Product Description
Now in its fourth edition, Calculus reflects the strong consensus within the mathematics community for a balance between contemporary and traditional ideas. Building on previous work, it brings together the best of both new and traditional curricula in an effort to meet the needs of instructors and students alike. The text exhibits the same strengths from earlier editions including the Rule of Four, an emphasis on modeling, exposition that is easy to understand, and a flexible approach to technology. ... Read more

Product Description
Striking a balance between concepts, modeling, and skills, this highly acclaimed book arms readers with an accessible introduction to calculus. It builds on the strengths from previous editions, presenting key concepts graphically, numerically, symbolically, and verbally. Guided by this innovative Rule of Four approach, the fourth edition examines new topics while providing readers with a strong conceptual understanding of the material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Does not include Wiley Plus
If you are looking for access to WileyPlus to be included with this book, do not purchase this item.
Even though the product description clearly states, "Readers will also gain access to WileyPLUS", they do not give you access.It does not say that Readers may also gain access for a fee.There is nothing in the listing of this book that says anything about purchasing WileyPlus separately.

Amazon will not stand by their product description.
In fairness to Amazon, they did offer to give me a refund.Since my son is at college now and needs the book, our options are limited and we will not be able to return it for a refund.

Since I can not count on Amazon to describe their products accurately, I have no other option than to look other places for products.

amazing
the quality was well beyond the price...and did I mention I got it like "new"?

the cover looks nice
I have a Ph.D. in math and teach at a college in California.I compared the Hughes-Hallett book with 7 other calculus books:Anton, Edwards, Larson, Rogawski, Smith, Stewart, Thomas.Here are some concerns with the Hughes-Hallett book.

This book is missing the following topics:reciprocal trigonometric functions (sec x, csc x, cot x), squeeze theorem, logarithmic differentiation, sketching graphs by hand by using derivatives, telescoping series, curvature, tangential and normal components of acceleration, line and surface integrals over scalar fields.All the other 7 books include these topics.

Six series tests are crammed into section 9.4.None of the other 7 books cram all six of these series tests into one section.

The Root Test for series is embedded into two homework problems.All of the other 7 books include the Root Test in a box within a section.

Planes (12.4) are discussed before talking about vectors (chapter 13).All the other 7 books discuss vectors first and then use vectors to develop planes.

Center of mass multiple integral formulas are embedded into the homework problems.All the other 7 books explain center of mass multiple integral formulas within a section.

The preface reads, "Students are expected to use their own judgment to determine where technology is useful."All the other 7 books make it clear when the students should use technology.

The preface reads, "There are very few examples in the text that are exactly like the homework problems.This means that you can't just look at a homework problem and search for a similar-looking `worked out' example."Many students learn calculus by seeing `worked out' examples.

Instructors:If you are considering adopting this book, then you've been warned.

Students:If you have to use this book, then go to class, do your homework, and good luck.

Hope this information helps.

Dr. Chuck

Calculus
The book does not give enough examples that a student can follow. Most likely the instructor has to do a good job of explaining steps.

good
ive hade 3 calculus books an this one is the worse, but the book did come in as ordered. ... Read more

Product Description
Four cassettes, 6 hrs.
performance by David McCallum

This twenty-first novel in the Thomas Pitt series takes place in 1892. It begins with a trial in which Pitt's testimony results in the conviction of a wealthy and important man, John Adinett, for the murder of Martin Fetters, a distinguished antiquarian who was his friend though no motive can be found and Adinett denies the crime. Adinett's friends in high places, the powerful Inner Circle, exert pressure. Pitt is removed from his position as Superintendent of the Bow Street Station and transferred to the Special Branch in the East End of London, a clandestine force that is mysterious even to Pitt's boss, Assistant Commissioner Cornwallis. Implicit in his assignment is the requirement that he work undercover in a factory and live, away from Charlotte and the children, in Whitechapel, one of the worst slums in the East End. Charlotte with the help of Pitt's former sergeant begins to uncover evidence of a political conspiracy. that will explain why Adinett killed Fetters. In Whitechapel, Pitt becomes involved in the investigation of other murders, and another conspiracy, connected perhaps to the people around the prince of Wales. The ending is shocking and violent
Amazon.com Review
After a less-than-impressive outing with the more-turgid-than-tense Half Moon Street, Anne Perry is back on familiar--and entertaining--turf with The Whitechapel Conspiracy. As if apologizing for theirlast efforts, the whole Victorian crew seems thankfully less concerned withrespecting social mores than with ratcheting up the pressure in a nicelypaced political-conspiracy potboiler.

For Inspector Thomas Pitt, doing one's job can have unpleasantconsequences. When his testimony sends distinguished soldier John Adinettto the gallows for the murder of Martin Fetters, traveler and antiquarian,Adinett's friends (members of the Inner Circle, "those men who had secretloyalties which superseded every other honor or pledge") ensure that Pittloses his command of the Bow Street station. He is forced to leave hisfamily and take up an undercover existence in the slum district ofSpitalfields, chasing anarchists (though he feels he might as well bechasing his own tail). But when his wife, Charlotte, their maid, Gracie, andher would-be suitor, Sergeant Tellman, apply themselves to the task ofrestoring Pitt's good name, they uncover an anarchist's conspiracy thatdwarfs even Guy Fawkes's Gunpowder Plot. The secrets and lies of respectedmen lurking in the halls of power, who will stop at nothing short ofabolishing the monarchy, form the backdrop for the trio's franticinvestigations. To top everything off, Perry throws in a marvelouslyeffective subplot--but to divulge how Jack the Ripper figures into thenarrative would be to spoil a highly entertaining read.

The novel has its flaws; Charlotte's great-aunt Vespasia seems less thedynamic character she has been throughout the series than a mouthpiece ofmourning for the waves of change. Yes, the reader is tempted to say, thepotential downfall of the British monarchy would no doubt be painful andunspeakably unsettling for those who respect Victoria and her forebears--but must one natter endlessly on about it? Better to let the whole shebanggo gracefully into that good night. No fears for contemporaryVictorian-philes, though; with Thomas and Charlotte around, who coulddoubt that the monarchy will live to fight another day? --KellyFlynn ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Good characters but...
I tired of the repetition in this book along with the convoluted plot. The characters were interesting though. Please read Calliope's review, as she puts into perfect words exactly how I felt about this book.

No, no, no, no, no! Perry is losing it!
After twenty volumes in this series, Perry seems finally to have gone off the rails. A few books ago, she introduced the Inner Circle, a cabal of men in high positions of power throughout government and the professions who enforce loyalty to each other over law and justice. But now they seem to have become an international anti-royalist political conspiracy determined to destroy the British crown and establish a republic. They plan to do this by publicizing the true identity of Jack the Ripper, a story that will blow the lid off the British social order and lead to rioting in the streets. Opposing them, and also apparently willing to do anything to reach their pro-royalist goals, is -- wait for it -- the freemasons! Pitt, meanwhile, has been yanked from his position as superintendent of Bow Street Station and sent off into the wilds of Spitalfields to work for the recently-created Special Branch in ferreting out anarchists and other troublemakers, all in retaliation for his testimony in a murder trial in which one supposed friend killed another. (The details of which, when the author reveals them, are not very convincing.) Sergeant Tellman risks his career to set things right, and Gracie, the Pitts' maid (and whom Tellman is reluctantly courting), also has a large part to play. Charlotte is doing her bit in the drawing rooms, though not very effectively, and sister Emily hardly appears at all this time. It all descends into a sort of James Bond fantasy world -- but worse than that is the portrait of Aunt Vespasia as a rifle-toting revolutionary on the barricades of Rome back in 1848. No way am I gonna buy that. Come on, Perry -- get a grip!

If this is her finest...
This was my first Anne Perry mystery. Since other reviewers have described this as one of her best, I'll just throw in my two cents. The good part: The character of Gracie, the Pitts' young Cockney maid, is vividly described and nicely handled, and her scenes with Sergeant Tellman are a pleasure. Perry also does well with domestic scenes, capturing the warmth of family life in the very different Pitt and Karansky households. The not-so-good part: characterization elsewhere is perfunctory and cliched, character descriptions are surprisingly meager and repetitious, and -- my chief beef with this book -- the whole is larded with stilted, overblown interior monologizing. No major character seems capable of taking an action without maundering on (high-mindedly, of course) about its implications or consequences. Finally, having rendered ideals of social justice tedious in the extreme, Perry ditches them altogether in a display of byzantine plot twists either impressive or just plain confusing. (By that point, I didn't much care.) All in all, a book that promises a good deal more than it delivers.

The Whitechapel Conspriacy
Anne Perry's The Whitechapel Conspiracy is a well done Victorian Mystery spotlighting the detective Thomas Pitt.The plot revolves around the convictionformurder of aknown and well like member of the upper classes. Pitt proves the man (Adinett ) is guilty but no one knows why he killed what was thought to be a good friend. Pitt is removed from his post by powerfulfriends of Adinett and sent to the seediest part of London known as Spitalfields and Whitechapel. Mystery fans well know that Whitechapel is where Jack the Ripper committed his ghastly chimes 4 years earlier. Perry is able to cleverlyweavethe Ripper's murders into the plot. In this novel Pitt is aided not only by his wife, Charlotte, but by her house keeper, Gracie and a fellow detective, Tellman. There is enough plots for several novels but Perry is able to bring a rather convoluted multifaceted story to a satisfactory conclusion. Perry is a master at protraying the cast system that was in place in London in the Victorian Age. I have read 3 of her novels and look forward to reading some if not all of her novels.

Excellent research, but...
As a fan of Victorian literature, I looked forward to reading Anne Perry. While I got a well researched mystery, the plotline of this particular mystery offers very little to keep the reader going. Entertaining, but somewhat bland. ... Read more

Product Description
When a pathological escaped convict takes a group of deaf girls hostage in a slaughterhouse, an FBI negotiator and a deaf teacher struggle to defuse the situation before it explodes in violence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (91)

Choppy, but has a good ending
This book feels like it's the awkward kid on the playground.It's a novel that should have been a script.Paced like a film, described like a film, dialogue like a film, it feels like A Maiden's Grave missed it's true calling.

It's a great story, just not as a novel.

Melanie's Keepin' it Simple:Cold Fire (Resolute Good) vs Cold Death (Pure Evil)
This is not a nice novel.It's reminiscent of Shane Stevens' Dead City, and Andrew Neiderman's Pin.It deals will pure evil, and the terrible toll it takes on those who dare battle it.I can't say I enjoyed the read.The novel is long, 400+ pages, but the read was relatively easy (but not painless).It's the subject matter that is disturbing:three nasty, despicable felons, scumbags, (one, the leader, Lou Handy, of course from West Virginia where I'm from) hole-up in an old meat slaughtering plant threatening to kill hostages: eight deaf girls and two of their teachers.The novel appears to be about the ensuing police barricade and the negotiation, headed up by Arthur Potter, to gain release of the deaf girls.But it's more than that.I don't want to spoil your "fun," but all is not as it seems.This book made me think about what the author was trying to say and for that reason it was memorable to me.

Not my favorite Deaver Book
Although Jeffery Deaver is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE AUTHORS, this was my least favorite book that he's written since the mid 90's. His books usually have many twists & turns, but for some reason, this book was slow for me. It's been a long time since I read this book but it just didn't hit me like most of his books do! I see that others really enjoyed it so I may have just not been in a book reading mood at the time!!!If you've read some of Deaver's earlier books/series, namely, the "The Rune Series" or the "The John Pellam Series", and did not enjoy them, please do not judge him by those books. His writing style changes completely with the "Lincoln Rhyme" books and if you like mystery & suspense, you will LOVE the "Lincoln Rhyme Series". I recommend that you start at the beginning though because it enables you to get to know and appreciate the characters so much more as they grow & develop throughout the books! I also really liked "Praying for Sleep", and "The Devil's Teardrop" is probably my favorite Deaver stand alone book. I wish he'd do a series with the characters from that book!

I couldnt put down
I had to read a book for my Deaf Culture class and out of the wind I chose this one and I couldnt have chosen a better book to read! Not only was I impressed on the aurthors knowledge of the Deaf culture but the story line was full of suspense! I couldnt put the book down! I look forward to reading more of Jeffery Deaver books, Im hooked!

The Reason Why
This was the book that made me a diehard fan of Jeffrey Deaver. I had just seen the Bone Collector and say that is was based on a book. So I went to my local library which didn't have it in at the moment. They did have this one though and from the moment I read the first few pages I couldn't put it down.

The story just grabbed me because it was something I hadn't read before from one of the main characters being deaf and how she was able to overcome her handicap inspired me. After I read this book i had to have more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (83)

consider me impressed
Love him or hate him: could anyone but Martin Amis have written this book? That alone, for any writer, says something. Only Amis could have written these sentences, only he could have done so within such a "plot." (In that, he and it can be accurately compared to Tom Wolfe and The Bonfire of the Vanities.)

Brilliantly disturbed
I read this book years ago and it has stayed with me.It is at times hilarious, always brilliantly written, compelling characters.A classic Martin Amis!

Millennialdebris
You'll have to trust me when I say I'm not ordinarily one for dramatic gestures, but I threw my copy of London Fields in the trash the moment I finished it. I read to its tortured, labored "surprise" ending because I like to give all books a fair shake. I threw it away because it would be embarrassing to have it share a shelf with Pale Fire.

I am thrown into a black mood at the state of modern literature. Does postmodernism really excuse flatstock characters, unfunny comedy, and plot that isn't contrived so much as forced at gunpoint (or with a cartool, if you like)? It seems having a collection of themes and tropes is enough so that all the details of setting, characterization and narrative are inconsequential--prop them up in cardboard, they are not the principles. What exactly is meant to be satirized here? I see a collection of characters half-formed, the better to poke tedious fun at, ominous rumblings about the Crisis, millennial angst and the State of the World that manage to remain miraculously vague and incoherent despite ostensibly being the backdrop for all these conveniently literary events.

I may not be Michiko Kakutani of the NYT book review (who also recommendedZadie Smith - this being strike two against her), but I know when a writer hasmore style and talent than heart, wit, insight, or whatever general expansiveness of spirit is required to make great literature.

Several reviewers commented that this is the most challenging of Amis' works. For some authors this would present a serious concern for bad first impressions. I have not yet decrypted Finnegans Wake and don't know that I ever will. Had I started on Finnegan's Wake, it would have been the beginning and end of Joyce for me. But I started Nabokov on Ada, and became his devoted reader forever. In Amis' case, It feels lucky to have started with the best and most challenging of his works, because that means the rest of his oeuvre can be safely missed.

Novel as Nicola: as ultimate prolonged tease
I enjoyed this novel. I stayed up late reading it over six nights. Yet, when the structure of the story began in the last sections to erode, and when the climactic fireworks, on a variety of levels, that Amis had taken such glee in arranging failed to spark as I'd hoped, I felt let down. Much of the novel's capable of five stars. I had just read Nabokov's "Ada" & "Bend Sinister" (also reviewed by me), so I was curious to discover how an author considered an heir to such narrative pyrotechnics would fare.

Amis appears to strain to get into the head of his louche character, Keith. I sense that the author's milieu's closer to hapless Guy, and perhaps Amis had to overcompensate. As others have remarked, it's as surprising to us as to Nicola when Guy fails to catch the atomic references early on, and after his Oxford degree! Also, the level of moronic panting that Guy's reduced to in his admittingly entertaining pursuit of Nicola does strain credulity as well as his trousers.

Still, there's so much that keeps you reading. You learn a lot about darts, erroneous or factual. Baby Marmaduke's reign of nursery tyranny continues to delight Amis as he ups the infant's cruelty, and this gets a poignant (not a common sentiment in this heartless saga) balance in the cries of little baby Kim-- these moments turn heartbreaking, if ultimately unresolved off-stage, to my confusion. There's also confusion in the apocalyptic set-piece. "The Crisis" of a lower and nearer sun fails to end after the wonderfully evoked eclipse on "Horrorday," and I was never quite clear about what the American president's wife and the geopolitics and the economic stagnation all added up to. Not to mention who Nicola represented: there's hints scattered but these never cohere.

Similarly, Samson Young's character never gains the clarity of the main three characters which he purportedly's writing about; his own failed romance with Missy and the failed pregnancy fizzle and you're never quite sure what occurred the six days he was or was not overseas while Mark Asprey's back in the London flat. Nicola, of course, adds mystery at every level, and above all, despite the novel's flaws, her endless tease of not only Keith and Guy (the Keats scene's superbly demented) makes her unforgettable. I get the sense that Amis created a character larger than the novel itself, which considering the heft and scope of this warped Waugh- meets- Nabokov epic remains quite a feat, for all its inevitable and unfortunate consequences for the novel.

As Sam admits late on: there go my "unities." Amis may have been too clever in outwitting himself, like Guy playing chess with his computer, into a narrative corner he could not escape. It's an unresolved mess, but a witty panorama of a future (already in our past, pre-Internet and pre-cellphones) that two decades ago, with its vague terrors on a global level and the environmental decay and personal fatigue appears to be inching ever closer.

One word: Incredible. Incredible. Incredibly Incredible.


A mistress of seduction, having `come to the end of men' and a belief in the possibility of love, seeks her own murder--and sets about ruining the lives of two very different men in order to bring it about. The narrator of the novel--a self-described failure at art and love--is terminally ill and now rapidly failing at life, too; he's set himself the task of chronicling the rather ignoble efforts of Nicola Six and her pyrrhic dual seduction. The proceedings are set against an ominously looming worldwide crisis of nuclear and climactic proportions.

That, in maybe an eggshell, is the plot of *London Fields.* A nice enough hook, but as in any Amis novel, it's the execution that has you swallow the line and sinker, too. No one writes like Martin Amis. No one. Pity, too. It's poetry, in great parts, his style--an epic metropolitan voice as if Homer had been reborn in London with a wicked sense of humor, both castle and gutter, and a penchant for writing about deadbeats, sex-obsessed middle-aged guys, and a world gargling down the toilet-tube.

How even a sub-intelligent reader can possibly run his eyeballs over this novel and see in it only cynicism, nastiness, disgust, and mocking hatred is beyond comprehension. Are they paying attention to what Amis has actually written right there on the page in black and white--or only what has been written *about* him?

*London Fields,* like much of Amis' work is a deeply-felt and elegiac novel that is actually quite heartbreaking in its inimitable way. Rude, often crude, scalding and scornful, relentlessly, unrepentantly bleak--yes, that's all true, thank God, but Amis' style...and what a style!...is a corrosive that strips away all self-serving illusion and sentimentality to expose the skeleton of the last honest humanism still possible.

Here is Amis on one of his characters in *London Fields*:

`In the book, she stood for something. In the flesh, she was pointless: a complete waste of time. Or not quite. In the flesh, she broke your heart, as all human beings do. I watched her, an older man, failed in art and love. Fat ankles. Dear flesh.'

A waste of time that breaks your heart. In a sense, that sums up Amis' view on life, love, history, and existence itself as presented in *London Fields.* But the vitriolic comedy and famous disgust that Amis directs towards and lavishes upon everyone and everything is, in fact, the lament of the idealist who sees how very very far short human beings fall from anything even a kissing cousin of humanity.

His exaggerated characters, yes, arguably caricatures, are nevertheless uncomfortably familiar and that's precisely what makes their misdeeds and misadventures so uncomfortably compelling--and, I suspect, arouses so much wrath in those who consider the truth to be bad taste. These are, indeed, people we `know,' and sometimes even love; worse still, if we could stop the automatic monkey finger-pointing for five minutes, we realize these people are *us.*

Five stars, if that's all I can give it. *London Fields* deserves at the very least a small constellation of them.



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Product Description
A collie undertakes a 1000-mile journey in order to once again meet her former master at the school gate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Terrific story and beautifully written
I read this with my 10 year old daughter. we used maps and a globe to see lassie's progress home. it was beatifully written. I recommend this book to both kids and adults. it is perfect and interesting for anyone.

From Lad to Lassie
Lassie - Come Home -even the title starts you worrying.You finish reading Lad and now his mate, Lassie steps grandly into the picture and your world will never be the same. In fact, even if Lad did not send you out to buy a collie, Lassie will make it almost impossible to pass by that basket of collie pups wearings without saying aloud - "come home".

This book is filled with wonderful adventures, some amusing, some heartbreaking, some exciting. Set in New England you live, laugh and love the life of Lassie. This should be required reading.

a classic must read
Lassie come home illustrates not only the loyalty of the collie, but the loyalty of every dog who is treated with dignity and love. it will help children understand the connection between a dog and their chosen human, and help people of all ages integrate dogs into their lives as part of the family.Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

Read it to your younger children
While this is an abriged version of the original, the wonderful art-work is a great consolation.Get both if you can.However, be clear that often "children's" books are really juvenile books.I would rate this one as ages 12 and up, not for ages 8-10 if that's what you're thinking, but a classic, nonetheless.

If you love dogs or pets and charm of the UK and the feel of yesteryear, this is the book for you.It's difficult to read this story and not think of Lassie as a fully sentient being.She is the ideal companion to a young boy and a family. When you finish the book, watch the movie to help really cement the images in your mind.There is just simply a type of enchantment that practically casts a spell on you as you escape into this book.

When I wrote,"Jack: The Christmas Collie" (based on a true story) I tried to re-capture that lost, child-like enchantment of the Collie stories of old.Lassie Come-Home is truly a classic that should be required reading in all middle-schools since Lassie has held such a prominent place in our pop-culture for the past seven decades!

I strongly recommend you pick up a copy for yourself, your children or as a gift.

Enjoy!

Kevin Brett
Author: "Jack: The Christmas Collie"

Jack: The Christmas Collie

To Own a Dog
What does it take to be a true dog owner and dog lover?Certainly more than a piece of paper or a pedigree chart. Besides, what is an owner compared to being a dog's one, true Master?Eric Knight's 1940 tale of a dog who risks everything to be reunited with the boy who loves her leaped into the hearts of readers the world over. Based on his youth in the mountains of Yorkshire the story opens with basic the conflict of man versus man, but unfolds into Dog versus the world: man, beast, and Nature. Raising the moral question of what truly makes a man a given dog's Owner, this animal classic inspired a 1946 movie (with Elizabeth Taylor as young Priscilla).

Twelve-year-old Joe Carraclough adores his tricolor collie, Lassie, who though bred as a working dog with sheep, enjoys favored pet status in the family's humble cottage.But times are hard for these people; the mines are closed and Joe's father, desperate for work and the means to feed his family, reluctantly sells Lassie to the rich, blustery old Duke--who also has a keen eyes for dogs.

After running away several times from the Duke's kennels Lassie is shipped
400 miles up to the Duke's estate in northern Scotland. Yet each day around 4 pm the dog's strict Time Sense urges her to go meet the Boy at school.The story of her odyssey after she escapes the Duke's harsh kennel man proves emotional and fascinating reading; she combats
the indifference of Nature and the worst cruelty of mankind, as well as experiences some instances of tender human compassion.Joe comes of age as he realizes the value of honesty in dealing with others, while cherishing not only his own, but Lassie's dream for happiness. For kids of all ages.



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Product Description
Once the nation's foremost criminologist and the ex-head of NYPD forensics, quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme abandons his forced retirement and joins forces with rookie cop Amelia Sachs to track down a vicious serial killer. Read by David McCallum. Amazon.com Review
The hero of Jeffery Deaver's thriller The BoneCollector is Lincoln Rhyme, a forensic scientist known to hispeers as "the world's foremost criminalist." Rhyme will needall his reason--and his considerable stock of high-tech tools--about himto solve this latest brain-twister: a serial killer with method to hismadness. In tried and true thriller fashion, the killer's crimes aredescribed in lurid detail, as is the astounding technologicalequipment with which Rhyme examines the evidence--everything from anenergy-dispersive x-ray unit to a mass spectrometer.

Every fictional detective has his or her gimmick, from SherlockHolmes's violin to Nero Wolf's orchids, and Rhyme is no exception.Heis a quadriplegic who can move nothing but a single finger.Gadget-philes will be in seventh heaven reading about Lincoln Rhyme'stools; other readers might feel the book could do with a few moreplausible characters and a little less technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (299)

Nuff bones to make stew.
Jeffery Deaver is not an easily explained novelist. He is so unpredictable and so "let you hanging" that you can't put the darn book down.Although "The Bone Collector" has enough bones, ill gotten and without much purpose, it still makes you shiver when you know that on the next page it's going to happen.And Deaver also has that knack of ending each chapter with a word, phrase, line or thought, you have to ask yourself, "how do he do it".He is just scary enough to wonder if he isn't on the run from the athorities and is hiding under the guise as a novelist.That comment is meant as a compliment, which shows how much I enjoy Jerrery Deaver.And if Amazon would add more of his books, I could complete my library.

Outstanding!
This book is absolutly the best book I have ever read in a long time. I was up every night to 3:00 in the morning reading this real page turner. I learned alot about crime scenes and the old new york was very interesting!

One of my FAVORITE AUTHORS!
Jeffery Deaver is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE AUTHORS! He has so many twists & turns in his books, you never know what to expect next! Although each novel in the "Lincoln Rhyme Series" stands alone, you will probably want to start with this first book in the series because it enables you to get to know and appreciate the characters so much more as they grow & develop throughout the books. If you've read some of Deaver's earlier books/series, namely, the "The Rune Series" or the "The John Pellam Series", and did not enjoy them, please do not judge ALL of his books by those. His writing style changes completely with the "Lincoln Rhyme" books and if you like mystery & suspense, you will LOVE these! This is book #1 in the series and you're going to LOVE it!

One of my favorite authors!
Jeffery Deaver is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE AUTHORS! He has so many twists & turns in his books, you never know what to expect next! Although each novel in the "Lincoln Rhyme Series" stands alone, you will probably want to start with this first book in the series because it enables you to get to know and appreciate the characters so much more as they grow & develop throughout the books. If you've read some of Deaver's earlier books/series, namely, the "The Rune Series" or the "The John Pellam Series", and did not enjoy them, please do not judge ALL of his books by those. His writing style changes completely with the "Lincoln Rhyme" books and if you like mystery & suspense, you will LOVE these! This is book #1 in the series and you're going to LOVE it!

The Bone Collector
Another mystery thriller from Jeffery Deaver.I don't want to put it down.It is fast pace and exciting.I am surprised his books are not made into movies.
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Product Description
The arcanum--the recipe to make gold--was mankind's legendary quest since the Age of Reason. By the early 18th century, however, porcelain began to rival gold in value. Gleeson recounts the true story of Johann Friedrich Bottger, an alchemist, who, at the cost of his own life, discovered how to make porcelain and changed the course of history.Amazon.com Review
Since the middle ages, Western Europeans have practicedalchemy, a primitive form of chemistry, in the great hope oftransforming base metal into gold. In the early 18th century, a secondgreat secret puzzled Western Europe's early scientists: how to makeporcelain. Recently arrived from the Orient, porcelain quickly becamea symbol of power, prestige, and good taste. In The Arcanum,Janet Gleeson presents an entertaining and informative account of theinvention of European porcelain and the founding of the MeissenPorcelain Manufacture outside Dresden, Germany.

Her narrative focuses on three individuals: Alchemist Johann FrederickBöttger inadvertently discovered the arcanum, or secret formula, formaking porcelain; Johan Gregor Herold, an ambitious artist, developedcolors and patterns of unparalleled brilliance at the newlyestablished Meissen Porcelain Manufacture; Johann Joachim Kaendler, avirtuoso sculptor, used the Meissen porcelain to invent a new artform. Interwoven with the story of Augustus the Strong, the greedy andambitious king of the Kingdom of Saxony, who held Böttger captiveuntil he discovered the formula, Gleeson's tale reads easily andmaintains a high level of suspense and intrigue throughout.--Bertina Loeffler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

An interesting read about a random subject.
Who would have thought a story about porcelain making would be so interesting and dramatic? The story of the Arcanum is one of greed, power, betrayal and sorrow. It is interesting how we take porcelain for granted now but people died for it at one point in time.

I bought the book for $5 and I think it was worth the price. I wouldn't spend more than that though. One glaring omission I found is the fact the book has no pictures. The authoer goes to great pains to describe the porcelain being made and pieces that are now housed in museums etc but includes no pictures to help us envision the items.

All in all I think this is an interesting story and for the right price I would recommend this book.

The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story
I found the Arcanum to be a fascinating read, wether you care about porcelin or not. Gleeson is a great story teller. The book reads like a mystery thriller that you don't want to put down. I have given three copies to friends.

Arcanum from alchemist to porcelain at Meissen
Exellent, well-researched, and easy to read. History of the discovery of the secrets of porcelain manufacture at Meissen, Saxony, Germany, 300 years ago by the imprisoned alchemist. Have read it twice now.

ripping yarn of porcelain discovery
As a budding enthusiast of Meissen porcelain, I found this book enormously enjoyable and informative. Gleeson clearly and entertainingly presents the sometimes complicated and confusing story of the discovery of porcelain in the West. She vividly portrays the various characters involved in the discovery and early development of hard paste porcelain. Gleeson might not be a great writer, but I have to admit to waking up early to enjoy her book.

Even is you have no interest in this area of decorative art, the story is fascinating enough in its own right to ensure a gripping and enjoyable read. Who knows, you may become a porcelain convert!

Porcelain From Dresden
Porcelain, the ceramics world's equivalent of gold, is among humankind's most celebrated and beautiful inventions: the perfect porcelain item is translucent, and infinite variations of usage exist for it.It was notoriously expensive because for centuries it could only be obtained overland, through China - some thought it was created by magic, and even among educated people despaired that the sands and clays necessary to make it would be unavailable in the West.All until a rather mad semi-conman, who had already been chucked out of one royal house, lucked upon the patronage of the Elector of Saxony, and then lucked upon the winning formula, thus bringing the art of porcelain-making to the West.For about a generation, Dresden had the monopoly on porcelain manufacturing; following that, industrial spies were able to sell the secret to France (Sevres) and various other European capitals.Nevertheless, Meissen porcelain is still celebrated as Europe's best.Gleeson's story is an excellent recapturing of the strange conventions of the seventeenth and eighteenth century economies and the strange means by which one might make one's fortune under the ancien regime.She is also blessed by some truly colorful characters:Bottger the fortunate (if not accidental)inventor; Herold the painter (who found a way of decorating and tinting the porcelain), and the Elector himself, who was ruthless enough to hold Bottger prisoner until he yielded the formula. ... Read more

Product Description
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt return in the latest brilliantly rendered novel of manners, mores and murder in Victorian England. From London's cobblestone streets and exclusive drawing rooms to a great country house--where a fateful secret conference may decide the outcome of a centuries-old political secret, Scotland Yard's Superintendent, Thomas Pitt and his clever wife must root out the truth before Ireland erupts into civil war. Simultaneous hardcover publication from Fawcett. 2 cassettes.Amazon.com Review
Longtime readers of Anne Perry will be familiar withInspector Thomas Pitt, the low-born London copper with a better-bornwife, Charlotte. Set during the Victorian era, Perry's mysteriesusually examine the dark underbelly of aristocraticlife. Homosexuality, adultery, and pedophilia have all been subjectsof her previous books; in Ashworth Hall she injectsa new ingredient: politics.

Ashworth Hallis the name of an estate where, in the autumn of 1890, a highly secretmeeting is being held to discuss Anglo-Irish relations. The "IrishProblem" soon takes a backseat to murder, however, and Inspector Pitt,who as the son of servants grew up on just such an estate, is called into solve the case.While he investigates below-stairs, Charlotte gathers clues above. As usual, their collaboration issuccessful, both in crime-solving and as literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

I've read it but still don't know who the killer(s) is/are
Perry does her usual fine job with this Pitt mystery, but it is the worst example of the one flaw I have found in every Perry Pitt and Monk mystery.

That flaw: that although she solves the mystery in the last pages, she also always leaves all kinds of secondary story threads hanging.I always want to know more about the characters, about what happens after the killer has been caught. Agatha Christie, in fewer pages, provides just as much detail about the characters but still manages to tie up all the story threads.

The ending of Ashworth Hall, however, has an even more serious flaw (no spoiler here): it is not at all clear who the murderer(s) is/are.I've read the last few pages several times and I am still not sure who did what to whom.It is frustrating in the extreme.

Ashworth Hall
This is another excellent book by Anne Perry. It is one of the books in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series and takes place in the 1890's at the home of Charlotte's sister, Emily. Emily's husband is a member of Parliament. A meeting between the differing factions in the "Irish Problem" is being held at Emily's home. Two of men involved are murdered. It is Thomas's job, as a police superintendent, to find out who did it and why. Charlotte is also a house guest and gets involved in the investigation. As always, the ending has a twist. Anne Perry really makes her books more realistic by not using the same old "the butler did it" type of ending. I would highly recommend all of her books. She has obviously done a lot of research into the Victorian period. She really shows what life was like. I did a little checking of some of her facts after I read my first book by her. She is remarkably accurate. If you like this type of period piece please pick up one of her books. I would recommend starting from the beginning of the series as each book has references to the books that came before.

Not One of Perry's Best; However..
I did not care for this book with Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. My
"however" was due to, it does give alot of interesting information
on the Catholic/Protestant problem that has been going on, it seems
since the beginning of time. On page 80, there is one very simplistic
explanation given by Charlotte to Gracie, her maid. Gracie ca nt
understand the reason behind all of the tragedy and bloodshed over
two religions battling each other. It makes no sense to her (I,m with
Gracie-it doesnt really make any sense).Charlotte: The Scots came from
Ireland and took over Scotland By this time the Scots were protestants
and then many Scots went back to Ireland finding Ireland is now mostly
Catholic. Gracie: then they shouldn't oughta gone back(I,m with Gracie
again!) Charlotte: possibly not, but it's too late now. We cant go forward from anywhere except where we are at the moment. That would
fit every part of our lives.

"Above all, never tell people you know how they feel. Each person's pain is unique."
As the author gets farther and farther into this popular series of police procedural murder mysteries set in late Victorian England, she seems to be struggling for original plots, and for something new to say regarding the sordidness of much of high society and the need for drastic reform. But this 17th book starring Superintendent Pitt, a self-made man, and his wife, Charlotte, who "married down," is one of the best yet. All the previous stories have been set in and around London, but this one is Perry's take on the "country house mystery." It's 1890 and the British government is trying hard to find some solution to the Irish problem, but centuries of mutual hatred between the native Irish Catholics and the Protestants imposed upon Ireland by earlier monarchs have made that nearly impossible. (And still have, for that matter, in the Northern Counties.) Charlotte's sister, Emily, who married up, to a peer, still manages her late husband's fortune (in trust for her small son, his heir), including a sizable country estate. Now that her second husband, Jack Radley, is in Parliament, Emily is asked to make her place available for a summit meeting between representatives of both sides in the Irish mess, with a report of recommendations later to be made to Parliament. Pitt is detailed to handle security, though he's passing himself off at first as merely Emily's guest. And he takes Sergeant Tellman along, disguised as his valet -- which is hilarious, since Tellman loathes the very notion of anyone being a personal servant to anyone else. Hardly has the conference begun when Ainsley Greville, a skilled diplomat and negotiator and moderator for the weekend, is murdered in his bath. A political assassination, obviously, perpetrated by those who despise the idea of compromise over Ireland. Or maybe not. Jack is asked to try to take Greville's place in continuing the negotiations -- until a dynamite bomb destroys his study and one of the Irish attendees is killed in the explosion. Pitt has his hands full, naturally, and so does Charlotte. The cast of characters is better developed than usual, and the background about Ireland is far more skillfully presented than Perry's previous, rather melodramatic, diatribes on slums and women's rights. For many reasons, I'm rather an Anglophile, and I have no use whatever for the authoritarianism of the Roman Catholic (or any other) Church -- but when it comes to Ireland, I'm on the side of my own ancestors from Kerry, who were thrown off their land in the 1830s and fled the Olde Sod for the American midwest. Yet Perry does an excellent job showing how the Irish have themselves to blame for their troubles, at least as much as the English. The sub-plots, about Charlotte's maid, Gracie, and her first romantic experience, and the Montague-Capulet affair between a Protestant conference attendee and the wife of a Catholic, are also well done and fit right into the story. (Perry's parallel plots often stick out like sore-thumb afterthoughts.) My only complaint, in fact, is that we never find out about the true identity of the man with the light-colored eyes.

It's The Pitts
If you've read many of the books in this series, as I have, part of the pleasure comes from renewing your acquintance with the regulars that inhabit them. It's like meeting old friends that you haven't seen in a while. Getting the latest update on Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and the other recurring characters is as much a part of the enjoyment as iswhatever case is on tap. Moreover, Ms. Perry, if a little preachy, generally writes an entertaining story. On that basis, I typically rate these four star reads.

ASHWORTH HALL gives you all the usual. You get the latest in the lives of the Pitt family members and friends and you get a decent whodunit. The problem here, for me, was in the situation and backdrop. The story finds Thomas trying to provide security for secret negotiations involving some leading Irish catholic and protestant leaders. Murder ensues, of course, but by the time it was over I was just glad to get rid of the people on both sides. They all came across to me as self-righteous, bigoted, and selfishly motivated. I didn't like any of them much and I didn't care what happened to any of them. Also, beyond that, the situation seemed overly contrived, as did the "romance" involving Gracie (I know, fiction is all contrived, but it's a matter of degree). It seemed too unlikely in the circumstances and too convenient in the context of the plot. Given my reaction to these elements, I didn't find the story particularly engaging.

If you're a Pitt fan, you'll want to read ASHWORTH HALL, but it isn't, in my opinion, one of the better tales in this series. Further, and from a personal standpoint, though I enjoy the series, I'd like to see Ms. Perry put aside the Victorian social and political issues sometime and just give us a top-notch whodunit that's not doubling as a "morality play". ... Read more

Product Description
Developed in response to the calculus reform movement, this problem-driven text features exceptional exercises directed toward students in the management, life and social sciences. Functions are presented graphically, numerically and algebraically to give students the benefit of alternate interpretations. Uses technology to help students learn to think mathematically. ... Read more

Product Description
In an absorbing historical novel, five men who brave the frozen Canadian wilderness during the Klondike gold rush of 1897, risking everything to fulfill their dreams. A highly readable drama filled with the blend of fact and fiction that is Michener's trademark.((Random House--Fiction-Historical)


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

A wonderful novel.
A short novel by Michener's standard. A vivid action packed novel that is easy to read and hard to put down. Five men struggle in the Canadian wilderness while enroute to the Klondike gold fields in 1897. Grave misfortunes beset the party with devastating results due to arrogance, poor decisions, tradition, and failure to heed sound advise by knowledgable inhabitants of the Canadian frontier.

Let not England forget her precedence of teaching nations how to live.
Lord Luton has decided to lead a group of men to a gold strike in the Klondike, The only catch is that instead of going through US territory in Alaska he is going to do it without leaving the English Empire.

I see Lord Luton as an explorer with nothing left to explore, a man who was born a few centuries too late. Without a new frontier to face him, he creates one with his insane limitations. Oblivious to fear and depravity he goes thousands of miles out of his way to prove what that he will preserver no matter the adversity.


I bought this book in 2004 for years it sat in my library waiting for me to discover what type of men built the British Empire, the very same type of men who would later loose it.

Excellent
This is one of the more entertaining books I have ever read.The characters are well-developed, the story is exciting, unexpected and largely believable, and the events and setting took me to a strange land north of where I live, but had never really considered before.

So appropriate for our time....
Solid storytelling and with so much of our world up in arms (literally), its just nice to review the history from an 800 foot view.Always need a paperback for air travel as these books typically weigh you down.

Journey
It is too early for a review as I have not read the book yet. ... Read more

Product Description
This classic, Newbery Medal-winning tale is from the famous author of "Misty of Chincoteague". Young horse lovers everywhere are sure to delight in this dashing, dramatic story about a stallion, a stable boy, and their globe-spanning adventures. Unabridged. April 1998 publication date. 4 cassettes. . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

Beautiful and Heartrending
Marguerite Henry's fictionalized biography of the Goldolphin Arabian, one of the three founding thoroughbred sires, follows the horse Sham and his mute groom Agba from the stables of the Sultan of Morocco through hardship in France and England to celebrated triumph at stud. The trials Sham and Agba go through are almost unbearable to read, but vividly rendered. Agba, who never speaks a word, is one of the most absorbing characters in children's fiction. Lovely illustrations. Most children will find this book fascinating, and it's a must for horse lovers.

A Horse Lover's Delight!
If you loved Black Beauty and My Friend Flicka, you'll adore King Of The Wind.

When I was in 4th grade my teacher read this book to the class. I loved the story so much I had to have the book for my own.

It's an exciting story set in Arabia about a stable boy and his devotion to his horse. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

This is the book that made a reader out of me...





I first read this book in the third grade. Actually, my teacher was reading it to our class and every day I could not wait for the reading circle to find out what would happen to Agba and Sham. Finally, I went to the library and checked the book out for myself so that I would not have to wait . Thank you Mrs. Van Vechten, wherever you are. This book was the beginning of a life time love affair with books. I cried, I laughed, I imagined myself there. I learned about other cultures and customs, I learned about tolerance, compassion , cruelty and kindness and most importantly about love and friendship and I have never forgotten how it felt. Both my children were introduced to reading with this wonderful book. My children are grown now but a copy still rests in my library waiting for my future grandchildren. I cannot wait to cuddle up with them and pass this treasure on.

great true horse story
This was one of my favorite books as a child, and i just gave it as a gift to another child. It is an excellent book -a true story about a famous horse who had to overcome tremendous struggles and his faithful groom who managed to accompany him and assist him no matter the personal cost, as well as a look at prejudice and genuine kindness.

A classic!
I first read this book when I was in elementary school. That was many, many years ago. The thought of this book somehow crossed my mind a few days ago. So I procured one and read it through in a couple of hours. The re-read reminded me of how great of a book this is.

This book speaks of hope, trust, perseverance, and especially of undying love. Yes, it's a children's book but adults will benefit greatly from reading it as well. It's one of those books which will forever remain a classic in the hearts and minds of those who have read it. ... Read more

Product Description
The escapades of four animal friends who live along a river in the English countryside--Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger.Amazon.com Review
"[Mole] thought his happiness was complete when, as he meanderedaimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fedriver. Never in his life had he seen a river before--this sleek,sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping thingswith a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on freshplaymates that shook themselves free, and were caught and heldagain." Such is the cautious, agreeable Mole's first introductionto the river and the Life Adventurous. Emerging from his home at MoleEnd one spring, his whole world changes when he hooks up with thegood-natured, boat-loving Water Rat, the boastful Toad of Toad Hall,the society- hating Badger who lives in the frightening Wild Wood, andcountless other mostly well-meaning creatures. Michael Hague'sexquisitely detailed, breathtaking color illustrations on almost everygenerous spread--along with Kenneth Grahame's elegant, delightfullyold-fashioned characterizations of the animals--make this book awonderful read-aloud. Grahame's The Wind in the Willows hasenchanted readers for four generations, and this lavishly illustratedgift edition is perhaps the finest around. (All ages, or 9 to12)

This reviews refers to ISBN 0805002138. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (146)

A Bedtime Story
This is a well told, simply beautiful, version of The Wind in the Willows. Children of all ages (toddlers to older adults) will love it. The music is very soothing making it the perfect bedtime story. I played this for my daughter when she was young and find that I still love to fall to sleep to it in September, when the air has a hint of crispness as Summer turns to Fall. I have purchased it three times, already. I've never found it on DVD.

Very happy with this item
I am very happy to have this.I had the VCR tapes, and wanted to upgrade to DVD.These movies were very hard to find for a reasonable price, but this seller provided exactly what I needed.

Wind in the Willows
I have been a fan of Wind in the Willows since I read the stories as a small child in England.They are great classics. I also have read the stories and watched the DVD's with my grandsons, who call me Pop Pop. Last year I took the liberty of writing fantasy stories about their imaginary adventures as junior Jedi Knights. It's called "The Book Of Funtastic Adventures" and is available on amazon.com In two of the adventures the boys fall down a rabbit hole, go back in time and meet Mole, Ratty, and Toad. This time Toad is into flying machines and is driving across his lawn at Toad hall much to the concern of Badger. The boys arrive and Toad wants them to experience the flying machine so he persuades them to climb in, promising the boys and Badger that he is just taxing across the lawn and will not fly, as he has no insurance and hasn't had any training. Unfortunately Toad gets carried away and takes off with the boys on a hilarious, crazy, adventure. The Book of Funtastic Adventures:Silly Bedtime Stories to Make Children Laugh

The Riverbank Cure
This childhood favorite is as fresh and charming as when it was first published. Yes, I admit I may be somewhat nostalgic, for I remember my grandparents reading me a picture book version of some of the stories when I was a little girl. But I have reread the book over the years and even enjoyed the play, TOAD OF TOAD HALL. As an adult I still delight in the antics of our animal friends as they face the joys and challenges of riverbank life.

The four protagonists remind us of folks we know, which endears them to us with their all-too-human dreams and foibles.Ratty, the water rat, is the sensible Brains of the outfit; Mole with his dreams of exploration aboveground is the Heart; gruff and tough Badger, who hates being disturbed during hibernation, is the Muscle of the group. Then comes The Toad who provides comic relief in the form of his vanity, childishness and his utter disregard for property, the law, and the feelings of others.Both people and animals must adapt to survive in the forest and streams of life--learning to rely on and value true Friendship.

Exhausted from spring cleaning Mole sets out to discover the world Aboveground, where he find the joys of riverbank Life--after almost drowning--with his new friend, host and mentor, Ratty. But beware the deadly perils lurking in the adjacent Wild Wood, whose denizens chivvy and harass the river bankers! Kenneth Graham weaves a delightful tale with willow strands of comraderie, dedication to ideals and self sacrifice. Come ride the roads with Toady in his stolen motor car, and scull down the river with Ratty.Savor the sentimental whisperings of Home with kindly Mole; join the search for lost Porky. Finally: cheer the ranks of Badger's Avengers!But will any Intervention succeed in reforming the irrepressible Toad?

This beloved children's classic combines humor and pathos with lively adventure in an animal realm which parallels human endeavor. This book is a true gem, to be rediscovered by successive generations and eagerly read by children of all ages!

A Classic Fantasy that Should Not Be Missed
A lonely mole, exasperated with Spring cleaning, abandons his home and goes for a long jaunt ending at a river, where he meets a friendly river rat.The rat invites him to an extended stay at his home, introducing him to all the local animals: the lively otter, stalwart badger, and reckless toad.Thus follow some of the most implausible and wonderful adventures ever to enthrall a young reader.The story delights with what C.S. Lewis calls "scandalous escapism," yet within the animals' adventures, dangers, and reveries, if you are looking for them, you will find timeless moral qualities: the value of friendship, the beauty of unblinking courage, and the consequences of foolishness.It really should not be missed.

Parents will need to use discernment when considering whether to read chapter 7, in which Rat and Mole encounter and worship a "wood-god" who resembles the mythical Pan.This chapter does provide a calming respite from Toad's breakneck adventures, but some parents may choose to skip this chapter until their children can discern the difference between this creature and the God of their own faith.In addition, parents may want to discuss a passing reference in chapter 10 to a gypsy (Roma) man as one accustomed to horse-stealing.This stereotype of Roma, so prevalent in the past century and continuing into the present, has caused much persecution for this people.

Kenneth Grahame's brilliant prose is full of unusual and enriching words, making it excellent as a read-aloud for early readers, and good as a read-alone for confident readers.Precocious pre-readers will also be able to enjoy the story, although they will miss many of its complexities.

There are a great number of illustrated versions of the book, many of them abridged.Michael Hague's unabridged version depicts the story in exuberant oil paintings, with period costumes and architecture basically consistent with the book's original publication in 1908. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (450)

awesome
This was one of the best books that I had to read for anthro. Keeps you interested about what's going to happen next. Very interesting and a good book

WOW!Fantastic!
Just reading Count Dracula's greeting, "Welcome to my house.Come freely.Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring!" gave me chills as well as fantastically visual descriptions of the Count and the atmosphere.I was also glad that I had not had much exposure to the diluted, popularized versions of Vampire movies and contemporary Vampire trends, therefore was unaffected.This is a fantastically entertaining book, and not only about the Vampire but actually more about the characters and the culture, and the journal style of narratives by different characters works very well to really capture the experiences of horror, valor,faith, and intelligence of the characters. I actually think that Mina is the most interesting one that has multiple and sophisticated elements---somewhat of a martyr, ideal Victorian woman, and at the same time with a sharp analytical and investigave mind-- which is rather surprising considering the Victorian culture.The writing is so beautiful and clever that extreme violence, gore and sexuality that could have easily been over the top, are not disruptive of the story, or of the underlying concepts of eternal life through Christ's blood and the eternal youth and life through destruction.What a great treat!

"For the dead travel fast"
Surprisingly "Denn die Toten reiten schnell" or "For the dead travel fast" is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moon light. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu's, I pretty much though I had a handle on the genera.Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense that Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly third party though the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax cylinders) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief.The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sing his teeth in. Unfortunately for him a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, asylum director, Texas cowboy and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching.They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

Of more value to the reader is the rich prose chosen by Stoker as he describes the morals and technology of the time. We have to come to grips with or decide if we can perform the rituals that are required to eliminate vampires verses the impropriety of opening graves and staking loved ones. The powers in the book differ from the movie versions in that they are more of persuasion and capabilities to manipulate the local weather. At one point the Dutch Dr. Van Helsing, is so overwhelmed by a beautiful vampire laying in the grave that he almost for gets why he is there and may become vamp chow.

All in all the story is more in the cunning chase. And the question as to will they succeed or will Dracula triumph.Remember "For the dead travel fast."

Dracula

Past its prime and victorian to boot!
I don't especially care for scary movies or books, so I've avoided this book over the years. However, with the preponderance of vampire lit in our culture I thought I'd finally crack the binding of this book. I didn't find it particularly spine-chilling or evocative-- perhaps I'm deadened to such paltry imagery summoned here compared with our modern mediums. Still, the plot was decent and as the progenitor of so much culture within the hoi polloi it is consistent with the recommendation of a must read.

Reads Better Than Most Modern Horror
Please read this instead of these wonky modern vampire books. Although it was written in the 19th century it flows in a modern way and the first 50 pages are the best opening of any book in horror history.
... Read more