Brough's Books - Reference and Non-Fiction

Reference and Non-Fiction

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Vocabulary Workshop: Level H
Vocabulary Workshop: Level H
by Jerome Shostak
Paperback from William H Sadlier
ISBN: 0821571133
 
 
Esperanza Rising, Literature Book Level 6 Unit 6 Book 2: Houghton Mifflin Journeys (Hmr Journeys Medallions Portals 2010-12)
Esperanza Rising, Literature Book Level 6 Unit 6 Book 2: Houghton Mifflin Journeys (Hmr Journeys / Medallions / Portals 2010-12)

Paperback from Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0547074034

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

 
The Adventurous Boy s Handbook: For Ages 9 to 99
The Adventurous Boy's Handbook: For Ages 9 to 99
by Stephen Brennan, Finn Brennan
Kindle Edition from Skyhorse Publishing
Media Published: 2008-06-11
 

"Handier than The Dangerous Book for Boys, more dangerous than The American Boy's Handy Book. Beware! Skinned knees and mischievous deeds, fire-building and fitness-training, bird-watching and fox-tracking: All this and more are to be found in--or will result from--what's contained in this endlessly enjoyable book. Anyone who has ever wanted to recapture the simple pleasures of youth will find much here to relish--and to share with the younger generation. Boys (and girls!) will love this indispensable compendium of activities, directions, and facts, and it will help them discover that there are wonderful alternatives to today's eye-glazing world of television, the Internet, and video games. Written by a father and son team, The Adventurous Boy's Handbook features step-by-step instructions for building a treehouse, pitching a tent, and shooting a bow and arrow. Great hikes, as well as what gear is needed for walking, running, even snowboarding, are included in this essential book of boy stuff. There are sections for the ""armchair adventurer,"" too: On reading hieroglyphics, learning sign language, and keeping a journal. From model-building to horseshoe-throwing, The Adventurous Boy's Handbook promises to be a favorite guide to having fun that will be consulted time and again. 200 b/w illustrations. "

"Handier than The Dangerous Book for Boys, more dangerous than The American Boy's Handy Book. Beware! Skinned knees and mischievous deeds, fire-building and fitness-training, bird-watching and fox-tracking: All this and more are to be found in--or will result from--what's contained in this endlessly enjoyable book. Anyone who has ever wanted to recapture the simple pleasures of youth will find much here to relish--and to share with the younger generation. Boys (and girls!) will love this indispensable compendium of activities, directions, and facts, and it will help them discover that there are wonderful alternatives to today's eye-glazing world of television, the Internet, and video games. Written by a father and son team, The Adventurous Boy's Handbook features step-by-step instructions for building a treehouse, pitching a tent, and shooting a bow and arrow. Great hikes, as well as what gear is needed for walking, running, even snowboarding, are included in this essential book of boy stuff. There are sections for the ""armchair adventurer,"" too: On reading hieroglyphics, learning sign language, and keeping a journal. From model-building to horseshoe-throwing, The Adventurous Boy's Handbook promises to be a favorite guide to having fun that will be consulted time and again. 200 b/w illustrations. "

 
American Heritage Dictionary

Library Binding from Bt Bound
ISBN: 0881030058
 
 

The latest edition of the American Heritage Dictionary is out, and that's hot news--not just for the resolute followers of lexicographical minutiae, but for the general reading and writing public as well. Why? Because the American Heritage is a long-standing favorite family dictionary (never underestimate the value of pictures) and one of the prime dictionary references for magazines, newspapers, and dot.com content providers. For scads of writers and editors across the U.S., it sets the standard on matters of style and lexicographical authority.

So this new edition is exciting and noteworthy, but how good is it? In its favor, the fourth edition is as current a dictionary as you can get. It's six years fresher than the 1994 version, with 10,000 words and definitions you won't find in the still venerable but now slightly dated third edition. For example, unlike its predecessor (and also unlike the 1996 Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary), this fourth edition covers dot-com, e-commerce, and soccer mom, Ebonics, Viagra, and a surf definition for cruising television channels and the Internet.

Its panel of special consultants includes authorities on anthropology, architecture, cinema, and law, plus military science, music, religion, and sports, and that is reflected in an impressively comprehensive coverage of the arts, culture, and technology. Sadly, however, there are no medical consultants on the panel, and that loss is felt in some substandard medical definitions. Other flaws: there's a greater than usual tendency to define a word with a form of the same word--for example, fuzzy, whose first two definitions are "1. covered with fuzz." and "2. of or resembling fuzz." And some definitions seem needlessly wordy, such as the entry for furious, which is "full of or characterized by extreme anger; raging." Compare that with the more succinct Oxford Encyclopedic entry: "1. extremely angry. 2. full of fury."

On the other hand, there are valuable entries throughout the dictionary supplying additional information on synonyms, usage, or word history, and these extras, such as the history of diatribe and the usage notes on discomfit, are interesting. The layout is easy on the eyes, with dark blue/green bold type setting the words apart from their definitions, and 4,000 color photographs, maps, and illustrations that are both useful and delightful. On one page, the margin provides color depictions of Francis Bacon, bacterium, and a Bactrian camel. Theodore Roosevelt and a rooster share another margin, while a third page offers Isak Dinesen, a dingo, and dinoflagellate. It is a fascinating book to peruse, and a compellingly scholarly addition to the American Heritage Dictionary line. --Stephanie Gold

 

 
 
 

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