Cat Miscellany: Fascinating Facts about Cats

Book Description

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life—music and cats."—Albert Schweitzer

Just as they slink into our homes, brushing our legs on their way to be fed, cats also cunningly pad through literature, leaving a surprisingly large impression on the English language. Meet the cat in all its rich and varied literary forms.

Did you know that the Bible doesn't mention cats at all? Why do we think they have nine lives? How much of classic literature refers to cats, and what do the great writers have to say about them? In Cat Miscellany, all the notable cat references and expressions in the English language have been gathered to provide an amusing and informative compendium for cat lovers.

Average customer rating:
Cats' Miscellany
Lesley O'Mara
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cats | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1559707976

Book Description

Arranged as a true miscellany, the book is an extraordinary box of delights that can be read from cover to cover or dipped into at whim. Here are true stories of famous cats, quotations, statistics, legends, practical advice, biological and physiological information, strange tales (and tails)and everywhere, cats: famous and notorious, beautiful and scarred, clever and dopey, young and old, great and small, from every age of mans long, admiring, and utterly subservient association with the feline master race. Decorated with charming black-and-white illustrations throughout, peppered with sayings and quotations from such luminaries as Leonardo da Vinci, Mark Twain, Garrison Keillor, T. S. Eliot, and Samuel Johnson, and filled with magnificent cats and the humans who have owned and loved them, CATS MISCELLANY is a book sure to entrance cat lovers the world over.

Average customer rating:

A Miscellany of Cat Lovers' Wisdom
Kay White
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0004129164

Average customer rating:

A Miscellany of Cat Owner's Wisdom
Kay White
Manufacturer: Running Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GX34V8

Average customer rating:

A Miscellany of Cat Owners' Wisdom
Kay White
Manufacturer: Running Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1561381578

Cat among the Pigeons: A Catholic Miscellany

Average customer rating:

Cat among the Pigeons: A Catholic Miscellany
Alice Thomas Ellis
Manufacturer: Flamingo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8WAKG

Average customer rating:

Cat Miscellany
Max Cryer
Manufacturer: BLAKE PUBLISHING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K7F4WW

Book Description

Explains, illustrates criteria and techniques used by the Shakers to design, construct and finish the furniture and crafts for which they are admired. Over 250 photographs and measured drawings for over 80 classic designs, ranging from a sugar scoop to a peg-leg footstool to a Harvard trestle table. 262 halftones. 140 black-and-white line illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Shakers & Their Furniture Described By An Informed Author!.......2001-12-31

John Shea's "Measured Drawings of Museum Classics" is itself a classic. It is not just a book about furniture; he carefully includes enough information on the Shakers, their history and their religion to give the reader an appreciation and understanding of the people and their passion for piety, humility, industry and kindness. It was these virtues that gave birth to their beautiful classical simple and elegant furniture -- which has been admired by "the world's people" for two hundred years.

During his preparation to write his book, John visited several Shaker communities and museums. At Sabbathday Lake and Canterbury, he was fortunate to meet the surviving members of the Shakers including Mildred Barker and Gertrude Soule, both of whom have now passed away. Written in 1971, it includes pictures of Shaker buildings, woodenware and furniture from five of the Shaker communities and ten museums.

I have owned my copy for several years. I recently bought copies to give to two friends for Christmas, both experienced woodworkers, who indicated a desire to build furniture. It is inexpensive and completely in black and white but it contains pictures and measured drawings of 87 Shaker furniture and woodenware. In addition, it has pictures of hundreds of other shaker items and a wealth of information about the people and their communities.

He includes adequate step-by-step instructions of the assembly and finishing of three simple projects - a candle stand, a step stool and a bench. The instructions for cutting dovetails for the step stool is particularly helpful to a new furniture student.

Of all the books about the Shakers and their furniture, this is probably the best low cost, balanced introduction to the Shakers, their way of life and their furniture.

Impressed.......1999-06-28

I was impressed by the detail of the Shaker way of life. I was looking for ideas and drawings,and I found out that the Shakers were very resourceful and inventive. This is a must read if you want to make Shaker furniture.

Book Description

An exposition of every aspect of the subject, from the underlying geology of rocks and history of the art of rock gardening to the practical matters of creating a rock garden. The color illustrations include some of the author's own watercolors.

Book Description

The Very Best Baby Name Book is now bigger and better. It includes 60,000+ names and 300+ helpful lists of names to consider. It also includes new features such as: name games (that can be played at home or at parties), how to throw a baby-name- themed shower, the latest outrageous names selected by celebrities for their babies, new fascinating facts about names, and answers to frequently asked baby naming questions from Bruce Lansky.

Customer Reviews:

Great comprehensive baby name book.......2007-08-15

This book is pretty fantastic. Not only does it list all names you could (and couldn't) possibly think of in alphabetical order, but the beginning of the book lists names by category: i.e. Top 100 names, Top names by country, Names by personality type, etc. So, you can look at the "intelligent" names list if you'd like your child to have a name that tends to be attributed to intelligent people. Also, each name in the alphabetical list has either a description of it's origin or meaning, or it will list the most common version of the name so that you can go there to look up the meaning. I also like how the book lists, for more ambiguous names, whether it's most typically used for boys, girls, or either sex equally. This is the only names book you'll ever need.

What's In A Name?.......2007-01-04

The market for baby name books must indeed be cut-throat. I mean, they're either THE VERY BEST BABY NAME BOOK (as claimed here) or THE ONLY BABY NAME BOOK YOU'll EVER NEED, or THE LAST WORD ON FIRST NAMES! Yikes! How daunting for those prospective parents who feel the need for such a guide. (I don't know how my own parents named EIGHT kids without ever purchasing such a book, but back then, I guess, people trusted their own instincts and sense of good taste).

Of course, back in the 50s and 60s, there were naming trends but not this near frenzy to be unique and original (but not so original as to be downright WEIRD), so the pressure wasn't so great. Nowadays, you gotta give the kid the right name, get him/her in the right pre-school and modern dance class and into a college prep program by age four or their lives will be ruined (and it'll be ALL your fault).

Bruce Lansky is nothing if not comprehensive, so for those seeking variety in naming, there will certainly be an abundance here. Of course, one of the book's selling points is the sheer number of names offered, but Lansky knows and you know that 99% are things most parents would NEVER even consider. It's nice to see what the most popular names in Bulgaria are, but most of them really won't fly at that trendy pre-school after all.

A look at the '91 edition (back when it was simply THE *BEST* BABY NAME BOOK (IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD) is instructive. Back the first name listed in the girls' section was (as you might guess) "Abbey, Abby." This time out, you have such exotica as 'Aolani and 'Aulani preceding (taking precedence, I guess, because there is an apostrophe BEFORE the actual "A"). Then you get the letter "A" by itself, followed by "Aaleyah" and "Aaliah" (listed as separate names, which certainly boosts the count). And you get "Aaron": I guess because somebody somewhere once named their baby girl "Aaron" (when they were going for "Erin" maybe?). You get the picture. Oddly enough "Abbey" and "Abby" are still given only one listing, and this time out are even joined by "Abbie." But now "Abagail," "Abbagail," "Abbigail," "Abbygail," and "Abegail" have all joined the pack--as separate listings. Hmmm. By the time you reach the more standard (and currently very popular) "Abigail," your head will be spinning. If it is, and you're thinking of naming your baby girl Abigail, take my advice: stick to the classic form and spelling. Your daughter will thank you.

Lansky and crew justify the separate listings by saying that they are mainly using spelling as their criterion for a name. There is an argument for that, of course. But separate listings for "Ann" and "Anne" seem unnecessary at best (and such was not the case in the earlier edition). Interestingly, Lansky seems to justifying separating out the "e" spelling of that name because (he claims) it can be used for boys. That will likely prove a headscratcher for most Americans, especially since many would consider the added "e" to be a more distinctly feminine way of spelling this very common GIRL'S name (no matter how you spell it, slice it or dice it). Yes, there are some European countries where that name (pronounced differently, by the by) MIGHT be used for boys. But even there, it's likely to be hens' teeth rare.

Of course, the increasing genderlessness of many given names is an established trend, and Lansky is right to note it. Names are even coded here, so that the reader can see whether the name is considered mainly masculine, mainly feminine, or truly unisex. This is mainly due to actual birth certificate namings, however, so the genderlessness of many nicknames is only touched upon. I have known almost an equal number of males and females who go by "Lee" for instance, but for about half of them (of either sex), it's actually a nickname. If you factor in alternate spellings like "Lea" (often pronounced as one syllable) and "Leigh," it's difficult to determine whether the name really is mainly masculine these days or not.

Lansky is by no means the scholar that someone like Leslie Dunkling is, and many have picked up on a few of the etymological confusions and downright errors in the various editions of his books. I actually don't think that's as severe a problem as all that myself. When name origins are in some dispute, or if, as I often maintain, they really DO have more than one source, he does try to give them all. The brevity of the entries, however, can make for considerable confusion. He actually gives three potential sources for the name "Gladys" (all that research for a name virtually NO ONE's going to use). The Latin root suggests "small sword," while in Irish, it means "princess," and the Welsh source suggests a link to the Latin "Claudia" (which means "lame"). A more scholarly text might have suggested the most likely source (unless it really IS derived from all those sources at different times and all kind of blended together. Possible certainly). But I like the fact that Lansky does not pretend he has the ultimate etymology for all these thousands of name. Many really are lost in the mists of time: and of course, these days, many are just made up and there's no need to force a meaning onto names given simply because someone liked how they sounded.

Which is also a big part of it, is it not? In fact, maybe Lansky's relatively strong emphasis on etymology could be viewed as misguided. Other guides are more prescriptive about what you definitely should and should NOT name your newborn. Lansky's got a good deal of that info too, but you have to consult lists at the beginning of the book. And even then, they're not all that inclusive. But then, people really should have some common sense on these matters. We all know what the "nerdy" names are. If you insist on naming your kid "Egbert" anyway, you deserve his lasting contempt.

If Lansky's book is truly the VERY BEST, it's still not perfect. But it's fun, and probably of some very real use to the naming challenged. It probably could have used a few less of the gimmicky lists (how many people are really going to name their kid after a cartoon character anyway?) and a few more practical guides (believe it or not, people often need pronunciation guides, Bruce!). Otherwise you might get little girls named Siobhan running around pronouncing it "See-O-Ban")

Ridiculous names.......2006-04-17

Most of the names are made up, those that are common have inaccurate meanings listed, and to get to their 55,000 name count they list girls names under boys, and vice versa. Has anyone ever heard of a boy named Rachel? Please! This was a quick return for me.

Nope, it's the original.......2005-12-23

I have to admit to being upset by the claim that this book is a knockoff of 50,001 Best Baby Names (and the piddly single star rating as a result), given that the first edition of Lansky's book was published in 1979, and the first edition of 50,001 in 2005. My 1984 edition does include multiple lists of the type to which MOM is referring.

I was astonished when I saw the updated copy of this book -- my skinny 1984 ed. has only 13,001 names! When I flipped through the newest edition in search of the obscure names I tend to like (like another reviewer's husband, I am a writer), I was thrilled to find most of them, in addition to more common names.

I also own Sherrilyn Kenyon's Character Naming book, and I have to say that the new version of The Very Best Baby Name Book may have it beat. My biggest complaint about Kenyon's book is that while it includes Hebrew and even a (very) few Sanskrit names, it is almost completely devoid of any Asian-based names (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, among others). Lansky includes lists of popular names from around the world -- from Canada to Russia to China to Kenya. Though Kenyon's book does categorize names based on nationality, it can be a little mind-numbing to page through the same names in nationality after nationality, so it's nice to have another reference with the more traditional alphabetical approach (and nationality of origin is included for each name).

I have also used websites that contain databases of thousands of names, and I adamantly believe that buying a book like Lansky's is *well* worth the money. Online databases, while useful, are riddled with advertisements and popups; typically the list of names fills only a tenth of the page, leaving you paging through short list after short list and spending as much time clicking and scrolling as you do reading names. Lansky's book is a compilation of lots of sites of this sort, and a must-have for any writer's (or future parent's!) shelf.

Knockoff of 50,001.......2005-12-08

This book "copied" the idea of the fun lists in the book 50,001 Best Baby Names. Not good!

Very Best Baby Name Book In The Whole Wide World: Revised Edition

Average customer rating:

We found a name
The Very Best? Well, Maybe Not.... (Review Number 250!!!)
This was our favorite
Frustrating
OK, but many others better

Very Best Baby Name Book In The Whole Wide World: Revised Edition
Bruce Lansky
Manufacturer: Meadowbrook
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Child Care | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0671561138

Book Description

MORE COMPLETE, MORE HELPFUL, AND MORE FUN THAN ANY OTHER BABY NAME BOOK!

* over 30,001 boys' and girls' names complete with origins, meanings, variations, and famous namesakes * the latest baby name popularity poll rankings, including the most popular names for African-American and Hispanic-American children * survey results on stereotypes of commonly used names * 15 steps to selecting the best name for your baby * advice on changing names, plus famous people who did * fascinating facts about names * advice from "Dear Abby" about using "Jr."

It really is the very best name book you can buy!

Customer Reviews:

We found a name.......2007-09-23

We found a name for our son in this book, when no book seemed to do it for us.

The Very Best? Well, Maybe Not.... (Review Number 250!!!).......2006-02-24

This name book isn't necessarily top of the line, but it's not a bad book either. I found several names that I thought would suit my tastes. As a first time parent, I'm exploring all options and approaching it very carefully so that when it's time to deliver (11/03/06 is the due date) I'll have a name ready and I think this book is more than helpful in the process.

There are sections in the book that cover gender neutral names, 100 most popular boy and 100 most popular girl names in the U.S., popular names worldwide, legal issues (like filing birth certificates if your child is born outside of a hospital), birthstones & flowers, fascinating facts about names, and what some celebrities are naming their kids in addition to the listing, origins, and definitions for over 30,000 names. The definitions aren't totally accurate, but a little research will probably take care of that. I guess for $8.00 you can only ask for so much. To get more depth and insight, you'll probably have to pony up more cash, but The Very Best Baby Name Book In The Whole Wide World is quite capable of fufilling its purpose. It's definitely worth looking into.

This was our favorite.......2005-03-15

Picking a baby name is a very personal process and everyone approaches it differently. We were given four or five baby name books, and this was the one we found most complete and helpful.

I suggest getting several books, including this one, and just enjoy looking through them and getting ideas. Don't worry too much about what a name "means", it varies from book to book and country to country, and no one will know it anyway.

And don't worry if your name is or isn't on a "Top 10" list. The only list that matters is your baby's!

Frustrating.......2003-07-18

I find this book to be a waste of time. My husband and I have searched this book probably a hundred times trying to find a name that has a good meaning for our son. Almost all names with a decent meaning are unusable, while others are generic and boring. We are frustrated looking up 3 or 4 names to find the meaning of the one we are considering. Why cant the author just insert the meaning again instead of writing only "variation of ...."? Also, the meanings of names in this book differ from other sources. Which source is correct? Our son is 16 days old and we are back to the book store trying to find something more helpful. Ridiculous

OK, but many others better.......2003-04-02

I bought Lansky's 15,000+ Baby Names book 2 1/2 years ago before my daughter was born and found it to be less than helpful. I didn't like the way the narrative was handled for each name, plus too many names I specifically went to look up were not in the book. Now we are waiting for our baby boy to be born in June. I checked out this book in the store, and found it to be a rehash of the previous book with more alternate spellings. Once again, some names I looked up were not in here in any spelling. I bought Carol McD Wallace's "The Greatest Baby Name Book Ever" instead, and am much happier with it, although it has shortcomings of it's own. A few inaccuracies, and places where better research would have yielded a better history and origin of certain names. Never-the-less, I recommend Wallace's book along with "The New Age Baby Name Book" for a more complete list of available names.

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Book of Baby Names
Barbara Kay Turner
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Genealogy | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0425141306

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Baby Name Book
Bruce Lansky
Manufacturer: Elan Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1551441209

Average customer rating:

Good book.

The very best baby name book

Manufacturer: Promotional Sales Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1885286198

Customer Reviews:

Good book........2000-08-24

We found that having this book was helpful while picking our son's name. It was nice to be able to look up the names we liked and discover their meanings or other spellings.

The Very Best Baby Name Book In The Whole Wide World

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Baby Name Book In The Whole Wide World
Bruce Lansky
Manufacturer: Meadowbrook Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY8514

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Baby Name Book In The Whole Wide World
Bruce Lansky
Manufacturer: Meadowbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VDQG7M

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World
Bruce Lansky
Manufacturer: Elan Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P5ADU2

30,001 BABY NAMES COMPLETE WIHT MEANINGS, ORIGINS AND NICKNAMES "THE VERY BEST BABY NAME BOOK IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD"

Average customer rating:

30,001 BABY NAMES COMPLETE WIHT MEANINGS, ORIGINS AND NICKNAMES "THE VERY BEST BABY NAME BOOK IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD"

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H1XVLW

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World
Bruce Lansky
Manufacturer: Meadowbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000U7TFEK

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books