Stanley Reviews

I read everything I can get my hands on about Marie Antoinette, and this was the best biography of her. Well-written, entertaining, objective, I could go on and on. Really a pleasure. The account of the flight to Varennes was so suspenseful, even though we all know the outcome.

The two best biographies on Marie Antoinette are 'Queen of France' by Caselot and 'Fatal Friendship' by Loomis. Fatal Friendship focuses mostly on the friendship between the Queen and Count Axel Fersen, the breathtaking escape attempt and their deaths. Loomis leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not the two were actual physical lovers, but with the evidence presented, not only do I believe they were, but that Louis XVI knew, and didn't care.

The highlight of the book is the escape attempt though. As you read on and on at a harrowing pace, you almost believe they'll make it. But the stupid mistakes, lack of judgement, and time wasted sealed the fate of the royal family.

As we all know Marie Antoinette died on the guillotine, but do you know the violent death that Axel Fersen faced? Or the legend of the ring that was given to him by Marie?

An excellent, well written, and easy to follow book that made me fall in love with the Queen and see her not as a monster, but as a woman and a mother who despite trying her best, just couldn't make anything work out.

Once again Stanley Loomis takes us there- to the time of the Great French Revolution, and before, but this time to the side of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Loomis, by pouring through old documents and by meticulous research, has an uncanny way of recreating the past in all its subtle details. This book shows how Marie Antoinette was vilified by her friends, some family members, and by her host country (France), and more significantly, how her spririt became more courageous and fortified as she endured extreme hardships unto her execution. Loomis retraces all the details of her and the deposed king's attempted escapes, from the flight to Varennes under the plan of Count Ferson, to the foiled plot to sneak the queen and her child out of prison. Loomis exposes the truth behind the queen's sequestered love affair with Count Ferson, and her own Austrian family's betrayal of her. Loomis does a fantastic job in showing us King Louis XVI as well- his kind nature in the face of his adversarys (which up to the end he refused to see as his enemies, but maintained that he "would not cause a drop of blood to spill from my subjects"), and his ultimate martyrdom by those he sought to understand. King Louis XVI should be given the accolades befitting a Saint. Loomis' creative command of vocabulary instills his writing with top-notch character descriptions and sometimes with more philosophical questions and ideas. But this book is not pedantic or just for the bookmarmish French history types, it is exceptionally entertaining and highly recommended. For another excellent book by Loomis, please read "Paris In the Terror"! You will not be disappointed with either of these!

Your child's EQ (emotional quotient) is more important to their future success, health and happiness than their IQ (intelligence quotient) and this book can help the both of you off to a great start. As an Emotional Intelligence Coach, I strongly recommend this book. Your child's EQ can't develop farther than yours. Take an assessment and see how yours is, get some EQ coaching from a trained and certified EQ coach, read this book and get to work. Your child's future depends upon it.

This book is a must read for any parent that is worried about the emotional health of our society today. We live in a society of repressed emotions that come out in violent outbursts. This books tells parents how emotions develop in a baby and toddler and what we as parents can do to help our baby develop all of their emotions. It also teaches us how we can help our baby handle and express all emotions so that they don't become bottled up and come out in violent outbursts. Most of the advice in this book goes against conventional parenting advice, but in my view we've been following conventional advice for 50 years and look where it has gotten us. It is time for a new, more sensitive way of parenting that teaches our children that emotions are ok and can be expressed in appropriate ways. I give this book my highest recommendation.

As a single parent of a 2 1/2 year old boy, I have found this book to be the best teacher, guide, and sanity-saver since the day he was born. This book has given me concrete options for understanding and dealing with every perplexing behavior of my son's. He has a flourishing emotional life because of this book, and I have managed to keep sane.

The book is easy to read, gives several solutions to each problem presented, has tables and lists to help explain concepts, and offers a contiguous view of the child and his family's development. If a parent could only read one parenting book, *this* is the one they should read, take to heart, dog-ear and memorize techniques from, through the start of pregnancy through all their children's first years. The family foundations and relationships it helps to establish make the most solid beginnings for family life. Thank you, Greenspans, for this seminal contribution!

Miki Frank's stunningly honest book about the most difficult subject to imagine -- the death of a spouse -- will be of tremendous comfort to anyone who is faced with the sudden quiet and soltitude after a robust life lived fully with a loved one. The author doesn't flinch from considering issues around her own emotional stability once "contact" with her deceased husband is established. In fact, what happens -- and what is detailed so compellingly in this fine book -- is so antithetical to everything the author THOUGHT she believed in beforehand that it is all the more powerful. This book is not for everyone; you have to be in a place of depth and have had a strong love connection of one's own to have it make "sense". If this describes you, this book will move you and keep you riveted. I finished it wanting more, and I certainly hope Miki Frank will return for a second volume. Bravo.

From first page to last, Miki Frank's heartwarming book totally gripped me. I couldn't put it down even at the end of a long day. Through vignettes written after her husband Stanley died, Miki shares the story of her relationship with the love of her life and the pain of her bereavment. Flesh and blood Stanley was larger than life, and much to Miki's surprise, during the first year of their separation through death, he turns up again to engage her in his own inimitable way, to challenge her assumptions, make her laugh as he always did, and share his new world.
This stretches Miki beyond belief, but she can't deny what's happening in their daily rendezvous at the typewriter. Slowly but surely, kicking and screaming, Miki learns to accept that
"Death ends a life but not a relationhip", and a new chapter in their life together begins. A most beautifully written book, full of fun and compassion inspite of the pain, it will also be of great help to those losing a partner or those coming to terms with the possiblity of life after death.

From first page to last, Miki Frank's heartwarming book totally gripped me. I couldn't put it down even at the end of a long day. Through vignettes written after her husband Stanley died, Miki shares the story of her relationship with the love of her life and the pain of her bereavment. Flesh and blood Stanley was larger than life, and much to Miki's surprise, during the first year of their separation through death, he turns up again to engage her in his own inimitable way, to challenge her assumptions, make her laugh as he always did, and share his new world.
This stretches Miki beyond belief, but she can't deny what's happening in their daily rendezvous at the typewriter. Slowly but surely, kicking and screaming, Miki learns to accept that
"Death ends a life but not a relationhip", and a new chapter in their life together begins. A most beautifully written book, full of fun and compassion inspite of the pain, it will also be of great help to those losing a partner or those coming to terms with the possiblity of life after death.

If you love to laugh you must have this book. Great reading for those with a few 24 hours. I have shared a few parts of this book with some people I sponsor, they could not stop laughing. Wonderful way to get people to open up. Superway to get a meeting going.

An excellent book that is very cleverly written.If you are like me and you came to the fellowship with no idea of;
(a)the cunning, baffling, nature of alcoholism.
(b)of how to name different types of emotions and feelings
then this book is of enormous help.(or it was to me anyway!)
It also hit home in a number of ways especially with its side comments on the behaviour of some members of the fellowship.It gave me a bit of a kick up the backside as to how I contribute to meetings and how I treat people who are new to the fellowship. Definitely a good read!

This is the most clever, entertaining, and enlightening book on recovery I have ever read. I know that you will love it too. -- Frank D. - Author of The Annotated AA Handbook

using this book helped me immensely when it came time to raise my own tipi! using only the book and my woefully average construction skills, i easily put up my 22 foot diameter tipi in the northern california woods in a few hours with minimal assistance, the first try!

the other parts of the book offer fascinating aspects related to tipi living, history and culture. a must read for any tipi enthusiast!
great!
heartLove, the electric tipi hippy!

The wealth of information included by the Laubins, and their heartfelt respect for the American Indian, permeate this book. Many tipi construction books these days are written by would-be hippies--but the Laubins come across as the real thing. They had real contact with the tribes who made the various designs and they understood the distinctions between them. Better yet they have done an excellent job at getting these techniques across to the reader. An excellent resource for our business and home pursuits alike and the only book on the subject we recommend.

Besides providing all necessary details on the materials, construction, setting up, and maintenance of a tipi, this book also provides comparisons with alternate designs and why one might be better than another, and gives advice on varying the size to fit your needs. It provides all the essentials, including adjustments for various seasons and types of weather (rain, snow, and wind), layout of living and sleeping space, furniture, storage of supplies, fire building, cooking, recipes, brain tanning, making parfleche containers, and moccasins. Plus it includes a few words about a native ceremony to properly dedicate the new lodge, and describes tipi etiquette for hosts and visitors. Lots of photos, drawings and detailed diagrams are provided.

The cover of this excellent juvenile biography of Leonardo Da Vinci is quite interesting because it shows him as a young man in front of the background from his most famous painting, the "Mona Lisa." I saw a story once that compared the face of the "Mona Lisa" with the famous red ink drawing of Da Vinci as an old man, which did size comparisons and argued they were the same. In other words, the "Mona Lisa" is really a self-portrait of Da Vinci. This makes a bit of sense since the artist worked on it for years, obviously with the benefit of a model. Diane Stanley's cover painting, intentionally or not, references this intriguing hypothesis.

Stanley does some fascinating things with the art throughout this book. She puts reproductions of Da Vinci's actual paintings into her own works and includes various drawings by Da Vinci to complement her text. Young readers will learn about the highlights of Da Vinci's life, both as an artist and as an inventor. Consequently, they will see not only the painting of "The Last Supper" but the flying machine he designed. In a fascinating postscript Stanley details what happened to the grave of Da Vinci and what few of his paintings remain. Stanley provides an excellent introduction to the life of the original Renaissance Man.

For those who do not yet know, Diane Stanley writes the best kid-level biographies out there, and Leonardo da Vinci is no exception. She carefully traces his life from birth (including alluding to the legitamacy question) to death. Worked into the illustrations are many of Leonardo's works (so that you needn't buy a separate book for your child to appreciate them). A wonderful book that should be mandatory reading!

Meet Leonardo da Vinci, a man of vision who was centuries ahead of his time. Born April 15, 1452, and raised in his father's house, Leonardo was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero, "...an important man, a leading citizen of Vinci." and a peasant girl. Because of the circumstances of his birth, he was not entitled to an upper class education in banking, medicine, or law, and "what little schooling he got probably came from the parish priest and was limited to reading, writing, and simple arithmetic. He later described himself as an omo sanza lettere, a man without education." As a boy, Leonardo showed talent for drawing, and was sent to Florence to apprentice with the famous artist, Andrea del Verrocchio. And it was there that the course of his life began to take shape. Though his superb artistic talents were quickly recognized, and Leonardo was commissioned to paint many important works during his lifetime, he had a short attention span and was always restless, often failing to complete his pieces. His imagination, his interests and genius went far beyond art and painting. He was fascinated with anatomy, engineering, science, and music, and filled thousands of pages in his now famous notebooks with his ideas, plans, drawings and inventions. He was employed by kings, princes and popes, and was the friend of Machiavelli, Cesar Borgia and King Francis I, of France. But throughout his life he never married, and was a very solitary man..... Diane Stanley brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this beautifully written and well researched, introductory biography. Her easy to read, conversational text is entertaining, engaging and intelligent, and packed full of history, drama, mystery, fun facts, anecdotes, and sketches from Leonardo's notebooks. Her graceful and elegant illustrations complement the story line beautifully, and really capture the essence of the artist and his times. With an introduction detailing the Italian Renaissance, and a Postscript to enhance and complete the narrative, this is an informative and spellbinding biography. Perfect for youngsters 9-12, Leonardo da Vinci is a wonderful addition to Ms Stanley's highly acclaimed biographical series, and a book that definitely shouldn't be missed.

February 2003 - just back from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. I found the book helpful, accurate and comprehensive - exactly the qualities required in a travel guide.

I'm currently using this book to plan a Sep 2003 trip up to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island & possibly the Bay of Fundy. Lonely Planet has to be my favorite series of travel books, and this edition is right on par with their other guides.

One goal of mine has been to stay in B&B's the whole time (I picture lots of intimate Atlantic oceanside places), and there is a good focus on these accommodations. Another increasing trend in the LP series has been to supplement with web addresses for more information. The author looks like they have gone to great lengths to provide an extraordinary number of links for accommodations, activities, visitor info and often, restaurants. Coverage of maps (including city) and suggested itineraries are two of my favorite aspects of Lonely Planet, and this guide has great ones. This book also doubles as a history primer for the area. Two easy-read examples within that I enjoyed included background on the New Brunswick-to-PEI bridge & the history of why Halifax gives a Christmas tree to Boston each year.

Overall, there is more information contained within than I could use while visiting the area. It's simply the best choice for visiting the Maritimes.

One last note, Lonely Planet also released a full guide on Quebec as well.

As the previous reviewer stated, this is a great guide for locals as well as visitors. The author combines some fine local history and stories with essential travel tips that will definitely point travellers in the right direction for an enjoyable vacation.

If this book won't give you a heart for missions, nothing will. This book tells the story of Stan Dale and the Yali tribe as cultures clash and the Gospel wins over the hearts of fierce and cruel warriors, whose enjoyment is to shoot so many arrows into a victim to porcupine him or her, and then eat with relish the corpse of a victim. These people are so entralled to their spirits that any violation of taboo was punished by death. Women were also excluded from all rituals and religion and deemed unclean. Into this walks Stan Dale charging forward with fortitude determination and a total reliance on God. Winning a few young converts coupled with tortuous hard labor to construct a basic airstrip, Dale and a friend were martyred. Then through a total act of Providence, God intervened miraculously and revival swept the Yali people at the same spot where the two missionaries were killed and dismembered by the appearance of a little missionary boy and his protection by a wise old man. You must read this book to find out what happens. After all is revealed, you will see the Hand of God, protecting Stan Dale and his family in a very humourous manner based on mistaken identity.

This book will give you a taste of the challenges in reaching a lost world. It is still going on today with organizations such as the New Tribes Mission whose missionaries were recently martyred in the Philippines. Truly amazing real-life stories.

lords of the earth is an excellent book! every time i read it i am amazed at God's grace and divine providence. don richardson is an excellent writer. his vivid description makes this amazing true story come to life. i've read it several times, and each time i just can't put it down.

It is a very rare book that can move me to tears. This was so realistic, and so inspiring, I am recommending it to everybody I know

Dr. Thomas Stanley has become a big name since his book "The Millionaire Next Door" but some of his have been tracking his work since his days as Georgia State Professor.

This was his breakthrough work. Lots of original research and tremendous insights.

I work as a financial consultant to people who receive personal injury awards and found Dr. Stanley's writing extremely valuable.

Anyone who works with high producers or who wants to be a high income producer should own this book.

Don McNay...

this book is the bible to your success in the field of sales. very descriptive, easy- to-digest advice and overall highly engaging. a more than required purchase for anyone who wants to expand their abilities at work and even personally in the facet of marketing.

You can offer the greatest service in the world, but if you don't know how to reach desired clientle, you won't make nickel.Marketing to the Affluent pinpoints where the real money is. It is like a treasure map for sales people that leads to the right prospects.I also recommend Selling to the Affluent, also by Dr. Stanley.

for those of you who want a picture of life on an oar boat on the Great Lakes in the 1950's, this book is for you. Very enjoyable and accurate portrayal of that life.

I sailed on a number of Great Lakes oar boats in the 1950's. Reading this book, I had a vivid re-experience of my life as a Great Lakes sailor, both positive and negative. For anyone interested in an accurate and compelling account of life on oar boats back then, this book will give you a good read as well as a historical account of that time.

I was a Great Lakes sailor in the 1950's and worked on a number of ore boats. I view Meditations of a Great Lakes Sailor as a highly accurate, albeit fictional, account of what it was like to work on the Great Lakes at that time. Reading this account, I was enabled to vividly relive some of my own experiences, both positive and negative. This book, I believe, has historical significance in recreating an important time in our history.