Ford Reviews

Not worth having: confused writing, poor indexing. Buy Stern and Lettieri's "QuickTime for Macintosh and Windows" instead.

This is a great book for anyone developing digital content using QuickTime. The writing clearly shows an enthusiasm and dedication to the QuickTime platform that a beginner needs to get through the technical complexity of the product (which is greatly alleviated by third party applications, by the way). Although the publisher clearly skimped on the editorial side, I learned a lot from this book and it inspired me to explore QuickTime in more depth.

If you have any interest in or need for Quicktime as more than a simple download viewer, then START WITH THIS BOOK! I love the Visual Quickstart Book on Quicktime but this one is even better. It describes the history and powerful significance of the Quicktime development (for Windows as well as Mac), it clearly explains the amazing feature set of the dirt-cheap QuicktimePro upgrade while providing a CD packed with actual illustration material and demo projects. This book is also the Quicktime User's manual that Apple should have written. For no additional charge, you also get a frank and succinct review of virtually every type of related product including the entire Adobe digital video and web suite. Finally, on the CD you get a fully functional demo version of the premiere ($) Quicktime production product LiveStage Pro 3.1 (only the ability to save projects is disabled) along with a $ discount coupon for the full version.

I quite liked Jeffrey Ford's previous two novels in his "Physiognomist Cley" trilogy, _The Physiognomist_ and _Memoranda_. _The Beyond_ is the final novel in the trilogy. Although all three novels share the same main character, Cley, they are all quite different books. Cley is originally Physiognomist for the Well-Built City, and in the first book he helps overthrow that City, while in the second book he ventures into the brain of the former dictator of the City, searching for a cure to a disease which has ravaged the newly free residents of the new city Wenau.

In _The Beyond_, Cley has ventured into the eponymous wilderness of his strange world, in company with a tamed, intelligent, demon named Misrix. Cley is searching for the "true Wenau", and his lost victim/love Arla Beaton. The story is told on two tracks: in one, Misrix tells of his lonely life in the ruins of the Well-Built City, and the eventual discovery of him by the people of Wenau. In the other, Misrix narrates Cley's adventures in the Beyond, which he "remembers" by use of the drug Beauty.

In Misrix' tale, he befriends some of the residents of Wenau, but is feared and hated by others. Eventually he is accused of killing Cley, who has never returned from the Beyond. He yearns only to be treated as human, and only by submitting to justice and a trial can he maintain that status.

His tale of Cley's journey is very strange. After Misrix returns to the Well-Built City, fearing that the effects of the Beyond are making him forget his humanity, Cley continues on with his dog, Wood. He survives demon attacks, and a terrible winter, eventually discovering a cave and a mysterious dead person. He wanders through other environments: a desert, an inland ocean, a strange mountain, everywhere encountering strange people, some human, others different: fish people, plant people, huge lizards. He befriends a woman he finds in a besieged city, eventually settling with her in a lonely hut in the woods, but he has one more quest: hopefully to revitalize the dying Beyond.

To an extent some of this wild invention seems arbitrary. In the end, however, Ford redeems his vision, and the weird imaginative strands of the story make some sense, and they interweave with Misrix' own tale, as well. The conclusion is ambiguous and mostly sad, and rather striking. A fine novel.

The writing of Jeffrey Ford, is in a word, genius. "The Beyond," his third book detailing the exploits of the one time Physiognomist and antihero, Cley, is beautifully written with vivid imagery and lyrical prose. I hope to one day hear that Ford's literature is being taught in schools, for the man is a modern day Kafka with a gift for words and the ability to create fantastic worlds in which his characters make the ultimate discovery - themselves.

If you enjoy reading Haruki Murakami, then this man is right up your alley. Hopefully, Ford's writings will one day be translated into Japanese for an audience I know would be hungry for his work.

The final (?) book in the trilogy is well written and certainly holds the reader's attention. People looking for the usual "they lived happily ever after" ending will be disappointed; not because the ending itself is disappointing, but because it is an enigmatic to ending to a character who himself is an enigma.

The book was a delight to read, and Ford raises many possibilities of other future subjects to explore.

Having read the 6 Waterman novels - all are great fun and well done (very Parker like). And the first two Corso mysteries were also wonderful.

Blind Eye was a like a stick in mine. Ford's Melissa-D pure c**p as a plot element and did not help drive the story but only severed to weaken the plot and distract the reader from what was done well. Ford seems to have been unable to resolve a key issue in his novel without the introduction of omnipotent data provider - Melissa-D - that only 12 people in the world are said to have access to. The plot issue would have and could have been solved by any online "get info on your..." provider for about $500.00.

What done well (or almost well) were the main plot, fleshing out and developing Meg more, tangential characters were not all one dimensional, and Wisconsin parts of the book.

The Texas sub-plot could have been much better. The interaction between Corso and the FBI, Texas Rangers, New Jersey State police and all others in law enforcement strain the bounds of credibility.

The false identification and everything relating to it please see the Melissa-D comments - substitute fake ID for Melissa-D. (I will grant that Abdul Garcia is funny)

While this reader is willing to suspend his disbelieve I am not willing to become a paranoid, intellectually challenged Luddite.

Ford's next novel will need to be great to makeup for Blind Eye in order to keep me as a reader and more importantly a buyer - I have purchased all of his novels thus far.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from lightweight Robert B. Parker type work is author G. M. Ford. First with the Leo Waterman series and now with the Frank Corso series, his novels consistently feature multidimensional characters, complicated plots and intense writing. This is the third novel in the Frank Corso series and is simply an intense spellbinding read that occasionally is highly disturbing in its background themes of death and child abuse. If you haven't read him before, you really need to read FURY and Black River before you read this one as they lay the foundation for the Corso character.

As the novel opens, Corso and his good friend Meg Dougherty are stuck at Chicago's O'Hare Airport thanks to a blizzard. The blizzard rages outside while a very frustrated Corso rages within which is not a good thing in this day of terror alerts and increased security concerns at the nation's airports. Being a disgruntled angry passenger has consequences these days and he can't afford them. Corso needs to leave as there is a warrant out for his arrest and his warrant has now caught the attention of the cable news outlets.

A Grand Jury in Texas issued the arrest warrant because in his latest true crime book, author Frank Corso claimed to know where a body in Texas was buried. Unfortunately, his source that told him that he knew has now vanished so Corso has nothing to tell the Grand Jury. If the Texas Rangers find and arrest him, he can be held indefinitely on a "material witness" charge. But if he can remain uncaught for a little more than a week, the Grand Jury will dissolve and with no Grand Jury, the warrant for his arrest will become void and unenforceable. Then he can go back home to Seattle and let his attorney handle it without fear of arrest.

In the meantime, with his picture popping up every few minutes on various cable stations on airport televisions, it is past time to leave. Since planes are out of the question, Corso and Dougherty rent an SUV and venture out into the blizzard. That small acts sets in motion a nightmarish discovery of the legacy of a very sick serial killer, a man hunt involving the FBI as well as other law enforcement types, crooked cops, and a string of bodies and destruction in their wake.

This novel is extremely intense and occasionally disturbingly graphic in depictions of death and child abuse. More of the Corso character is revealed as well as his good friend Meg Dougherty. However, the author never lets the character development get in the way of the intense, griping story. This is a real page tuner that will get your blood pounding as the book works toward one heck of an ending. While I much prefer the Leo Waterman character, the intense and complex enigma of Frank Corso is fast becoming a real
favorite.

"A Blind Eye," by G. M. Ford, features the tough and taciturn Frank Corso, a true crime writer who is on the lam. Corso is wanted in Texas as a material witness, and he decides to lie low until the warrant for his arrest expires. Along with his former lover, photojournalist Meg Dougherty, Frank gets into an accident on a Wisconsin highway during a heavy blizzard. When Dougherty and Corso take shelter in an abandoned house, they discover the grisly remains of a murdered family.

Corso is manipulated by the local sheriff into investigating this crime, which leads him to several states in his pursuit of a very unusual serial killer. "A Blind Eye" explores the pathological side of human nature, especially the way in which horribly abused children sometimes grow into deeply disturbed and violent adults.

Corso is a terrific character. He is strong, courageous, and eerily intuitive, and his girlfriend, Meg Dougherty, is gutsy and tenacious. The secondary characters are also well-drawn. G. M. Ford's plot is intricate and engrossing, and he ratchets up the tension to an agonizing level prior to the hair-raising and electrifying finale. "A Blind Eye" is a powerful and unsettling thriller that may give you nightmares.

Very interesting subject, but as I got farther into the book, I noticed that some of the reference Bible verses and quotes were starting to last over a page. I soon came to realize that the book was published by a Christian publishing company (Relevant Books). I learned more about "the sermon on the mount" than I did new information about Bob Dylan. "Restless Pilgrim" included some interesting facts, but was definitely written from a point of bias.

An interesting book, but no where near enough analysis of the biblical references in Dylan's work - pre-conversion i.e 1961-1979, and post Born-Again period i.e 1981-2003.

In particular the ingenious song "Jokerman", which seems to have many clues, is barely examined. There is a strong presence of God in Dylan's latest albums, but whether or not these are in a Christian context is debatable.

There is definitely some merit in Marshall's study of whether Dylan is a Christian or not, and his effort in preparing this book is to be admired, but I was struck by a particular thought whilst reading this book:

Why not just ask Bob?

If Bob, in keeping with his image of mystique (and disdain for journalistic probing), refuses to answer, this would indicate that he is not a Christian. Why would he want to be so secretive about it?

Also, I notice Marshall did not refer to Dylan's "moral" behaviour post 1981. If Dylan is a Christian, is he "walking the walk"? Or has he continued the "Rock Star" lifestyle? Other Dylan biographers seem to think so.

The whole question seems extremely perplexing. Dylan seemed so passionate about his faith on "Slow Train Coming" and "Saved" but then seemed to distance himself from the faith -without officially denouncing it. Was the whole thing an act? Is Dylan merely an actor on a stage who dabbles in all artforms of traditional American music - of which gospel music is a prominent one.

Can we ever truly know unless Dylan comes out and clarifies the issue once and for all? I don't think performing the odd track from "Slow Train Coming" or the occasional tradtional gospel song in concert, is answer enough. Perhaps Dylan's autobiography "Chronicles" (to be released later this year) will reveal all.

Just browsing Marcia Ford's intro to this book was enough to hook me. The writing style is sincere, witty, and subtle. The author's research is extensive and gives us an intimate glimpse into the mind of a man. Bob Dylan is a prophet for our generation, and I so appreciate the author's effort to bring his story to light. It takes courage to walk in faith when you walk alone, and "Restless Pilgrim.." takes on that journey.

"Memories of the Ford Administration" (1992) is the fifteenth novel of John Updike, a prolific American writer. It is the third of Updike's novels I have read, spaced widely over the years, with the other two being "Roger's Version", which predated this book, and "In the Beauty of the Lillies", which followed it. I had similar reactions to all three books. Updike deals with important and large themes, such as the possiblity and nature of a belief in God in a skeptical age, the character and promise of American life and history, and, of course, the nature of human sexuality.

There are interesting things in the books by Updike that I have read. But they are all highly uneven with long, dull and wordy sections. Worse,the books have each seemed to me glib in a way that detracts from the importance of their themes. They are more in the nature of literary performances than thoughtful explorations of their subject matters. I have thought about the three Updike books I have read, and was engaged while I was reading them. But I still came away dissatisfied.

"Memories of the Ford Administration" begins when, in 1992, a historical organization called the Northern New England Association of American Historians asks Professor Alfred Clayton (named after Alf Landon, the 1936 Republican Presidential candidate) to provide "requested memories and impressions of he presidential Administration of Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)." Clayton is a professor at a small women's 2-year college in New Hampshire during the Ford years. By 1992, the college is a four-year institution and has gone co-ed.

In response to the request Clayton produces instead a long, rambling, draft-like monologue which is the text of this novel. It consists, in roughly alternating sections, of a discussion of Clayton's personal life during the Ford years, and of a long unfinished manuscript of Clayton's involving the life and administration of President James Buchanan. Buchanan was the fifteenth President, just before Lincoln, and the only bachelor President.

One can understand the befuddlement and the irritation with which the Northern New England Association of American Historians would have greeted Clayton's response. The trouble is, as far as the novel is concerned, that their response is justified and that the reader of the novel is entitled to the same response and more. There are interesting things in Clayton's ruminations on his life and good discussions in the manuscript on Buchanan. There is little on President Ford's administration and, from a novelistic standpoint, far too little in tying the Ford administration together in some insightful way with Clayton's life or with the Buchanan administration. Updike tries to do this I think, but in an overly clever manner. That is why the book is more a "performance" than it should be and ultimately doesn't succeed.

Clayton remembers the Ford years as a time of widespread sexual openness and promiscuity. The novel focuses on his sexual liasions and primarily on his lengthy audulterous affair with a woman named Genevieve, the wife of a colleague at the University, whom he fantasizes to be the "ideal wife." Genevieve and Clayton abandon their families, including young children, to pursue their affair, with deleterious and unhappy consequences. Neither has the will to get a divorce and to marry the other.

Twentieth century writers of every variety show great interest in sex and in the human libido. I think it is a product of the englightment, with the attendant skepticism toward revealed religion, that took place centuries ago, not, of course, in the Ford Administration. Even writers and individuals who have remained committed to organized religion have tended, for the most part, to accept at least some of this product of enlightenment thought. I found it useful to remember this in considering the book's treatment of sexuality.

The Buchanan portion of the book focuses on Buchanan's romance with a young woman during his early career as a lawyer, the termination of the romance due to what appears to be a misunderstanding, and the subsequent early death of Buchanan's beloved. There are good scenes in the book describing Buchanan's subsequent relationships with President Andrew Jackson and the novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. The final days of Buchanan's administration, the prologue to our Civil War, are described in a revealing, if slapdash, way.

There is a focus on the elusive character of historical understanding -- which is good and well-taken. The book seems to suggest the impossiblilty of achieving anything even approximating historical truth which seems to me tendentious and unsupported.

One theme that comes through, I think, is the value of restraint of our tendencies to be overly-critical of our national leaders, of American culture, and of ourselves. This is easier to do when events are separated from us by historical time, as is the case with President Buchanan, than is the case with our contemporaries, such as President Ford. There is also the broad theme of forgiveness running through the book. I found President Ford's pardon of former President Nixon hovering in the backround of this novel, even though it is little discussed. Thus, to the extent the book deals with the Ford Administration at all, what it has to say is thoughtful and humane. President Ford is praised for doing his best, for keeping the Nation's interests at heart, and for acting in a responsible manner. (see, e.g. p.354, p.366) Professor Clayton learns, I think, in the course of his ruminations, to work towards a sense of forgiveness and understanding of his own life, including its disappointments and failings. I think this too is a message of the book, but I find it obscured by a good deal of false bravado, obscurity, and unnecessarily showy writing.

There is good material in this book and it stimulates reflection. Thus I think the book will reward reading in spite of the reservations about its specific tone, style, and substance that I have expressed.

Professor Alf Clayton looks back on the days of the Ford administration and weaves into those reminiscences his research on President James Buchanan.

After an uncertain start, principally because I thought that Updike's style was over-elaborate and the sex scenes overdone, I found this a very entertaining novel - Updike seemed to control himself as the novel progressed, and it became more enjoyable for that.

This is a book that works on many levels - it's about historic change, on a national and personal scale (if you like macro- and micro-history). Clayton recalls the Ford administration not only because it coincided with a crisis in his married life, but also due to the fact that, with hindsight, it could be seen as the end of an era for the USA (the crises of the late 1970s were yet to come, as were the end of the days of irresponsible sexual liberation with the arrival of AIDS). The Buchanan administration concluded of course with the Civil War: indeed, both Ford and Buchanan could be seen as "forgotten" Presidents due to the events that followed, and therefore erased, the collective memory of their Presidencies.

Updike also contrasts the sexual mores of the nineteenth and late twentieth centuries. To some extent it's a contrast of extremes - Buchanan's love life is stymied by the highly restrictive and repressive norms of the time, whereas the mid-1970s is the hedonistic swan song of the liberation begun in the 1960s. Yet the irony of it is that neither time results in human fulfilment - neither produced happiness. In all, Clayton despairs at finding a meaning both to his and Buchanan's lives - and by his reflection upon both American and personal history questions whether "meaning" exists as a tenable concept at any level.

In all, good thought-provoking stuff. A star lost for the rocky start, but I thought Updike redeemed himself later, and the writing on Buchanan's life is every bit as assured as, say, Gore Vidal's historical novels.

This book features Updike's astonishing talent with the felicitous phrase and the perfect observation. Here is one of hundreds from this beautifully written book: 'The coming day was yet only an unhealthy blush low in the eastward sky, a crack of sallow light beneath a great dome of darkness to which stars still clung, like specks of frozen dew, though the moon had fled.'

But oddly, this genius seems to work against Updike in 'Memories.' This is because his immense talent allows him to jump from what he can render as high point to high point in the lives of Alf Clayton and John Buchanan, the protagonists of this novel's two interlocked story lines. Here, a comparison might be an acting class, where actors do only the most dramatic scenes from great plays.

Somehow, Updike's brilliance in 'Memories' has this same effect on me. In retrospect, this novel is a succession of perfect aesthetic moments. But the personalities of Alf and Buchanan? Certainly, poor Alf is caught in an unhappy marriage. Meanwhile, Buchanan is a temporizer who ultimately fails to master chaos. But the book feels to me like highlights, not the full game, like snapshots instead of tapes.

Of course, I'm not complaining. Updike tells us in his title that these are memories. And, I know these characters, two muddled men, will stay with me.

In my opinion, a facet of Updike's genius is on full display here. It remains one exemplar for judging fiction, for all time.

This book took only 1/2 hour to read. To summarize -- do a background to check their facts, and if they look away during an interview, they are lying. This book describes nothing about cultural differences in body posture that may affect an interview, and does not describe body postures (other than the eyes) that denote a lack of truthfulness. He does not provide enough information to differentiate between nervous interviewees and liars. His examples are basic and purile. What a waste of money this was!

This book is absolutely amazing! I was skeptical when I first got it, but it works wonders in the interview room. I have a new power now to filter out future problems. Typical is an application we received for an executive position. During the interview the guy looked great, but using the stuff in this book I tripped him up 4 times in the first 10 minutes. We hired another applicant who is doing great. Thanks, Dr. Ford!

There is no way to over-emphasize the importance of mastering the art of screening out bad applicants. With this book, you can be a "wizard" in spotting and weeding out the liars who are trying to put one over on you. It is not only a great step-by-step guide but a great reference for dealing with many types of situations. I like having the choice of using the normal screening mode or the "hardball" techniques for special cases. I am now my own lie detector. I am also sharing these techniques with others in my company who hire.

I purchased this, along with several other books, to try to find help for a loved one suffering from B.P.

This book was by far the easiest to read, and was far more insightful than the outdated "I Hate You-Don't Leave Me* Understanding the Borderline Personality" book (it isn't a bad book, but it is in dire need of updating).

Pros: Gives an excellent insider's view of what having Borderline Personality is like. Gives great case examples of real people who have been successful in their treatment of B.P. Gives an in-depth look, from the patientsf eyes, of DBT Dialectical Behavior Therapy; which has been shown to be effective in treating B.P. Easy to read, yet at the same time engaging.

Cons: Poorly organized, seems to jump around a bit much; too many acronyms make it difficult to remember who the author is referring to. Not a self-help manual or a guide to helping people with the disorder. More of a portrait of B.P. from an insiderfs perspective.

I recommend this book for anyone who is looking to better understand this disorder, as well as anyone with a loved one suffering from B.P. It will help dissolve many of the common stereotypes associated with the disorder.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability to enroll in a long-term hospital program that specializes in B.P. The book may be a bit frustrating for those of you, who like me, are trying to orchestrate some level of decent care from the meager resources that are available.

It's worth reading, but remember that it is only a portrait of how a handful of women overcame their disorder in what sounds like an exceptional facility (which, sadly, has now been closed).

I'm the webowner of the Borderline Personality Disorder Sanctuary. The author has some really good material in the book about DBT and how it has assisted her in her own recovery. I believe sharing her experiences as an in-patient at Highland Hospital are particularly important. However, the book focuses on only one aspect of recovery as if DBT is the *only* avenue there is to recovery from the BPD. Medication is not discussed which is extremely vital especially with what the research is saying about how helpful medications are in providing assistance with many of the BPD symptoms. The only thing I disagreed in the book was her statement "While disability is a godsend for many former patients who do not have sufficient financial resources, the public needs to be made aware that such a resource is an enabler rather than a tag of inability." I have read that as many as 33 % of BPDs are disabled, not because they want to be enabled, but because their illness has truly prevented them from sustaining a job. Would I recommend you buy the book? Yes, there is some good material there there that is important for BPD recovery.

As a therapist, Melissa's personal accounts are inspiring and heartfelt. She presents many of the difficulties of this disorder in an understanding & compassionate way. Very happy to see her inclusion of Dialetic Behavior Therapy info & materials. However, I don't think the book is very well organized. Example: Chp. 2 on Inpatient Therapy seems a bit premature & could be frightening to clients who are new to the awareness of their diagnosis. There are examples (the one of the other patients using restraint on another patient) that if they are questionable, and I believe they are, shouldn't have been included. I would hesitate to recommend this book to my clients because of such examples although I am always looking for new materials to inspire hope in my clients and to get their cooperation for the use of DBT materials. I would encourage Melissa to do a revised version looking at content organization, making the writing more fluid, and the use of appropriate helpful examples.

I would like to say this book has a pretty good overview of tourist attractions, accommadations and travellers tips. It is however at times just rude to India and Hinduism in particular. It always mentions Buddhism first such as "Buddhist and Hindu temples" and the like. It also has the nerve to say of Varanasi, "before it was the most sacred place in the world for Hindu, the Buddha preached his first sermon near here". Besides this and incorporating the bogus Aryan Invasion Theory in the history section, I would recommend this book to readers but beware of some of its facts

I took this book on my first trip to India and once there didn't even use it. We didn't go to the tourist-y places so didn't need the book, and the places we went weren't in the book. The history and culture sections were useful in pre-trip preparation. We found clean and inexpensive hotels and restaurants on our own; it wasn't difficult. While in India I did find a book called Culture Shock: India. This is the book I wish I would have found and purchased before my trip and it's the one I've been recommending to everyone (even if they don't ask me!). Go to India without a guidebook!

I have a different perspective on this book than a "regular tourist". I was looking for the following -
a) a reasonably clear overview of each city or historical site, when it was built, and by whom, and why it is of importance to tourists and to India
b) reasonable detail for cities, outside of the usual tourist attractions
c) some attractions/ towns not listed in most tourist books.

I was checking the sections on West Bengal and Orissa in particular (having lived and travelled in both states). I used those sections to compare between this guide (the 1999 edition) and Lonely Planet etc. For my purposes, Rough Guide was the most helpful - in describing places, in offering different ways to get around (with notes on how safe it is for women etc), in evaluating the historical and/or tourist appeal of places, and so forth. I think I fell for this guide when I noticed the level of detail it had on eating places and places of worship in a residential area in South Calcutta (not to mention a critique of the Pipli handicraft industry).

The little vignettes on getting around in a Hindu holy site (and in temples, where allowed in) were also quite interesting. I have never been one to make pilgrimages, but if I wanted to do so, this would be useful to have along. The history section was surprisingly thorough and balanced - and I learned new things not covered in Indian history textbooks in school.

Is this book perfect? Of course not. But a guidebook generally cannot cater to all tastes equally. For me (a non-tourist but an NRI returning home), it did quite well (even though Jammu & Kashmir were omitted but Ladakh was included). It sparked in me the determination to visit Madhya Pradesh (one of the few states I have never visited) and parts of the Northeast. I would love to see a Rough Guide or the equivalent that focuses more on Eastern and North-eastern India, but until this, this works fine.

I bought this version of the popular fairy tale as a gift for my niece. After I received it, I was horrified to read in detail about how the huntsman cut open the wolf's stomach to look for the grandmother. It then goes on to read, ". . . after a few more slashes a little girl jumped out.." This was not at all what I had envisioned as a gift for a young girl. I wish I had been warned to buy the story from a different author.

As a teacher, I would not recommend reading this version of Little Red Riding Hood to younger children because I don't think it's suitable for a preschooler, kindergarten, or for a first grader to be listening to the ending: The hunter "raised his gun to shoot but then wondered... so he took out his knife and quickly killed the wolf while he lay sleeping. Then he carefully cut open the wolf's stomach. At the first cut, he saw the red velvet cloak, and after a few more slashes a little girl jumped out."
Also the way this author mentions the deaths: "He ran straight to the bed, and without even saying a good-morning, he ate up the poor old grandmother in one gulp.

"As the wolf said this, he sprang out of bed and ate up poor Little Red Riding Hood!"
I believe the book may be a little more suitable for older kids and it has excellent illustrations. I do recommend reading "Little Red Riding Hood" by Della Rowland. This book has two tales in one. The second tale is called "The Wolf's Tale", where the wolf tells his version of how Little Red Riding Hood actually occured. Della makes the story humorous and also allows you to give children a different perspective of the wolf being a much nicer and funnier character.

The illustrations in this book are very similar to those of Jan Brett but darker tones used. There is always something hidden w/in the pictures for children to look for and the illustrations help enhance the tale.

I also recommend Lon Po Po.

This book is not (yet another) thick reference guide to machine-guns. Instead it is a remarkably comprehensive yet concise introduction to the history of machine gun development, production and usage from the earliest manual guns of the American Civil War to the sophistication of equipment in service of modern armies. Ford's favourite "pet" period is the 1900s-1950s era - a classic period in the refinement and perfection of recoil-operated machine guns (the "fifty-cal" Browning M2 circa 1928 is still in use throughout the world).

From my humble perspective, the author is particularly successful in his bid to follow four separate aspects of machine-gun's history:

- technological advances
- production and logistics
- tactical usage and strategic impact
- "human factor"

Most other books on the subject tend to select only one of those and discuss it at length. Ford's aim is much broader. He successfully manages to carry out those separate threads of argument at once. All four are seamlessly threaded into a single narration. It is a pleasure to see as complicated yet orderly mosaic of dependencies emerges. Suddenly lots of old historical facts start to make much more sense and cease being "strange things old generations did". You could see how human ingenuity, incompetence, politics and greed on one side and weather and mud on the other shaped machine-guns as we know them today.

Throughout the narration, the author keeps precise balance between excellent readability and technical meticulousness. He never drools in extreme dry technicalities. On the other hand, quoted contemporary accounts are concise and well chosen to emphasize important technical or tactical arguments, not just fill the pages with military glamour or gore of warfare. Descriptions of selected important models are skilfully incorporated into narration. The performance details given are carefully constrained to important bits, so text does not deteriorate into a comprehensive yet boring enumeration of numbers and hardware components, the flaw many of Christopher Chant's books (for example) suffer from.

By its very nature, such book cannot be encyclopaedic and include everything. Nevertheless, by putting particular machine-guns into historical context, it inspires reader to get back to related works and browse through them with a new interest. I quite recommend reading this book alongside some nice and heavy reference encyclopaedia of small arms. You will get lots of unexpected fun.

Perhaps I should explain why I haven't given this book full 5 stars:

This book only major drawback is utter and complete absence of drawings and/or action diagrams. Ford does a remarkable job of explaining the mechanism of action of particular guns and interesting technical arrangements using text only. However remarkable his control of language might be - such descriptions are sometimes hard to follow. For the person new to the subject this could be annoying and somewhat diminish the pleasure of an otherwise excellent book.

Same applies to photographs which are few, poorly chosen and often placed out of context.

Saying that - the text alone is brilliant. The book is worth buying just for the sheer reading pleasure sake.

The Grim Reaper is an excellent machine gun book, and like some other people, I read it cover-to-cover in about four days. There are 22 pictures in all, and yes, there could have been more. Other than that, the text is easy to understand and it is very informative. The book starts with the beginning of the machine gun and ends with modern machine guns. The book described several military engagements with detail. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in machine guns or firearms in general.

This as a facinating read. It dispells myths and misconceptions
perpetrated by Hollywood and most histories. It gives the reader
insight into the development and tactical employment of a weapon that has and continues to change the modern world.

As a reader well versed in military history, the chapters relating to the competitive development of the Maxim
and Gatling were truly news to me, as was the impact of the Maxim on European colonialism. The author's treatment of the evolution of tactical employment of the weapon is also very interesting and informative. This is a must read for anyone interested 20th century military history.