Hillary's Highlights

The Harry Potter stories and movies have a huge group of fans in many countries

I am deeply fascinated by the great worldwide vogue of the Harry Potter books. The Harry Potter stories were written by the British writer J.K. Rowling. She saw the light of day on 31 July 1965. Her name is Joanne Rowling. But she writes under the abbreviation J.K. Rowling because primarily her publishing house considered it was a good move not to show the fact that she is female. The publishing company feared it could have a negative effect on the sales numbers if everybody instantaneously sees that the writer was female. Consequently, instead of using her first name she used two letters. As she has no middle name she took Kathleen as basis for the K. in her pen name. Kathleen is the name of her grandmother.

The initial Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone - was released in June 1997 in the UK. Quite mentionable is the matter that only one thousand units of the first novel were published at that time. The original title of the book was not Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, but Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. But when the story was published to the US marketplace on 1 September 1998, it was named Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.

After that Joanne wrote six more Harry Potter books. Finally the Harry Potter series is made of a total of seven novels. These are:

  • Book 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
  • Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  • Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  • Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Harry Potter novels have been translated into at least 65 languages and have been released all over the world. Besides the big success in the United States of America and the UK, Harry Potter is also noticeably renowned in European countries. The Harry Potter stories have been published to the German audience under these headers:

I must admit that I did not have the time to read all the books. But there are fans who know them all, which is quite impressive and is part of the tremendous success.

Filed Under General | Leave a Comment

User Friendly Computer Shopping

I’m happy to announce that we have made shopping for a laptop and a desktop computer user friendly at our online site Laptops And Computers. We are partnered with several companies to bring you great deals on computers from Thinkpad/ThinkCentre, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple and Alienware and more. You also have Laptops And Computers Blog working to bring you reviews and computer information in an easy to understand format to help your online shopping at our sister site. Please remember to bookmark these sites to come back for computer information and a convenient, no pressure, shopping experience.

Shopping Online

When I go shopping for a computer I don’t want the pressure of a salesperson being pushy with me, but I do need to compare prices and technical specifications. In fact there are times when I need to learn what to look for in the constantly changing world of computers, and computer peripherals. When you go to many of the top name brick and mortar stores you may find they are low on inventory, or that the computers that they do have in stock are not the newsest models. You need to be able to quickly and easily see the latest and best features from several competing brands. All of that is available to you when shopping online for a computer. In fact you might be able to do better online than in person where you have the time at your own pace to view several computer brands, including what they offer for a warranty and. tech support. We hope you enjoy looking for a new computer at Laptops And Computers.

Filed Under General | Leave a Comment

Don

During the Great Depression, glass manufacturers often went out of business, merged with other companies, or were destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. Those that survived managed to encourage the heart of a nation defeated by poverty and suffering, offering tableware in many cheerful colors, including pink, blue, yellow and green depression glass. The cheaply mass-produced pieces, now known as Depression glass, looked expensive but were cheap enough for every household. Pattern names such as Florentine, Mayfair, and Royal Lace helped people to forget about the troubling times and remember a happier, more elegant past.

When the Hazel Atlas Glass Company made Florentine between 1932 and 1935, they didn’t realize the pattern would become a collectible. In fact, their method of production caused some confusion among collectors. The pattern was made in Florentine Number 1 and Florentine Number 2. The manufacturer sold boxes with mixed pieces, so many people collect the two styles together. In fact, the butter dish and oval vegetable tops from both sets are interchangeable.

All of the flat pieces of Florentine No.1 have scalloped edges and all of the footed pieces, such as tumblers and pitchers, have a serrated edge. Florentine No.2 was made with all pieces having a plain edge. During the Depression, Florentine No.1 was advertised as hexagonal and Florentine No.2 was described as round.

Because Depression glass was mass-produced, two identical items were sometimes slightly different in size, or the same pattern had several shades of the one color. Rarely was the glass marked with the manufacturer’s name or mark.

Although museums have taken a lot of the best pieces of Pink Depression glass, if you are able to add a good piece to your collection, it can often as much as double in value. Look for quality, not quantity, since an inferior piece is unlikely to appreciate very much. Foggy, cloudy and lime-deposited glass isn’t worth buying since it can’t be cleaned.

When shopping online, ask the dealer to double check for damage before shipping and verify the return policy, just in case you need to use it.

Some collectors think pink is the hardest color to find in the Florentine pattern and think it’s almost impossible to collect a complete set. But for those who enjoy the thrill of the hunt, this delicate flower design is worth spending time searching for.

Filed Under General | Leave a Comment

keep looking »