Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Prrrrrrrinces of the Universe!
This poet exhibits the kind of solar flare that begets the Northern Lights.You're probably wondering if this man has had the, how shall I say, life-changing experiences that qualify you for fame in Scotland.Well, the answer is yes.In fact, two -- before the means for the second one were in the world.

The beauty of having open chakras is that high-quality thoughts come thick and fast.The downside is that these thoughts are pushed out by new arrivals before you can put them to paper.But I remember what it all came down to was, that if this country has elevated you to its ranks, you will like this book.

To the blue planet (the Sun will swallow)!:-)

fantastic!
I bought this version because we were having a "Burns Night" for Jan 25th, his birthday. This version is complete as far as we could tell & it does now has an 'active index'. There is a very interesting biography, as well. Be sure you understand though, that this is in the original language & part of our fun was trying to pronounce some of the words and figure out what other words might mean. For 99 cents, we sure had a lot of fun! "Thank you" to the person who made it available!!!

Wonderful
The previous reviewer's complaint no longer applies because the publisher has made the table of contents active. You can now click any poem in the table of contents and jump right to it. And what needs to be said about Burns' poems? Fantastic stuff...

Nearly unusable
I will be looking for a Mobile Reference version of Robbie Burns' poems. This is just extremely frustrating. The table of contents is more than 10 pages long with no links embedded. You must page through to the poem of your choice, with no page numbers for guidance. Not a good product for someone who wants to be able to quickly find a specific poem. ... Read more

Product Description
This new, specially commissioned recording offers a wide-ranging choice of Burns's songs and lyrical poems; and longer poems such as Tam o'Shanter, and The Cotter's Saturday Night are also included in their entirety. All are read by John Cairney, world-famous for his many stage and television performances of the life and work of Scotland's national bard. Lovers of Burns's poetry will find much to enjoy in this selection, which also provides an extensive introduction for those as yet unfamiliar with his work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Seems exhaustive,
and you can easily use search to find the items you want, be them beasties, haggis, or other.

The Beloved Scot
The essential book on Scotlands most famous and favouritre son in large and easy to read print. ... Read more

Product Description
When Dwayne Burns turned 18 during World War II, he decided that he wanted to fight alongside America's best. He joined the paratroopers and was assigned to the 508th Regiment of the 82d Airborne Division. Little did he suspect that a year later he'd be soaring in a flak-riddled C-47 over Normandy, part of the very spearhead of the Allied drive to seize back Europe.

Customer Reviews (7)

Jump: Into the Valley of the Shadow
This is a well written and moving account of one soldiers experience in WWII.The story comes to life through a personal perspective with big picture view that is not often seen.Beyond the war it gives huge insight into a time period of this country and the world.The experiences and determination of this soldier will leave you thinking and reflecting on many aspects of life.

Perfect first hand account of the 82nd
After the world wide attention for the 101st this is a welcome addition to airborne warfare in WWII

great book by an honored veteran
This is a very well written book b y a man who was there. Telling the personal story of Leland Burns' travels thru F Co of the 508PIR, Jump Into the Valley of the Shadow is a fine read. Factual and well thought out, it goes thru the gritty days of fighting that only a man who has lived thru it can tell you. But it also goes over the softer, more human side of his time overseas in an in-depth and honest way.
From his personal accounts of his courtship with his wife, to his time in England with both new and old friends, the book is made better by the fact that these are all REAL people that actually existed (and in many cases are still living) that makes this a truly special book to have.

A Book from the 82nd.
This book starts out with the author staring out the open door of a C-47 on the night of June 5, 1944 and realizing that it was now too late to join the motor pool or become a cook. Like a lot of other youngsters, when he was drafted into the Army he decided that he wanted to be with America's best, and that was the paratroopers.

I was glad to see this boook. There has been a lot written about the 101st in recent years and their defense at Bastogne including 'Band of Brothers,' the movie 'Battleground' and a bunch more. Much less well known is the action of the 82nd to hold the north shoulder and prevent the Germans from having more roads to use for their advance. Burns was there. He doesn't tell the big picture - there are a lot of books on the Battle of the Bulge. He tells his story from the bottom side. It looked different from a foxhole.

The book is told in the form of a bunch of little stories, not a day by day diary. This makes it much more interesting, and I recommend it highly.

DIABLO!!!All the way!!!
OK!This is one man's story about the "Oh Eight" the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (P.I.R.), 2nd Bn, Fox Co.Mr Burns jumped into France, Operation Neptune (D-Day) and Market-Garden (Holland) two jump stars earned the hard way.There are a lot of "soldiers stories" in the book, being with your buddies, goofing off, military life, as well as the stories about combat.Books like these put a human face on anonymous mens faces of black and white photos taken 60+ years ago.It shows they were pretty much the same as most young men, full of life and hopes and dreams, except their lives were forged in the fires of the Depression.It is a good read and a page turner, there are "flashback" type parts of the book, that may disagree with some readers.But I was most humbled and impressed by his story and the stories of other men I have met, ironically from Easy Co. 508th PIR, Mr Burns' sister Co to his own Fox Co.I am glad some of these men have told their story, because too many never have or got the chance to live long enough to.Thier story is told by rows of silent crosses in France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and a thousand other lonely places where American boys fought and died.Read this book if you want to know the story of one man's journey through a pivotal time in human history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

the men who invented show business
This is one of the funniest books I have ever read as well as an informative and authoritative history of American show business and the men who invented it from burlesque to vaudeville, radio, movies and tv.

One of the Funniest Books I've Ever Read
This book contains a treasure trove of hilarious anecdotes.

Here's an example.George Jessel had a lot of girlfriends.Once in Florida one was running away with another man when George took out a pistol, shot at the other man, missed him completely and winged a Japanese gardener two blocks away.He was charged, of course.When the judge sourly asked him, "Mr. Jessel, how does a man take aim at someone and hit someone else two blocks away?"

George replied, "I'm a comedian, not Buffalo Bill."

If you liked that one you should get this book.It probably has sixty stories that good.

by now.

Funny Man
George Burns is a funny man!This book deserves to be in print. It chronicles his and many other famous comedian's lives, like Al Jolson and Jack Benny.Al in all a great read. ... Read more

Product Description
In the 1980s, the Burns Archive’s studies of derangement of the mind and body offered photographic histories of medicine and death. Deadly Intent: Crime & Punishment Photographs from the Burns Archive extends that study to crime. The book is divided into four sections: crime scenes, police action, punishment, and executions. It is concentrated between 1890 and1950, a time when criminals often admitted their crimes and were quickly punished. Until the late 1940s, the period from arrest to execution for a capital offense averaged 33 days. The change in police attitudes and of the punishment prescribed for criminal behavior is documented here in iconic photographs.Unlike many previous works on the subject, this compilation of crime scenes gives readers a forensic view,offering entire series of images used by detectives and criminologists. Other photographs reveal the evolving standards of the American criminal justice system, from water torture at Sing Sing prison, whipping posts, penitentiary life, and the notorious deadly work camps of the South, to executions: hanging, firing squads, and the electric chair. Only when all the evidence is presented can justice and humanity be properly served. This compilation of images, most published here for the first time, is a valuable new resource for historians and researchers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The cover is merely a snippet of what is inside this book! Truly deadly!
The picture on the cover is so sad! An entire family murdered! I just had to find out what heinous lowlife could have done something like that! Surely he was a lowlife and tried to save himself in the end. The rest of the photos are also pretty shocking. What people can do to others and themselves is certainly a subject that volumes of photographs can be taken and compiled. Certainly sobers one to view the people in the photos.

Another Burns Classic
Chilling and disturbing, yet beautiful.Large, detailed photos and interesting text make this an engrosing read.I have 4 Burns Archive books and love them all.

A peek under the rock of crime
This latest book from the Burns archive presents an intriguing overview of death and disaster from two perspectives: individual criminal and State controlled killings between 1890 and 1950.The book also looks at punishment and police activity.

The first chapter: Crime Scenes cover death and other criminal activity in photographic detail with plenty of those remarkably unemotional forensic images that the authorities (and possibly juries) only get to see though in the past they must have been common in tabloid papers and detective magazines, least the less horrific photos.The fourth chapter: Executions has a selection of historical official death defined by the culture it has been carried out in.China favored beheading, Spain the garrote, Japan carried out the last crucifixion in 1864 and the Nazis extensively used the guillotine, which is something I was not aware of.

Two chapters: Crime Scenes and Police Action fill up well over half the book.The police, in the past, seem to be strong on posing with the bad guys (dead or alive) knowing that popular papers would run the photos.Editors knew their readers could never get too much true crime reporting.Apart from the dead bodies in Crime Scenes there are several that would seem rather bland: part of a fence; an open window; a street scene but one of the strengths of the book are the very detailed captions that make the most dull photo come alive.

I've given the book four stars because I was rather put off by the editorial style.All the photos are presented in a rather minimalist format with plenty of white page space (it does look rather incongruous to see historical images displayed like this) and it certainly would have helped if the subbing had been more rigorous: there are plenty of paragraphs several hundred words in length, unfortunately set in a rather small typeface with a long line length.Basically this is not the easiest book to read.I would have thought an index would have been essential in a publication like this.

WARNING I think it is worth mentioning that throughout the book there are plenty of photos showing dead bodies (including close-ups) and in particular the Crime Scene chapter features several with severe mutilations.


***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

Wonderful Book
Dr. Burns's books are always relevatory and this one causes me to look at photographs in a new way. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (14)

Star Log Cabin
Was exactly what I wanted and came in the condition reported. Also it came in a timely manner before it was supposed to.

Book Ordering with Amazon Prime!
Fantastic! I love Eleanor Burns' Books. In addition, I get the specialty books I need or want quickly, and this Eleanor Burns book would not have been available locally without a 112 miles round trip if the book store or quilt store had it in stock. Amazon Prime gets the books to me quickly, and with less cost during the year than buying them individually in the nearest bookstore.

Star Log Cabin
I havent yet made anything from this book.Leafing through the book it looks very well put together, with simple layouts, cutting instruction, and how to sew togehter.

Great job!!
The quilting book was sent to a friend whom really like it.She received it in good condition and a timely matter.

Beautiful pattern, great instructions
This variation to the classic log cabin design is beautiful. As always Eleanor's instructions are clear, detailed and percise. She offers yardage and instructions for wallhanging, twin, full, queen/king and this is not always the case with other books. Also included are examples are the many ways to configure the blocks once they are sewn. The instructions are written step by step with diagrams the whole way through, plus tips. The book also includes iron on patterns for making the triangle pieces as well as instructions for penciling your own triangles.

I am a beginner quilter and made the regular log cabin pattern a few years ago. Star log cabin is definitely a step up in difficulty but completely do-able with the instructions in this book. I just completed the wall hanging and couldn't be happier with the outcome! ... Read more

Product Description
This first-ever collection of screenplays by the young filmmaking prodigy with a heart of gold and a bit of blarney includes the screenplay of Burns' new movie, "Long Time, Nothing New", plus "The Brothers McMullen" and last year's hit, "She's the One". Photos throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great book!
Being a fan of all things film, I was naturally overjoyed when my girlfriend recently presented me with this book. Having seen the three great films featured in it, I approached the text with high expectationsand was most definately not let down. My favourite part of the book is theintroduction by Burns, wherein he writes openly of how he came to be afilm-maker and also how he eventually made his debut feature and finallygot it distributed. The standout of the three scripts is 'The BrothersMcMullen', which presents an amusing look into family life andrelationships that just about everyone can identify with. The film, whichwon the Best Picture Prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, is equallyamusing to read as it is to watch, as are the other two scripts, 'She's theOne' and 'No Looking Back'. As a film student myself, I found this book tobe great reading and count it as one of my favourite script compilations(along with 'Clerks & Chasing Amy : Two Screenplays' by Kevin Smith). Ithoroughly recommend it for anyone who has any kind of interest in film, asit certainly a great read. ... Read more

Product Description
Diamond-tooth gangsters, Chinese gangs, deadly double crosses, stolen opium shipments, plenty of tommy guns, and of course the flirtatious and sexy girlfriend of the mob boss. This is the world of New York City in the Roaring Twenties. Known for its sinister and treacherous underworld, there's a new power waking up the city that never sleeps. His name...John "The Hand" Smith.

An outcast and an orphan, Smith has a massive right hand nearly twice as large as his left, and when push comes to shove, you'd pity anyone that gets in its way. When a rumble at the docks lands Smith on the local mob boss's payroll, it could be the break he's been waiting for. Along with his quick-witted best friend Bootsy and the martial arts femme fatale Ring-A-Ling, Smith and his crew are taking a big bite outta the Big Apple. But with the Italians wanting him dead and the boss's girl wanting him in her bed, has Smith bitten off more than he can chew?
This collection features issues 1-5 of ED BURNS' DOCK WALLOPER, the acclaimed comic book series of which Variety writes: "If you like Martin Scorsese's films, this is the comic for you." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Awesome story
Usually when a Hollywood creator comes into comics to tell a story, it almost seems like a token visit.This is one of those rare situations where it isn't that, rather a great collaboration of Ed Burns and Jimmy Palmiotti to craft an interesting character and a throw back to a great period in time.I wish the art was a touch better at times but it doesn't distract from the great story concept and execution.Glad I picked it up.

Packs a Wallop
Ed Burns (actor in Saving Private Ryan) teams up with genre veteran Jimmy Palmiotti (inking for Punisher) for the first issue of this graphic novel. Dock-walloper is a slang term for a dockworker or longshoreman. The double entendre here is that the central character, John "The Hand" Smith, has a double-sized right hand that sure can pack a wallop if you happen to piss him off.

The story is set on the docks of New York City. Its prohibition time and alcohol is the underground commodity that is greasing the wheels of the mob's money machine. Italian and Irish mobs are in a power struggle for controlling the flow of liquor to all the speakeasies throughout the ominously gray metropolis.

John Smith's shadow is his buddy Bootsy, a black fellow dock laborer. John Smith is Bootsy's protection. Bootsy has two strikes against him, he's black with the jaws of racial prejudice all around waiting to take a bite, and his name is Bootsy-- not a good combination for the Roaring 20's.

Smith has just signed on with the local Irish mob boss Mugsy with the one stipulation that he has to hire Bootsy as well. Now the pair are on their way to a blind date with the Italianos. One thing's for sure--it ain't gonna be pretty.

The script, story, and artwork are all working in union nicely here. I'm on for the ride. Wherever the story is ultimately going, I've got a feeling John "The Hand" Smith is probably going to be the Last Man Standing.
... Read more

Product Description
Presenting Living it Up, The Third Time Around, Dr. Burn's Prescription for Happiness, and Dear George, a collection of George Burn's writings highlights his humorous reflections, personal anecdotes, and professional achievements. ... Read more

Product Description
The Love Dare challenged individuals to love their spouse more. Closer shows wives and husbands how to grow that love together. Introduced with Scripture verses and engaging stories, these 52 devotionals will inspire couples to draw closer through faith conversations--those quiet talks so vital for emotional and spiritual intimacy in a marriage. Guided, practical action steps round out each reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

GREAT tool for relational intimacy!
My husband and I were looking for a book study that would encourage deeper relationships between us.This book does it!It's designed to be read a few pages once a week, and each section has a few questions at the end to encourage discussion between you and your spouse.My husband isn't a huge reader, nor are we extremely diligent in putting aside time specific to going deep on important marital topics.If this sounds like you, you won't be disappointed with this book!

Good Devotional
My wife and I started doing this devotional at night before we go to bed. It is balanced in accomplishing two goals. (1) It will help a couple grow closer to the Lord together. (2) It will help the couple grow closer to one another. The discussions are helpful. The information is condensed enough to not take a longtime before calling it a night. It offers things to do which could take extra effort or you can bypass it.

great book for couples
The Love Dare challenged individuals to love their spouse more. Quiet Conversations for Couples shows wives and husbands how to grow that love together. Introduced with Scripture verses and engaging stories, these 52 devotionals will inspire couples to draw closer through faith conversations--those quiet talks so vital for emotional and spiritual intimacy in a marriage. Guided, practical action steps round out each reading.

It is so nice to have a devotional book for couples.Couples can pick up the book once a week for a whole year havea devotional to share with each other.

Great for those who generally dislike couples devotionals
For this book review I had to employ the help of my hubby. Closer is a couples devotional by Jim and Cathy Burns. If you are like me, you read the phrase "couples devotional" and threw up a little bit in your mouth. Don't worry, if you are part of a "couple" and you hate the typical "couples" devotionals on the market, this book might just be for you.

Jim and Cathy Burns divide this devotional into 2-3 page chapters that focus on a specific topics related to relationships and faith. The devotional is very narrative based and many of the entries tell stories from the Burns' past or stories from other couples. But the thing that sets this devotional apart from other devotionals of our past was the questions at the end of the chapter.

There are two sections at the close of each chapter that help you as a couple "dig deeper" into the topic in question. The first section is called "Faith Conversations" and it contains questions for couples to ask and answer. Here is an example: "When was the last time we had a significant conversation?" For the most part, they are deep questions. Marc and I call them coffee shop questions; the kinds of questions that you want to ask over a yummy iced latte (or your drink of choice).

The other section is called "A Step Closer" and it gives an activity that you can do as a couple to apply the things you talk about in the "Faith Conversations" section. Here is an example: "Decide when would be the soonest time, as a couple, that you could take a short sabbatical...for reflection, rest, refreshment, restoration, and recreation..." This section helps you to do what you learn rather than just talk about it. Very cool, in our opinion.

And the best part is that you can do one devotional a day, or one a week, or pick it up when you are able. I think devotional time as a couple is very important, but I know we haven't always been consistent over the course of our marriage. This book, by not dating the entries or telling you when you should do them, takes off the pressure and allows you to focus on God and one another, not your sense of guilt. Also very cool, in our opinion.

Overall, I give this book a five out of five. If you are a couple seeking a devotional that isn't all about women submitting to their husbands and is a lot more egalitarian, this is for you.

Note for Full Disclosure: While I do not receive any monetary compensation for my book reviews, I am provided with free complimentary copies of each book. That being said, this review is completely my own, and free from the influence of Bethany House Book Publishers.

My husband and I both LOVE this book!
Closer, by Jim & Cathy Burns is a book I highly recommend to any married couple! Whether you've been together a few months or a lifetime, this book helps couples to communicate! My husband and I have a 3 year old and getting out on a "real date" is a rarity, especially since most of our family live clear across the country. So, one night a week we try to have a "coffee date." I'll put on a pot of coffee after our son is in bed, I'll either make or purchase a yummy dessert and we enjoy conversation and coffee together. The questions in the book help us get a little deeper into each other's heads and hearts! Definitely worth the investment into your marriage. Buy it!

*I receive a copy from the publisher for review. ... Read more

Product Description
Inspired by country motifs, Eleanor worked with Quilt in a Day teacher Sue Bouchard to bring a feeling of the great outdoors into your home with the Bears in the Woods book.The Bears in the Woods Quilt is a charming conbination of Log Cabin, Tree, Bear's Paw, and Flying Geese patterns. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Just what I was looking for.
The details in this book by Eleanor Burns are exact.If you follow her words and do exactly what she says you will not be disappointed.

More than expected
I love all of Eleanor Burns books, but this one is special.It not only gives the clear, understandable instructions we've come to expect from Ms. Burns, but the quilt on the cover is not the only project in the book.She uses the various elements in the cover quilt to give ideas for additional quilts - log cabin ideas, flying geese ideas, and more.This book is more of a primer that will help you create many more designs of your own.A must for your quilting library!

No Bears in these Woods
This is a wonderful quilt book for beginning quilters.The instructions are clear and thorough as only Eleanor Burns does.Would highly recommend.

Bears in the Woods
This was one of three books from this seller.Books were even better than described.Were received quickly.Very happy with this seller.

Classic Eleanor!
They recently re-ran this series on RFD TV and, being a new quilter, I hadn't seen it before.Was so glad to find the companion book.There are 4 different blocks in this quilt and the instructions in this book is for each individual block with project ideas for each (table runners, lap quilts, etc.,) and then for putting the whole thing together if you want a full size quilt.As always, Eleanor Burns instructions are clear, concise and easy to understand. Happy Quilting!KC ... Read more

Product Description
Featuring eight pages of photographs, a biography of the comedian recounts his life and career on stage, screen, and radio, with and without his partner, Gracie Allen, and records some of his best quotes and quips. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Buck a Book
Promptly shipped, well packed.Only wish shipping didn't cost so much more than the book.Oh well, still a GREAT DEAL & EXPERIENCE!!!!

Delightful Read
A friend gave me this book as a gift, knowing I enjoy George Burns humor. The 138-page hardcover was a quick and enjoyable read. Fagen's narrative wove together a collection of what Burns said, creating an insightful glimpse into a celebrity's life. As I read the book, I was only mildly aware of Fagen--he was practically transparent--as I read the biography. Fagen does tell the story in the third person, but brings out the character of his subject so strongly that I lost myself in Burns. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn from the master of bluegrass mandolin - Jethro Burns. More than 70 tunes and two dozen exercises are found in this bluegrass bonanza. The Complete Jethro Burns Mandolin Book and 2-CD Set is an incomparable resource of bluegrass mandolin repertoire - all in standard notation and tablature, just the way the maestro played them - with chord symbols for an accompaniment instrument. Presents some of Jethro's finest and most challenging solos, in addition to a special section on Jethro's mandolin techniques. Ample performance notes and performance notes and mandolin lore are provided, along with many photographs of Jethro in the latter half of a career lasting more than half a century. The recording presents 52 of the tunes in the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

!!!!----Beware Used Sellers Selling Older Editions--w/o CDs--!!!
I should have looked more closely.Great book but now I have to order the CDs from somewhere else.Don't let it happen to you.

Awesome Collection, folksy teaching commentary
This book has 75 tunes, arranged in Jethro Burns' special style, a jazzy and upbeat bluegrass.Not only does the CD play about 35 of the tunes, but there is always an interesting commentary/dialog between Jethro and Ken explaining the nuances of the tune, some special technique, or just a bit about themselves.They also demonstrate techniques, licks, chord exercises, and all sorts of interesting tricks, for example "Split-String Technique", "Flying Fingers Exercise", "Around the Horn Exercise", "Special Pull-String Technique".The book has 233 pages, but the CD and dialogue end on page 87.Listening to the CD is a must because there are so many nuances in the style that cannot be described by writing.For example, Jethro does a triplet grace note pull-off, and also adds a swing to most songs, with jazzy pickup strums on longer notes.I wish the CD could have covered more of the book, but I suspect it was limited to the original cassette tape length that was included in the first editions.In any case, the 75 tunes and 46 exercises can last you a lifetime.

Some hope for the pinkie challenged is that Jethro believes that you only need to use 3 finger chords, which leaves the pinkie free to do some special trick or just rest.He said he got some flack for it, but then it doesn't bother him.And listening to his music, you would not miss them.He does teach 4 finger standard chords in the advanced section of the book.But the chord charts at the end are all 3 finger, and you can pretty much cover the repretoire with those.It steps you from easier beginner/intermediate tunes and techniques to high positions, 4 note chord progressions, and all of the jazzy blues rhythm that you can handle.

There is so much packed in this book that you'll be using it for a very long time.The photos of Jethro, Homer, Ken and funny comics interspersed throughout the book add to its charm.I love it!

Hard To Read
Great content, but if you are slightly vision impaired as I am you may find the TTT (Teensy Tiny Tablature) very hard to read.

If You Want To Be Great On The Mandolin - Copy Jethro
For the uninformed Jethro Burns was half of the country comedy team Homer & Jethro. More importantly he was the most inovative mandolin player of our times. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Superb sci-fi art
Transluminal and Lightship are both excellent art books covering the prolific artistic career of Jim Burns, a world famous sci-fi artist. This book is full of large colourful reproductions of his paintings. All of the work is grouped into themes. Well worth buying.

The Guy Who Painted Pictures of the Movie in My Head...
Okay, so I know I said lots of good things about this amazing artist already, in my review of his collection "Transluminal", but it bears repeating, especially when I just found out that "Lightship" was back in print. This book shows off a lot of the great work from Jim Burns's early career, and is worth daydreaming over for hours on end.Many British covers are featured, stuff that never made it across the sea to American bookshelves.I am personally most fond of the interpretations of Jack Vance, which for me captured the essential spirit of this master of exotic adventure SF. But I also enjoy all the Silverberg covers, all of which which evoke a sense of futuristic decadence and wild tech run amok. Nobody is as good at turning Mr. Silverberg's wonderfully descriptive prose into jaw-droppingly gorgeous imagery, and when I think of Majipoor I think of Burns's baroque architecture and ornate flying cars, as well as his mysteriously beautiful ladies and aliens. If only more SF movies could look half as good as these paintings; if only more production designers would fess up and admit that they've been ripping off Burns for years. ... Read more

Product Description
The complete text of the bestselling narrative history of the Civil War--based on the celebrated PBS television series. This non-illustrated edition interweaves the author's narrative with the voices of the men and women who lived through that cataclysmic trail of our nationhood, from Abraham Lincoln to ordinary foot soldiers. Includes essays by distinguished historians of the era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Easy to follow what took place.Good organization.
This book is well organized and makes it easy to follow what took place.It's a good buy.

Civil War - Burns
Very good, it follows the video series very well.
Using the book, the DVD and Google Earth I can get an excellent appreciation of what went on and where. I have marked most major sites and battles in google earth and referenced them to the book, DVD and other internet web sites.

Excellent Narrative that Brings The Civil War to Life
I enjoyed reading this book!Like the companion PBS series that aired in 1990 (can you believe it has been 20 years!), this book is just as compelling and riveting.Although many are trying to rewrite the purpose of the Civil War as being about "States Rights", but in unequivocal fact, the Civil War was about slavery.The southern economy depended on cotton, cotton that was sold to Europe.And the last thing the southern plantation owners was to lose their right to keep slaves to work the fields.The stories of how slaves were treated are horrific and should never be forgotten.

It is true that the founding fathers owned slaves, but they knew it was wrong and were torn over the entire issue.Lincoln knew that the issue of slavery would turn our country upside down long before the war started.Publicly, Lincoln took the middle road, but privately knew slavery had to end.

How ironic that it took another 100 years for African-Americans to gain basic civil rights.

Don't pass this book up.

Excellent Narrative that Brings The Civil War to Life

Great overall Book
This book is a real well-written GEM!!! As a history buff who reads several books a year this book really gave me a great understanding of worse war in American history.From the origins of the conflict to the epic battles to how it ended this book delivers.
The book was about 400 pages but can easily be read within a week. I enjoyed it so much i read it a second time and took some notes in case I want to review the highlights of it.
Seems like very few Americans remember this war with any depth. While WW2 seems to always take center stage this epic C.W. should be read by not only history buffs but by all educated peoples.
IF you want to know the true causes and origins of this sad conflict read the book. Just the thought of Lincoln giving the Gettysburg address in a field of thousands of corpses sends a shiver down my spine.

book review
The Civil War: The complete text of the bestselling narrative history of the Civil War--based on the celebrated PBS television series
This i a very complete review.I had borrowed it from our library and realized it was a book I would like to own.I can more leisurely refer to it through the years.We are taking a trip to some of the war sites and it was very helpful to review the history.Pictures are excellent.Some of the facts I had learned in school as a history major but in time you forget things.It has helped me understand the reasons for the war and how slavery contributed to the division between the north and the south. ... Read more

Product Description
This enormous and definitive work on the Englishman Amos Burn assembles and analyzes all extant games and provides a thorough biography of the famous chess master of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It chronicles in exceptional detail the broader picture of chess development throughout that era. Burn was active for a long time, winning victories over such masters as Blackburne, Marshall, Steinitz (his mentor), Alekhine, and Zukertort. He was a fighting player who relished tactical battles against his more romantic rivals but was also one of the world’s best defensive players. He made a number of valuable discoveries in such openings as the Queen’s Gambit Declined and the Ruy López, and even today his name remains associated with a variation of the French Defense.

Burn’s life is painstakingly traced from his birth on the last day of 1848 to his death of a stroke at age 76. The great international tournaments in which he took part are paid particular attention, with extensive quotation of notes by Burn himself and his contemporaries. Where necessary, old analysis is corrected and supplemented. Meticulous research has been undertaken in newspapers and periodicals from various countries where Burn played and traveled, including the United States, with the result that many forgotten games have been unearthed. Precise citations of primary sources are given in all cases.

The book features approximately 800 games played by Burn, almost all of them annotated, about 850 chess diagrams, and about 200 photographs, indices of openings, annotators, games, players, and general subjects. An appendix describes missing evidence, uncertain games, and further research possibilities. Another appendix lists corrections to game scores published elsewhere and a third gives Burn’s complete tournament and match record. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

An amazing biography
This extraordinary biography by Richard Forster, a Swiss International Master, is unquestionably one of the greatest chess books ever. It is head and shoulders above well over 99% of chess books. As other reviewers have remarked, it is 972 huge pages long and of exceptional, almost unprecedented, quality. Forster spent "three years of intensive labour and research" (and I believe it!) writing this incredible book, which collects every known game of Burn's, all of Burn's tournament results (including crosstables from every tournament), and dozens of photos. Forster has gone to primary source materials and furnishes thousands of annotations made at the time of these games, as well as adding his own (occasionally computer-assisted) analysis. (Use Google to find the hitherto virtually unknown game between Macdonald and Burn, offhand game, Liverpool 1910, featuring the most amazing move of all time, 33...Qg4!!!, unearthed by Forster from the Morning Post and the Chess Amateur. Yes, more amazing than Marshall's ...Qg3!!! against Levitsky.) Even the multiple indices are remarkable, including an Index of Openings, Index of Annotators, Index of Themes ("great 'swindles'," "instructive attacks," trapped pieces, king hunts, sacrifices on various squares, etc., etc.), Index of Players, Index of Supplementary games, and General Index. It is hard to imagine anything about Amos Burn that this book should have but doesn't. It is absolutely the gold standard of chess biographies. A phenomenal book.

An amazing biography of Amos Burn as well as the chess that was played at that time
Truly a magnificent undertaking by Richard Forster who not only provides a detailed study of Amos Burn's chess career but also a truly enlightening history of chess as it was played at that time and the chess players who played it. If you want to learn more about chess and the chess players of the second half of the 19th century, here is the book for you. This book also provides a standard by which all other chess biographies and games collections should model themselves after. I would give this book 50 stars if I could.

How to rate this book?
This book is easy to recommend for those interested in Burn's career, or even people interested late 19th century/ early 20th century chess, especially the players based in England at that time. It's well worth the high price tag if you fit in that group.

I put myself in that group -- I'm not a particular fan of Burn (I don't mean that as a slight -- I'd just not read much about him, or played over many of his games until I read this book), but I love the dark recesses of chess history, and the period covered in this book especially fascinates me.

Forster does a decent job of setting the background in which Burn lived by documenting some of the club politics and events of the times. This can sometimes be rather dry reading, but that's one problem chess biographers face -- oftentimes the great players lived rather mundane lives outside of chess.

That said, I admire the scholarship of the book. There is a lengthy appendix, bibliography, and index, as well as an index of openings, and credits for annotations which Forster did not write himself. This book will function as a reliable reference for those interested in Burn or the players of his time.

There are a *lot* of games, all, or virtually all, annotated by Burn, other players of the age (especially appreciated are the notes by Steinitz, since his writings aren't easy to come by these days), or Forster, who is an International Master himself.

There is a massive amount of material here --972 pages, including index, etc, and plenty of tournament tables, pictures, and other diagrams. The most surprising revelation to me is that Burn was a very fine tactical player. There are quite a number of brilliant attacking games in his praxis.

So, how to recommend? If you have no real interest in Burn or his games, it probably won't be worth the money to you. However, if you do have an interest, you can hardly go wrong. The book is beautifully bound, as is common with the McFarland chess books. It is rare to find such quality in any field. Forster's work is easily one of the greatest chess biographies ever written.

Quite Possibly, the Best Chess Biography Ever Written
Why? Let me count the ways...

The heart of the book is Burn's games. It is hard to see how Forster's treatment of them could be improved. First, he unearthed over 900 of Burn's games; only about 500 of those appear in databases or other books. Second, his annotations are marvelous. All annotations by the players, or by a contemporary chess columnist, are given. These include comments by many of the leading lights of the time (in particular Steinitz). In addition--and what is crucial--Forster, an IM, analyzed the games himself (with the help of a computer) and often adds excellent annotations of his own, or corrects errors in the contemporary annotations.Hundreds of the games are annotated, many of them in great depth. Third, the indexes: There are indexes of all the games based on the openings and opponents' names, as is customary, but in addition games are arranged in a seperate index according to the chess themes they exemplify. It includes entries such as "stubborn defense"; "instructive games"; "rook endings"; "positional sacrifices"; "Bishops of opposite color"; etc., etc. For those looking to improve by seeing how Burn handles certain types of positions--the #1 reason people buy collections of master games in the first place--this is invaluable.

Apart form the games, this book's biographical section is excellent. Just about every fact known about Burn--birth, death, family, work, travel, chess tournaments participation, club memberships, relations with other players, etc.--is given. Here, too, Forster "goes the extra mile": for example, for every tournament Burn participated in, he gives us not only his results and opponents, but the complete crosstable (when available); he not only tells us when Burn played in the Liverpool chess club, but what exact positions he held, the text of some of his speeches (or speeches in his honor) given at the club, and so on.

Finally, there is production value. The book is HUGE--over 900 folio pages on high-grade paper--in excellent, hard-cover blue velvet covering, with a gold-embossed title, and includes numerous rare photographs. "They don't make 'em like that anymore", as a cursory glance at the endless stream of thin soft-cover books on your local bookstore's "chess" section will show.

At $75, it's a bargain.

Amos Burn review.
This is the best chess book I have ever seen.It's what I think the perfect chess book biography should be.It has annotated games, chronology of the player, crosstables, history, best indexes I have ever seen, pictures and photographs, trivia, and absolutely thorough (972 pages!).Richard Forster wrote the best chess book possible on a less-famous chess master.I wish every great chess master from the past had a book like this.The publisher, McFarland and Company, put together this book, which I think is there finest work.- Bill Wall ... Read more