables, all served at room temperature, capped off with fresh homemade sausage with sweet peppers.

One of the great pleasures of cooking at this time of the year is baking, and Mario Batali Holiday Food includes recipes for a dozen irresistible holiday cookies, some authentically Italian and others family favorites Mario has relished since childhood. You'll also find a host of delectable tortes, custards, cakes, and confections as well as wine suggestions and a refreshing aperitivo to round out each holiday menu.

Whether you're creating a full-blown Italian spread or simply adding a touch of Italy to your own family traditions, Mario Batali Holiday Food will make your holiday gatherings memorably delicious.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent as always.......2007-01-19

While we ultimately didn't have the opportunity to make any of these recipes for the holidays, my wife and I read through most of them and they look wonderful. We own every cookbook Mario's written and we've eaten in two of his NYC restaurants, so we're very familiar with his style and the quality of his work. In fact, the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" in the book is very much like his Christmas Eve menu at Lupa, his place on Thompson St. in the Village.

Very high recommendation from real Italian "foodies" (we spent 3 weeks in Italy last year....)

Fabulous cookbook on Italian holiday food.......2006-01-02

I was really surprised by this small cookbook. Now when I saw small, it means that it isn't your typical full sized cookbook with in excess of 200 pages, it is a nice hundred pages or so cookbook. Some wonderful features of this cookbook are the pictures, the wonderful recipes, and the text that is written with the recipes.

Perhaps you are like me and enjoy cookbooks with vivid pictures. I like to know what my efforts are going to look like. This book has some of the best food photographs that I have seen. Some of this is the chosing of attractive dishes, some of it is just fabulous photography.

While I really enjoy the photographs in this book, some of that is the skill of the photographer, while the larger part of that is the choice of recipes. Mario Batali, seems to like earthy, rustic food. I like that you do not have to measure everything so exact. I like that there are natural flexibilities added into the recipes, like if you don't have xxx, use this instead. Italian cooking is all about the freshness of the ingredients, and you see this theme throughout his book.

I also like that he explains why he chose those recipes, what the significance of those recipes are. This is helpful is chosing what drinks you will serve with the food, what side dishes or desserts you will pare with the food and so much more.

I highly recommend this book to you, it really isn't just about holiday food, but more. I rate this book with 4 stars simply because the book is smaller, and for the money, if your just starting out with him, I would go with one of his standard cookbooks if you are looking for a greater resource of Italian recipes.

Lots of great recipes.......2004-10-06

I enjoy Mario Batali's quality work, both his interesting/funny TV shows and his interesting/beautiful books (the photographs are beautiful). Often when you buy quality Italian cookbooks with traditional recipes you get the feeling that it's been produced for professional chefs only. The recipes are too advanced and time consuming, and often require access to an Italian food market in order to get all ingredients. The recipes in this book range from uncomplicated to advanced but is "possible" for regular hobby chefs. Most of the ingredients are available at regular grocery stores. However, this doesn't mean that the food and all the dishes are too basic or uncomplicated; it's just that they are "within" reach for us regular guys. I'm sure that both hobby- and more advanced chefs also can appreciate and learn a lot from this book.

Classic Mario, just not enough to meet expectations.......2004-01-28

The very best thing about this book is that it is more of Mario Batali cooking Italian food. Once that is said, there are some things which are disappointing about this book.

First, the book only covers Christmas and New Year. I would hardly expect Molto Mario to cover Thanksgiving, but what about Easter? There are also the hundreds of festivals in both Italy and the United States where food is a major element of the festivities. The whole point of `carnevale' is food, as the meaning of the word is `a farewell to meat'.

Second, the book only covers Campania. What about the other 21 provinces of Italy? The best part of this selection is that it is the region from which the Italian food most familiar to America comes. I think Mario would have been much better to name the book `Holiday Food of Campania'. Joe Bastianich contributes some notes on the wines of Campania, reinforcing the impression that the book covers a limited range.

Third, the book is two-thirds the price for less than half the book you can find in Mario's first and third books.

If you are really interested in Italian Festival Food, check out the book of that name by Anne Bianchi published by Macmillan. It even includes a blurb from Mr. Molto himself on the dust jacket and I got it at a deep discount. Highly recommended.

All is not lost. This is still, after all, a cookbook by Mario. It's best feature is to give us recipes in order that we may do a Christmas Eve feast of the seven or ten or thirteen fishes (take your pick). It strikes me that this is another example where Italian food traditions depart broadly from the more formalized doctrines of France or Japan. While Richard Olney, our most analytical writer on French cuisine, dispairs of writing on improvisation in cooking, the Italians seem to revel in it. Like the Japanese, the Italians seem to really enjoy small portions of a lot of different dishes, at least at holiday meals. Mario warns us that because of this, portion sizes may be tricky.

The photographs of the food are much more colorful and more plentiful in this book than they are in Mario's first. They add some value to this rather slim offering. The list of sources at the back of the book is very good for a resident of New York City. I am especially happy to see DiPalo's cheese shop included.

If, like me, you are a Mario fan, you must have this book. This is especially true if you live vicariously through books and enjoy writers' tales of their holidays. If you are really looking for something with more meat on it's bones, check out the volume by Ms. Bianchi.

Beautiful and traditional.......2003-05-04

I love this book. The recipes are traditional and delicious, the photographs are lovely, and I like the comments Mario includes with the recipes. I get hungry just looking through it.

Average customer rating:

Mario Batali Holiday Food
Mario Batali
Manufacturer: Clarkson N Potter Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N79ZEC

Average customer rating:

Really great pet craft book!

Pet crafts

Some cute items

the greatest pet book on earth

Pet Crafts: 28 Great Toys, Gifts and Accessories for Your Favorite Dog or Cat
Heidi Boyd
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1581805039

Book Description

This book offers fun projects for the whole family to celebrate and pamper their beloved family pets. Sure to delight both discerning canines and finicky felines, Pet Crafts features over 25 fun projects including toys, beds, costumes, picture frames and more!

All projects use simple items easily found in crafts stores and are fun to make. The book is divided into four sections:

*Dog and cat toys- cat dancers, braided stocking toys, squeaky sock snake, squeaky squirrel and cat gloves
*Pet accessories- treat jars, food and water bowls, paw wipes, cat pillows and collar tags
*Crafts for kids-cat and dog costumes, notebooks and note cards, slippers, dog and cat bracelets, magnets and photo albums
*Pet celebrations-- birthday cards, bowls, hats, Halloween costumes and Christmas stockings and ornaments

Customer Reviews:

Really great pet craft book!.......2007-06-28

I just received this today and I love it! There are some really great ideas for crafts for the pet lover in everyone! I haven't done any of these yet, but I have some really great ideas to expand on the crafts in this book! The book is well written and the step by step directions are so easy that anyone will be able to do them...Get this book, you will be very pleased with it!

Pet crafts.......2006-11-10

I was looking for patterns to help me make winter clother for my dog. I was able to get some ideas and helpful information with this book. But, it is not solely for dogs or dog clothing.

Some cute items.......2005-10-26

There are cute items here for both cats and dogs. Great gift idea! I have not yet tried any of the projects so I cannot speak of the level of difficulty.

the greatest pet book on earth.......2004-07-17

This book is great!! it has very cute ideas. I have a dog and she loves the squeeky sock!! i also have 3 cats and they love the ceramic bowls. The pet beds are very practical for on the go people. You can just pull of the cover if it gets dirty and wash it.Also my cats love the springy snake you can just launch it across the room and watch them go after it. I highly recommend this book!!!

Average customer rating:

A Good Picture Book for Those in Need of Toy Train Nostalgia

Lowbrow puff piece does Lionel no Justice

The ultimate guide to Lionel

Lionel, a good legacy but not the quality

A "must" for all dedicated Lionel fans and train set buffs.

Lionel: A Century of Timeless Toy Trains
Dan Ponzol
Manufacturer: Distribution
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Art of Lionel Trains

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Standard Catalog Of Lionel Trains 1900-1942 (Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains 1900-1942)

ASIN: 1567999662

Book Description

Happy 100th birthday to a true American classic! Celebrate the hundred-year anniversary of one of the most beloved toys of the 20th-century: the timeless Lionel train. Other playthings have left their mark on the pages of American history and some still evoke a misty-eyed nostalgia, but no toy has had as dramatic an impact as these miniature cars, tracks, and accessories. Their magic makes children wide-eyed with joy at Christmas and continues to inspire collectors of all ages. Enjoy the history of Lionel's rise to greatness in a splendid oversize tribute, featuring breathtaking images of perfectly preserved trains from every era, including some of the most famous and rare models, as well as reproductions of legendary catalogs and ads. A wealth of enlightening detail about individual pieces puts them in their proper place in the total Lionel output. The definitive tribute to a most cherished American institution.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Picture Book for Those in Need of Toy Train Nostalgia.......2000-11-25

This book is for everyone who always wanted a Lionel set, and never got one. The photographs accurately capture the marketing appeal of the sets and take you back to when you were eight years old and a Lionel train set was what you wanted for Christmas. The book commemorates 100 years of Lionel trains.

For those who know Lionel as a company and as a product well, this volume will probably prove to be disappointing. It is an "overview of the company's development and the way its products reflect the eras in which they were produced." Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but those who know Lionel well already have that perspective. So if you are an expert, I suggest that you avoid this book.

The strength of of this book lies in the photographs by Bill Milne. He has done a fine job of capturing the child's eye view of the cars and accessories. You can almost feel the rug pressing against your cheek as you remember lying sideways to get a closer look at ground level of someone else's new set.

Many of the pieces I had not seen before, especially from the 70s and on. If I had a place to put a set, I'd almost be tempted to make a belated start.

I was pretty familiar with Lionel over the last 50 years, so it was the early years that added to my knowledge. The founder, Joshua Lionel Cohen (later changed to Cowen), was interesting to me. He had a good technical background for toy trains, having been educated at Cooper Union and partially completing degree work in engineering at Columbia. His first job was for Acme Electric Light Company, which made many small electric appliances. He developed a way to ignite magnesium more evenly, and used that to found his own company to make fuses for the military. This led to a light for illuminating plants, a fan, and finally a battery-powered train. The rest is history.

The text comes across like something out of a fan magazine more than as a legitimate history. As an "authorized" version, undoubtedly the people at Lionel had some influence. I graded the book down one star for lack of insight into what all of this history means.

Think about how toys create aspirations and lives. What toys created what aspirations in you? Did an erector set cause you to take engineering courses? Did a microscope help establish a career in biology? If you had a toy train, how did that influence you?

What gifts should you give your children and grandchildren this holiday season to make for the best aspirations in their lives for the years ahead?

Lowbrow puff piece does Lionel no Justice.......2000-10-22

This "licensed" Lionel book has been corporately washed and shoved out the door. The photography is stylish, but hardly informative. Lionel buffs want the real story of Lionel's rise and fall, rise and fall with real people behind the pictures. For a Lionel fan, this book is a big disappointment. A better book just came out entitled "Lionel: America's Favorite Toy Trains" by MBI Publishers. It is everything this book isn't - and cheaper.

The ultimate guide to Lionel.......2000-08-16

This is the best book I have ever read about Lionel trains. It is complete with pictures, history, and popularity. This is a must for all train collectors young and old. I'm a model train expert and I learned some things I didn't even know from this book! My hat is off to this auther because he did such a wonderul job.

Lionel, a good legacy but not the quality.......2000-07-11

I thought that this is an excellent book about the standard train company of the world called Lionel. I thought the book gave a good prospective of the company, but unbenonst to all, Lionel is not quality. If you want high quality railroading, you should look at a company called Mike's Train House and I think they should make a book about them. Overall, I would like to say, Happy 100th Birthday Lionel!

A "must" for all dedicated Lionel fans and train set buffs........2000-06-04

The Lionel toy company celebrates its one hundredth year of supply the children (and adults!) of the country with toy trains, settings and accessories. Lionel trains are famous world-wide and the favored collectibles of legions of fans and collectors of all ages. In Lionel: A Century Of Classic Toy Trains, ardent and knowledgeable collector Dan Ponzol provides a wealth of detailed information on specific sets, rare models, a history of the company, wonderfully illustrated throughout with reproduced images from legendary catalogs and Lionel train ads, as well as representative models from his own expansive collection. This coffee table showcase book is a "must" for all true Lionel train fans.

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A Century of Timeless Lionel Toy Trains

Manufacturer: MetroBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1586635905

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The Practical Book of Built-In Furniture
Henry Lionel Williams
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P3VLJG

Average customer rating:
The Practical Book of Built-In Furniture
Henry Lionel Williams
Manufacturer: Gramercy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O01AJG

Average customer rating:
The Practical Book of Built-in Furniture
Henry Lionel Williams
Manufacturer: Gramercy Publishing [ca. 1949]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KTCKM2

Average customer rating:
The practical book of built-in furniture
Henry Lionel Williams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00005XQ1A

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The Practical Book of Built-in Furniture.
Henry Lionel. Williams
Manufacturer: Gramercy Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXPFAE

Average customer rating:
The Practical Book Of Built-In Furniture
Henry Lionel Williams
Manufacturer: Gramercy Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KA2X50

Average customer rating:
The Practical Book of Built-in Furniture

Manufacturer: Gramercy Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKKMCE

Product Description

Illustrated Hardcover How-to book

The Practical Book of Built-in Furniture

Average customer rating:

The Practical Book of Built-in Furniture
Henry Lionel Williams
Manufacturer: New York: Gramercy Publishing Company, 1959
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXD3FS

Average customer rating:

The Practical Book of Built-in-Furniture.
Henry Lionel. Wiliams
Manufacturer: Gramercy Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KZK5FU

Book Description

This comprehensive dictionary of terms offers the graphic communicator more than 6,000 definitions of terms used in the most crucial 80% of digital printing, publishing and the graphic communications world. The only book of its kind, it puts digital terminology and how it relates to the rest of the industry at the fingertips of the reader. It includes all disciplines, including printing, photography, imaging, networking, recorded media, electronic publishing, bindery, graphics, computers, and related fields, and their relationship to digital technology.

Customer Reviews:

An essential part of every digital publisher's libaray!.......1999-02-18

A concise yet thorough collection of over 6,000 terms related to the area of digital printing and publishing. The author explains complex technical concepts with clarity, providing an insider's explanation of industry-accepted jargon. The book is an essential part of every digital publisher's library.

Customer Reviews:

a stark and thought provoking comparison.......2004-07-02

As I began reading William Drennen's and Kojo Jones' book, I anticipated an enjoyable experience. I was intrigued and impressed that a black man and a white man could come together for such an undertaking. I too grew up in West Virginia and felt great pride that they were products of my State and would perhaps give readers an example of how they were able to lessen the racial gap. However, what I experienced was a stressful and somewhat sad journey.

William Drennen's recollection of "growing up white" seemed to be a happy-go-lucky account of a privileged life. He had no reason to take things seriously. There were no barriers to his success as long as he followed the rules of his race and class and didn't make waves. However, in one account of his life's experiences, his conscience was pricked and perhaps he did long to make a few waves. Drennen tells the story of his black friend Albert coming to a party at his home after Thomas Jefferson Junior High School's first football game of the season. When it was discovered that a black youth was present, his parents asked him to leave and offered to drive him home. Drennen's father ended up dropping him off at the downtown post office, at Albert's request.

As I continued to read Drennen's words, I felt that something may have begun to smolder within him, much like the nagging feeling one gets when he wants to speak out or rebel against something he feels is wrong. Perhaps it increased a spark that was actually lit two years prior when he invited Kojo Jones to his home and was asked not to do so again. That time he did question. He obviously hadn't learned all the rules yet. In Albert's case however, nowhere did I read that Drennen went to his father and asked for an explanation. If he did talk to his parents, nowhere did I read that he told them he didn't feel the same way. And nowhere did I read that he went to Albert to say, " I don't feel the same way my parents do". Looking back now, Drennen acknowledges he had an opportunity to make a difference and didn't.

Reading about that incident brought back a memory of similar circumstances with just the opposite outcome. I was at Horace Mann Junior High School and my friend Kathy invited me to a slumber party at her house. My first thought was, "Didn't she tell her parents I'm black?" It turns out she did and after much communication between my parents and hers, I was allowed to go. It was a little awkward for me and I'm sure for them, but we all had a good time. In this case, the rules were different.

Reading further, I found myself questioning the explicit account Drennen gives of his sexual encounter with a black woman while he was in the military. Did it mean that since he was an adult and no longer under the direction of his parents, he was now making waves? Did he have a desire to make this a permanent relationship or was it a fling? If it was a fling, then, was he merely satisfying a curiosity about what it would be like to be with a black woman? How did their relationship help to bridge the gap between the races? What did it confirm or refute in terms of his beliefs about African Americans in general or African American women in particular? Finally, why was it important to retell this encounter? Personally, I found it disgusting and insulting not only because of the content, but also because of his seeming delight in telling it. He left me with many questions and no answers about the significance of relating the affair at all and in such detail.

By way of contrast, Kojo Jones' recollection of "growing up black" reveals one who took life far more seriously, no doubt as a result of early and unfortunate racial encounters. I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness reading his account, because I was reminded that he and many other gifted young black men found it difficult to focus on their potential because of constantly having to overcome racial barriers. Reading Jones' account of not being allowed to drink a cherry smash at the counter in Shumate's Pharmacy was sadly, typical. What wasn't typical and what I thought deserved more attention was the fact that the five white boys who were with him refused to pay and left as well. While no information is given about those five, I wondered if they might have been from a less privileged class and were therefore, more willing to make waves and question authority. Jones' experience of being tied and whipped at ten years old by four children as a reminder to "stay in his place" was very disturbing and an incident I'm sure made an indelible impact on his life. I would venture to surmise that it had much to do with his decision to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Reading Jones' memoirs brought back many of my own and one in particular. My sister and I were the only black students at Clifftop Elementary School in 1954. During recess I remember trying to play with the other kids and being told that they couldn't play with me because somebody's grandfather said, "Black men have tails." Perhaps even more absurd is the fact that I couldn't wait to get home to ask my mother if it was true.

To summarize, Jones focuses his account more on the issue of race. It shaped his entire existence. Drennen, on the other hand, led a life shaped by class and in fact seems to refer to race as a byproduct of his existence. In other words, blacks worked for his family, but had no bearing on the decisions or choices he made in life.

Drennen and Jones give readers a lot to think about. They give what their title implies, "A Dual Memoir of Race and Class in Appalachia." They give readers a glimpse into how individuals of different races and socio-economic backgrounds view the world and how such views shape their interactions in it. Finally, they reveal how two men, one black and one white, can come together to write a book revealing such opposite life experiences.

Entering a relationship.......2004-05-06

Some years ago in the course of a study of school desegregation in Little Rock, I interviewed an African-American man who'd been of high-school age at the time. He recounted story after story of losses and wounds to himself, his children, and his community as a result of desegregating the schools. At last he commented sadly, "My frustration centers around how much effort and how many people we've put through that process, only to sit in a room rather than really to enter into a relationship."

Kojo Jones, a black man, and Bill Drennan, a white man, were ninth-grade classmates in the first year of desegregation, in their case in Charleston, W. Virginia. Red, White, Black & Blue is their attempt to "enter into a relationship" many years later through the medium of a shared memoir. What I found most striking about their book, beyond the courage and respectful engagement of the authors, is an eloquence of form that emerges from the pages. The story of class and race is told far more vividly through contrasts in the way the two men write than through what they write. The stark honesty of their differing versions offers to American readers a rare and valuable window into enduring and largely ignored dynamics of privilege and protest, of ease and struggle, of unawareness and urgent perception.

Mr. Drennan, for instance, writes that his earliest contacts with black people were with servants in his home, people who cared for him with warmth and humanity. He writes nostalgically, noting little awareness of the privilege expressed by so cushioned an experience of race. Mr. Jones, however, tells of a series of encounters, ranging from unpleasant to violent, winding through his life from childhood on. His earliest contact with white people happened in public spaces, in stores and playgrounds, away from the safety of home. This contrast between places where people discover race - at home through warm dealings with employees or in public through hostile confrontations with (usually older) strangers - is one I've found typical in my own work on racial dynamics. Also typically, Mr. Drennan tells his tale and moves on to other life experiences, while Mr. Jones organizes his entire narrative around defining racial encounters. To the white man, race is as incidental in his memoir as he experiences it in his life; to the black man, it is central in both.

The memoirs are accompanied by an analysis written by Dolores Johnson, a scholar of communication styles. She gives us an erudite essay that illuminates many of the dynamics I've mentioned. Unfortunately, Ms. Johnson's tool is discourse analysis, an academic approach rich in yield and interest but limited in scope. When the eye is drawn to communication between individuals, there is a tendency to miss the surrounding context. And in the case of racial inequities in America, context is key. Mr. Jones' and Mr. Drennan's accounts beg for linkages with those systems of domination that underlie relations of class and race in our society. It is certainly interesting to note contrasts in the lengths of each man's contribution and to connect wordiness with privilege. But I regretted the missed opportunity to go deeper, to echo the memoir authors' honesty and earnestness by speaking that unjustly discredited word, racism, in the analysis.

Despite its shortcomings (neither primary author is a writer by trade, so their stories lack elegance and polish), Red, White, Black & Blue is an enormously useful contribution to an understanding of racial inequities fifty years ago, and still today.

A pretty good book, but it strays from its subject.......2004-03-23

This book contains the accounts of two southern men, one white and one African American, whose lives have coincided with the tumult toward racial equality in America. Mr. Jones and Mr. Drennen deserve much praise for starting a dialogue. It contains honest feelings and raw memories.

The Supreme Court's 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision ruled that segregated schools were inherently unequal and thus violated the 14th Amendment's tenet of equal protection under the laws. The ensuing desegregation of (mostly) southern school systems had a deep impact on millions of students, teachers and administrators, and formalized a broader movement toward racial equality in our society. It was a disturbance to all, though, as have been the succeeding steps toward racial equality. I was hoping the book would provide much more about the early years of desegregation, based on its billing as "a memoir of growing up through the turmoil and anguish of desegregation." But the book actually offers relatively little about that aspect of the 1950s. The authors bare a lot of feelings and anecdotes, but they don't always seem to be part of any particular message to learn from.

Jones stays more on point with racial issues in his narrative, establishing that desegregation - also called "integration" at the time - did not integrate the races to any significant degree. It simply put them in coexistence, but not as America's melting pot. He is less clear in justifying his final point that reparations are the kick start needed to provide African Americans a stimulus to economic success. There is no evidence or precedent anywhere that gives weight to this argument. Jones also leaves the impression that he would just as soon the schools had not been desegregated, which is forthright but also suggests resignation on the prospect of racial harmony.

Drennen points out that West Virginia promptly and unequivocally complied with the Supreme Court ruling. Otherwise his reminiscences, while interesting, aren't very relevant to race and class in Appalachia. It addresses the racial chasm only obliquely, in what he isn't able to say. African Americans are bit players in his narrative, which essentially is about himself. His life has not been that of the typical white man he suggests he is. He experienced the first year of desegregation, and then departed to a life he describes of exclusiveness, license and privilege. It would have been more interesting to hear about his parents' discussions of why he should leave public schools than some of his other material in the book. Far more typical of whites - and blacks - were those who remained in public schools and lived the changes desegregation brought.

The editor, Delores Johnson provides a concluding "socio-linguistic rhetorical analysis" that may be of interest and use to scholars but was of limited use in evaluating the authors' messages. Language obscures racial differences and likenesses rather than illuminating them. You can analyze it for a thousand years and you'll never get to the bottom of it. The chasm and the answer exist at a level below language. That level is experience. Rent American History X for an evening, and you'll learn more about racial chasms, experience, despair and hope than syntax will ever reveal.

I attended the same junior high and high schools as Jones, two years behind him. I remember Mrs. Gregory, my African American 10th grade English teacher, who was tough as nails and left an indelible mark on every student she had; I recall more about her course than any other. I remember sitting in a luncheonette on Hale Street on a school day in 1958 and seeing a black man refused service; and the look on his face and feeling the blank in mine. I, like Jones, remember the First Baptist basketball teams; and the level they played was so far beyond my First Presby team that it wasn't even the same game. I, like Jones, remember Moses Newsome and Coach Jarrett, agents of change with entirely different styles. Wealthier white students who addressed the mothers and grandmothers of their black peers by their first names; these women were maids and cooks in the homes of white students who by day sat beside their black children in school. I remember black girls fighting in junior high school and reinforcing every prejudice the whites had to just stay in a different world. And a hundred others. It may or may not be of solace to Jones to know that whites' attitudes towards blacks in general were even worse then than he portrays them, and today are much more enlightened than he seems willing to grant.

For different reasons, each author of RWB&B has essentially led a life with his own race. Based on their narratives, it appears that neither has experienced the trials and successes of working closely with the other race, and learning through experience that they're not different at the core. What Jones and Drennen say is true and honest, yet there is much more that can lead us out of the woods. Many others have, through fate or determination, hung in there with the other race and gotten beyond the words. And it has taken decades.

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