Books about Menagerie from Amazon.com

"Pearls is the hottest comic in the newspaper business these days." --Raleigh News amd Observer

Named Best Comic Strip of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society in 2004 and 2007, Pearls Before Swine is regarded by fans and critics alike as a thoughtful commentary on humanity's pitiable plight.

Stephan Pastis sketches this nuanced comic strip tale, which features the arrogant, self-centered, and totally hilarious Rat, who leads his four-legged friends through misadventure after misadventure. Joining him for the journey are Pig, the slow but good-hearted conscience of the strip; Goat, the voice of reason that often goes unheard; and Zebra and the eternally inept Crocodiles who pursue him. Together this mindful menagerie mocks the flaws and shortcomings of human nature through Pastis's cynically biting wit.

• The third Pearls Before Swine treasury, this book combines all the cartoons from Da Brudderhood of Zeeba Zeeba Eata and The Sopratos, along with annotations by Pastis.
• From courtroom antics to references of other cartoon strips, Pastis's strip is a fresh presence on the comic pages.

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Price: $9.93 [Notify me when price goes down.]

No play in the modern theatre has so captured the imagination and heart of the American public as Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie Menagerie was Williams's first popular success and launched the brilliant, if somewhat controversial, career of our pre-eminent lyric playwright. Since its premiere in Chicago in 1944, with the legendary Laurette Taylor in the role of Amanda, the play has been the bravura piece for great actresses from Jessica Tandy to Joanne Woodward, and is studied and performed in classrooms and theatres around the world. The Glass Menagerie (in the reading text the author preferred) is now available only in its New Directions Paperbook edition. A new introduction by prominent Williams scholar Robert Bray, editor of The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, reappraises the play more than half a century after it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award: "More than fifty years after telling his story of a family whose lives form a triangle of quiet desperation, Williams's mellifluous voice still resonates deeply and universally." This edition of The Glass Menagerie also includes Williams's essay on the impact of sudden fame on a struggling writer, "The Catastrophe of Success," as well as a short section of Williams's own "Production Notes." The cover features the classic line drawing by Alvin Lustig, originally done for the 1949 New Directions edition..
Price: $3.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The last thing new parents can find time for is quiet reading, so many helpful books on infant care rely on bullet points and a "let's get to the point" writing style. Tracy Hogg, a neonatal nurse, teacher, and mother of two, uses these techniques to good effect in Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. Focusing on newborns and their parents, her simple programs are a blend of intelligent intuition and methods based on years of experience. The first half of the book is devoted to E.A.S.Y--her name for creating a structured daily routine for you and your baby that makes the most of your baby's awake times and also leaves time just for you. These concepts aren't designed to force your bundle of joy into not following her body's needs, but rather to create a feasible middle ground between total rigidity and on-demand food and sleep (and no time for mom to shower). If it still strikes you as too regimented, keep reading. The author makes room for differences in personal style and includes short quizzes to determine whether you're a "planner" or a "winger", and what level of daily structure you are likely to find helpful. In the same chapter, she identifies five general temperaments of infants, how to get an accurate feel for yours, and what methods of care are likely to be the most effective for his temperament. Her statement that babies prefer routine is backed up by research from the University of Denver. While most of the book relies on anecdotes to get the points across, Hogg does find room to back up some of her statements with quotes from various researchers and institutions. Included at the end of the book are assurances that E.A.S.Y. can be followed even with a colicky baby or one who's been ruling the roost for the first few months. Frustrated parents might like to read the last page first: "all the baby-whispering advice in the world is useless unless you're having a good time being a parent" is an excellent reminder to enjoy this time with all of its ups and downs. --Jill Lightner.
Price: $1.86 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the grand scheme of things, money's not that important It's important only to the extent that it allows you to enjoy what's important to you. And not worrying about your finances is critical to having a life that excites you, nurtures those you love, and fulfills your highest aspirations. If you want to make smart choices about money, based on what is important to you--your core values--this book is for you.

This informative and well-written book will help you build a financial strategy, starting with your own unique values--what is truly important to you. By defining these unique values, you can create a plan that not only looks good on paper, but spurs you to follow through and achieve your goals. Values-Based Financial Planning: The Art of Creating and Inspiring Financial Strategy will help you realize what's important to you, align your financial choices with the great life you want, and become inspired to do whatever it takes to have that life..
Price: $3.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

For most people, the forensic sciences are something reported on the news when a crime is solved through DNA evidence, or used as a plot twist for television shows. But behind the crime-scene tape and the doors of the morgue is a world never seen by the public. Now famed pathologist and medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden and award-winning writer Marion Roach take readers into the laboratory, above the autopsy table, onto the witness stand and out in the field to show how advances in forensic science can solve crucial questions in a criminal case, often with startling accuracy.

Baden and Roach reveal how a key clue to the killer of Nicole Brown Simpson was lost when her body was moved to the morgue, and why the JonBenet Ramsey case can never be solved. They show how no clue is too small to be analyzed and no case too old to be reopened. Full of behind-the-scenes drama and surprising revelations, Dead Reckoning is a fascinating look at how forensic science is changing the way we convict the guilty and free the innocent.

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Price: $1.92 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Strange beasts of all kinds have crawled, run, swam, and flown through humanity's imagination and travelers' tales since the dawn of time. From Gryphons and Unicorns, to Dragons, Mermaids, and even more bizarre and fantastical animals, A Wizard's Bestiary takes you on a magical journey through the ages and around the world, to discover elusive creatures of myth and legend. Beware--here be Monsters!

The first section lists over 1,000 fantastic creatures from every land in an encyclopedic, alphabetical glossary format, from Aatxe to Zyphoeus. Each entry includes a small illustration, as well as cross-references to other related beasts.

Next, the authors present more in-depth features on some of more interesting of these legendary beasts, such as the Sea Serpent and the Man-Eating Tree of Madagascar. History, myths, and legends of each creature are presented, with particular emphasis on identifying real-life origins of mythical creatures in actual living animals, such as the link between the Kraken and the giant squid. This section is divided into these categories:

* Creepers

* Walkers

* Swimmers

* Flyers

* Demi-Humans

* Animate Plants

Expanded cryptozoological entries include the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Mokele-Mbembe, El Chupacabra, Mothman, and other mystery monsters reported by eyewitnesses but not yet confirmed by science.
They are grouped into the following categories:

* Primates and Hominids

* Bipedal Monsters

* Carnivorous Mammals

* Herbivorous Mammals

* Sea Serpents and Lake Monsters

* Birds

* Reptiles

* Amphibians

* Living Dinosaurs

* Mystery Monsters

A Wizard's Bestiary is profusely illustrated with old woodcuts, engravings, and other images from historical sources, as well as interpretations by modern artists, including the authors. No other bestiary has been so well-illustrated! Hand-drawn medieval-style maps by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart show purported locales of different beasts on all continents and seas..
Price: $12.36 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Menagerie Manor is sure to delight fans of Durrell’s beloved classic My Family and Other Animals and other accounts of his lifelong fascination with members of the animal kingdom. With his unfailing charm, Durrell tells the story of how he finally fulfilled his childhood dream of founding his own private zoo, the Manor of Les Augres, on the English Channel island of Jersey. With the help of an enduring wife, a selfless staff, and a reluctant bank manager, the zoo grows, and readers are treated to a colorful parade of the zoo’s unusual animal inhabitants..
Price: $7.35 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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