A highly amusing look at California from the vantage point of a Scottish visitor: the criminally underfunded public institutions, the money-grubby dot com crowd, the veracity-challenged used car dealers, all against a backdrop of perfect sunshine.

It's the kind of book you have to renew after three weeks at the library---to go through again....Funny in kind of a non-neurotic, non Spaulding Gray style....If you've ever lived in California, it adds to the fun. This book was just a pleasure to read, to get myself out of myself...Informative about the used car buz....funny, realistic and enjoyable.....

I was here again, buying a copy of the book, looking at the reviews, agreeing with this one, and discovered it was mine.....
Oh Scooty!!!!

I first read this book when I was in the seventh grade in Sunday school class. I now use it in teaching my own students about the Spanish Inquisition. When the students rate what they liked best about the school year, Kenneth Roseman's choose-your-own adventure series always gets the highest ranking from the kids. I still remember my fall from grace as the advisor to the king of Spain 15 years ago!

The setting is Madrid, Spain in 1492. The Spanish Inquisition is demanding that Jews convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Based on the decisions that the reader makes, the protagonist might end up a wealthy merchant in the Ottoman empire, as a "Secret Jew" worshipping covertly in Spain, or even as a high ranking Inquisitor! Of course, many of the choices lead to the death of the protagonist.

Because the story-lines are relatively brief, after reaching the outcome of a series of decisions, readers will often return to a prior decision and follow the alternate path the story might have taken. In the course of a half-hour to an hour, a reader will have had the opportunity to explore many different places and situations. It is generally impossible to guess which decisions will turn out to be the more prudent, emphasizing how surviving the Inquisition was as much a matter of luck as of wit or skill.

By placing the reader directly into a fictionalized story, history is brought to life in a very personal and meaningful way. By forcing the reader to make the kinds of ethical decisions that Jews would really have faced during this period, the book tackles not only the history, but also such deeper issues as conversion, martyrdom, and personal responsibility. The Cardinal's Snuffbox is fun to read.

Aside from the fact a reader will gain new appreciation for the Larssons and their art, a reason to purchase this book is that it is gorgeous. Good paper, excellent color reproductions, a nice heft. If you admire Larsson and Scandinavian culture, this book is a "must have."

I ordered this book sight-unseen as a gift, and thought "well, I like Carl Larsson's paintings, I'll get one for myself while I'm at it." I'm so glad I did! I realize that, before reading this delicious book, I had never really "seen" a Carl Larsson painting before. I didn't know that all those happy Swedish ninteenth-century domestic watercolor scenes actually documented Larsson's home and family, and I had no idea that his wife Karin was the creator of the fabrics, co-creator of the furniture and equal partner in what is not only a beautiful and original home environment, but one that has influenced interior design to this day, a hundred year later.

The text is written by different experts. I am not really sure that I come away from it with much sense of the Larssons' personalities in a detailed way, but the work speaks for itself and I consider this book to be more than just a valuable addition to my art library, but also as a great read and, even more -- a great "look".

I'm a Consumer Behaviour teacher in a Marketing University in Portugal, and I had problems in finding texts to work with, about this subject.
I usually used some magazines, but it's not easy to build special cases to study and to make some examples, to demonstrate the theory.
I've already read this book, and I can garantee that it's a very helpful book. I adopted it for this year in IPAM (Marketing Administration Portuguese Institute).
... the book is really good.

sorry! i do not have the book yet. i'm a professor of "consumer behaviour" in Universidad Iberoamericana in México, city. so if you have any comments about it i'll be ready to heard them.

I got this from a library sale, thinking it was likely another skim the surface books, instead was delighted to find it so much more. If it has to do with Castles you will find it in here. It has a guide to the notable Castle of Britain for those on the tour, giving you details about its layout and history. It covers the architecture and its reasons and purposes, it goes into the feudal system and how lords, barrons, knights were made and ruled.

Compact, but incisive book that is well written in an interesting fashion for those just now wishing to learn about all aspects of Castle life, weapons and warfare, but also a handy reference guide to writers working with that period.

Highly recommended WISE WRITERS AND READERS History Pick.

I bought a used version... 1983 printing, 249pages, 5.5" by 8" hardcover.

From the cover: "A guide to everything there is to know about exploring castles in England, Scotland and Wales." ...Believe it, this book has a glossary of hundreds of details about castles with black & white sketches for most entries.

If you are a castle enthusiast like I am, you will learn a great deal of castle architecture, history, daily life, etc. I keep it by my bed and browse thru it sometimes before I go to sleep.

Castles of Britain and Ireland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry is the most important and most used book in my library. Not only is it a great read front to back but is invaluable as a reference when reading any history book about Britain and Ireland. It covers every aspect of Castles; The History, the people, the construction, the defenses, and even the art of attacking a castle, including seige engines. When I travel to Britain this book will be in my backpack.

A very good book, Castles of Britain and Ireland: The Ultimate Reference Book contains exelent quality photographs, and contains information of almost every known castle on Britain and Ireland. It talks about their evolution through the years and about the people involved on their construction. I greatly recommend it to anyone interested on knowing more about british castles, its information is very clear and easy to understand. If you are a castle fan, this is a must-have book.

Want to find the ancient ruins of your family's Scottish history? Then arm yourself with a copy of this book by Martin Coventry and a map from the local Ordinance Surveys and you are on your way to discovering real history that you can see, hear, feel, touch...Martin is constantly updating his information; receptive to additions and changes from all sources to his unique work. A real treasure of information; I would not be without one as I recently wrote a first of three books on the medieval Douglas Clan. A fine research tool for the professional or amateur castle "buff."

This book is an excellent guide to Scottish castles and certainly the most comprehensive book I have seen on this subject. It goes into great detail about 2500 sites of castles and fortified houses going back down the centuries. It gives lots of information about each site including a description , location , history of ownership and opening times . Most castles in Scotland are either owned by Historic Scotland , the National Trust or private individuals. There is probably a lot more in this book than you could ever imagine about Scottish castles. I have some pictures of 20 Scottish castles on my website http://www.castlepictures.com but the scope of this book is way beyond that .

If you like cats, or if you like Venice, you are sure to like this little gem of a book. Course, if you're like me and like em both...well, this book is a must! Highly recommended.

This is a sweet little book with wonderful pictures. Makes a great gift for a cat person or someone who likes to travel to Italy. The pictures really are great!

The author was in Armenia at a difficult but pivotal time. He was excited to be there, hardships notwithstanding, and maybe that's why the book was a good read: the author's excitement rubs off on the reader.

He recalls his adventures, his meetings (with top officials and starving farmers alike), and his impressions. We see a country coping with the collapse of its economy, two years after the breakup of the Soviet Union: for example, a cheese shop full of cheese that turns out to radioactive, dumped from Chernobyl; or waking up, lighting a kerosene heater, and waiting for water in the teapot to thaw before eventually boiling.

In the background there is war between neighboring Azerbaijan and the Armenian enclave of Karabagh. We get a look behind the scenes. In one chapter, we are told that according to U.S. and French intelligence reports, Turkey was planning an invasion of Armenia. The suggestion is alarming, and certainly worth looking into.

All-in-all, a worthwhile book.

Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, the author of Caucasus Chronicles: Nation-Building And Diplomacy In Armenia, 1993-1994, was appointed Greek ambassador to the newly independent Armenia in 1993, entering the country as an ambassador at a pivotal moment when world powers were just starting to struggle for a new world created by the collapse of the Cold War. Caucasus Chronicles provides a survey of nation-building and diplomatic processes in the newly independent Armenia from 1993-94, providing excellent first-person insights.

I had in mind to get 'Celestine' for a long time when it presented itself to me on a 'bargain table' at the LA Times Festival of Books... what a treasure! It is a quiet and gentle diversion into another world and time. Beautifully and lovingly written by Gillian Tindall, the book speaks of the timelessness of the human condition, of loyalties and relationships, of loves and passions and hopes and dreams, some realized and some not. Truly, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I highly recommend this book.

Gillian Tindall shows a great deal of erudition in painting with great exactitude the evolution of a French village over almost two centuries, showing how the life of the village and its people were affected by the arrival of the railroads, the changes of political regimes, the influences of the wars. She has been able to capture the spirit of the french peasants of the Berry with a deep understanding and she gives the impression of feeling much affection for them. Her book is warm and " vivant " and wonderful