One of the best travel book series, with attention to detail, plus numerous color photographs and fine maps. Lots of instructions regarding practical travel matters. (Travel Books
Review)

If these delectable guides' plentiful pix don't get you drooling to explore, you need to get your salivary glands checked. The text is also noteworthy. (...)

I recently bought this book on amazon.com. We are traveling to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and this book tells us everything fun to do and see! Wonderful color pictures!

the skys more closely than other writers give them credit for. What sets this book apart from other stonehenge interpretations is this author takes the time, lots of time to support everything with astronomical alignments,time-dating, and mathematics.
Some other authors books claim only solar summer and winter solstice alignments for stonehenge whereas Mr. North shows there is far more to stonehenge than that.
This book is not a light fast read, so plan on spending alot of extra time to read it from cover to cover. This book covers great details missed or ignored by others.
If you are looking for just one book to read on this subject this is the book! 5 stars

Mr. North exceeds my expectations in his book on the inhabitants of this magnificent area. Although it was at times tedious and heavy in the astronomical sense, I am an amateur astronomy buff so his interpretations were not totally lost to me. The most amazing breakthrough noted by Mr. North is our arrogance as a literal society to assume their intelligence as minimal due to the lack of a written legacy by these brilliant and sensitive people. Additionally, he subtley proposes that we should not judge the Stonehenge people as one because of a few isolated finds of deviant tribal rituals. The cosmological affect on the beliefs and practices of this era is well documented in Mr. North's book. Aristotle would have understood their aptitude given the tools and skills of the time. Nature is the most perfect teacher and the most accurate. Bravo Mr. North

This is not the easiest book to read. John North is so painstakingly detailed that I occasionally had to set the book aside and let my mind rest a while. Once I finally was able to get all the way through, however, I was very glad I had made the effort. North has given us a definitive look at Stonehenge.

North starts with a fairly simple premise: In order to truly understand Stonehenge one should first study the many other comparable structures built in Britan and Europe during prehistoric times. North slowly works his way through these structures before finally arriving at the ultimate destination: Stonehenge.

The conclusions he finally reaches about Stonehenge are at once startling and fascinating. For instance, he shows that observations were not done from within the Stonehenge circle, but from a point many meters outside the circle.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that if you have ever been curious about Stonehenge, North's book is a must read.

There are 28 stories in this very excellent collection by Katherine Mansfield, the settings reflecting her own life experiences in New Zealand and England in the early part of the 20th century. Her detailed descriptions of objects are intrinsic to the stories, tiny sparkles that spread out and create a canvas on which her characters interact. Every story has its own suppressed passion as Ms. Mansfield gets right into the heart of what makes us all human. They are filled with arrivals and departures, spinsterhood and marriage, love and loss and pangs of despair. Children play a role in her writings, as do distinctions of social class. Life is a struggle for her characters who are timeless in their humanity, although they all live in a world that existed more than 80 years ago. With rare exceptions, the stories are sad. I was impressed by her writing, which is layered with subtleties in the way she deals with the major themes of life and death. Her structure is unique for its time, as there doesn't seem to be any center or an easily identified beginning, middle and end. Often, they are simply small slices of life, rare glimpses into human nature with sharp insights that sparked my own memories and feelings. It might have been uncomfortable, but reading these stories was a deeply enriching literary experience.

This collection of short stories is a remarkably good introduction to Katherine Mansfield. All of her most well-known and representative stories are included here, along with some that are lesser-known.

The beauty of Mansfield's writing lies in her poetic description of detail--her power of suggestion--and her courage. She was determined, both in her life and in her writing, to move against the current of the time. Her life was filled with problems; her health, her love life, and her writing all caused her measureless pain, but in spite of these she lived her life the way she chose to live it. And though her writings were often critized--not least by her notable rival, Virginia Woolf--she kept on in the face of difficulty, and is now recognized as a major transformer of the short story.

A few examples from this collection would be in order. In "At the Bay," Mansfield examines in great detail the experiences and emotions of each member of a large family in New Zealand. It is in this story that she displays perhaps to the fullest extent her ability to take seemingly unimportant details--gestures, looks, scattered thoughts--and from them build a fascinating portrayal of an individual's personality.

In "Psychology," she conducts a unique experiment. At first glance, not much happens in the story; but on further examination and multiple rereadings, the depth of conflict becomes evident, and then, Mansfield's understanding of the deepest nooks and crannies not only of the female but also of the male character.

"The Singing Lesson" progresses in a lighter vein; a spinster singing teacher receives a message from her fiance, breaking off their engagement; she begins her teaching miserable, heart-broken, and full of anger. Thirty minutes later, she receives another message in which he reassures her of his love. The story contains interesting use of imagery and simile, and pokes mild fun at the tragic mood swings of the young woman.

Mansfield's stories are not melodrama, but lyrics. They are short, poignant silhouttes drawn in quick and sometimes uneven brushstrokes, but always carrying the touch of genius.

I have come across Mansfield numerous times in school, but not until this year, when I read her entire collection of short stories, have I begun appreciating her greatness as a writer. In her stories, Mansfield captures some of the impressions we encounter daily and have time only to remark how surprising, how sudden, and how fleeting they are. Some stories, like "A Garden Party", "The Doll's House", "The Daughters of the Late General", accurately convey the sense of loss, the breath of youth, the regret of unfulfilled lives all in subtle and striking prose. The beauty of the writing lies in the subtlety of description, the use of symbolism, and the immediacy of the language, not unlike her contemporary and admirer Virginia Woolf.

I was fortunate enough to find a copy of Claire Tomalin's biography of Mansfield, and reading it gave me a better grasp of the context of the writing. If the stories sometimes seem remarkable or shocking for the time they were written in, Mansfield's life too readily provided a source to draw from. Her presence and personal failings, triumphs, and conflicts are felt throughout her work, and rereading the stories knowing about her life impressed this sense further. Her stories show what a writer can do when inspired, and suggest what a much greater writer she could have been with time, health, and happiness later in life.

This book belongs on everybody's short list of Polish and East European history. Jan Karski was a truly heroic man and is story is told in plain, straightforward langauge as the story of one man who took enormous risks to tell the story of the Holocaust. A necessary corrective to much of the polemic on the complex issue of Poles and the Nazi occupation. Not to be missed. This is the second anniversary of his death here in Washington.

This book was assigned for a graduate course I took in Eastern European history; I couldn't believe that any required reading could be so exciting. It is the true story of Jan Karski's experience as a messenger for the Polish underground, and it doesn't include a dull page. Karski completed several missions, was captured by the Germans, and escaped. The leaders of Poland's Jewish community, knowing that Karski was going to the West, arranged for him to disguise himself as a guard in a death camp so that he could witness the atrocities. He not only went and included his horrifying experiences in this book, he personally reported what he saw to president Roosevelt and other prominent Americans. Karski knew that the West was betraying Poland and, as a last ditch effort to influence Western policy, he wrote and published this book in 1944. It was a best seller and, I believe, a Book-of-the-month club selection. So much for not knowing about what Hitler was doing to the Jews! Do read this amazing story and, to get the full background, read the book "Karksi, How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust," by E. Thomas Wood.

"Story of A Secrete State" is the tale of the Polish resistance movement to the Nazi occupation of Poland (1939-1945) told by Jan Karski, a member of the "Underground". Jan Karski, a true patriot of Poland, gives you an "insider" view of what life was like for Poles during this period of time and the variety of methods used by the Polish Underground to resist the Nazis. Karski is an EXCELLENT writer and vividly details the travails of Poland from the initial invasion by the Nazis in 1939 through the Warsaw Uprising. It is a must read for anyone whom is interested in WWII, Poland, or how the Nazis operated in the nations they occupied. As a special bonus it gives detailed information on how to set up a resistance movement, a secrete newspaper, urban warfare, and intelligence gathering, should the need arise in your life. TWO THUMBS UP!!

Two boys set out with baby Adelaide, to see if a wolf will adopt her so they might become "famous". Their plan turns into a huge adventure, when Adelaide is taken all the way to the poorhouse. I like the book especially because of the "love".Their is love between the school teacher,Brett,and the beautiful lady Tizzy.I love romance,and adventure. There is also some violence in the story, but not much.It is a very enchanting 16th century book. I recommend it to all who like romance, adventure, and action.

Oh how I wish someone had told me about Leon Garfield when I was a child! I would have just eaten these books right up. Garfield writes beautifully and wittily, with well drawn, likable characters and intelligent dialogue. But his plots! Dear lord, the plots. "The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris" features the classic Garfield plot structure of beginning with about a dozen characters, sending half in one direction and the other half the opposite way to gradually form a giant circle. Way leads unto zany way as the people in his decidedly eccentric world try desperately to stave off their respective fates, to no avail. The good guy gets the girl, the bad guys end up confused, and Bostock and Harris go on to "Night of the Comet", (which if memory serves is actually a prequel, but never mind). If you have never read one of Leon Garfield's loopy tales, please do so immediately. You won't regret it. And if you like "The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris" you absolutely MUST read "Black Jack", Garfield's masterwork. Murderers, con-men, insane asylums, the end of the world- it's not be to missed.

This is a book by a well-known writer of novels for young adults, but it isn't really a book for children.

It's a comic tale of two troublesome boys, Bostock and Harris, from Dr Bunion's Academy in England in the early 1800s, who decide as an experiment to leave Harris's baby sister, the young Adelaide of the title, exposed to the elements just like the babies of ancient Sparta were (this is just the kind of thing kids pick up from history lessons). They expect a she-wolf to come along to suckle her, but instead .....

The book features a wonderful cast of funny characters, my favourites being the scheming and devious Major Alexander, who can't look anyone in the eye, and the awful enquiry agent, Mr Selwyn Raven, who sees a spider web of sin in the world and notes it all down on ever-increasing bits of paper.

There is adventure, romance, and some very funny happenings in a delighfully told tale that will have you smiling your way through. Very highly recommended for all readers.

I liked this book for the way Bunce is using Boolean algebra: a simple method but not widely used in Comparative Politics.

The book is really something. Why? Primarily for two reasons. First of all, there have been libraries of material written on the subject of the Socialist collapse, so the readers - new to the field as well as proficient scholars trying to find a good account of it within the boundaries of a book - find themselves somewhat lost in the jungle of different and presumably equally good accounts of the causes of the Socialist collapse. No more search for them now that we have the Bunce book. It covers the event concisely and to the point. The second reason is that it offers a unique and compelling explanation of the communist collapse as embedded in the system's design itself. That, of course, leaves a room for a debate whether the collapse was somewhat predetermined at the neginning, or it could have possibly been avoided. But if research can produce a debate, it is already potentially good, and hardly any book can conclusively identify all the causes of the collapse. This one, however, keeps the reader excited and the brain stimulating.

Among the multitude of books written on the issue of the Post-Socialist collapse, Subversive Institutions is a true masterpiece. It is very readable, and it can serve as a good introduction for a novice in the field, and as an excellent summary to an advanced scholar. Socialism did not collapse uniformly across the region. Bunce poses and answers three main questions: the nature of the collapse, the time of the collapse, and the reason for the collapse os state socialism. Why do some countries submerge into civil wars, while some disintegrated peacefully? To provide an answer to these and other questions, Bunce looks at the differences within the institutional arrangements, the institutional designs these countries developed during tne course state socialism. Undoubtedly, the book is one of the best ever written in the field of transitology.

Defying death, Jack Eisner and his gang of teenagers smuggled food and arms over the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto. He fought in the ghetto uprising. Taken to the concentration camps, he masterminded a series of escapes, only to be recaptured. He escaped execution by seconds--time and time again. Finally, on a death march he could not have survived, Jack Eisner was liberated by American troops. He was nineteen. One hundred members of his family had perished.

Hello there, I'm not a big reader, but when I found your book at the library, it was too good and for the first time, I read it twice! I don't know how anybody could have make it through these circumstances. I recommanded it to my sister and she read it also. I always recommand it to all the poeple I know. This person is extraordinary! I'm still looking for a place where I could buy it.

This book tells of a man's many narrow ecapes from death during the Holocaust. It tells of how he went from the Warsaw ghetto to a concentrtion camp and then to be liberated . This is a book you will never forget.

I've been to Switzerland on 4 trips for a total of about 6
weeks, mainly in the Bernese Oberland. I have not yet found
a better book for the first time visitor to this area. Even
though I've been there several times I still find it
worthwhile. There are no specifics on hotels or restaurants,
just on sights. They choose 10 trips and 4 excursions, and I
can think of other choices but not better choices; most are my favorites. The trips are from a half day to one day, depending
on what variations you choose; the excursions require a full
day. There are also some other suggestions and information on
Swiss tourist offices and websites, which I would also recommend
that you email and/or visit when you are in the area. Basic information includes food & drink, transportation, etc.

We were in Switzerland this summer and I highly recommend this guide for anyone who will be in the Bernese Oberland area in Switzerland. It is very well written and the maps are very helpful. Wengen, a small swiss village 45 minutes from Interlaken is very beautiful and we could have easily missed that had it not been for this book.

I bought the Alspach's book on the Bernese Oberland when it was first published in 1992. This book has been invaluable to my family on our many trips to that area. Since we are there for at least two weeks, we have had the chance to follow almost all of the suggested hikes and excursions and have loved every one of them. I recently purchased their 2nd Edition and they have done a great job of updating their gem of a travel guide, adding many new maps, photographs and hikes.

The hike called the Eiger Trail is spectacular, a great addition. We did this hike last year and found it as rewarding as the Alspach's state. We are looking forward to the hike to Obersteinberg, as it suggests an overnight stay in a mountain hotel.

I highly recommend the 2nd Edition if you are lucky enough to be traveling to the Swiss Bernese Oberland.

Gregg Rickman's masterful work is a true "insider's guide" to the Swiss Banks/Nazi Gold issue. Rickman leads the reader through the past, Swiss wartime collaboration with the Nazi regime in profiting from the Holocaust, through the present -- the ongoing pursuit of justice 50 years later.

Far more than an observer, Rickman was a leading actor in this historically unprecedented research and discovery effort. He deftly guides the reader along his journey as the issue developed and exploded on the international scene beginning in 1996. To present the political, historical, ethical and legal aspects of this issue, Rickman incorporates interviews, testimonies, hearing trancripts,and his personal perspective as THE key policy maker involved in stategizing and coordinating the investigation into a supposedly "neutral" government's past.

This book is a MUST READ for anyone interested in World War II, the Holocaust, and the Swiss Banks/Nazi Gold issue. It is also an incredible case study and moral tale of the triumph of good over evil. Rickman shows how he and others tackled the mighty Swiss banking establishment -- and won. Rickman was instrumental in shattering Switzerland's neutrality myth and exposing the hidden secrets of the "Gnomes of Zurich." He has done a valuable public service in writing and sharing this fascinating story. I highly recommend it.

During the past four years I have read probably every book and government report regarding Jewish bank accounts in Swiss banks. Many of the books are quick, journalistic-types; often containing incorrect or misleading information. Most were written by "outsiders," people who have not been directly involved in the identification of Jewish assets in Swiss banks, nor involved in the efforts to bring about restitution of such assets. This book by Gregg Rickman is one of the exceptions. He was directly involved in the identification and restitution efforts. In fact, he put his heart and soul into the efforts to bring justice to victims of the Holocaust and to their heirs. Thus, it is not surprising that the book is written with a real passion. The "bad guys" are identified and taken to task. The "good guys" are also identified and their roles are clarified in the various political, diplomatic, and legal contextes. Rickmann weaves a story containing information about past misdeeds and present injustices and recent efforts to turn history into justice. His book should be mandatory reading for anybody interested in the subject and for anybody interested in how old archival records can be used to right the wrongs of the past.

THIS BOOK IS MUST READING FOR ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN THE HOLOCAUST; SWISS BANKS, OR THE ROLE THE SWISS PLAYED DURING WORLD WAR II. THE ENTIRE TRUTH ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION BY SENATOR ALFONSE D'AMATO. VERY WELL WRITTEN. A BOOK YOU CAN'T PUT DOWN UNTIL FINISHED.

This is a very good book for Puerto Rican living in the U.S and elsewhere and also for those learning English as a second language. Here's why. In a subtle and simple style, the author points to Island history ("The Cry of the Century," "The Commander and the Girl"),("The Agueybaná the Great", "The Sailboat"; literature ("Laura Mía") and courship patters ("Soon will be together"). Also traditions ("Emma") and my favorites "A pair of Reading Glasses" and "Encounter at La Bombonera". All and all these are highly readable and entertaining Puerto Rican vignettes. Definitely a good read for all interested in the Island ways.

The stories in the book takes us through the road of history in a simple delightful way, depicting the sadness of the people of Puerto Rico under the powerful as well as the constant search for a better life. Ms Cancio has, through the tales, made the book one for both the young and the old. The poem Laura Mía (Laura Mine) by José De Diego is one of the best. I hope children and adults living away from Puerto Rico will read it.

A delightful collection of 22 simple, short, easy-to-read stories about Puerto Rico, which originate in the oral tradition, makes us refresh Puertorican memories, find our heroic past, discover traditions, courage, nobility, circumstances, and spirituality of the people. A book that shows social and cultural aspects, gives humanizing morals, let us learn historical episodes and enjoy events in people's everyday life in the Island. You will find mercy, humor, hope, the african, spanish, indian, the rich, the poor. One of my favorite stories is A Pair Of Reading Glasses, it makes me laugh but also feel sorrow because though it probably ocurred around the 1800's, I cannot stop thinking that still in Puerto Rico the statistics about illiteracy are amazingly high. In Laura Mine the author reveals us a touching lovestory of the great puertorican poet Jose De Diego. Emma and La Bombonera Encounter are both lovely stories about friendship, which I think are moving. The Story Of My Life is a tribute for all those Puertoricans who left the Island in search of a brighter future and have seen their dreams come true thanks to their perseverance and faith. The tales will no doubt entice you to learn more of our history, and if you are Puertorican it will definitely make you feel proud of being one. The author shows us that "daily life of the people is important enough to protagonize history books".