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R. M. Ballantyne (1825-1894) was a Scottish juvenile fiction writer. Born Robert Michael Ballantyne in Edinburgh, he was part of a famous family of printers and publishers. In 1848 he published his first book, Hudson's Bay: or, Life in the Wilds of North America. For some time he was employed by Messrs Constable, the publishers, but in 1856 he gave up business for the profession of literature, and began the series of adventure stories for the young with which his name is popularly associated. The Young Fur-Traders (1856), The Coral Island (1857), The World of Ice (1859), Ungava: A Tale of Eskimo Land (1857), The Dog Crusoe (1860), The Lighthouse (1865), Deep Down, a Tale of the Cornish Mines (1868), The Pirate City (1874), Erling the Bold (1869), The Settler and the Savage (1877), and other books, to the number of upwards of a hundred, followed in regular succession, his rule being in every case to write as far as possible from personal knowledge of the scenes he described. ... Read more

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"Music is a part of life. It is not merely an accomplishment or a hobby, nor yet a means of relaxation from the strenuous business of earning a living. It is not an addendum or an excrescence: it is an actual part of the fabric of life itself. The object of these pages will be to show how closely Music, and indeed Art in general, has woven itself into the pattern of our lives, and how intimately it may influence and fashion the design. " ... Read more

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(Helen) Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was an English author and illustrator, botanist, and conservationist, born in Kensington, London best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit. Educated at home by a succession of governesses, she had little opportunity to mix with other children. Potter had frogs and newts, and even a pet bat. The basis of her many projects and stories were the small animals that she smuggled into the house or observed during family holidays in Scotland and the Lake District. She was encouraged to publish her story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), but she struggled to find a publisher until it was accepted when she was 36, by Frederick Warne & Co. The small book and her following works were extremely well received and she gained an independent income from the sales. Potter eventually wrote 23 books. These were published in a small format, easy for a child to hold and read. Her writing efforts abated around 1920 due to poor eyesight. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Dull and Half Pretty
My children have Peter Rabbit in the same format. The story of Ginger and Pickles is dull. My children who will sit through chapters of books were up and gone before we even got halfway through Ginger and Pickles. Some of the pictures are beautiful. Many are just simple sketches, with no color. I was hoping for another treasured classic, since they love Peter Rabbit, but this one was definitely a dud. The book looks pretty sitting on the shelf, but that is where it stays.

A Happy Ending
Ginger and Pickles (I love those names!) are two kind hearted shop keepers that are unfortunate to be largely taken advantage of. They offer their customers credit, and those customers ultimately never end up paying Ginger and Pickles back. They end up going bankrupt and closing the store.

After the closing, the former customers of that shop end up going to the only other store in town that took advantage of the closing by raising their prices. Having to deal with this, and some of the other trade-men's unfriendly customer service policies, the animal populace rejoices when Sally Hen-penny decides to reopen Ginger and Pickles' old store. She only accepts cash, but has great prices.

In the end, the customers are happy, however, the reality of how Ginger and Pickles were walked over is never addressed. There doesn't really seem to be a moral of this story, just a happy ending. It's cute, and I think your child will enjoy the story.

Darien Summers, author of The Mischievous Hare, a children's book. The Mischievous Hare

Beautiful illustrations
The story is about a Ginger and Pickles (hence the title), a cat and a dog who run a dry good store. They have great services and great sales but too great that they actually let their customers goes on credit till their business just went bankcrupt because nobody actually pays for their goods when they buys them. Eventually, their store reopens, bringing greater profits.

This book has wonderful illustrations for the kids to enjoy. But I must admit, I don't really quite enjoy this book, and just reading it through to check it out. But of course, I can't speak for others.

Child's first lesson in business?
Ginger and Pickles, a cat and dog who run a dry goods store are failing in business by giving unlimited credit. Their sales are enormous but there isnever any money in the till. They restrain their natural desire to eattheir rodent customers and sustain themselves by consuming inventory.Finally, they are forcedto close the store when they cannot pay theannual tax bill. The store is later reopened by an enterprising chicken whogets a little flustered counting change, but nevertheless brings the storyto a happy ending. ... Read more

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Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901), was an English novelist, known for her huge output. She was devoted to the Church of England, and much influenced by John Keble, a near neighbour and one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Her novels reflected the values and concerns of Anglo-Catholicism. She began writing in 1848, and published during her long life about 100 works, chiefly novels. Her first commercial success, The Heir of Redclyffe (1854), provided the funding to enable the schooner Southern Cross to be put into service on behalf of George Selwyn. Similar charitable works were done with the profits from later novels. She was also editor, for nearly forty years, of a magazine for young ladies, the Monthly Packet. Among the best known of her works are Heartsease; or, The Brother's Wife (1854), The Daisy Chain; or, Aspirations (1856), A History of Christian Names (1863, revised 1884), A Book of Golden Deeds (1864), The Dove in the Eagle's Nest (1866), Life of John Coleridge Patteson: Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands (1873) and Hannah More (1888). ... Read more

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William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair (1847), a panoramic portrait of English society. Thackeray began as a satirist and parodist, with a sneaking fondness for roguish upstarts like Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair, Barry Lyndon in Barry Lyndon (1844) and Catherine in Catherine (1839). In his earliest works, writing under such pseudonyms as Charles James Yellowplush, Michael Angelo Titmarsh and George Savage Fitz-Boodle, he tended towards the savage in his attacks on high society, military prowess, the institution of marriage and hypocrisy. His writing career really began with a series of satirical sketches now usually known as The Yellowplush Papers, which appeared in Fraser's Magazine beginning in 1837. Between May 1839 and February 1840, Fraser's published the work sometimes considered Thackeray's first novel, Catherine also notable among the later novels are The Fitz-Boodle Papers (1842), Men's Wives (1842), The History of Pendennis (1848), The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., (1852), The Newcomes (1853) and The Rose and the Ring (1855) . ... Read more

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"For thousands of years the Hindu Astrologers have by their knowledge of the solar system been enabled to formulate a system of Astrology which enables them to speak with scientific authority and certainty with respect to the planetary influences upon mankind. Each person is born in or under one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and is thus influenced more or less throughout life by the planetary conditions at time of birth. " ... Read more

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"It must be remembered, that these poems are the effusions of men who never enjoyed any of what we call the luxuries of life; yet how refined are the generality of their sentiments! Of men who lived in a state, such as our own Borderers lived in, five hundred years ago, in violence and in strife, and whose descendants live so still; yet how exquisitely pathetic are many of their poems, and how high-souled and benevolent their sentiments and ideas! Inhabiting a fine country, with grand and lofty mountains, and green and fertile valleys, but with nought more than the bare necessaries of life attainable, how simple and how perfect are their similes, and how true to nature! What a patriotic ardour; what a true spirit of freedom, and a love of country, much of their poetry displays! " ... Read more

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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third President of the United States (1801-09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. "The opinion universally entertained of the extraordinary abilities of Thomas Jefferson, and the signal evidence given by his country, of a profound sense of his patriotic services, and of veneration for his memory, have induced the Editor, who is both his Executor and the Legatee of his Manuscript Papers, to believe that an extensive publication from them would be particularly acceptable to the American people." ... Read more

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(Helen) Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was an English author and illustrator, botanist, and conservationist, born in Kensington, London best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit. Educated at home by a succession of governesses, she had little opportunity to mix with other children. Potter had frogs and newts, and even a pet bat. The basis of her many projects and stories were the small animals that she smuggled into the house or observed during family holidays in Scotland and the Lake District. She was encouraged to publish her story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), but she struggled to find a publisher until it was accepted when she was 36, by Frederick Warne & Co. The small book and her following works were extremely well received and she gained an independent income from the sales. Potter eventually wrote 23 books. These were published in a small format, easy for a child to hold and read. Her writing efforts abated around 1920 due to poor eyesight. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
This is a wonderful book for early readers about Two mice and their adventures into the unknown.Timmy, the country mouse goes into the town by accident and gets a big surprise at the very different lifestyles etc. This book really relates to real life situations and how people get reallysurprised and scared in a new place. I would reccommend this story tochildren who are in the process of moving or have a new friend in town. Itwill help them realize how everywhere is different. ... Read more

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Isabella Mary Beeton (née Mayson; 1836-1865), universally known as Mrs. Beeton, was the principal author of Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management and is the most famous cookery writer in British history. On a visit to London, she was introduced to Samuel Orchard Beeton, a publisher of books and popular magazines, whom she married on 10 July 1856. She began to write articles on cooking and household management for her husband's publications. In 1859-1861, she wrote a monthly supplement to The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine. InOctober 1861, the supplements were published as a single volume, The Book of Household Management. She also wrote Beeton's Book of Needlework, which consists of descriptions and instructions on needlework ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

no pictures
i hate giving bad reviews and this book would be great i am sure if the pictures had been included. ... Read more

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What is creationism? Is it science, theology, both, neither? Who's behind it? What does it mean for Western Civilization? And why should you give a damn in the first place?

National Lampoon veteran Barrett Brown and Professor of Sociology Jon P. Alston, Ph.D, answer these questions - and perhaps one or two others -in a superbly unorthodox, serenely offensive and splendidly hilarious look at the forces behind the most talked-about pseudo-theory in modern history.

In Flock of Dodos, the reader will discover ominous parallels between Billy Joel's greaser anthem Uptown Girl and chief intelligent design proponent William Dembski, the wholly non-Christian origins of the United States, the goofy history of the creation science movement, secrets of a happy marriage to anti-feminist icon Phylis Schafly, stunning evidence that William Jennings Bryan might not have been all that bright, the the three interesting things that occurred in 2004, and the true nature of the millennia-old Conspiracy of Nonsense that threatens the very fiber of Western Civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Random thoughts?
I have followed Dover trial very closely and have read couple of other books written on this subject, while mildly entertaining this book suffer from randomness, if you are interested in learning more about Dover trial or evolution I won't suggest this book, but if you want a quick and dirty over view of things with humors bits thrown in there this book might work out for you.

Mad Magazine meets Scientific American
This is a magazine article disguised as a book* and a slightly bi-polar magazine article at that. I enjoyed reading this article in a book jacket cover but just when I got interested in the facts behind creationism and the intelligent design movement the author(s)switched to shtick and then when I got into the comedy they got serious on me. It's too bad they didn't actually write a real book because they piqued my curiosity and I would have loved to read a book on the subject.

*note to publisher- pretty clever using small page size and large print.

Shooting fish
If you ever needed an example of shooting fish in a barrel, just look to the book Flock of Dodos by Barrett Brown and Jon P. Alston, a brief but amusing look at the world of Creationism.When you're dealing with a group of intellectually limited people like the idea men of the Creationist/Intelligent Design movement, it's not exactly difficult to make fun at them.

If I had to guess, the primary writer of Flock of Dodos is Brown, whose background is with National Lampoon.Alston, on the other hand, probably provided more of the concepts.Whatever the case, this is a funny book that shows the vast contradictions and fallacies of the so-called Intelligent Design movement.

Unlike many books on the topic of debunking this pseudoscience, Flock of Dodos does not really rely on the scientific flaws, but dwells more on the political and religious rationale (or should it be irrationale?) of the movement.For example, while Intelligent Design proponents will often pretend that religion plays no part in their "theory", the record shows otherwise.The IDers (or as I've heard them referred to, IDiots) will resort to all sorts of lies and bullying to get their way and fulfill their ultimate agenda of bringing religion (which is to say their religion, a fanatical and disturbing form of Christianity) into the classroom and government.Quoting people out of context and indulging in scare tactics may be part of the game of politics, but in the world of science, it cannot win.

Flock of Dodos may preach to the choir, but it also provides that choir with some additional tools to appropriately mock Creationists.At just over 150 quick pages, it may be a bit small for the cover price, but if you can get it at a discount (such as through Amazon), it is worth getting.

The Wacky World of Creationism Gets Punk'd.
"{T]he leaders of the Intelligent Design movement, as we shall see, are so incredibly dishonest that they could cause a veteran heroin addict to blush - not out of any moral objection on the part of the addict, but rather out of embarassment that anyone could be do damned bad at lying." (Kindle Edition, loc. 40)

Brown and Austin's book, "Flock of Dodos" is a crass and mocking work of rhetoric against creationism and intelligent design. Anyone wanting a scholarly and measured discourse should look elsewhere (there are scores of good anti-ID books at the scholarly level). Anyone wanting a smoking hot and comedic look at lunacy, this is the place for you!

The book starts off making fun of the most easy to make fun of: the "scientific" creationists like Ken Ham and Henry Morris (oddly, Kent "Dr. Dino" Hovind is not mentioned. Maybe its because he is in jail.) Our authors make fun of their (as always) futile attempts to find, much less explain the possibility of, Noah's arc, their ignorance of any type of science, and their explanation of last resort - "then, a miracle happened."

Next, we go onto another crew, that of intelligent design. These guys are a bit harder to make fun of - they are creationists who wear ties and speak like scientists. That, of course, doesn't keep our authors from trying their dangdest. This chapter is a more funny and condensed version of Forrest and Gross's "Creationism's Trojan Horse," where the ID crowd is rightly accused of double speak. When talking to scientists (rather, yelling to get their attention), they speak of "irreducible complexity." When talking to Christians (as they do constantly!), they speak of Jesus.

The next several chapters are a humorous but forceful critique of the dangers that creationism in any form poses to science and culture. If a strange brand of Christians can force the courts to demand that a view be taught because it is more friendly to scripture (this has not happened yet), there is no telling what the next move would be. And if Christians can force the courts to decide what is and is not science, then science ceases to be indepenendent.

The authors conclude that "[r]ather than a new and exciting theory, the Intelligent Design movement is nothing less than an attempted coup by which a contingent of Constantne's hopes to overthrow the legitimacy of the Enlightenment." (loc. 1011)

If this sounds like an extreme judgment, bordering on caricaturization, that is because - at least to my eyes - it is. Other reviewers have complained that this book is just an empty work of biting and alarmist rhetoric. Okay. It is certainly no worse that Ann Coulter's "Godless," let alone Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," both of which were gobbled up by the ID crowd in droves.

Rhetoric and humor can be good. It is sometimes fun to laugh at people that deserve to be mocked. This book is proof. (Now, we just need to find that pesky proof of evolution...)

A "Must Have" for atheists who don't have time for science!
This book is awesome because it makes fun of people who believe differently than I do...."Dodos"....that's hilarious.I bet they've got cooties too.

I've tried to read books that address the scientific arguments at the center of the origins debate, but they are always over my head.Lately, I've been worried because intelligent design folks seem to be winning the arguments, so I'm glad this book totally changes the subject and makes fun of people who may or may not be part of the debate.Nothing makes me feel more secure in my own personal philosophy.

I was raised a Marxist and an atheist, and I'm starting to realize that those beliefs are totally dependent on evolution being true.You can't spell "Leftist Revolution" without "evolution."(Seriously.You can't.)No wonder Marx dedicated "Das Kapital" to Darwin....duh!The brilliance of this book is that it takes attention away from the evidence and toward the simple art of laughing at strangers...like we used to do in high school.Hats off to the authors.I doubt we'll be hearing any more from the 66% of Americans who believe in creation after this book makes the rounds.

(Dodos.....I'm still laughing about that.So inspired, dude.) ... Read more

Product Description
Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE (1856-1925) was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations. After failing his army entrance exam he was sent to a private 'crammer' in London to prepare for the entrance exam for the British Foreign Office, for which he never sat. Haggard's father sent him to Africa in an unpaid position as assistant to the secretary to Lieutenant-Governor of Natal Sir Henry Bulwer. Heavily influenced by the larger-than-life adventurers he met in Colonial Africa, the great mineral wealth discovered in Africa, and the ruins of ancient lost civilizations in Africa such as Great Zimbabwe, Haggard created his Allan Quatermain adventures. Haggard also wrote about agricultural and social issues reform, in part inspired by his experiences in Africa, but also based on what he saw in Europe. Haggard is most famous as the author of the best-selling novel King Solomon's Mines (1885). Amongst his other works are She (1887), Allan Quatermain (1888), Eric Brighteyes (1891) and Ayesha (1895). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Silly, but fun
I downloaded this book because I was intrigued by the subtitle, "A Tale of the Great Trek." Well, it wasn't really about the trek -- it was about an impossibly wonderful and perfect girl and her even more impossibly wonderful and perfect, and abnormally devoted, black servant/"witch doctress." One doesn't read this sort of book looking for literature, but the yarn was well-knit, if it is possible to say that, and I kept turning the pages. There is some interesting information about the Afrikaner lifestyle in the 19th century, and the first person narrative voice is essentially successful, especially in the beginning. But, come on -- when was the last time you saw a man "wringing his hands"?
If you know what you are getting into -- basically a Classics Illustrated comic book, rife with political incorrectness -- you'll find this an amusing way to pass an hour in the doctor's office, for example. If you expect something that toes the line of contemporary thinking,you will be horrified. Caveat reader. ... Read more

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Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870), also known as "Boz", was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. Considered one of the English language's greatest writers, he was acclaimed for his rich storytelling and memorable characters, and achieved massive worldwide popularity in his lifetime. The popularity of his novels and short stories has meant that not one has ever gone out of print. Dickens wrote serialised novels, the usual format for fiction at the time, and each new part of his stories was eagerly anticipated by the reading public. Among his best-known works are Sketches by Boz (1836), The Pickwick Papers (1837), Oliver Twist (1838), Nicholas Nickleby (1839), Barnaby Rudge (1841), A Christmas Carol (1843), Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), David Copperfield (1850), Bleak House (1853), Little Dorrit (1857), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations (1861) and Our Mutual Friend (1865). ... Read more

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Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (1850-1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov. Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon. Stevenson was a celebrity in his own time, but with the rise of modern literature after World War I, he was seen for much of the 20th century as a writer of the second class, relegated to children's literature and horror genres. His works include: An Inland Voyage (1878), Familiar Studies of Men and Books (1882), New Arabian Nights (1882), Kidnapped (1886), The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables (1887), Memories and Portraits (1887), Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin (1887), The Black Arrow (1888), and Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale (1889). ... Read more

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George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister. Though no longer a household name, his works (particularly his fairy tales and fantasy novels) have inspired deep admiration in such notables as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L'Engle. C. S. Lewis wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master". Even Mark Twain, who initially despised MacDonald, became friends with him. MacDonald grew up influenced by his Congregational Church, with an atmosphere of Calvinism. But MacDonald never felt comfortable with some aspects of Calvinist doctrine. Later novels, such as Robert Falconer (1868) and Lilith (1895), show a distaste for the Calvinist idea that God's electing love is limited to some and denied to others. Especially in his Unspoken Sermons (1867-89) he shows a highly developed theology. His best-known works are Phantastes (1858), At the Back of the North Wind (1871) and The Princess and the Goblin (1872), all fantasy novels, and fairy tales such as - The Light Princess (1867), The Golden Key (1867), and The Wise Woman (1875). ... Read more

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Ellen Craft (c. 1826-c. 1897) was a slave in Macon, Georgia. Her mother was a slave and her father was her mother's owner. She married William Craft (c1826-1900) in 1846. In 1848, Ellen daringly decided to use her light skin to pass as white in order to travel by train and boat to the North, with William posing as her slave. In order to carry out this plan, Ellen also had to pass as male since a single white woman would not have been travelling alone with a male slave at this time. Although they encountered several close calls along the way, the plan worked. Eight days after they began in Georgia, William and Ellen arrived in Philadelphia on Christmas day, 1848. In 1850, William and Ellen went to England for fear that the Fugitive Slave Bill would end their freedom. Their narrative, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom (1860), is one of the most compelling of the many fugitive slave narratives. The Crafts continued to make appearances abroad, and made a life there, including having four children. In 1868 they returned to the U. S. and eventually bought land in Georgia and opened an industrial school for young African Americans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom; or, the escape of William and Ellen Craft from slavery
overall in good shape- more importantly got here on time for my class! ... Read more

Product Description
Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914) was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and younger brother of Edward Frederic Benson. In 1895, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England by his father who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. His father died suddenly in 1896, and Benson began to question the status of the Church of England, eventually obtaining permission to join the Community of the Resurrection. He made his profession as a member of the community in 1901, at which time he had no thoughts of leaving theChurch of England, but as he continued his studies and began writing, he became more and more uneasy with his own doctrinal position. On September 11, 1903, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1904 and was sent to Cambridge. He continued his writing career along with the usual elements of priestly ministry. He was named a Monsignor in 1911. ... Read more

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Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330-after 391) was a fourthcentury Roman historian. His work chronicled in Latin the history of Rome from 96 to 378, although only the sections covering the period 353-378 are extant. Like many ancient historians, Ammianus had a strong political and religious agenda to pursue, however, and he contrasted Constantius II with Julian to the former's constant disadvantage; like all ancient writers he was skilled in rhetoric, and this shows in his work. His work, the Res Gestae, has suffered terribly from the manuscript transmission. Aside from the loss of the first thirteen books, the remaining eighteen are in many places corrupt and lacunose. The sole surviving manuscript from which almost every other is derived is a ninth-century Carolingian text, V, produced in Fulda from an insular exemplar. The only independent textual source for Ammianus lies in M, another ninth-century Frankish codex which was, unfortunately, unbound and placed in other codices during the fifteenth century. Only six leaves of M survive; however, the printed edition of Gelenius (G) is considered to be based on M, making it an important witness to the textual tradition of the Res Gestae. ... Read more

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Three short stories set in middle-America by the American author and abolitionist famous for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin. ... Read more