Independent Books

This is the most informative and most comprehensive guide to the "designer name" prep schools that I have seen. In addition to articles about the individual schools, the book has chapters that deal with questions of school choice and comparisons of the plusses and minuses of some of the big name schools.

The value of this book is limited, however, by the fact that it was published many years ago. Much of the information is somewhat dated. Then again, these schools don't change very quickly, so broad descriptions, while old, are not as out of date as one might assume.

Taking our cue, in part, from Nancy Franklin's 1993 travel essay, inspired by the 1945 film "I Know Where I'm Going!" (see special features to: I Know Where I'm Going! - Criterion Collection), my husband and I are planning to travel to Scotland's Western Isles next year. After thoroughly perusing Distant Lands Travel Bookstore's (Old Town Pasadena, CA) extensive floor to ceiling collection of travel guides to Scotland & England one balmy Sunday afternoon, we chose this guide for our upcoming travels primarily because of its extensive detailed information for the independent traveler on Mull and Tobermory, Iona, Lewis, Colonsay, Oronsay & Skye. While it contains no color photographs (many b&w photos), this guide does contain good cross-referenced maps, driving and navigational information, ferry route information, handy internet links for each area, accommodation options (including housekeeping cabin references), tourist information centers, and lists of book references for further reading. The sections on each island contain information on how to get to the island by sea, road or air with contact information. They provide physical descriptions and a history of each island and information on tours, hikes, historical sites and activities of interest on the islands. In short, it would appear this guide provides us with adequate information to inspire our wandering.

While, no guide can, in and of itself, provide the traveler with all that he or she needs for successful travel, we feel this guide provides a good starting point to our preparation for our visit to the islands next year (2007 trip rescheduled due to passport delay).

Bishop Karl Pruter's book published by St. Willibrord's Press is one of the rare works on this autocephalous church. The word autocephalous refers to the church being independent and self-governing, not attached to the See of Rome, Constantinople, Canterbury, or any other primary administrative centre. There are many jurisdictions of continuing Anglicans, Old and Independent Catholics, and Orthodoxers in North America; other titles in this series explore those jurisdictions, or strive for a directory listing of persons in these traditions. This particular volume focuses on some of the main Old Catholic historical strands in North America, with a brief description of some current jurisdictions.

One of the virtues of Pruter's slim volume is that it is an Old Catholic history written by an Old Catholic. Unlike the Episcopal and Roman Catholic churches who maintain traditions of scholarship and major publishing houses, the Old Catholics are not nearly as established. Much of Old Catholic history has been written by Anglican or Roman Catholic scholars and/or clerics, and sometimes their motivation has been more than objective scholarship. Admittedly, Old Catholic history by an Old Catholic is likewise not going be unbiased, but it serves as a good counterweight to the others.

This book is a good brief introduction to the Old Catholic Church for those who don't know what it is or what it means. Being under 100 pages in length, it does not involve a great deal of investment on the part of the simply curious; it serves as a guide for further research with its brief but worthwhile bibliography that includes writers pro and con on many issues. One hope I would have should this volume be revised and reprinted again would be an indication of the biases of the various writers in the bibliography.

The history of the Old Catholics proper begins in the third chapter and continues throughout the rest of the book. Chapters on the Old Catholic church in Europe and its initial formation, the influence of the Oxford Movement out of England, the Old Catholic Church in England (recounting the story of Bishop Mathew), the influence of Roman Catholic development in America, and various jurisdictions and personalities that have arisen.

In addition to Mathew, listed above, there are chapters on two other key figures: Joseph Rene Vilatte and Carmel Henry Carfora, both strong personalities in the history of Old Catholicism in the Western Hemisphere. Like Mathew, there is controversy both about their own orders and their intentions and later actions; Pruter presents them in a sympathetic light, giving them (unlike many other historians) the benefit of the doubt with regard to intention. Most Old and Independent Catholic bishops can trace their lines through Mathew, Vilatte, or Carfora today.

One thing that becomes readily apparent in reading this brief history is that the Old Catholic movement has often had an ethnic element. The Polish National Catholic Church is but the best example, but not the only one. Because of problems of distant leadership (often from Rome, but sometimes from the Anglican side, too), the particular local concerns sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Polish immigrants to America did not appreciate the 'foreign' priests and bishops sent to serve them, so they separated to preserve their own customs.

One could work in a mill where Polish was spoken by most of the employees, shop in stores where the business was conducted in Polish, and chat with one's neighbours and friends in the Polish mother tongue. The church would, when a Polish priest was available, offer a sermon in that language. Unfortunately, Polish priests were not always available, and the Irish priests did not always suit their Polish parishoners.

Add to this that the bishops in charge were often of German descent, and the seeds for problems with Rome were sown.

However, Pruter points out correctly that the ethnic impetus behind some churches like the Polish National Catholic Church has largely dissipated for these more established groups. Sociological change shows that, in general, by the time immigrant families have reached the third or fourth generation in America, they have become primarily assimilated in culture and language. With regard to the Polish National Catholic Church, Pruter writes:

The future of this church is very uncertain at the present time because of its ethnic orientation. Fortunately, many parishes have tried to move with the times. Since the use of Polish has declined in many of its parishes, English masses have been instituted.

This same situation is true in other ethnic Old and Independent Churches, that as the congregations become less identified by their ethnicity and more as 'Americans', their tendency to want to stay in such communities lessens. In addition to the Poles, there are ethnically-founded jurisdictions for Slavs, Czechs, Lithuanians, Germans, Africans, Mexicans, Brazilians, among many others.

Pruter identifies what is perhaps the most difficult problem in dealing with the Old Catholic churches in North America. Pruter speculates in the final pages about the growth of Old Catholic churches and the continuing situations in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. Pruter's biases and own beliefs become clear here, but his general advice to Old Catholics is generally worthwhile. While some Old and Independent Catholics and continuing Anglicans look for the disaffected and disenfranchised among the larger churches, in fact the growth of the Old Catholic churches rests more in their abilities to reach out to others who are unchurched. This is the real mission field, worthy of effort more than poaching in another's field.

Overall, Pruter's book is not rigourous historical scholarship, but it isn't really intended to be. This is a brief but broad-ranging introduction to the history of development of Old Catholicism with an eye toward various current structures.

The language can get a bit rough in
here, but Mike Hoffman, the top US
Revisionist until he went downhill
in late 2002, clearly wins the debate
v. jewish nuts!

a HOUSE IN fLANDERS WRITTEN BY A HIGHLY INTUITIVE INDIVIDUAL , ONE WHO SEEMED TO HAVE INSIGHT WELL BEYOND HIS TENDER YEARS. ELOQUENT, ROMANTIC AND A DELIGHTFULLY LIGHT ROMANCE WITH FRANCE.

I've read a lot of books on public speaking. This is definitely one of my favorites. Doug sprinkles the helpful tips with lots of personal anecdotes that add humor and drive home the message.

"How to Become Financially Independent" is a great way to learn some important concepts essential to wealth building. The book is filled with easy to follow examples, including the power of leveraging your money, how interest works, and the value of investing in a home or investment real estate. It's easy to read for the beginning investor and filled with inspiring quotes. Some of the tax laws details have changed, but the general financial concepts are the same. Mr. simini makes the point in chapter 3 that "most families do not pass on financial information." He's so right. This book is a great way to begin the process.

With today's massive layoffs and not-so-voluntary early retirements, more people are entering the ranks of consultants than ever before. If you have never been self-employed, had to rustle up clients and build a business, this can be rather frightening. Let Tim Foster's book serve as your guide. His advice is uniformly sound and comprehensive. It's even organized so that you can work your way through the recommended steps and check them off as done. So whether you've been an engineer or a sales executive, whether you hate making cold calls or don't mind talking your way into an appointment, you'll find suitable, reliable guidance here.

This is a collection of numerous articles in recent years by Labaree, on topics ranging from schools of education to the history of public schools. Since most come from scholarly journals, the language is dry to those of us who are non-academics. Many of his points though are good and his discussion on the purpose of education is an interesting thread that runs throughout the book. Best of all, the book is an objective look, from someone more concerned with educational programs that work than with any particular agenda.

This is another in a series of privately published books covering an arcane subject, although the book was brief I gained a lot of information about the Croatian airborne forces. It was interesting to note that the Croatian para's never made a combat jump but were used as regular infantry, many of them were executed after the war if captured by Russian troops or Croatian partisans. My only two criticisms would be that the photos in the back of the book are interesting but of poor print quality and it is hard to visualize uniform details and insignia. The author does not discuss insignia of the para forces, when the paratrooper badge was created, statutes for award, grades of the badge if any, and or other insignia that might have been worn by the Croatian paratroop forces etc.