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

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

Customer Reviews (146)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Product Description

Product Description
The world's oldest and best-organized conglomerate now reveals management techniques everyone can use. Unlike other guides to business, The Mafia Manager shuns theoretical verbiage to present the philosophy of leadership that founded and captained "The Silent Empire" through centuries of expansion and success. Some sample pearls of wisdom:

-"Be sure you understand what your boss has ordered before you act on his command. What if you whack the wrong guy, or bomb the wrong joint...Learn the art of asking questions."
-"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
-"Don't become involved in any office political battle without first asking yourself, 'What's in it for me?' and then 'What's in it for them?'"
-"If you must lie, be brief."
... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

What would Tony Soprano do?
Tony Soprano as a CEO?Fugedabodit!This book is the real deal - a tough, direct, no-nonsense guide to management.Use the practical advice in this book, and you'll either be bumped up or bumped off!Mafia references aside, this is really a fun and useful read.

Don't quite know what to say
Rarely do I give book rating of one star. Mainly because I don't know what that kind of rating exactly means. Does it mean that I didn't like the book? If so, what is the difference between one star and two stars. I guess it is hard to give argumentative explanation of ones own rating. So I won't. :)

What do I have in front of me?
This is something that advertises itself as a modern time macchiavelism. But, to say that this book has any kind of resemblance to "Il principe" is highly overstated. We are all aware (and if we are not, we should be) of methods described in this book. Methods that concern being promoted in any kind of job that you do. Method here being ruthlessnes, and most of all efficiency, wihtout feel for compassion and human realtions in any other kind than exploitment. It may sound as something that Macchiavlei said, it may even resemble Nietzschean philospohy, but precisely in that lies the point.

I fail to picture the reader of this book. I fail to see big corporate director who alreday doesen't know all that is written here and more, and quite frankly, I fail to see him reading at all, but that is another story. To average joe out there, who thinks that there are marvellous wonders and secrets written here this book will seem quite drab. After all, rutlessnes is not employment strategy, it is just a state of character. One who is not able to do such a thing won't be any different upon reading this book.

If you are looking for philosophy of modern times, there are tons of authors out there, of ages past that are presenting better work of modern times than any of the contemporary autors. Machiavelli being one of the better known.

Maybe I just don't want to accept the existance of the universe (which paradoxically I can tell for sure that is real) presented in this book, and maybe therein lies my angst, but that is for you to judge if you, by some twist of chance happen to stumble upon this book.

A Kind Word---and a Gun...
Let me tell you what the pseudonymous "V"'s "The Mafia Manager is better than:

*It's better than waking up with a bloody horse head in your bed!

*It's better than going to the bottom of the River with a pair of concrete galoshes---erm, cement overshoes!

*It's better than disappointing your Mama!

*It's better than getting a firsthand look at where Jimmy Hoffa *really* is!

*It's way better than taking a Drive!

Actually, "V" has put together a sage, sulphurous little tome chock-full of practical strategic and tactical advice for corporate warfare with zero BS content.

And very much like the Original Gangsta Julius Caesar's Gaul (we're talking old school now, homey...way old school), V's treatise is divided into three parts: Managing Yourself, Managing Others, and the Rest of It (negotiations, memos, meetings, dumping a body and getting away with it---heh, just kidding).

Simply put: the goal of the Cosa Nostra---the Mob, the Mafia, the Racket, Our Thing, the Outfit---has been, from time immemorial, back to the very first Capos di tutti Capo---to Make Money.

To paraphrase Malcolm X: To Make Money by Any Means Necessary.

The good news for you: whether you're into rolling casino operators in Atlantic City for "security insurance" or something a little more tame, the First Commandment remains the same: you're in this game to win.

To win, according to V, you gotta: 1) Get in a position where you Manage People; 2) Be brutal, crafty, efficient, clean, and ruthless.

Why so glum, little camper? At least in your line of work, unlike the business activity of the Mob, your competitor probably won't wind up in a dumpster.

Unless you work that way, naturally.

"Mafia Manager", then, distills more than a thousands years of gimlet-eyed Sicilian advice (along with a few choice axioms) into just a whisper over 100 pages, ships it across from Palermo, and puts it into your hands.

The only thing that doesn't ring true is "V" supposed mobster antecedents: he talks a good game, but the copyright reveals the author as "Curtis Johnson"---not exactly the name you'd ascribe to a good old Paisano. But hey, maybe that's the alias he uses up in his Federal Witness Protection Program dacha in some gated-burbclave in Idaho.

Some Offers you can't Refuse. "The Mafia Manager" is one you won't want to.

JSG

a must have in a corporate environment
Had I had this book a few years back, maybe I would have spotted, understood and survived office politics I found myself in the middle of in my last job. Still, I am learning from it for my current job. Would recommend it to any person in a managerial position who was raised to believe you should not do upon others what you do not wish to have done to you. That sort of upbringing does not go well with corporate environment. If that is your case (too), you NEED this book, and a number of others, to learn what your parents failed to teach you.

Low-end
I study leadership, politics in business organisations and emotional transactions. I bought this book thinking it would be factual, conclusive and real. On the other hand I found it's written with a mocking tone, has no relation to real cases and is as shallow as it gets.

It could be good for some peasant who believes he can get ahead at work easily. But in reality, there's far more than this book wastes time about. ... Read more

Product Description
This book celebrates the group's career with exclusive interviews, rare photographs, and an episode guide detailing the original TV shows still being aired daily across the country. Photos throughout.Amazon.com Review
Longtime Python fanatic Kim "Howard" Johnson's update of The First 200 Years of Monty Python retains at its core the nearly blow-by-blow account of each of the 45 classic episodes in which this British troupe blew gale-force fresh air into television comedy. But for this new volume the author has extensively reinterviewed the Pythons, as well as Carol Cleveland (the lone female performer--unless you count the guys in drag); expanded the material on individual members and their work before and after Monty Python's Flying Circus; and added a bibliography of their output in every medium (plus coverage of PythOnline).

Johnson first met John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and the late Graham Chapman in 1978, when he published a Python fanzine, and he actually worked on their third film, Life of Brian. That 21-year relationship gives the book a jovial insider's tone making it a nice complement to David Morgan's more conventional oral history, Monty Python Speaks! Johnson conscientiously profiles every manifestation of Python's creative madness, but his first loves remain "The Spanish Inquisition," "Cheese Shop," "Dead Parrot," and all the other insanely inventive sketches that are as fresh and funny in reruns as they were 280 years ago. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

One for the completists among us (this means you)
This had been on my "To Read" shelf since 1990 (I know because I was using the sales receipt as a bookmark). A biased, glowing look at the Pythons, it is full of useless but amusing trivia, which is exactly what Python fanatics like myself buy these books for. As a history, it's nowhere near the level of Hill and Weingard's Saturday Night (a look at the making of Saturday Night Live and its myriad cast members), but as histories of the series goes, it's about as good as it gets. There's also a complete vid/bib/discography in the back for those completists out there.

Attention MP fans!
If you are a MP fan, you must own this book! Lots of memories and laughs.

The ultimate guide to Python...
This is a fantastic guide to Monty Python.Pre-Python, The TV Show, the films, the records: it's all there.It is full of facts & photos.I often refer to it while I'm watching a Python TV show or film on DVD.There are other books about Python, but none that cover the history so thouroughly.It's a very enjoyable, funny read.I particularly like the Pre-Python photo comic from Harvey Kurtzman's Help Magazine, which is reprinted in the book.It features John Cleese as a man who falls in love with his daughter's Barbie doll.This book, combined with David Morgan's book Monty Python Speaks, will tell you everything you want to know about Monty Python.

Absurdly in-depth!
Kim Howard Johnson has far too much time available. Fortunately, if you are going to waste your time, Kim has chosen the perfect waste of time, Monty Python.

LOOK... A PENGUIN! Sorry.

Johnson has wasted a perfectly good lifetime with this ridiculously nitpicky tome which reduces all things Python to little more than a college thesis. Albeit, one which is fascinating and thoroughly researched to the nith degree. Worthy of a Pulitzer. It's just too good for words. If you're not a Python fan, stop reading and go to a page for the lesser of the species where you belong. Pffft!!!!

Introduction, but no more than that.
I admit, thisbook is now outdated, having been updated by the annoyingly quotated Kim "Howard" Johnson.This is the edition i read, though, so i had better stick with it.Perhaps (somehow i doubt it) the flaws have been corrected in the new edition.

A compilation book, descriptions of each of the shows and movies ~ with brief information about the records (CDs now, i suppose), books, and videotapes ~ snippets from conversations with each of the Pythons, brief biographies of the six, and a fair number of pictures (some of rather poor quality), both from the series and Johnson's private collection.Johnson himself is, apparently, some kind of Python insider, though we never really find out how (any more than we find out why he has an extra name in quotes [i suspect an inside joke ~ the most annoying kind]), who has for years had access to the six manic writer-actors, and used it to produce this retrospective.It is not as complete as "All The Words," which essentially gives the scripts as broadcast, though it does give more information about Gilliam's animations.Johnson makes a few, curious mistakes ~ he thinks one takes "A" levels at 14 not 18 years old, he misquotes from some of the sketches, going so far as to miss the joke when he screws up Professor Gumby's explanation of why the Battle of Trafalgar was fought in Yorkshire ~ which leads me to wonder about the accuracy of his reported conversations and recollections.Overall, this is a nice collection of Python-obilia, but by no means an essential addition to the list of works about them ~ not to be considered part of the canon. ... Read more