The heather in lore, lyric and lay,: By Alexander Wallace

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The heather in lore, lyric and lay,: By Alexander Wallace
Alexander Wallace
Manufacturer: A.T. De La Mare ptg. and pub. co., ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00085OB34

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The Heather in Lore, Lyric and Lay
Alexander Wallace
Manufacturer: A.T. De La Mare Ptg. and Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FSRS1Q

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The Heather in lore, Lyric and Lay
Wallace Alexander
Manufacturer: A.t. Dela mare
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NV7FZO

Amazon.com

What makes Thailand so special? For one thing, it is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized by a foreign power. Though certainly influenced by the West, it has never had its culture or its political systems run over by outsiders--a fate suffered by all of its neighbors, from Vietnam to Indonesia. Thus Thailand is a curious mixture of Western entrepreneurial spirit, tough-minded Thai individualism, and a deep reverence for tradition. All this makes Thailand an ideal place to visit, a country bursting with natural beauty, famous for the hospitality of its people, and equipped with all the modern conveniences: a national transportation system, up-to-date urban centers, and an exciting cultural milieu, from historical sites to a booming nightlife. In fact, there's so much going on in Thailand that a good guidebook is absolutely essential, and Lonely Planet Thailand is one of the best.

Written by a former Peace Corps volunteer to Thailand who is deeply conversant in the country's language, culture, and history, Thailand offers travelers the most up-to-date information about which places to go and which to avoid, how to get there and get around once you're there, and how to keep yourself healthy and safe. Thailand tells you everything you need to know for a rewarding tour of a fascinating land.

Customer Reviews:

very useful guide book but with some missunderstanding.......1999-08-09

I'm a Thai who have read this guide book. I would like to inform that there is some missunderstanding on the article "The Monarchy" (page 31). His Majesty The King Rama IX has composed many pieces, including the "falling rain" of course, but he did not compose the royal anthem. The "falling rain" is NOT the royal anthem. The royal anthem was composed by someone else.

very useful guide to a unique Thailand experience.......1999-05-16

Thoroughly dissatisfied with our original travel guide we were lucky enough to get Joe Cumming's "travel-bible" as a present in the middle of our journey. It really made a huge difference and turned our holidays into a unique experience. The descriptions of accommodation facilities turned out to be amazingly accurate and the numerous tips regarding means of travel were extremely helpful indeed. This truly comprehensive and well written guide provided us with very useful recommendations regarding travel routes, accommodation, and sightseeing while at the same time offering a thorough insight into the country's political, socio-economic and cultural background. However, one should not mistake it for a scientific essay but take it for what it is: A practical travel guide. Going by "Tuk Tuk" in Bangkok is a great experience but take Cumming's warning seriously and beware of drivers trying to guide you to cheap "promotion outlets" since these are nothing but tourist traps! The LP is an essential guide to getting around and finding interesting spots in Thailand and leads you safely to cheap but decent accommodation in almost every part of the country.

Updated and convincing materials.......1999-04-25

As a frequent traveler to Thailand I read the book with a certain amount of hesitation, becase many "guide books" are out-of-date. However, this manuscript really informs the traveler/tourist about a wonderful culture and society. We should not try to change or modify the Thai human spirit! We, in many instances, can learn from it. In the future writings I hope more about Nan Province can be told. A beautiful area with friendly people, beautiful mountains, no polution or automobile congestion, and a place to relax for a few days from a long flight.

Fantastic guide to a wonderful cultural experience.......1999-04-18

We went to Thailand on honeymoon and were in no doubt that this would be a fantastic experience. This was made all the better having a copy of the LP guide. What a god send. We found it user friendly, a great read, thorough and useful for us as we went off the beaten track. Overall, we would recommend this to anyone who has a sense of adventure and wants to see and experience the real Thailand.

A sad peice of pretentious buffonery.......1999-03-11

In exhaustive travels to this region over the past 18 years, I find it unprecedented how much misinformation is presented in this "comic book." I would not recommend it, due to numerous misrepresentations, seedy lodging and narcotics procurement recommendations and an overall portrayal of the Thai people as deceitful and primitive. The writer obviously has great bias against this portion of the world and probably could use intense diversity training, regardless of claims to an understanding of the region. I strongly recommend ANY of the other top guide books to the region before you waste your funds on this drivel.

Thailand Travel Survival (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit)

Average customer rating:

Awful, plain awful
Don't Leave Home Without it!
informative but outdated
Next edition perhaps is the 'optimal guide'
Good but could have been better

Thailand Travel Survival (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit)
Patricia A. Dunkel , and Joe Cummings
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0908086520

Book Description

Hotter than a 'rat-shit pepper', this best-selling guide gives you the goods on surviving crazy Bangkok, exploring exotic landscapes and discovering what lies behind that famous Thai smile.

148 easy-to-read maps
hundreds of places to stay, from squat-toilet guesthouses to luxe spa resorts
indepth analysis of the intricacies of Thai culture
where to learn Thai massage and master meditation
special sections covering Thai art, music, theatre and religion
Thai script throughout for easy reference, and handy language chapter with essential Thai words and phrases

Customer Reviews:

Awful, plain awful.......2006-10-23

They say the way to judge a travel guide is to use one in a city you are very familiar with. I have been to Bangkok countless times in the past 2 years and am thoroughly familiar with the city and have a strong understanding of the language. My friend visited Bangkok and I left my travel guide (Let's Go) behind in my village to lessen my load. I figured I did not need much, just a few maps and the background of the areas we would be visiting.

This book could not have been more useless. In the Army I taught map reading and land navigation and was able to get even the most directionless soldiers to pass the tests in this area. I could not make head or tails from the maps provided, in a city were I generally know the layout. The maps were either too large to provide any useful detail or too small to provide for any frame of reference. It was either getting a broad shot of the galaxy or a microscopic view of a gnat.

After the first day we left the guidebook behind and went on my knowledge of the city and my Thai language skills. For those of you who do not have either I would suggest the Let's Go Thailand book. The maps are useful and the information is laid out in a way that is easily understandable.

Don't Leave Home Without it!.......2005-09-23

I have used this series on Thailand 5 times over the last seven years for extended trips and schooling in Thailand. I found my sons Kickboxing camp through Lonely Planets and sent him of to live in Chiang Mai with a copy of his own when he turned 17. One time I lost my copy at LAX and replaces it with the competition. It was an insufferable step downward. I spent ½ a day scouring Bangkok for a new Lonley Planet. Things change often in the travel industry and I always buy the latest addition before I depart, but these guides are as dead on accurate as can be! I have also used them in Africa and the Middle East. They never disappointed!

informative but outdated.......2005-08-09

i was disappointed as much information was two-three years old.
i should have checked the date of edition more carefully before purchase. i have gotten a lot of useful information and the book has been helpful but i am staying at a hotel in bangkok that has changed names and eating at a place in chiang dao that has changed ownership. i have used the internet to update information before making decisions.

Next edition perhaps is the 'optimal guide'.......2005-06-27

I found that this guide is in its way to be a really good guide.
But I've found some mistakes and omissions that could make it better. (ie: prices, locations)
Next edition is about to come, so I would recommend give it a glance.
Though Lonely Planet claims to have excelent maps, I think they could really be better.

Good but could have been better.......2005-05-25

Its a good book and a worth while read but the flow of the book is different to other lonely planet books I have had.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on March 22, 1996. The length of the article is 611 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka: A Political Biography, vol. 2, From 1956 to His Retirement (1989).
Author: Steven Kemper
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1996
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: v69 Issue: n1 Page: p128(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Edwin P. Wilson was the Great Gatsby of the spook world, the rogue CIA agent who had already begun to amass a fortune while still in U.S. intelligence. His lavish estate outside Washington, D.C. was a favored gathering place for senators and congressmen, admirals and generals, and for key intelligence officers. Both the CIA and the FBI were aware of Wilson's secret, illegal weapons-trafficking activities with Libya's Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, but they had done nothing to stop him. To everyone who knew him, Edwin Wilson seemed above the law.

Then, U.S. attorney Larry Barcella discovered Wilson's sinister machinations, and in a chase that would go on for nearly four years and over three continents, Barcella began a manhunt that would not end until Wilson was brought to justice.

Customer Reviews:

Detailed suspense.......2006-08-18

The author is a great storyteller and provides an inordinate amount of details concerning the rougue CIA that is being tracked. It really is amazing how Mr. Maas was able to pull this all together in a great read like this.

good read.......2003-04-20

Maas is a good story teller and he keeps your attention the whole while as he takes you from the beginnings of Wilson's thirst for money at age 8 to his acquisition of prime property in the Washington, D.C. area as a result of his secretive and illegal dealings with foreign powers. Though CIA senior officers were members along with him in phoney corporations he set up to conduct his "import-export" business), any official connection to the CIA while all this was going on isn't clear. Yet the prospect of any CIA connection to Wilson's shipments of thousands of pounds of C-4 (plastique) to Libya and Mohamar Kaddafi is, indeed, very troubling. As the author pointed out, when jets started falling out of the air (Lockerbie) and discos blowing up (Rome), you couldn't help but feel that if not for Wilson, many of these things might not ever have happened. It seems that whereever 20th century evil was to be found, the CIA was either right there, or not too far behind.

This doesn't give you any great insights into the inner workings of the world of spooks, but it is certainly an interesting read and does afford at times a look at how the Justice and State Departments work--or fail to work.

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Manhunt The Incredible Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist
Maas Peter
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD7ZRI

Average customer rating:
Select Reader 5 Books in One : Manhunt the Incredible Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist; Don Coyote the Good Times and the Bad Times of a Maligned American Original; and I Was Ther Pear Harbor and Midway; South Light; the Heist
Peter; Dayton O Hyde; Rear Admiral Edwin T Layton; Roger Pineau; John Costello; Michael Parfit; Ernest Volkman; John Cummings Maas
Manufacturer: Harlequin Enterprises / TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JC442O

Average customer rating:
Manhunt The Incredible Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist (Edwin P. Wilson)
Peter Maas
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0FJIO

Average customer rating:
Manhunt: The Incredible Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist
Peter Maas
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5X9M2

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable TRIPE

fun, quick read/view for dog lovers

A 'doggone' WONDERFUL book!

A fabulous adventure

God Bless Jeff Selis

Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road
Jeff Selis
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dog Save the Queen: The Tails of Britain

ASIN: 0811828301

Amazon.com

Dog lovers, make some room on the bookshelf--you won't be able to resist this utterly adorable photo book of dogs around the country. Jeff Selis's Dog Bless America is the result of his road trip from sea to shining sea, during which he made friends with and snapped a photo of at least one dog in every state. Selis includes the highlight of each pooch's life, whether it's a love of the simple things like tummy tickles or heroic escapades such as rescuing a child lost in the Sierra Madre mountains. The dogs' stories are arranged alphabetically by state, and about a third of the entries include an excerpt from the author's journal that mentions a special high spot of the trip, the town, or his own dog's local experience.

Photos of some fairly famous dogs--or dogs belonging to famous people--are here, but most of the book focuses on the lovably average. One pair of pooches from Memphis, appropriately named Rock and Roll, keep the King's dream alive in the evening, when they "pay tribute to him every day just by having their names called for dinner." Franklin, Jesse Ventura's wrinkle-faced pup, is featured for Minnesota, while a touching statue of Shep is pictured for Montana's page. According to locals, Shep's master died in 1936 and his casket rode back East on a train. Shep waited by the station every day for five years, waiting for his master to return. The statue was erected years after his death, which was mourned by hundreds of folks. Dogs like Shep remind us why we love dogs in the first place--their charm, loyalty, and friendship are unsurpassed. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

When Jeff Selis set off to explore this vast country of ours, he brought along his best friend Seamus, his loyal dog Otis, and his trusty 1965 Polaroid Land Camera. Dog Bless America is the result of this three-month-long--and very canine-friendly--sojourn. From a dachshund named Grover Cleveland posed in front of Mt. Rushmore to Rock and Roll, a pair of black labs in Memphis, Tennessee, Dog Bless America captures America's finest in all of their tail-wagging, tongue-flapping, wet-nosed splendor. In addition to meeting the local hot dogs in each of the fifty states, Jeff, Seamus, and Otis encountered calamities, epiphanies, and even the occasional out-and-out serendipitous moment (who knew St. Louis's annual "Woofstock" would be held on the same weekend that Jeff, Seamus, and Otis just happened to be in town?!). So if the garbage can hasn't been tipped over in a while, and the doggy door just isn't swinging like it used to, try reading Rover a page or two from Dog Bless America. It's guaranteed to make him proud to be a dog--and an American one at that!

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable TRIPE.......2005-04-20

My girlfriend bought me this book for my birthday, knowing how much I love dogs. Initially I was simply annoyed at it - "what a waste" I think were my thoughts as I tossed it into the can...but then I got angry upon more thought. This book is so unbelievably bad it's an insult. It's awful when you think about how many really great literary works go unpublished while junk like this (and the other books that follow in this series) get the big GREEN LIGHT and thumbs up. I can only guess that Jeff Selis has some relative or good friend in the publishing business...and a few others who write and submit positive reviews to Amazon. Do not buy this book or any more that follow from Jeff Selis - let's stop rewarding people and businesses for mediocre work.

fun, quick read/view for dog lovers.......2004-01-03

A funny book touching on many dogs the author met on a cross-country dog with his own dog. Only two minor issues: (i) some of the dogs were interesting enough that more than 1 or 2 sentences would have been worthwhile (this is not the structure of the book, however); (ii) p. 74 - "... Lake Erie - the biggest lake in the world..."? simple fact-checking would have been worthwhile.

But a good, inexpensive photo book for any dog lover - and a particularly thoughtful gift w/o breaking the bank.

A 'doggone' WONDERFUL book!.......2001-12-22

This is a magical book! The photographs were wonderful, really capturing the magic of these wonderful dogs in a heartfelt, touching, and oftentimes incredibly funny manner! I particularly liked to see which states my favorite dogs came from! It seems there are nice dogs ALL OVER the country! Because of a highly restrictive lease agreement, I am only able to have a cat in my apartment. While I have no qualms with the company of Mittens (my cat!), thanks to Jeff Selis' terrific book, I am also able to enjoy the company of many lovable dogs in my apartment, too!! Thank you, Mr. Selis, for this "doggone" WONDERFUL treasure!

A fabulous adventure.......2001-09-04

Another fantastic and entertaining adventure of encounters, long travels, and human's best companions. Not only do we get to know a new dog from each state but we also get little tid-bits of American history and hilarious detail's of Jeff's daily travel's. Long live Jeff and Otis!

God Bless Jeff Selis.......2001-08-25

What a great book!!! I know all of the dogs and dog lovers across America thank Jeff for sharing this wonderful journey through his photographs. How envious we are that we could not go along but having the book is the next best thing. Share this book with every animal lover you know. They will forever be indebted. A special thank you from Rock & Roll from Memphis (pg. 81). You made our day! The King lives!!!!

Average customer rating:

Ronnie

This book ROCKS!

Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry and more

Cool beginner's Book

Great Illustrations

Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry and More (Getting Started series)
Linda Chandler , and Christine R. Ritchey
Manufacturer: Interweave Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Decorating | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Jewelry | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Bead On A Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry

Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings

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Getting Started Stringing Beads (Getting Started series)

Creating Wire and Beaded Jewelry: Over 35 beautiful projects using wire and beads

ASIN: 193149987X

Book Description

Those with interest, but absolutely no wire-working knowledge, will find this gradual guide a great introduction to every aspect of working with the enduring medium of wire. The chapters walk the aspiring craftsperson step-by-step through the entire process, from where and how to shop for wire and beads, to choosing the right kind and gauge of wire, and what tools of the trade they need to borrow or buy. No background is assumed; skills build upon each other as the book progresses. The basic jewelry components, such as loops, jump rings, findings, and connectors, are covered in turn. These lessons are then put to use with a selection of six projects, from jewelry to more unusual uses for metal embellishments such as greeting cards. Filled with lessons, tips, and resources from start to finish, this manual is a primer for the true beginner.

Customer Reviews:

Ronnie.......2007-08-23

This book was an excellent guide to making jewelry with great instructions. I am new to jewelry making and I would highly recommend it.

This book ROCKS!.......2007-08-19

I have been making and selling (a lot) of jewelry for the past year, however, I have yet to be able to learn how to make anything with wire. I've bought those useless "wigjigs", countless magazines, looked up instructions online but have been able to make not one thing.

I was in the bookstore looking for ideas for beaded necklaces and I picked up this book. I immediately purchased it and within ten minutes of reviewing it, I made wire coils, my own toggle clasp, a pair of wire earrings and french wire earring hooks!

The problem with most books I have found are:
They give you diagrams, but if there are six steps, you get diagrams for steps 2, 4 and 6 and they leave out 1,3 and 5.

Or, you get one view when realistically you need three dimensional views in order to do what they are describing correctly.

This book gives you many different views so you can see the front, back and side of what you are trying to make. I would recommend this book to ANYONE that wants to make wire jewelry. You learn SO quick and I just cannot believe i've waited a year and a half when I could have had this book and been doing it all along!

It's not a wealth of designs or ideas, however, it gives you the basic foundation of wire work and the most common wire techniques which allows you to branch off on your own and be able to design things yourself while also being able to NOW understand instructions in magazines or online because you can do the basics.

Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry and more.......2007-07-27

Wonderful book....2 days service not to mention FREE S&H. Will never buy a book anywhere else!

Cool beginner's Book.......2007-07-12

The process is explained very well. It provides a great understanding of all the elements involved (tools, beads, wires). It's a keeper.

Great Illustrations.......2007-04-29

This book covers all the basics and then some. I am taking wire classes as well and still found this book useful. The descriptions are good and the illustrations leave little room for error. I recommend this to any person who has the jewelry 'bug' and doesnt want to stop with just stringing beads!

Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry And More

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Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry And More
Linda Chandler & Christine Ritchey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q5KGBC

Book Description

The Flora covers over 4,500 taxa, including all native, naturalized and crop plants, and all recurrent casuals. Over 150 pages of specially prepared illustrations are provided to aid identification of critical groups and less familiar alien taxa. Technical terms are kept to an essential minimum. Over 100 species and subspecies have been added, together with numerous extra hybrids in this new edition.

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New Flora of the British Isles
Clive Stace
Manufacturer: Cambridge Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KXAM9Q

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!!

A manual on how to raise boys

Excellent Guide Book for Raising Sons!

Long Overdue Focus on Raising Young Men

Easy reading

The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men
Michael Gurian
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Development | Child Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Child Development | Babies & Toddlers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life

The Wonder of Boys

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A Fine Young Man: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Shape Adolescent Boys into Exceptional Men

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys

ASIN: 1585420492
Release Date: 2000-08-03

Book Description

Selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of 1999, The Good Son is the definitive guide to the moral and emotional development of our boys and young men. Within its pages, Michael Gurian widely credited as the founder of today's "boys movement" takes readers through a complete parenting program, showing how to instill virtues in boys at each stage of life.

For parents and teachers who fear that our child-rearing systems have lost much of their ethical underpinnings and that our boys are becoming emotionally closed-off, The Good Son serves as a welcome guidepost. It is one of today's premier books on parenting and male development.

"Gurian is becoming the boys' Dr. Spock."-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Lays out a well-organized blueprint for ushering boys into manhood.... Outstanding." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"One of the most provocative new books." -USA Today

Download Description

In his eagerly awaited new book, therapist and educator Michael Gurian presents the definitive guide to the moral development of our boys and young men. He takes readers through a complete parenting program, showing them how to instill virtues in boys at each of the three stages of life: The Age of Obedience (birth to six); The Age of Convention (seven to twelve); and The Age of Moral Intuition (thirteen to eighteen). The Good Son also addresses "moral emergency" questions on how to cope with stealing, violence, and other forms of severe misbehavior. In addition, Gurian furnishes a list of the fifty top books and films that will help stimulate moral growth in boys and young men. For parents and teachers who fear that our society has lost much of its moral and ethical underpinnings, The Good Son serves as a welcome guidepost. It is destined to become one of the premier books on parenting and moral life.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!!.......2007-01-26

This is one of the best, no-nonsense books on raising a son on the market today. I should know--I've tried alot of them! It's easy to read, thoughful and insightful.

A manual on how to raise boys.......2006-11-04

This book helped me understand better how boys change during their life from early childhood to young adulthood. I looked back at how my own boys have developed and I discovered many things I was blissfully unware. I found also many useful educational tools in the book.

Michael Gurian has a very clear writing, sometimes he repeats himself, but with a good reason: one will revisit the book as the boy grows older to read sections that have a precise target. This is like a user manual on how to raise boys of any age.

The book is divided in four parts: overview of boys in comparison with girls from the point of view of psychology and neurobiology, early childhood (Age of Obedience), middle childhood (Age of Convention) and teenage years (Age of Intuition). The first part is mandatory reading, in my view. It does an excellent job at explaining why boys are different. You learn about brain structure, hormones and what they actually mean in terms of behaviour outcomes and education method. The other parts can be read when needed, although you should read the book entirely at least once, even if you boy is not in the age bracket discussed by a particular part.

The curious thing about the book is that it seems like an easy read, sometimes even dry, but the concepts are profound. I see clearly now where I made mistakes, not because of particular mishaps but because my errors in principle. Being a good parent, especially a good father, is much more than working hard long hours for the sake of family wealth. This is where the book is best and I am so glad I bought it. It has a well designed structure that maps our life cycle in the context of family, traditions, education with support from recent scientific research in sociology, psychology and neurobiology.

I liked how the main parts are sub-divided. The book has a rythm, a methodical approach so that you can see how the child evolves and how outcomes are created in the process. The subdivisions are: developmental milestones, discipline techniques, moral teaching and a healthy moral and emotional environment. The language is simple but powerful because the content has value and it is very concrete.

The author discusses how to handle issues like respect, language, rules, rituals, backtalk, chores, allowance, sex and drugs. I appreciated the fact that the book does not have empty, positive talk, but focuses a lot on identifying facts, issues and how to handle situations in a way that suits your background (father, mother, single parent, tutor).

This is the kind of book that makes it easy for you to want to come back and read it again, because when you need it, you will know precisely where to look and what to look for.

Excellent Guide Book for Raising Sons!.......2004-08-04

Michael Gurian gently takes us through the stages of development in boys as he sees them and has a knack for challenging us and at the same time feel more comfortable with the process. As a father of a severely autistic boy and a typical boy, I can use tips in this book to help Ryan understand his special brother and help him feel less alienated and closer to his family.

"Publisher's Weekly" got it right when they called this book "the definitive guide to the moral and emotional development of our boys and young men."

WELL DONE MICHAEL GURIAN!!!

Long Overdue Focus on Raising Young Men.......2002-10-19

"The Good Son" by Michael Gurian (a therapist and educator) is a book for parents designed with the intention of helping them raise a morally grounded son. Subtitled "Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men", I felt Mr. Gurian did a great job by dividing up the chapters into specific age groups (infant, toddler, teen, etc.). I am not inclined to read these types of books (self-help, how-to), but with heavy pressure from my fellow parents and their strong recommendations I'm sure glad I did. We are presented with the physical, emotional, and psychological growth that we can expect and how this will effect the behavior of our boy(s). The book is crammed with excellent examples - some quite inspiring - from Mr. Wolfe's practice as well as practical guides to discipline, "rules to live by", and the "range of normal". Despite the subtitle the book is not moralistic or preachy, but rather focuses on helping parents instill their own belief system into their child. In our politically correct world, I particularly enjoyed the explanations of the differences between boys and girls and how they interpret the world around them (they're different! Who knew?) Throughout the book, medical research is presented (some well known and some fairly recent) to back up his ideas. In our politically correct and gender neutral idealized society it is refreshing to hear someone unafraid to speak the obvious. Ultimately, the information is neither bound to dry medical text nor religious ideology, but rather, a very readable and fun resource for parents.

Easy reading.......2001-01-20

This book is suggested to anyone who has to raise a son in todays world. I have bought this book for 2 women raising boys. It has open a new world for me-the understanding of why my boy is the way he is. The author suggest structure and rules will help your young boy blossom into a confident young man. Ever chapter he touches on "the Range of Normal" which you can apply to your child at his age level.

The Good Son : Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men

Average customer rating:

The Good Son : Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men
Michael Gurian
Manufacturer: Putnam Publishing Group, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OEM2R6

Amazon.com

"If you seek his monument, look around," commands Adrian Tinniswood in his scholarly but elegantly entertaining biography of Christopher Wren (1632-1723). "As an architect, he changed the face of England and the course of architectural history." Tinniswood describes with appreciation and discernment Wren's greatest buildings: "the bubble of unexampled lightness that is St. Stephen Walbrook" church, the additions to Hampton Court, and of course London's majestic St. Paul's Cathedral, a symbol of British faith and courage throughout the centuries. These structures were political as well as architectural achievements, and Tinniswood nicely captures the discretion, ruthlessness, and carefully cultivated connections that enabled Wren to survive the Civil War, get himself named Royal Surveyor, hang on to the job under five monarchs, and get designs approved and money wheedled out of a reluctant parliament. Tinniswood pays equally intelligent attention to Wren's early career as an esteemed Oxford astronomy professor and charter member of the Royal Society (and its president from 1681-3). He writes wittily about the quirks of Wren and such peers as Newton and Bernini, capturing the intensely personal nature of 17th-century public culture, and he (sparingly) offers his opinions in a way that enhances our understanding of the period. "I want my heroes to be people, not ideas," Tinniswood writes, after describing a squabble at the Royal Society. This sparkling biography reveals Wren as a human being without detracting from the heroic nature of his accomplishments. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

In His Invention So Fertile, Adrian Tinniswood offers the first biography of Christopher Wren in a generation. It is a book that reveals the full depth of Wren's multifaceted genius, not only as one of the greatest architects who ever lived--the designer of St. Paul's Cathedral--but as an influential seventeenth-century scientist. Tinniswood writes with insight and flair as he follows Wren from Wadham College, Oxford, through the turmoil of the English Civil War, to his role in helping to found the Royal Society--the intellectual and scientific heart of seventeenth-century England. The reader discovers that the great architect was initially an astronomer who was also deeply interested in medicine, physics, and mathematics. Family connections pulled him into architecture, with a commission to restore the chapel at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Tinniswood deftly follows Wren's rise as architect, capturing the atmosphere of Restoration London, as old Royalists scrambled for sinecures from Charles II and Wren learned the art of political infighting at court, finally becoming Surveyor of the Royal Works-the King's engineer. Most important, the author recounts the intriguing story of the building of St. Paul's. The Great Fire of 1666--vividly recreated in Tinniswood's narrative--left London a smoldering husk. Wren played a central role in reshaping the city, culminating with St. Paul's, his masterpiece--though he had to steer between King and cathedral authorities to get his radical, domed design built. As the Enlightenment dawned in England, Wren's magnificent dome rose above London, soon to become an icon of London and world architecture. One of the most influential architects in history, Christopher Wren comes vividly to life in this fittingly grand biography.

Customer Reviews:

By his deeds shall a man be known.......2002-04-21

Sir Christopher Wren has earned his reputation as a man of great learning and marvelous architectural works. He is therefore entitled to another book devoted to his lifework and HIS INVENTION SO FERTILE is just that. Adrian Tinniswood's "A Life of Christopher Wren" offers a well researched and finely detailed picture of the architectural legacy of Wren and his equally impressive, but lesser known work as an inventor, astronomer, and scientist. As a straight biography of the man - his thoughts and ideas and his family life - the book is a little sketchy. Unlike his friend John Evelyn and Samuel Pepys, Wren was no diarist. He in fact had very little to say about himself, his family, or the times in which he lived. When a biographer says that this is "a man you would give a great deal to know" you get a clear sense of the frustration Tinniswood faced in unearthing biographical details on Wren.

There is still of course quite a story to tell. Wren was born in 1632 and since his father was King's Chaplain at Windsor Castle one of little Christopher's playmates was the young Prince Charles (later Charles II). By the time Wren was 17 he had invented a pneumatic engine and a machine that wrote in the dark. His early interest was in astronomy and he made sundials and created a model of the Solar System. Wren tested the effectiveness of opium as an anaesthetic for prolonged surgery. This is where Tinniswood begins his book and I'd recommend skimming through the unpleasant description of experiments on a dog. A point that Tinniswood brings across, with Wren as a classic example, is that this was a time of knowledge as something whole. Learning was enlightenment in many subjects. Wren distinguished himself in mathematics, physics, medicine, and astronomy. In 1661, Wren not yet 30, was made professor of Astronomy at Oxford. Tinniswood highlights another interesting point about the general historical setting. How is it that this "fertile" period of great scientific discovery and expanding intellectual horizons coexisted with a time of civil war and massive political upheaval? The 1640's in England was a time of parliamentary revolt, a King (Charles I) losing his head - literally, and the rise of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell represented a significant threat to Royalists such as Wren and his family. When the Restoration of the monarchy was achieved and Charles II took the throne, Wren was in a perfect position to benefit from the application of his "formidable intellect" in the service of his friend the King. Shortly after Wren and others formed a society for the study of science Charles II gave it a Royal Charter in 1661, and thus the Royal Society of London was created.

The main substance of the book and the work for which we best know Wren - his architecture - we now see as simply just another career for Wren. The first building he designed was the chapel for Pembroke College, Cambridge but the work that was to stand him in good stead a few years later was his dome for the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford. For this he studied Michelangelo's drawings for the dome of St Peter's in Rome, and Wren went to Paris in 1665 to look at Lemercier's Baroque style dome at the church of the Sorbonne. Wren was again fortuitously placed to benefit when following the Great Fire of London in 1666, thousands of houses, over 50 churches, and a significant landmark were destroyed. John Evelyn said it best in his diary "I was infinitely concerned to find that goodly church, St Paul's, a sad ruin..." Because Wren was so quick on the draw with a post-fire plan for a redesigned St Paul's, there has always been a rumour that Wren himself may have started the fire. Tinniswood does not fan the flame of that falsehood at all.

After the task of surveying the fire damage was completed Wren submitted a plan for the redesign of not just St Paul's but of great sections of London. The Rebuilding act of 1667 set some things in place such as wider streets but only a few elements of the city plan were accepted. Even with St Paul's, Wren had to submit many designs. Tinniswood goes into detail on the "First Model", the "Great Model" and the finally accepted "Warrant Design" which incorporated a Latin Cross layout with a large dome. Any architect reading these descriptions will be on familiar ground. Some aspects of the profession such as constantly modifying plans, negotiating and compromise, all have a very old history.

Readers who enjoy history, science, and of course architecture will thoroughly enjoy this book. Given that it's a biography it's surprising that those are the fans who'll probably be disappointed. There's nothing new here about Wren the man and what we already know is not much. Look to his work instead; it says a lot that words alone can't express.

An Architect, and More.......2001-12-25

In London, within St. Paul's Cathedral, one can find possibly the most famous epitaph in the world. In Latin, it says, "Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you." Within the crypt is the architect of St. Paul's, and what a monument he has, and how fitting. But it is not hard, even oceans away from England, to look around and find something that Wren affected. One of the great lessons of the fascinating _His Invention So Fertile: A Life of Christopher Wren_ (Oxford University Press) by Adrian Tinniswood is that Wren is not St. Paul's, although the cathedral may be regarded as the centerpiece of his life. He was not even merely an architect. Wren's astonishingly comprehensive genius reached into many fields, and he was an advocate to encourage the way we do science in the modern world.

It was obvious when Wren entered Wadham College at Oxford as a seventeen year old in 1649 that he had a mind directed toward inquiry and practicality - his favorite activity was designing sundials. The two impulses would continue throughout his long life. The "new science" of Francis Bacon was showing that experimentation was better than Aristotle at showing how the universe worked, and as a scientist, not as a builder, Wren initially found fame. He made discoveries in astronomy and anatomy, and showed practical insights into lens grinding, water pumps, weaving, and submarine navigation. He was a founding member of the Royal Society which propelled science forward in England in the ensuing centuries. It is not surprising that this many-sided man would take an interest in architecture. When London burned in 1666, he was the first with a plan to rebuild the city (nine days after the fire), and although the plan was too ambitious, its centerpiece, the new St. Paul's, became his to work on for over three decades. He had one chapel finished in Cambridge at the time, and a theater under construction in Oxford; before he was appointed architect of St. Paul's, this was his entire architectural portfolio.

Tinniswood has given us a big, thorough biography of an imposing intellect. The facts of Wren's endeavors must remain as the only real illumination to his personality, because much of his personal life is hidden. He died at age 91, and had many fights with lesser minds in order to bring his vision of St. Paul's into being. He succeeded, but it might have been that the battles made him look back with regret as death approached. He concluded that by being appointed Surveyor General he had been condemned "to spend all his time in Rubbish." He mean such rubbish as the Royal Hospitals at Greenwich and Chelsea, the Trinity College library, or the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. At the end he lamented that he had eventually let architecture sap his time from being a professional scientist. Wren did leave behind a scientific legacy, and one cannot second guess history, but read this fine biography and know that he made the right choice.

Extremely readable account of England's most famous architec.......2001-12-15

Tinniswood's new book is the first of a string of new biographies of Wren due out over the next few years. Tinniswood is a writer first and a historian second and he was succeeded in producing a book that is undoubtedly highly readable. The tone is as a colleague described, positively conspiratorial and the reader is seduced into turning each of the 463 pages to find out what happens next. This is thoroughly admirable and there is no doubt that Tinniswood has succeeded in his aim of producing the most readable account of Wren's life to date. He is also extremely good at setting the scene, quoting from a wide range of sources from the period, rumour as well as fact. In view of all this it thus seems almost carping to comment on the scholarship but as people will inevitably use such a good book as a source for Wren I think it is justified. Tinniswood himself says in the foreword that he relies heavily on the Wren Society, yet this is now out of date. His facts are unreliable and students should beware. Moreover the truth is often sacrificed at the altar of readability so that in those places where there is considerable doubt, such as Christopher's son's mental handicap, the arguments for and against are not mentioned, one side being presented as gospel. All this said if asked to recommend a single volume introduction to Wren, I would cite this one. There are few writers that have managed to capture the excitement of Wren and none are likely to be as accessible to the modern reader.

His Invention So Fertile : A Life of Christopher Wren

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His Invention So Fertile : A Life of Christopher Wren
Adrian Tinniswood
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKIT90

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HIS INVENTION SO FERTILE: A LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER WREN
Adrian Tinniswood
Manufacturer: Oxford Univ. Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N47JF2

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