J Books

t is beyond 5 stars This is the most clear,compelling information. I wanted to get another copy but it was not available.

We've all been taught since childhood that one person's need is a claim on the property of another - particularly if the 'another' is well off.
Galambos demolishes this fallacy and clearly shows how this false belief leads to the state predation that we all suffer.
But he goes farther than any current writer to construct mechanisms that protect property without the use of state coercion.
Read it if you have the courage.

If there were only one book I could read...it would be this book.
If there were only one book I could own...it would be this book.
I believe this book will change your life forever. Word-by-word page-by-page you'll be fascinated, challenged and enchanted by the rational dialogue. I studied under professor Galambos for over 4 years and it changed my life. I am very grateful to him and I cannot urge you strong enough to read this book now.

First off, this is not a book. It is a course. A lot of college loan money could be saved by investing in this tome first, then not reading but digesting it. After this feast of fine dining, an education might take on a different hew. As Galambos says: the difference between a human and a turnip is the degree of curiosity. Don't you really wonder:

What IS "freedom," really?
How do you know you're right?
Where does "morality" really originate?
What is happening to the world?
Is there any reason at all to be optimistic?

This "book," then, is really a course in thinking. I bought a copy about 2 years ago and have gone through it about 6 times now. I have ordered another copy to have a fresh one on my book shelf. Judging by the Turnips I encounter each day, there will be a time when a clean copy will be worth a lot. And to think, for around a hundred bucks you could get this close to real genius! Buy it. Read it. Study it. You will not see the world the same again, ever!

Read this book ... only if you are ready to have your assumptions challenged to their very core ... only if you want to assume full responsibility for your own life ... only if you are ready for the final challenge to personal growth!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime book that will change your life for the best!

Most highly recommended!

This is a must read for people interested in either history, the environment, or people. It is well written and provides an excellent view about the history of the twentieth century that most people do not usually know about. Everyone should read it.

Boom. This is a biggie. Yowzah! If you want a clear view of our specie's impact on our world there is no better place to start than here. J.R. McNeill offers a balanced and comprehensive look at the century which changed everything, and his title, contradicting Ecclesiastes' assertion that nothing is new, says it all. The core idea here is that in the last century humanity moved beyond affect of local systems to dominance of the biosphere. We are everywhere. McNeill covers our impact on all of the life on our planet, from his prologue discussion of economy, population and energy, to his deeper analysis of soil, air, water and the whole of living systems. He offers clear views of the demographic and technologic forces which have shaped our modern world. Most illuminating of all are the complicated ways in which each change we have wrought has brought both destruction and remediation. Oil, the number one eco-villain in recent history, particularly when pumped through internal combustion engines, has also cleaned up city air enormously when it replaced coal and wood for heating and power generation. It also eliminated the need to remove 10-15,000 horse carcasses from average large cities each year and saved the great whales from extinction. Nuclear energy, an utter failure economically and with wastes which will be our generation's longest lasting heirloom, at least doesn't pollute the air. Population growth has had enormous impact on environmental damage, but less than I would have estimated as a percentage, and in some places it has even permitted improvements impossible without many hands. We are, in his words, the "rogue primate" which became smart enough to threaten every other life form on the planet, from smallpox virus to blue whales. Our success has paradoxically been very good for the viruses that cause the common cold and for rabbits. From the general to the specific, whole systems to individual tools (automobile, chain saw) McNeill has achieved a grasp of how and what we did, and tells the story masterfully. For readers who took up my recommendation of A GREEN HISTORY OF THE WORLD (Clive Ponting, St. Martin's Press, 1991), this one is better (and Ponting's work is one of McNeill's sources). Bingo.

I wrote my economics undergraduate thesis on development and environmental management back in 1976-77, and surely I would have enjoyed and valued to have Professor McNeill's book in my hands in those years.

His book is remarkable in many ways. It is a well written book, extraordinarly documented and well supported with eye opening statistical tables and illustrations. His material is useful for graduate and undergraduate students alike, and also for wider audiences interested on reviewing a different approach on history's complexities.

As the book front page indicates, the author centers his work on the 20th century's humankind events, termed by himself as the most influential on the process of ecology's evolution.

The book is very well organized so the reader keeps information organized in a properly way. At the end, Professor McNeill leaves many questions open that will be ample material enough to study in the years to come. Among those questions is the one concerned with society's will to deal seriously with environmental crises that have accumulated on the latest decades. We can have a readily answer to that subject if political leaders continue to privilege the narrow view of economic growth, instead of considering to seriously discuss the implementation of more integral strategies that would deliver environmental friendly sustainable economic development at the end.

Without question I recommend this book.

Sub-titled "An Environmental History of the 20th Century", this is a sober and objective survey of environmental changes over the past 100 years. I was concerned this would be an emotional appeal or judgmental polemic from the left - but not the case, it is academic and professional history from an environmental perspective (the environment, not "environmental movement"). It's encyclopedic in scope and style.

I would not call this an "entertaining" read (although some of the facts really fire the synapses), but it is deeply rewarding as a broad survey of a very large and complex problem. The chapters and sub-sections are arranged in a logical outline making it possible to read the chapters in any order.

The main idea of the title "something new under the sun" is that humans have so fundamentally changed the environment that things really are very different now than they have ever been historically. To regard our current conditions of energy availability, access to water, unending economic growth - as enduring and normal appears to be an interesting gamble given the facts.

Some interesting trivia: humans did not become the dominate primate until about 8,000 BC with the rise of agriculture (baboons outnumbered humans before then). About one-fifth of all humans that ever lived did so in the 20th century. In sheer energy terms, if all modern technology and energy sources were not available, the average American would need about 70 human slaves to maintain the current standard of living (each American "directs" 70 energy-slave equivalents). Each year, humans move more earth and soil than glaciers, wind erosion, mountain building (plate tectonic uplift), and volcanoes combined. Probably the single most damaging biological organism in earths history was the human primate Thomas Midgley Jr from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania born in 1889. He invented Freon (which destroys the Ozone layer), and also leaded gasoline, which has polluted most of the worlds soil lasting thousands of years (all of us carry elevated lead levels because of it and will continue to do so for centuries to come, leading to birth defects, lowered IQs, etc..). Midgley contracted Polio at age 51 and invented a system or ropes and pulleys to move his crippled body off the bed - he became tangled and was strangled to death in 1944 by his own invention, before learning how damaging his inventions were.

This book may be the best historical survey I've ever read. (And with an M.A. in history, I've read a few!) I got this book to complement my hard science slogging on global warming, and found so much more than I hoped for or ever imagined! McNeil's book provides the historical background and the human context for all the graphs and numbers in the science texts. If you're looking for one book to give you a focused overview of just how much human civilization has accomplished, good and bad, in the last 100 years, this is it.

The organization of the book is excellent. McNeil sources everything, ends each chapter with an excellent summary, and wraps it all up with his own thoughtful commentary on climate change. He uses an inspired mix of the small detail (birds dying mid-flight) and the enormous concept (the Aswan dam affected the entire Mediterranean ecosystem). He describes chains of cause and effect and makes connections other historians and scientists seem to miss. The chapters dealing with agriculture are, I think, particularly relevant to our everyday lives; but students in nearly every subject will find this book useful. My husband is a family physician, and has read the sections on public health; my neighbor is a biologist with the USGS, and is reading the chapter on dams and irrigation.

I have to add my 5 stars for this informative resource. It was my textbook for two courses. However, even after my classes ended I found myself referring back to the loads of information provided within the pages of this book. It is extremely comprehensive and well worth the investment.

*If you are not a student required to purchase a newer edition, I recommend looking at an earlier edition - I know that you'll get the same great information, just at a much discounted price.

Book was exactly as described. Brand new and in shrink wrap. Very happy with purchase!

This is a great book, it's easy to read, it has excellent, detalied and graphic photographs. I highly recomend this book as a text or reference book.

This a must read & a book to hold on to for reference.

All the information you need for death investigation...has a couple extra chapters in the new edition that were not in the last one...

This book has been the basis of strict counterpoint instruction for over 200 years. In that period of time music has changed considerably. As a composer of a strange variety of music I have to say that these exercises are among the most useful things I've ever done. I dont think that the rules in the book were ever meant to be followed exactly in real composition, look at Handel Bach or Telemann( they were all in the middle of their careers when this was published:1721) but learning to do the exercises strictly to the rules influences the way you think about composing. Of course the main area that this book is concerned with is VOCAL polyphony, most of the rules of writing the individual parts are based on the general limitations of the human voice. I cant accurately explain how much this book has helped my music the exercises are realy helpful in making you think about certain details. Every composer should be force their way through the entire thing before they graduate from the conservatory.

Fux's masterful use of his counterpoint will leave you wanting more. Best know for his masterful thrust with a foreceful tempo, contemporary pianists have emulated his approach to great success. J. Holmes is reported to have read Fux's work daily prior to his strenuous orchestrations of thrust and release. Do yourself and your entire choir a favor and buy this book.

Clearly I'm in the minority in giving it only three stars, so perhaps I'm way off, but these were my thoughts going through it:

The good aspects: This book is informative and cleverly written and through reading it I had lots of notes written in the margins. I appreciate the format and lessons, and I felt that I could almost use this as a workbook and text book in one due to the excellent arrangement of lessons. The master is helpful and kind, and for me, it was nice having a student asking all the questions so I didn't feel like the only one there that didn't understand every point!

The bad aspects: It seemed so antiquated and I can't imagine memorizing all those arcane rules and applying them when writing. Like, "Oops, I can't proceed in this direction because the masters frowned upon that sound?" Not that all those rules should be thrown out the window, but the exceptionally strict "you must never do this" seems so robotic and programmatic and strange for composing today, even for someone who isn't composing in an atonal or post-modern style. Perhaps if you want to make music that sounds medieval, then yes, this is your book, but if you're looking for something more broad, I don't think this really addresses it. Also, one reviewer said that you didn't need to have much of a background in music to understand it, but I totally disagree (although I can't imagine anyone without a music background picking this book up!). I would not recommend this book for someone who doesn't have a decent background because I think they would get very lost in all the terminology.

Overall: I did feel like it gave a great idea about how many people composed, but again, I can't imagine writing music today based on all of those "right and wrong" rules.

The absolute best book for learning 16th century counterpoint. Nothing better!

I picked up this book and began reading it right away. In two weeks I understood it completely. It is very easy to understand. There are parts you have to work yourself through, but all in all it is very comprehensible. About the only two things you need to know to understand it is intervals and of course how to read music. I notice when I follow the rules closely enough I compose very much like people of the renaissance did. well actually this was the theory of the time so of course if you follow this book your music will sound that way. If you don't want to sound as they did in that time and just want to have more pleasant music, this book will still be helpful. Good price. Good classic theory. Good book.

PJ presented his trip at an REI store and I was really impressed. I ordered the book the next day and wasn't disappointed at all. He details his experiences traveling all across the globe and a keen eye able to pick out small cultural details that are often overlooked.

If you've ever wanted to do a long trip, this book will definitely help you plan from getting from point A to B and on to Z.

Great book! Highly recommended!

as a public school teacher, i'm grateful to finally have an insightful and unique text to get my kids excited about geography. the author's sense of adventure and reckless approach to conquering geography is just the key to unlock 7th grade boredom. i've already begun planning my trip to siberia.

Mr. Parmar's book is an excellent guide for those who see the world from a very human point of view. His narrative is easy to place into a context of not just travel, but travel through cultures, personalities, lives, and life. There is a real sense of adventure that seems to be missing in most fiction, but also an element of curiosity and facination that some other travel writing lacks.

On a more practical level, this book has great value to would-be travellers (though seasoned travellers will certainly be rewarded with the text). By examining the small realities of world travel, those for whom attempting trips outside of comfort zones seemed unimaginable can see the potential of exploration of humanity through real travel.

Traveling for business all the time, I read a lot on Planes. Granted I don't get out of the country much, but this book made me feel like leaving work to see the world. It made flight time pass wishing I was on board for a few more hours to finish it in one flight... needless to say this book was awesome. Read it and then pass it on to your kids to give them some inspiration.

Being an avid reader of just about anything I can lay my hands on, I stumbled on this book quite by accident. And what a pleasure I found within! This book not only opened my eyes to parts of the world that I had never really given much thought but also revealed an inner strength and motivation of the primary cast - specifically PJ - prompting a desire for the opportunity to meet him some day.
If I was a grammar teacher, I would of course make some changes within the text, but that is certainly not the point of this book and actually lends to its charm. As I moved from chapter to chapter, I couldn't wait to see where he would go next, what his next challenge would be, and who he would encounter at his next oasis. It is the people and the cultures described within the places that makes this an excellent read and the fact that Mr. Parmar does such an exemplary job at making you feel that you are right by his side during the journey.

PJ, Where are we going next?

I've read this book several times. Every time I pick it up, I end up laughing until I almost cry. As a bachelor myself, I relate to the grains of reality underneath O'Rouke's great sarcasm.

Not as good as "Eat The Rich" or "Parliament of Whores" or "All The Trouble in the World" or "Holidays in Hell" or "Give War A Chance"; those books are thought-provoking as well as screamingly funny. This one is just screamingly funny, but this might actually be a plus for people whose response to some of P.J.'s better works is a defensive "That's not funny!"; P.J. has a tendancy to poke fun at EVERYTHING, including the sacred cows of people who he disagrees with (and sometimes those he agrees with.)

As a 32 yr old bacelor, this book had me literally HOWLING with laughter! I let my girlfriend read it. We aren't dating anymore, LOL. As ridiculous and as obscene as some of it seems, it is startling to realize that I have actually LIVED like that!

FIVE STARS,..!!!!!!

I've been on a tear of P.J. O'Rourke's books lately, starting with Republican Party Reptile and so forth. This is by far one of P.J.'s best. I'm on the other side of the coin politically (fairly liberal) myself, but P.J. usually spares no one, and I admire that (Rush and his wacko friends could learn a thing or two).

This book is just about how to get by if you're a bachelor. It's incredibly funny for the most part (the cooking sections should not be read if you've just ate!). This is a fantastic little book, very helpful if you plan to live like a slob or like a typical college freshman.

The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like A Pig written by P.J. O'Rourke is a very funny, keep you in stiches book.

You'll never keep a house neat and tidy after you read this book. Of Course, that's assuming that you already do. What its like as a bachelor in theory as to actually being one is, according to O'Rourke, a great disparity. If you want to laugh and be entertained at the same time then this little tome is for you to enjoy.

Humor abounds and your life will definately take a turn... for better or worse will depend on you.According to O'Rourke... "How often does a house need to be cleaned, anyway? As a general rule, once every girlfriend. After that she can get to know the real you."

This is a really good book. The author did a splendid job with the story line. The story is about two childhood playmate who were separated because the society deem them inappropriate for them to be friends. 15 years later, they cross each other's path and soon became friends again. However, this time their friendship is more than platonic. This is a really cute love story. I've read this book three times already. I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading romantic fiction novels.

What can I say about Benjamin and Coralee, they were pue gold. Their love for each other was pure and encompassing. Benjamin was so strong, no way was he going to give up what he was feeling but Coralee, although she loved him was afraid and could not see a furtue for them and I could understand why she felt that way.

Considering the fact that this story occured mostly in the 60's, I give Benjamin all the props for sticking to his convictions, realizing that he loved Coralee and wanted a life with her, no matter what anyone else said the guy followed his heart. I could definitely feel the love of Coralee and Benjamn coming off the pages.

This book is definitely a good read, I absolutely loved it.

This was a good refreshing book that was also clean. The love could be felt between the couple. The way they fought for each other was great.
This is a good introduction to interracial romance, in fact to romance in general.

Well Done.

I just finished reading Being Plumville and tomorrow I'm going to read it all over again. This is a book that truly deserves the title "novel." It's written by a true author who understands the elements of character development, plot, and believability. There's nothing cheap, smutty, or ridiculous about this book. It's setting and characters imbue the entire story with a level of credibility that most romance novels don't have. I would describe it as strong, realistic, relevant, and one of the most romantic stories I've ever read. You won't put it down until you've finished. And then, you'll just pick it up again.

I've enjoyed this book so much. For the first page till the end, the story kept me captivated. The hero & heroine are characters who have dept and you'll keep on rooting for them.
Savannah J. Frierson is truely a gifted writer!

This book has some very good and interesting info about how the brain works and how we think and react to different things. The only complaint I have is that the included DVD that came with the book did not have any audio, whether I played it on my PC or through my home DVD player. There wasn't a way for me to check with any type of tech support either. None the less the book is a joy to read.

This book has some excellent research and thought provoking information for anyone involved with learning. As a working professional in the field of Human Resource Development I will be incorporating some of Dr. Medina's research and vision into our corporate learning strategy.

This book is partly an academic-style introduction to brain research and partly a jauntily written practical "how-to" about getting the most from your brain. John Medina has a warm, upbeat persona, and skillfully incorporates stories from his experiences to illustrate points he makes in the book. From time to time he forgets to connect the dots for readers who are new to the material, and so doesn't always articulate the full point or parallel he is making. However, he gives a broad overview of brain research and makes a conscious effort to practice the rules he preaches. He repeats information, as research says he should, and uses lively, varied examples to engage the reader. To reinforce the book's lessons with visual and aural sensory input, the publisher provides a supplemental DVD. Medina summarizes his key points, and touches briefly on the real-world implications and applications of the findings he covers. getAbstract recommends this book to parents, educators, human-resources professionals, executives and all those who want to help themselves, their children or their employees reach their full intellectual potential.

This is a great book and DVD combo especially for educators, parents, and students. The research is written in light layman's terms with a fun, light style. All of the information is useful and can be put into practice immediately to help the reader learn, teach, and possibly prevent depression, dementia and other brain disorders.

I have read Dr. Braverman's books( Younger You and Younger You), and his material conflicts with this author's material. I do agree with using something like the system given in Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You! to go over information lots of times. Just take data and see what works best for you! This book will give you some ideas to try

A mystery, a love story, a classic work of literature.

After many years, Peter and Harriet marry. Those who have loved them are overjoyed (a feeling readers of earlier Sayers novels share). But murder follows the detective and his author bride-- a body is found on their honeymoon.

I love this book because of what Dorothy Sayers has to say about love between friends and equals. You will care about every character in this wonderful book and appreciate her portrait of life in pre-World War II England.

Others have covered the ground of the story itself pretty well so I'll try to add something new.
I liked "The Unpleasantness at the Belonna Club" and "Whose Body?" somewhat better than this title.... BUT this one is really still just a SUPER classic English murder mystery. The inclusion of Harriet Vane (mystery-writing wife of Lord Peter Wimsey), into the Wimsey series was, in my opinion, a big plus. She really gives Wimsey someone to play off of, in addition to the ever-present and loyal Bunter, Wimsey's astute right-hand man.
This work precedes "Thrones, Dominations," which was an incomplete manuscript by Sayers at the time of her death and was finished by Jill Paton Walsh, who did a superb job of tying up this worthwhile project. (I recommend that you read the two works sequentially!)
So, I highly recommend this fine mystery to all fans of the genre -- it's at least equivalent in pleasure value to Christie's "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."

This entry in the Lord Peter Whimsey/Harriet Vane series is a little unusual because it has more humor than usual. You get to see a more light hearted Lord Peter, at least until the murder. Agatha Christi concentrates a little more on the relations between Lord Peter and Harriet, starting just after thier engagement and continuing through the honeymoon. You will have to sit through a lot of letter and journal reading in the beginning, but it is worth wading through for the background. A delightful story.

Busman's Honeymoon is a classic which deserves to be read and reread for a long time to come. It's beautifully written--funny, sad and suspenseful. Peter Wimsey is an extremely sympathetic character.

Lord Peter and Harriet Vane are married. In a series of letters we learn the details of the wedding and honeymoon. Due to the malicious meddling of Lord Peter's sister-in-law and the hounding of the press, the bride and groom decide at the last minute to be married in a small chapel in Oxford. Harriet has asked Lord Peter to buy her a beautiful and ancient farmhouse in the country where they decide to go for their honeymoon.

The adjustment to marring someone with money is a hurdle for Harriet. She buys him an expensive wedding gift that is just right, and with the last of her money she buys a gold designer wedding dress from Worth which suits her dark beauty perfectly. Lord Peter has made her independently wealthy but she has difficulty understanding the details. All that matters is that she has completely given her heart to Peter.

However, the honeymoon is not the quiet country idyll the Wimseys were longing for. The discovery of a body in the basement of their new home causes Lord Peter and Harriet to be swept up in a murder investigation and the press are once again at their door. While distracting, the investigation does not keep them from sharing many deep passionate moments. It does, however, cause them to confront difficulties in their personalities and temperaments.

Sayers writes with her usual wonderful characterizations and evocative style. The reader is transported to 1930's England, a simpler more elegant time. The intricacies of a grisly murder investigation throw into relief the charm of the simple life. Yet somehow this story has a more somber tone than the other Lord Peter mysteries, perhaps because it is the last book of the series. At any rate, once again Sayers delivers prime entertainment and an enchanting detective mystery, only this time Lord Peter is finally in a settled relationship with his beloved.

I read "Cache Lake Country" in 1968. I was delighted to find it in print again...like meeting an old friend.
Thank you.

I have read a lot of outdoor books over the last 40 years, and this is one of the best. I am going to research the author, John J. Rowlands, because he was obviously a fascinating man who lead a very interesting life. This book tells about 12 months living in a cabin on a lake in Northern Onatario. At the time Rowlands was working as a timber cruiser, evaluating forests for use as lumber. He happened upon his ideal lake and was lucky enough to get stationed there by his company. He was also very lucky to have two great friends living within miles (within signaling distance via the various drums, horns etc. they engineered), on other little lakes. Together the three lived every outdoor boy's dream life of independence and adventure. This book has stuff about canoes, wild animals, sled dogs, snowshoes, knives, axes, the history of the lumber camps, and many boy-scout like craft projects. I just wish it was a lot longer.

A good book but I didn't think it was as easy to read as friends lead me to believe. A tremendous amount of reference material, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found the book enlightening and informative. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy and learn from this book.

I'm going to be a little less enthusiastic, but only a little, than some of the other reviewers here. I really did like this book, but for some reason it just didn't quite pull me into the time, place, space the way it did some others- although it didn't miss by much.

This is a very unique book-probably reminding me of my old Boy Scout Fieldbook (a little more detailed and survival-oriented than the handbook) more than a typical non-fiction work. The illustrations are great as well as occasionally light-hearted, and if you are at all handy or have an engineering or for that matter, culinary bent, you will find plenty of recipes and blueprints for food, tools, gadgets- even crystal radio sets or birch bark canoes. While some of these you'd probably have to find some supplemental information to make, most come so well described and diagrammed that you could probably build them or bake them directly from the book.

For me the best part is the author's midwest and at times almost cowboy way of describing life. His time around rough loggers in the days when horses and two man saws were still the order of the day especially captured my imagination. Like many readers, I'm a lot hermit, and the thought of life in a cabin in the north woods with nothing but snow, bear, moose, and wind has a certain charm, and I'm grateful to Rowlands for giving enough of a story to enjoy a bit of that charm vicariously. An excellent and unique book, and for some it will probably become a treasured possession.