Who named the daisy? Who named the rose?: A roving dictionary of North American wildflowers

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Who named the daisy? Who named the rose?: A roving dictionary of North American wildflowers
Mary B Durant
Manufacturer: distributed by St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0865530750

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WHO NAMED THE DAISY? WHO NAMED THE ROSE?

Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I5O6DO

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Who Named The Daisy? Who Named The Rose? A Roving Dictionary of North American Wildflowers
Durant Mary
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDTP2G

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Who Named the Daisy? Who Named the Rose?
Mary Durant
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PS0LHO

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Who Named the Daisy? Who Named the Rose? (A Roving Dictionary of North American Wild Flowers)
Mary Durant
Manufacturer: Congdon & Weed, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J2KM3Y

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A Bit Confusing

A Traveller's History of London (Traveller's Histories Series)
Richard Tames
Manufacturer: Interlink Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Traveller's History of England (Traveller's History)

The English

A Traveller's History Of France (Traveller's Histories Series)

A Traveller's History of Paris (Traveller's Histories Series)

ASIN: 1566564840

Book Description

A Traveller's History of London gives a full and comprehensive historical background to the capital's past and covers the period from London's first beginnings, right up to the present day from Londinium and Lundenwic to Docklands' development. It reveals the city's hidden treasures and forgotten places and guides the reader to the sights and sites that can still be seen and enjoyed.

Customer Reviews:

A Bit Confusing.......2000-06-27

This book covers all of London history from the Romans to the Dockland development in 200 pages. So it isn't surprising that it was sometimes hard to follow. Matters were not helped by the fact that the author chose a hybrid theme/chronological narrative structure which succeeded in completely confusing me on when certain things occured. I would have liked more stories of renowned events and people. But the sections at the end on specific locations like the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey were quite interesting.

The Cruise of the Snark (Kegan Paul Travellers Series)

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A Traveler @ Heart Enjoyed Sailing w/Jack & His Crew (s)
Mixed Emotions, and By The Way It Is Not a Novel.
first time reading "The....Snark"
The best story is the one he lived
Stand in a shower tearing up 100 dollar bills instead

The Cruise of the Snark (Kegan Paul Travellers Series)
Jack London
Manufacturer: Kegan Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0710308078

Book Description

This is Jack London's account of the fulfillment of his boyhood dream of sailing in the Pacific in the wake of Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson. His first Pacific port of call was Hawaii, where his thrilling description of surfing at Waikiki popularized the sport that has now spread around the world. The voyage continued on through the Marquesas, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, the New Hebrides and the Solomon Islands, ending in Sydney, Australia. Although his odyssey was a troubled one, London's Polynesian adventure renewed his faith in individual effort, courage, and daring. And it is this theme, which runs through The Cruise of the Snark like a golden thread, that makes it a book of universal appeal as well as one of the finest account of Pacific sailing ever written.

Download Description

No, adventure is not dead, and in spite of the steam engine and of Thomas Cook and Son. When the announcement of the contemplated voyage of the Snark was made, young men of "roving disposition" proved to be legion, and young women as well--to say nothing of the elderly men and women who volunteered for the voyage.

Customer Reviews:

A Traveler @ Heart Enjoyed Sailing w/Jack & His Crew (s).......2007-06-27

I have sailed a few times in S.F. Bay being from the Bay area and I truely related to this story and since the Snark was being built by Jack London right before the 1906 quake. It amazed me and invariably he got taken advantage of by the various builders which led to some precarious sailing manuevers since they measured wrong on one side. Which Jack London didn't find out until out at sea. I could picture all the island stops and so enjoyed the old photos that were put into the Snark truly an interesting journey. It was interesting to me hearing of the staph infections were attacking the individuals when the crew would cut themselves and then end up with these sores they knew nothing about and how they had to heal themselves with virtually no medicines on board. This book is a captain's log which he wrote in daily. If your a sailor you'll love it or even if you've been exposed as I have you'll enjoy it, especially if you happen to be from the Bay area. I recommend it as an interesting and enjoyable read though at times I did feel he was just writing to keep his checks coming in to pay for his journey.

Sebastopolian Reader

Mixed Emotions, and By The Way It Is Not a Novel........2006-08-01

I have a lot of mixed emotions about this book. I thought his book "Call of the Wild" was one of the best ever works by an American writer. That novel was the peak of the Jack London's career.

Just so we are clear, this is not a novel. It is a collection of related short stories. London wrote everyday for a few hours each morning during a two year sea voyage. He did this to make money to pay for the boat trip. He wrote and sent off a number of different short stories during the trip to different magazines and each chapter was published separately. Then later, he took some of the stories and simply arranged them in chronological order to make the present book.

The book and the trip grew out of London's romance with yachting, and his idea that he wanted to sail around the world in a boat that he made himself. He wanted a large boat - about 50' - that he could sail himself helped by a small crew including his second wife. There is a lot of optimism here, and less practical experience than what one might consider to be wise, and London made a number of errors. London did not actually make the boat. He hired contractors. In any case, we hear how London made the boat and then sailed it across the Pacific, finally stopping near Australia. His motivation was based on dreams from his youth plus the romantic inspiration from prior writers such as Melville, Rudyard Kipling, Frank Norris, and Joseph Conrad, to name a few.

We read what we assume to be is a non-fiction account of how he built the boat, and then the trip itself in pieces along with trips to various islands.

Overall, the writing is good, but some parts are a lot more interesting than others so the book has a slightly uneven feel. I found a few of the chapeters to be boring.

Interesting read, but not as good as I had hoped: 4 stars.

first time reading "The....Snark".......2006-02-11

Even though I consider myself a London fan (starting when I read "The Call of the Wild" and "The Cruise of the Dazzler" as a boy), I have never felt the urge to read "The Cruise of the Snark"...until now. I must admit that is one easy, enjoyable read yet there are a couple of chapters which in my opinion seem to be "filler" material, possibly created when Jack was sick and do not seem to fit the adventure billing (Beche De Mer English for example). Regardless, most of this book is very enjoyable and you get a few chuckles when Jack interjects some of his dry, sarcastic humor into the reading (when he mentioned that the Snark was actually shorter than expected and suggested that "the builder was not on speaking terms with the tape-line"). Jack's life was an adventure and this was the culmination of an adventurous soul. It's a wonderful story and a prime example of Murphy's Law.

The best story is the one he lived.......2005-09-13

It has been said that the best story Jack London ever conceived is the one he lived. You need look no further than THE CRUISE OF THE SNARK to confirm that. In this book, all of London's passions come together: action, experience, sailing, foreign travel, writing and reading. It is a "real adventure" tale, a travelogue and above all a well-crafted book full of London's personal voice and vibrant outlook on life. One may say it is also full of his ego, but he earns the self-satisfaction by putting action and hard work behind his beliefs and words. He is fearless. He is the first to get the irony in a situation and the first to laugh, especially at himself.

In 1908, London and six others, including his wife Charmian, sailed out of the San Francisco Bay into the open waters of the Pacific on what was to be a lengthy circumnavigation of the world. They were leaving over a year later than originally planned due to hold-ups in the construction of London's "perfect" boat, "The Snark," which ate $30,000 dollars before they left harbor. It isn't long before leaks, sea-sickness and other banana peels come their way, and it takes 27 days to make Hawaii. In due course, London learns to surf, they visit the top of a volcano, hang out at a leper colony, and then head further south to the land of Melville's "Typee" and the scary Solomon Islands. The various captains hired for the trip all seem to lack the navigation gene, so London teaches himself and gets it down to a science. London, first by necessity and then overtaken by the intoxication of success, becomes a self-taught dentist, and thus his crew's savior and worst nightmare. He and the crew suffer a nasty list of maladies, as well. It is a testimony of the man's indefatigable spirit, that even when his own health puts an end to the "round the world" scheme, that he never characterizes the voyage and anything that did not go as planned as a crushing failure or disappointment. He just heads straight to Plan B.

London's voice is wholly engaging, his profiles of crewmates and people encountered are delightful. One only wishes that some of his perceptions of other cultures were more enlightened, though they were liberal for their time. The Penguin Classics critical edition is an excellent balance of original text, a non-spoiling critical introduction, and a selection of 4 other short pieces, including accounts of the voyage by crewmate Martin Johnson and wife Charmian, and two unrelated maritime essays by London that enrich the overall experience of the book.

Stand in a shower tearing up 100 dollar bills instead.......2003-10-15

I've recently arrived back in the USA from Suva and Nadi in Fiji, one of Jack's stopping points.

However, what he describes about the South Pacific is no more.

London's South Pacific was affected by European trade and commerce. For one thing, disease, in an era when its prevention was primitive, was rife and the inhabitants of the islands he visited were dropping like flies. Today, of course, the very same network has brought modern medicine and the major health threat to natives in the South Pacific is obesity: the only restaurant on Victoria Parade in Suva, allowed Sunday hours, was McDonald's, while Singh's Curry Shop had to close (I recommend the latter, around the corner from McDonald's on Gordon Street: try the goat curry).

London's natives were partly pagan. Today, ordinary people in Oceania are mostly fundamentalist Christian, and, in Suva, there is also a streak of Islam, petering out far to the west of Indonesia but echoing in the afternoon call of the Muezzin in Suva.

The fundamentalism means that the yachtsman is well-advised on shore to dress modestly. Of course, London and his wife did this naturally, long ago. I actually saw an Australian man warn a woman in shorts in Suva to put knickers on lest one of the local Methodists or Moslems be offended.

But any myth of escape has been so commodified in the South Pacific by tavern owners and tourist companies as to be sour and bitter to the taste.

London, while asserting his property rights thoughtlessly at Oakland's wharf, and while assuming he had the right to hire men to work on his boat and judge their hard work in print, also assumed, in the South Pacific, his right to wander at will.

Today, as the Rough Guide to Fiji advises the tourist, 85% of the land in Fiji is owned fee simple by chiefs. Sir Arthur Gordon decided not to repeat America's dispossession of the Indians and covenanted with the lads in Fiji in such a way that today, the natives form a land-owning aristocracy.

Their fair-mindedness (as on display from Steve Rabuka who backed down from being a military dictator) means that other lads from other mobs have rough civic equality.

London was the prototype, however, of the colonialist as rugged individual whose humanity is based on the unconscious deprivation of others' humanity.

London was the prototype of the soured Yank who when a lad thought the best of people, without a dime to his name, who now has everything, and thinks the worst of people.

London with a grin repeats texts from the hundreds of letters he received from individuals who wanted to sign on to the Snark and so escape their own lives of quiet desparation in an America already unbearable for the average city-dweller. Like him they yearned for a clean-limbed life but unlike London they lacked cash.

London essentially uses their texts to pad out a book that was obviously written not from the heart but to raise cash for a silly boat.

Any yachtsman knows in his heart of hearts that if the landlubber wants his experience, he has only to stand in a cold shower tearing up 100 dollar bills. The Snark was an expensive lark and, like modern yachts, unconsciously offensive at both its sharp end (where were the natives, giving London gifts and dying like flies) and its blunt end (where were the American laborers whose work London disrespects because it was not finished on his schedule).

The South Seas are overrun, today, by people who really ought to be paying more taxes back home. I traveled out there to work at global rates and learned much more about the REAL South Seas than any tourist might, and I'm afraid that Joe Conrad, who also worked for a living, in The Heart of Darkness is more reliable on the tropics than old Jack London.

I'm afraid that London saw, what he wanted to see: the Gilded Age struggle of man against man. However, as Hannah Arendt points out in The Origins of Totalitarianism, this defines rather a culture of hatred out of which were form racialist identities. London was for the most part free of any special form of racism but he did believe that Socialism was impossible because Alpha males (like Wolf Larsen) would take what they need.

Well, they might, and they do. Nonetheless, in the South Seas and elsewhere, Beta males and women continue some how to achieve more, and of more lasting value, by working in groups. Sir Arthur Gordon is forgotten save in Suva, because unlike Cecil Rhodes he failed to mind his own press-agentry but it appears he did lasting good with his land-tenure scheme.

London never learned the limits of his world view and his darkest book, Alcoholic Memories, is a testament to London's limitations.

My favorite yachtsman remains good old Tristan Jones, a British sailor who was trained in the Royal Navy and who paid his dues. Tristan would like me arrive back, from the back of beyond, without a dime and go willingly to work while living willingly in a doss-house. Tristan dragged his own boat across the Mato Grosso and talked back to tinpot Fascists in Stroessner's Paraguay.

In my experience it is relatively easy to learn the mechanics of a sailing boat but what is hard is endurance, not only of Nature but the Other. London endured Nature but has a tendency to be impatient in print with others, as shown by his insenstive near-mockery of applicants for service on his boat. Jones, on the other hand, mocks only people who deserve it, like customs agents in Paraguay.

Book Description

"I can imagine there must be a good number of people who will still wonder why I have no pigtail on my head, or who think I must be the same sort of person as Mr. Wu or Charlie Chan!"

By the 1930s Western books about China were common. But a book about the West, and particularly London, written by a Chinese author, was a rarity-and continues to be so.

Chiang Yee's account of London, first published in 1938, is original in more ways than one. Not only one of the first widely available books written by a Chinese author in English, it also reverses the expected conventions of travel writing. For here the "exotic" subject matter is none other than London and its people, quizzically observed as an alien culture by a visiting foreigner.

Immersing himself in the strange rituals of London life, Chiang Yee set out to learn about Londoners, their habits and their pleasures. In pubs and cafés, cinemas and art galleries, he watched the locals at work and at play. Fascinated by such social conventions as afternoon tea and discussing the weather, he tried to make sense of British society, treating his subjects with a mix of wonderment and affection. Beards, feeding the pigeons, street names: all such everyday phenomena were a source of curiosity. As he lived through the capital's various seasons, and endured the notorious London fogs, Chiang Yee's affinity with the city and its people grew.

Illustrated with the author's own atmospheric sketches, The Silent Traveller in London is also a book about China and a world in transition. Comparing London with his native land, Chiang Yee draws parallels and contrasts, seeking to rectify misunderstandings and stereotypes regarding Chinese life. But China had recently endured revolutionary turmoil and invasion by Japan, and the author was conscious of the impending disaster facing London in the shape of war. His record of London life, fresh and perceptive, is tinged with nostalgia for a lost homeland and foreboding for the future.

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Anywhere But Here: Travellers in Camden
Mary Daly
Manufacturer: Runnymede Trust
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0951483315

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Great opera houses;: A traveller's guide to their history and traditions
Spike Hughes
Manufacturer: McBride
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0007DT2LI

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History of the Travellers' club,
Almeric William Fitz Roy
Manufacturer: Travellers' club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00085JC8S

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A Traveller's History of London
Richard Tames
Manufacturer: Cassell Reference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSK6FM

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back: A New Method of Mulch Gardening
Ruth Stout
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden

ASIN: 0671640615

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back
Ruth Stout
Manufacturer: Cornerstone Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FGJO74

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back: A New Method of Mulch Gardening

Manufacturer: Rodale Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000E319A8

Product Description

A new method of gardening using mulch

How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back

Manufacturer: Expoosition Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GM19DY

How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back: A New Method of Mulch Gardening

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back: A New Method of Mulch Gardening
Ruth Stout
Manufacturer: Cornerstone Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NO7B5A

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back: a New Method of Mulch Gardening
Ruth Stout
Manufacturer: Exposition Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H0QF4S

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back
Ruth Stout
Manufacturer: Behrman House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0682400955

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back

Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0346121264

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How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back

Manufacturer: Cornerstone Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HWPLIC

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Book Description

* Is your child halfway through first grade and still unable to read?

* Is your preschooler bored with coloring and ready for reading?

* Are you worried that your child will become lost in overcrowded classrooms?

* Did you know that early readers hold an advantage over their peers throughout school?

* Do you want to help your child read, but are afraid you'll do something wrong?

SRAs DISTAR® is the most successful beginning reading program available to schools across the country. Research has proven that children taught by the DISTAR® method outperform their peers who receive instruction from other programs. Now for the first time, this program has been adapted for parent and child to use at home. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows patents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read.

Twenty minutes a day is all you need, and within 100 teaching days your child will be reading on a solid second-grade reading level. It's a sensible, easy-to-follow, and enjoyable way to help your child gain the essential skills of reading. Everything you need is here -- no paste, no scissors, no flash cards, no complicated directions -- just you and your child learning together. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Resource.......2007-10-05

I am now teaching my third son to read using this book. The process is so easy and effective.

Intensive phonics -- worked for us!.......2007-09-12

I use this book with my homeschooled daughter, age 5. Despite the cheesy title, it has worked well for us. They say that once a child is done with all 100 lessons, they should be reading at a solid second-grade level. I believe that is accurate. We completed lesson 95 today. The lessons take anywhere from 10-30 minutes.

I strongly believe that a strictly phonics-based method makes sense. Teach Read is based on the SRA phonics method that I remember using as a first grader.

The introductory material for the teacher was incredibly helpful. I believe it is important to read these instructions and follow them carefully. I wonder if some who did not think the program worked for them skipped this.

It is an entirely scripted program which I thought would be overkill, but it was helpful. Once I learned to use it I made my own adjustments as needed.

It does not assume the child knows anything to start, not even the alphabet. Of course if the child does know letters and sounds, he or she can progress more easily.

What I like most is that it painlessly took us through some phonics rules, without either of us ever realizing we were learning "rules." I've seen some programs say, "OK, now we're going to learn that when two vowels are together, the first one makes the sound." That makes it sound harder than it is. This just demonstrates it, so it's much easier.

It starts with basic letter sounds, then progresses to blends, digraphs, etc. (again, without ever telling the child they're about to learn blends and digraphs). It goes through the entire process of sounding out words without it ever seeming like work. Children are rewarded at the end of most lessons with a story they can read themselves, very early on. I've read in reviews some people complaining that the stories are silly, but it has appealed to Addy. They're better than the "Pat the rat sat on a mat" type. Once they read the story, they get to see a picture illustrating the story. For Addy, that seems like a neat surprise at the end of each lesson so she looks forward to the next. I will say that the lessons can seem tedious at the end, but we have taken what works for us and ignored parts that were tedious. For example, the program teaches reading comprehension along with the mechanics of reading. Once I was convinced that Addy did fully comprehend the story, I found no need to pepper her with questions to test her understanding.

Teach Read also teaches handwriting as part of every lesson. We use something else for that, so we have skipped that part since about lesson 15. If she weren't a lefty with a specific issue I was attempting to correct, I probably would have stuck with the Teach Read handwriting.

Others have mentioned the invented orthography in this book. I, too, was concerned until I gave the program a chance. It introduces it for good reason, then gently and seamlessly weans the child from it. I would not recommend starting this book and quitting partway through. That would indeed be confusing. However, once it is followed through the system works.

My 5-year-old is reading as a result of this book and our homeschooling efforts. As we finish the book, we're moving on to the next step suggested in Teach Read. Addy is reading real, good-quality books. A list of 20 titles is suggested as a start.

HELPFUL HINT: I took this book to my local copy shop and had them trim off the spine and put a spiral binding on it. It cost just a few books and made the book lay nicely while using.

How I learned.......2007-09-11

I learned to read with this book when I was four, almost five. Excellent. I didn't find it too boring at all. I had already tried other systems and I had been feeling really frustrated. This book took the frustration away. After practicing with some intermediate material for a few months after finishing this book, I was reading chapter books (as a five-year-old) at a fifth grade level. So I went from struggling and not really reading much, and hating it, to reading chapter books with relish, within about 7 months all in all.

I do remember my mom found some typos and mistakes in the book but it wasn't a big deal at all. We followed the book at our own pace, sometimes doing a few lessons at a time, sometimes skipping it for a while. Whatever you do, don't force it on your child before they're ready.

I am now purchasing this book for my own son who is three. Is he ready to read yet? I don't know, but he says he wants to learn to read, so we'll see. I'll be back later to share how that goes. :)

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons Review.......2007-09-05

The book was recommended in an educational assessment by a psychologist. I purchased the book so our teacher aides could work one on one with some of our students. The teacher aides report that the lessons work very well. They particularly like that thy are guided through the course. They say the students don't get confused because it is prescribed. They also see the progress in the students. I am very pleased with the course and I have recommended it to parents as well to work on with their children at home.

Budget-Conscious Teachers.......2007-08-26

This book is great for teachers that would like to teach using the Direct Instruction method but cannot afford to buy the entire Reading Mastery set. The lessons are easy to use with students. I recommend this book if you believe in direct instruction and have limited funds from your school district or your own pocket.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

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Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Siegfried; Bruner, Elaine; Haddox, Phyllis Engelmann
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NV166I

Book Description

Henry Alford was a well-adjusted, critically acclaimed author living quietly in New York City.

Then he decided to become an actor.

Thus begins Alford's hilarious romp through the uncanny world of the struggling actor, with its horrible headshots, gleefully sadistic acting teachers, and mutilated Shakespeare. Alford is rejected by directors, ignored by casting people, and educated in the finer points of Shakespearean thespianism at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, where he fails to convince the Queen to attend his final performance. Along the way, he auditions for the role of Wilbur the Pig in Charlotte's Web, triumphs as an extra in Godzilla, and takes his sixty-nine-year-old bird-watching, chain-smoking mother to improvisational-comedy camp. Original, absurd, and written with true comic grace, Big Kiss captures in a new and unforgettable way the experience of being a performer.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2003-07-03

An excellent worm's-eye-view of the acting trade. Not as laugh-out-loud funny as his earlier book, Municipal Bondage, which was a collection. But this has a throughline, and more emotionality. If you are forced to choose between the two, I'd buy Municipal Bondage. But this one ain't bad.

Hilarious.......2003-02-20

One of the funniest books I have ever read. I love everything Henry Alford has written. If you like humorists such as David Sedaris and David Rakoff, or you were a fan of Spy magazine, you will enjoy this book.

good read.......2002-04-30

i'm not interested in acting. but i picked up this book at my bookstore, and read it in two sittings. really funny, especially the part where he took his mother to a theater camp.

A hilarious account of one man's search for celebrity..........2002-02-13

When I pulled Big Kiss of my bookshelf the other day, I could not for the life of me remember what exactly had inspired me to buy it. Whatever the reason was, I am extremely glad that I did, and I would encourage others to do so without hesitation. Big Kiss is an absolutely hysterically funny, well-written, fascinating, perceptive account of Henry Alford's career switch from journalist to actor/performer/celebrity.

The book opens with Henry's attempt to skip the performer stage and jump straight to celebrity status, and almost immediately I found myself literally laughing aloud - on the subway, no less. In order to facilitate his career change, he enrolls in a variety of acting classes that he describes with comedic brilliance, none more so than his stint at the Royal Academy in London. The book details his search for work and success along with the effects on friends, family - mainly his mother, who accompanies him to an improv workshop with yet again hilarious results - and his significant other.

What makes Big Kiss so good is Henry's ability to convey the humor in a situation so well, which isn't alway easy, and the voice he uses throughout, which becomes very clearly and uniquely his own. Although many of the situations in which he finds himself are fraught with humor on their own, he manages to dig deeper and find a whole other level while also tossing off some pretty astute perceptions about celebrity, life, etc. I must say, I went within a very few pages of this book from wondering why I bought the hard cover to encouraging everyone I know to getit, even reading some passages aloud - particularly some laugh-out-loud funny scenes involving a performance at Elaine's - for encouragement. If you are looking for a truly entertaining, intelligent read, Big Kiss is for you. Henry Alford deserves any success he can find, and I certainly hope that I encounter more of his excellent and hilarious work.

Beautiful.......2002-01-10

This is a beautiful and funny work. I'm not that interested in acting or show business, and yet was held tight in this book's clutches.

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