5 comments about Old Friends: Visits With My Favorite Thoroughbreds.

1. Old Friends sits right next to Hillebrand's Seabiscuit in my equine library. It is a modern day classic.
   
   These noble horses get loving and magnificent treatment from Livingston's prose and photographic talent.
   
   Old Friends is a joy; a treasure. No racing enthusiast should be without this incredible book.



2. Barbara D. Livingston, Old Friends: Visits with My Favorite Thorougbreds (Eclipse Press, 2002)
   
   Reviewing books of photography often makes me feel guilty. As brilliant as someone like Romain Slocombe or Joel-Peter Witkin (for example) is, and as good as his books are, it seems kind of cheating to put a big photography book on one's list of books read for a given year. After all, how long does it really take to get through a book of photography?
   
   Not so with Old Friends. While it is, in fact, packed with the gorgeous photographs of horses for which Barbara Livingston is so deservedly well-known, every horse in here also has a small essay from Ms. Livingston, making this more a trip down memory lane than a photography book. Some of the horses in here are some of the best-known horses on the continent (Spectacular Bid, for example), some are well-known in their region of the States (Zuppardo's Prince, the leading stallion in Louisiana most years), and some even the most hardcore horseplayer has long forgotten, or never heard of in the first place. Livingston treats them all with equal dignity, and by the end of the book, we feel like we know these horses, too.
   
   A number of the horses here, since (and in a few cases before) the book was published, have died, and any of the rest of them are going to succumb to the ravages of old age within the next few years. But while some of their names will live in the lore of horse racing forever, Livingston has here ensured that many of the others will also not be forgotten.
   
   A fantastic book, and well worth having. **** ½



3. This is a wonderful book! The photographs are beautiful and the text is honest and touching. Each vignette makes you feel as if you are at the farm with the author that day. This is a must have for every horse lover. I recommend a full box of tissues every time you read this book. It is not a sad book but very moving and full of love an drespect for the wonderful horses represented here. As many of us horse savvy folks know...these are the lucky ones. I Just love it!



4. I bought this book after hearing about the death of the great Ferdinand.
   This book shows many of the great ones that have come along, many that are still breeding and many that are living out the rest of their days in quiet comfort. Livingston is a fan of all of these horses, writing as if each one is her own. I read this book in one sitting, crying and laughing all at the same time.

   I can't help but think of all the horses that didn't make it, the horse that met the same end as Ferdinand. The one's that were bred for speed but couldn't quite turn it on at the right time. The horses in this book were and are all very, very lucky indeed.




5. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at Gulfstream Park . She was doing a book-signing at the Florida Derby and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. She is a kind and gracious lady. She took her time with everyone who approached her. I was already planning to purchase book and was so happy to get an autographed copy! The pictures are incredible and the grace and dignity she conveys with them is perfect for such beautiful animals as thoroughbred horses. I recommend this book to anyone who loves horses or horse racing. As Ms Livingston signed in my book : Track fever is a good thing!"

No comments about Attracting Wildlife To Your Garden.

No comments about Holistic Pet Care: For the Responsible Pet Owner.

2 comments about My Dog Record Book.

1. I got this book for my new puppy and it had been alot of fun going through it and looking back and some of the fun things she did in her first weeks with me. Great gift idea for new pet owners.



2. This is a very cute record book for your new puppy. The only problem I see with it is that its got a space for the pup's mom and dad's name and birthplace, and then one for the grandfather and one for the grandmother...when in fact, their should be two sets of grandparents. Its got great photos of dogs of different breeds and crosses on each set of pages.
   CONTENTS: (here's what you get to fill out)
   Preparation (collar, ID tag, Leash, Bed, Food, Bowls, etc)
   Arrival (DOB, # of pups in litter, date came home, address)
   Choosing My Name (other names considered & inspiration for mine)
   My Breed (what we are known for)
   Best Features (my eyes/ears/fur/tail is...)
   Family Tree (dog's and human family)
   Growing Up
   Special Moments
   Birthdays
   My Favorite Toys
   Best Friends (of the dog type)
   My Very Special Friend (dog's significant other?)
   My Favorite Food
   My Favorite Places to Sleep
   Vacations
   Top Spots
   Achievements
   Annoying Habits
   Exercise
   Grooming
   Bath Time
   Paw Prints (place for your pups paw prints)
   Training
   My Records (Flea treatments, vaccinations, vet visits, wormings)
   Important Addresses
   I recommend using a very fine tip Sharpie to write in it so your comments stand out on the page. The fine tip pen-type sharpies don't bleed through the pages. On a two-page spread (when the book is open) there is either a photograph of a dog on one page, or a place for a picture of your dog, and a lined page for you to write on, opposite of the photo. There are odd pages throughout with different places to put text and photos of your pup's dog friends, etc... but this is the general setup.
   There are 6 places to put photos of your dog, so you might want to print them small if you'd like to fit more than one on each page.
   I like this record book because it will keep memories and records in an organized, professionally photographed format, which is nice to look at. But I am also going to keep a small photo album of my pup. It seems to be targeted toward pure-bred puppies where you'll know its birthday, parents and grandparents names, etc. but you could use an adopted dog easily by making up his birthday or using the date you got him, and filling in his human parents on his family tree. Be creative.
   
   Enjoy

5 comments about Prince and Other Dogs, 1850-1940.

1. This is a surprise birthday present for my husband. It arrived in a timely fashion and in good shape. Thanks.



2. This is a beautiful and heart-stirring little book of dogs and their people. The love for one's dog is not bound by century nor time. We have a common thread with these "strangers" from the past: we all love our dogs. I do the same thing with my dog! I pose with her, sit next to her, kiss her--all for the camera. This is a book to leave not on your shelf but out on the coffee table to share with everyone! It is a simple book--all photos, no text. I like it that way. This allows the photos to speak to you. I find myself picking up the book time-and-again and meditating on each picture. Wondering what the dog's name was, the person's name. How long did they live? Where are they from? I look at their clothes and the expressions on the dog's and person's face. They all have a story. I look at the dog's cute little body and dirty little paws and wonder how many steps those paws walked. Then I look over at my own dog sleeping peacefully and my heart swells with love. This is a gem of a book for any dog lover or lover of photos from the past. Simply lovely!



3. If you love dogs and pictures of dogs, you'll love this. It's one I keep by my bed to relax me for a short rest or nap.



4. Little Dog Lost...but now is FOUND. These Victorian photographs haven't been viewed for 100 years. When I was looking at them I felt like these little dogs were lost and I had found them in Libby Hall's book and they live on. Every page has a wonderful, beloved, beautiful dog who's face is saying "love me". I have several Victorian photo and ephemera books but "Libby Hall's Prince" is the one to get! Don't pass on this book!

   I like the way this book is presented, too. The photographs fit the pages. There isn't much commentary, just the fascinating photographs. I thank Libby Hall for putting this book together and I hope that if she finds more photographs that she won't hesitate to do another book. She has preserved these photos for all to see and they will be cherished.




5. Each photograph warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face! This is the absolute best book of dog photographs I have ever seen.The book is full of old studio photographs of dogs, sometimes together with family members,no captions added. The dogs shown in the book were obviously much-loved members of their families. There is also a second book now: PRINCE II (which is just as good as this first book).

1 comments about Chula the Chihuahua.

1. One rite of passage for our celebrities today is the writing of a children's book. Thus we see Leno and Jamie Lee Curtis making their amateur contributions to what was once long ago a rather slender and specialized field left only to Seuss and Zolotow and Tomie dePaola of The Legend of the Bluebonnet, and a few others. The field of bilingual children's literature was left pretty much to the great Alma Flor Ada (see for example her excellent Una Extrana Visita/Strange Visitors (Ada, Alma Flor. Libros Para Contar.) (Ada, Alma Flor. Libros Para Contar.). But now we have the phenomenom of nearly anyone who can get published adding their two cents. Perhaps if Brittney wrote a children's book she could really upgrade her aging but wild-teen image. Maybe she could hire a ghostwriter. Unfortunately not all of these books sold for children support the teaching and development of literacy; they are not research-based and ability-appropriate as were the old pros.
   
   When Dr. Seuss wrote, for instance, the immortal Green Eggs and Ham (I can read it all by myself), he consulted with educators for a useful list of basic words. He did not limit himself as severely as the famous Dick and Jane series, but used a very limited group of words well chosen. He built a vibrant useful rhythm for phonemic awareness, basic vocabulary and sentence structure with adequate variation and conflict to hold interest until the joyful resolution, all over a real jazz be-bop beat (read it as rap sometime), which has never been matched. Teachers love it still for the introductory vocabulary and phonics which it provides in an irresistable context.
   
   Such research-based and educational product with appropriately leveled vocabulary and sentences have grown rare. Now we have children's books of admirable intent such as One City, Two Brothers whose sophistication of grammar and vocabulary make it nearly impossible to read in a commonly encountered and diverse student group.
   
   Therefore it is with welcoming joy that we encounter this excellent children's book, written by a teaching team with many years in the classroom as well as many credits of higher-level coursework in children's literature and the teaching of reading. For once they let the teachers write what they need to teach with (is that a preposition I see dangling before me?), and this book is in fact a very useful teaching tool.
   
   For one thing, it begs to be read to an eager group, normally of over a few dozen students, such as we encounter nowadays in our classrooms. That student group of course is now normally very culturally and linguistically diverse, and this book lends itself to that undeniable fact of teaching today, in a gentle and a joyful way.
   
   The type is quite large, and clearly drawn, so that any student could see it well even from across the reading rug. The text upon each pair of opened pages is brief, so that the teacher can make the content comprehensible to all students, and it is Bilingual, with translation, and thus involves every student comfortably. The more fun we can make reading, the more will they read, and this Bilingual text (with immediate translation provided right there on the page) is very fun.
   
   The story presents the character of a small dog, a Chihuahua, and relates various characteristics of this Chihuahua named Chula. This is the first of a planned series: here we meet the character and wait for the further volumes of her adventures. As mentioned above, the text is Bilingual, and uses various terms from universal as well as from the regional Spanish of northern Chihuahua state and New Mexico, including, for instance, chiple translated here correctly as spoiled.
   
   The tale and the illustrations are truly charming and appealing to emergent readers of either language, and we are very grateful this excellent teaching team knows how to write a book we can immediately use for the benefit of our children. I for one will bring it immediately to my students, reading it together, gaining their confidence, building their self-confidence and self-esteem, and their joy of reading, as well as basing many teaching and literature and language arts activities around the themes raised in this book.
   
   In short this wonderful work is highly recommended for anyone who has a new reader entering the world of reading. In this post-literate age, when the TV screen and the computer monitor consume so much of the time we once reserved for reading, we struggle to discover how to coax our kids to read. This charming book gives us a key to opening all books to our children, the greatest and most useful gift we can ever possibly give them.

4 comments about You and Your Dog.

1. I bought this when I acquired my first dog ten years ago. It has been pretty indispensable and unbarkably good. OK, so I didn't refer to it each of those ten years, but for people and kids and families just welcoming or planning to welcome a dog into their family, this is a good all-in-one book.

   It has a section on different breeds to help match up your choice with your lifestyle/personality. It has a section on how to pick out a puppy. A picturesque, simplified, step-by-step guide to training the basics, a little first aid, and everything in between. For a comprehensive all-in-one book this one can't be beat. If you want to go deeper into home treatment, or advanced behavioral training, I would suggest you augment.

   Ten years ago I bought this book and a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix, Hamlet. He passed away today and was the most phenomenal dog around. I'd like to attribute part of that to this book, but I'd have to say he'd have probably been the same regardless of David Taylor's excellent book. It did help along the way though. I'll be picking it up again to do some puppy hunting in some month's time. 5 barks from me. Woof, woof, woof, woof, and...WOOF!




2. This book is outstanding. Buying any other book on dog care -- except for professional literature -- is a waste of money.(Ditto for his cat care book).

   This book has been translated into lots of languages (including Hebrew), which comes as no surprise. I think I have given more than 2 dozen copies of this book away to everyone from families, children and first time pet owners to veterinarians, zoology students and other professionals.

   As a animal welfare professional with an extensive library, this is the book I turn to first -- and often don't have to look any further.




3. A consise discussion of breeds, care, preventative health, and health problems. The author has also done an equivalent work for cats "You & Your Cat", just as good. Only a vet will need more information than you find here, and after scoping out the pets section at our local Borders (the flagship store in Ann Arbor MI), we chose the cat version of this book. The dog version is just as good.



4. I think "You and Your Dog" was a VERY interesting book. It covered just about every important subject. I read it several times and found the book useful. If your a dog lover, this is the book for you. Kristen Reeves(ZOOGENERAL@aol.com)

1 comments about Crazy Cat Lady: A Magnetic Sculpture Kit.

1. This model requires good fine finger coordination to manipulate the tiny cats, which stick better at the bottom than the top of the "lady" if you arrange her standing up on the magnet. Cute, but not as cute as the plastic crazy cat lady figure everyone seems to be selling.

2 comments about Essential Exercises for Training Horses: An Illustrated Guide.

1. I enjoyed Sally O'Connor's earlier book "Common Sense Dressage" and found this one even better. She takes common problems or training goals and gives exercises to aid the rider in achieving success. Tons of photos, clear, concise text and a range of skill levels make this book useful for both beginners and more advanced riders.



2. There is no doubt this is a quality book on the subject. On the other hand, having read the author's other book Common Sense Dressage, I find that one hard to beat!
   In the new book there are in-hand flexions as used by the old masters, but a little confusing to the novice (the author acknowledges there may be pitfalls and to use the exercises with great discretion). There are also exercises to be used as corrections and intended to be used for only a short time to correct. There are plenty of photographs and possibly more diagrams than in her older book. This is still a very good book, but my older one is well-loved and annotated and I have probably become very fond of that one. If you don't have a copy of the Commonsense Dressage, then buy this new book.

5 comments about Boxer: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.

1. I got this book used so it wasn't a big deal, but only the first half deals with boxers. The second half is a comprehensive training, health, and general care section for dogs. Only problem is there are hundreds of pictures, but not of Boxers! Boxers have their own training and health problems that this book didn't cover. I think if the info was going to be generic there should have at least been pictures of Boxers throughout. Worth the used price though.



2. I am. I read this book before my Boxer, Bubba, was born. Author Stephanie Abraham has bred boxers for 33 years. She has also been a judge for 21 years and is on the Board of Directors of the ABC. This book covers total care basics (i.e., feeding, grooming, health) and specific Boxer traits, training and a chapter by a Dog Fancy columnist. Includes list of recommended reading and resources.



3. This is a great book for beginners, like me! I'm probablly going to buy a boxers soon and it was very good with the basics. Of course, this book is in the favor of the Boxer and does not have many cons about buying a Boxer. Very good to get to know the breed though.



4. I read this book in a little over 2 hours and found it to be well written and informative, especially since I've never owned a dog. It gives you insite into this breed and simple instructions on care and training.



5. This is a good book for someone who is not really familiar with Boxers and wants basic information. For someone who is already a Boxer fan, something a little more substantial is in order.