John Winston Books

I bought a Cruden's Concordance years ago and use it all the time. It is the best I have found yet. Then I decided to buy my friend and myself one to take to church with us so I ordered the compact version. I really love it and any word you want to look up in the bible is in there. Really nice!

Note: Your "helpful" vote is appreciated. Thanks.

My copy of "Cruden's Complete Concordance" has been well used over the decades. It should be updated into a larger format with larger print, but it is still a valuable work of some 800 pages.

Any word found in the Bible can be easily located, including variations of the word. For example, there is a listing for "fatlings," "flatling," "fatness," "fats," and "fatted."

Highly recommended along with:
"The New Smith's Bible Dictionary."

New Smith's Bible DictionaryNew Smith's Bible Dictionary

"Cruden's Compact Concordance" is a must own for those seeking to be genuine scripture scholars. It is small, user-friendly and easy to grab for quick word hunting. Just about all verses listing the particular desired word are presented as well as footnoted related ones for probing a possible better connection--extremely helpful if you are reading another Bible version. Most every day this book lands in my hand as I often need a verse and can't remember where to find it.

Spy glasses might be necessitated for investigating the minuscule print, but this is the only drawback to this slim lining assist.

My favorite recommended books are those that get people into the holy, immutable and inerrant Word. I also suggest the purchase of "Unger's Bible Dictionary" as an added comprehensive studious guide.

A Bible verse flits through your mind, but you can't remember it exactly, and you're not sure where to find it. You look in the Concordance in the back of your Bible. No help. Even the gigantic Strong's Concordance (which gives you a hernia to lift!) doesn't help because it's keyed only to the King James translation. Cruden's to the rescue! Look up a key word and you find the reference in 'most any translation. Example: you remember somewhere in Scripture the phrase, "God inhabits the praise of His people. So you look under "praise" and you find Psalm 22:3: "OH Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." OK, so you didn't recall it quite right. Now you know. Another example: you're curious what the Bible has to say about JOY. Wow! More than 2 columns of references on joy and joyful! A Bible study in itself. As a writer, I adore this book, but anyone who loves God's word and studying it will, too.

This could be a great reference, but the
print is so poor - not just tiny - but
as if photocopied too many times &
scrunched down to fit on the page.
I would have welcomed this reference in a larger, more readable
page-format. As it is, I feel it was a complete waste of money.

This is another of the biography collections covering World War II generals that was done in the early 90s by a British publisher. In this book we get an introductory essay by editor John Keegan that puts the rest of the book in context, describing how Churchill dealt with generals, what he thought of them, and how he related to them, briefly. After that, we have a series of short (each about 20-30 pages) biographies of various commanders from the British Army in World War II. The editor chose to restrict himself to officers from Britain itself, so no Guy Simonds or Bernard Freyburg. He chose commanders who had some influence on the outcome of the war, or who were somehow outstanding or memorable, so no Miles Dempsey. Instead, the editor chose those soldiers who stood out in some way, or were somehow instrumental in the victory in a fashion that can't be ignored.

Within this, as is usually the case in such a volume, the individual biographies are somewhat uneven. Some are written as if you know everything already about World War II, and others are written in a very elementary style, as if you know nothing. Some are also more editorial or review of the individual's character and actions (the essay on Montgomery is the most obvious one in this category) while other seek merely to inform you about the person involved. There are two combination biographies, one covering the "Desert Generals" (Cunningham, Ritchie, and Leese) and another covering two generals who were more involved in diplomacy during the war, Adrian Carton de Wiart and Edward Spears. These tend to do little more than recount the facts of these men's careers: there's no space for anything else.

I think the general researcher who's looking for a reference work covering this topic will find this book useful, if only in a limited fashion. Since the coverage is rather limited, you're going to be disappointed if a particular soldier isn't covered here and he's the one you're trying to research. On the other hand, if you are looking for information on someone who *is* here, then you're going to get more data here than you would from the Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography, for instance. So it depends on whom you're researching.

Churchill's Generals proves to be just that, basic introduction to the British generals who fought under Winston Churchill during the Second World War. Its an interesting collection of soldiers, some which every students of military history knows while others were folks no one never heard off until they read this book. These biographical essays proves to be a mixed bunch. Some are better then others. Some essays proves to be quite insightful and able to give an personal understanding of their subject. Others seem to be written by a clerk copying off some dossier file.

The book is a companion to its sister volumes, Hitler's Generals and Stalin's Generals. I would put this book above Stalin's Generals but its definitely inferior to Hitler's Generals. I haven't seen titles for Roosevelt's Generals or Hirohito's Generals so I guess we are stuck with these three books.

Overall, a pretty basic introduction essays. It should be enough to arouse your curiousity and hopefully you will read more on the subject. Some of the British generals like Slim really do need greater attention.

This book is an interesting and exceptionally well-done introduction to the British perspective of World War II. Each of the seventeen chapter is a biography of a key British general during this conflict. Some are well-known (Montgomery), while others have largely been forgotten (Sir Henry Wilson). Five generals end up having to share two chapters. Each and every one, though, gets a good biography. There are differences in focus, emphasis, and interpretation, which is to be expected, but none of these entries is weak. This fact in and of itself makes this book unique among in its genre.

The authors come from a number of backgrounds: academia, journalism, and the military, including a general and a field marshal. One of the contributors is Australian, another is American and the rest are British. The reader is getting a good cross sampling of the British perspective.

The main theme that emerges from these essays is the importance of interpersonal relationships with both Churchill but also other generals. The chapters also do a good job of introducing the reader to issues in the literature without getting bogged down in the details. Each chapter concludes with a chronology of the general's life and career.

A reader unfamiliar with British military culture will stumble on some issues: the acronyms are completely different: GOC and KCB to give only two examples. (General Officer Commanding and Knight Commander of the Bath---a knighthood that gives the individual the title of "Sir.") The practice of keeping generals on half-pay is another practice that is often referenced but never explained. (A general without an assignment received only half his pay. If he did not receive an assignment after two years, he was retired.)

Nonetheless, this book is easy to read and is recommended without reservation.

This collection of essays, edited by Keegan, provides a good introduction to most of the generals who made it to the top of the British Army in WW2. The essays are of varying standard and some require a knowledge of the subject and their place in the world. Each article has a bibliography and a career time line. Keegan provides an introduction as to each generals place in the scheme of things and his relationship with Curchill. Generally a good book with some outstanding essays.

An interesting book about the Siege of Vienna and how the Turks almost managed to change the course of history. The Ottoman Empire was a powerful Empire in the world and made an attempt to dominant the life of Central and Eastern Europe. On September 11-13, 1683, Poles, Austrians, and Germans routed them on the outskirts of Vienna. After the battle, the Turk Empire became the Sick Man of Europe. The Turks and Islam came very close to upsetting the balance of power in Europe. A few more days of siege may have forced Vienna to surrender.
Stoye does a good job of showing the politics of how this siege and the resulting battle took place. Louise XIV of France was the mortal enemy of the Hapsburg and Spanish Empire. His efforts helped the Turks make a decision on the showdown with the Hapsburgs. Turkish court politics as well as John III's position in Poland are also discussed. The resulting combination of Hapsburg, Saxon, Bavarian, and Poles in confronting the Turks is also reviewed throughly. The result was the successful Allied effort in confronting the Turks.
As one of the reviewers has already mentioned, only two of the nine chapters dealt with the siege and battle. The rest was the history of the politics of this conflict. The first part of the book drags, but I managed to learn a few things about this famous conflict. This book is not for the beginning historian.

In summer of 1683, the powers of Europe put aside their differences to repel the last real Muslim threat to the West. Even France, while not contributing troops to the anti-Ottoman forces, stayed its hand while its traditional enemy the Hapsburgs were preoccupied with the defense of their Austrian capitol.

This is an epic story, and John Stoye conveys the momentous nature and scope of events. The gathering of the Ottoman armies, the franctic Hapsburg efforts to find military allies, the tightening noose of the siege, and the eventual military relief -all are covered in stunning detail. As C.V.Wedgwood wrote of John Stoye when this book was first published over 40 years ago -"the master of every aspect of his subject". Any criticisms are minor, but 1) more detail on the Ottoman governmental structure (ie the relationship between the Sultan and the Grand Vizier) and 2)a fuller explanation of 17th century siegecraft, would have been helpful.

Finally, compare the threats we face today to the days when Turkish cavalry prowled the Vienna Woods, and Europe trembled at the coming of the Turk.

The last gasp of Turkish expansion into Europe took place in 1683, when the Ottomans advanced into Hungary and Austria and besieged Vienna. This expert history goes into great detail about the political and diplomatic context, with particular attention to the Habsburg obsession with Louis XIV's France. The relatively brief sections on the actual fighting will be enough for most readers, but may be disappointing to military history buffs. The book includes some black and white plates and several maps. Fine scholarship, though not light reading.

This book really isn't about the siege of Vienna at all. It's really about the political events leading up to the Ottoman invasion of Austria. The siege itself and the ensuing battle are given scant attention, which was a huge disappointment for me. The political environment is an interesting subject, but the military events themselves are almost completely ignored. That's too bad, because that means only half the story is told in this book. Making matters worse is the fact that the book is a slow, dry read that failed to captivate me in any way. I'm unaware of any other books on this subject though, so I'm afraid this may be the only gig in town.

Mbiti expounds several key themes of importance to a new or experienced student of African Religion and society. Particularly, Mbiti concisely explains the interwoven nature that exists between the various religions of different African people and everyday life.

I highly recommend this work to any person interested in learning more about the role of religion in Africa.

John Mbiti's volume, African Religions and Philosophy, is a classic in the study of African religiosity, as well as the field of religious studies. Published originally in 1969, the work is an attempt to discuss the theology and religious practices of sub-Saharan Africans. At the start, it must be noted that Mbiti himself is not only a scholar of religion, but is also himself a parish minister, thus he not only a scholar but also a practitioner as well.

This book is often cited for its scathing deconstruction and refutation of racist anthropological work that had up to that point been the main systematic effort to `understand' African religiosity. No less than Molefi Asante, in his significant anthology of African Intellectual and Cultural History, excerpted most of Mbiti's first chapter, which contains his well-known critique.

The goals of Mbiti's book are threefold: to refute previous racist scholarship, to highlight the continuity of African forms of religion with other forms of human religiosity, and to establish the diversity of African religion from other forms of religiosity.

To accomplish these goals, Mbiti establishes two fundamental concepts in African religiosity: "God," and Time. The term God is not significantly explored at the outset, except as a stand-in for a "supreme Being" in terms largely familiar to Europeans and Americans. Time, on the other hand, is discussed as a facet of African linguistics. By analyzing verb tenses from different language groups, Mbiti claims that African forms of time are different than other human concepts of time, such as linear ones. Ultimately, Mbiti establishes two kinds of Time- Sasa, and Zamani (Swahili). Sasa is understood as "small time," or time that is centrally located close to the present moment. Zamani, in contrast, is "Macro-Time," or time that takes place distantly from the present moment.

This all stands in contrast to notions of time familiar to Europeans and Americans, such as past, present and future. By marking out two distinct areas, God and Time, Mbiti sets the stage for an analysis of religion in terms of ontology (or metaphysics) and human experience. Along with Mbiti's assertion of Africans as totally culturally enveloped in religion, this also sets the stage for extensive cultural analysis.

In the next few chapters, Mbiti then presents a theological discussion in terms that would be familiar to any Western scholar of religion. He analyses categories such as the "Nature" of God, the "Works" of God, God's relationship to the natural world, God's manifestations in ritual, and the existence of "Spirits" or lesser divinities. In each case, Mbiti's goal is primarily to illustrate that the "God" of the Africans is the same as elsewhere, although the African's experience of "God" is unique, and to some degree conditioned by different tribal influences.

After this discussion, Mbiti then discusses the African view of "man." This is because a theological anthropology (or a 'cosmic' view of humanity) becomes necessary to fully understand African religion. Thus, Mbiti proceeds to analyses African life in terms familiar to any Western anthropologist: "Ethnicity", "Kinship," "Birth," "Puberty", "Death," and "Afterlife." In each case, Mbiti begins be describing the African human experience. Then he illustrates the mythologizing aspects of African cultural life that make experiences religious as well as anthropological.

Mbiti's method is clearly a reaction to the racism of earlier anthropology, and constitutes a theological apologetics for African religions. In unpacking the relationship between ontology and human experience, his method is also closely related to the school of Religionswissenschaft (History or Phenomenology of Religion) on the rise at this time in the field of Religious Studies.

His work clearly has value and represents an important aspect of Africana religiosity. Nevertheless, his work suffers from difficulties. His use of European categories and assumptions causes problems in his analysis. For example, he assumes that the African practice of assigning names for "God" is a form of simple predication the same way such names are employed in Christianity and Islam. Names for `God' simply signify different names for the same being---Mbiti acts as if names predicate one ultimate subject, rather than possibly positing multiple subjects.

Even more problematic is his effort to take concepts, such as creation ex nihilo, and fit Nuer descriptions of Creation to this model. His emphasis on being and supremacy makes notions of mystical power and process, common to many African forms of religiosity, difficult to address. Often his terms and categories are so loaded with Christian assumptions that it takes a great deal of effort to read them out of the accounts that he gives.

Another issue that should be raised with regard to Mbiti `s text is his synchronic treatment of African religiosity and philosophy. Although Mbiti does acknowledge that African religions have undergone change over time, his treatment of these religions is largely based on his own research, and the tone of the book suggests that change is not much of an issue for Mbiti.

As a non-partisan political follower I found this book enlightening. The book gave me a clearer understanding of key decisions and policies of the Howard years, and provided good insight into the likely reasoning underlying Howard's thinking. The book also provides an interesting insight into the back-room machinations of Liberal politics, and the authors are admirably frank in these discussions.
The authors, I feel, do tend towards putting Howard on a pedestal, and do appear to draw too favourable a picture of him in places. That is, the authors tend to portray Howard as essentially well-meaning and strongly guided by personal principles despite (I think) some evidence that may suggest otherwise.
In sum, this is a good book that is worth a read.

John Howard was sworn in as the 25th Prime Minister of Australia on 11 March 1996. He is currently Australia's second longest serving Prime Minister, and has been a member of every Australian Parliament since 1974. Australia will have a federal election between now and the end of 2007, so this biography is particularly timely.

If the success of a politician is ultimately measured in how many elections s/he faces and wins, then John Howard has been particularly successful. In this biography, Messrs Errington and Van Onselen provide some insights into the man behind the politician and assess his strengths and weaknesses as a professional politician.

Highly recommended reading for all with an interests in Australian politics generally as well as those with a particular interest in Australia's Federal Government.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The book came right away, a lot sooner than I expected. Also, the book was in perfect condition. Great for the money! Thank you! :)

This book is okay. Most of the stories are pretty good. I really liked "Manana de sol" and "Un dia de estos." It has convenient explanatory notes in the margins. It features some very famous paintings, but they aren't presently terribly well. Most of them are crammed three to a page. My real problem with the book is the extortionate price. I personally wouldn't pay more than twenty dollars for it. Don't get this unless you have to for a class.

The text suggests many excellent patterns to organize technical writing: how to describe processes and mechanisms, how to organize a classification, an interpretation, a recommendation, a proposal, a research effort. My writing gets noticed for its quality and professionalism. The book makes me think more clearly and helps me organize my thoughts on paper - an unexpected result.

The text suggests many excellent patterns to organize technical writing: how to describe processes and mechanisms, how to organize a classification, an interpretation, a recommendation, a proposal, a research effort. My writing gets noticed for its quality and professionalism. The book makes me think more clearly and helps me organize my thoughts on paper - an unexpected result.

This textbook series seems to be the best available French textbook series at this time. It is proficiency-based (rather than mastery-based). Students are provided with an abundance of colloquial vocabulary for topics of interest to young people. I find that my students are more willing to engage in conversation than with the older-style methods.

The strong points of this series are the recycling (of vocab and grammar) and the reading program. The reading program consists of a reader and a workbook. The reader includes short readings using vocab students won't know, but challenges them to figure out what they need to know, reflect on what they figured out, and make strategic decisions about what is not necessary to know. The workbook includes excellent lessons focused on specific reading strategies. The reading exercises in the textbook itself are not as good.

The weak points in this program include the vocabulary presentations. Vocabulary is often presented for the first time to inexperienced students without accents, and without definitions for many items. For example, when students learn school vocab they see a picture labelled "Lycee Voltaire" (no accents) but they aren't told that "lycee" means high school. Other problems are often presenting/using adjectives only in masculine form, and introducing vocab phrases that involve advanced grammar and ignoring or over-simplifying the grammar that will have to be re-learned properly later. The first chapter in particular tries to introduce too much too soon, but the pace of the rest of the book is relatively even.

Given the choices for French textbooks aimed at teens, this is a good one. But there are many weaknesses that could be improved upon. Overall, I feel my students will learn a great deal of French and francophone culture from this book, and have fun doing it.

If you happen to find a Winston juvenile science fiction book in a used bookstore, or if you order one online, the first thing that you should do is to look inside the front cover. If it is a later printing, the endpapers will be white. But if you are lucky enough to get an early printing, you will be treated to a marvelous endpaper illustration by Alex Schomburg. There is a giant robot on the left with a raygun eye that is zapping some skyscrapers on the right. Hords of people are fleeing from the burning city. In the foreground is a one-eyed, six-armed alien with a fiendish smile, twisting dials and pulling levers on mysterious machines. Next to him is a deep sea diver wading past some ferocious fish. There is also a fleet of flying saucers, a rocket blasting off, a spaceman with a rocket backpack, assorted planets, a bank of computers, and a wild-eyed bearded man who looks up to no good. When I was an adolescent, these endpapers captured the thrill of science fiction for me. They are on my copy of Eric North's _The Ant Men_ (1955).

Eric North was the pseudonym of Charles Bernard Cronin (1888-1968), an Australian novelist who wrote in a variety of genres. _The Ant Men_ was not the only piece of science fiction that North wrote, but most of his other science fiction never made it into book form. Many times, I have had the experience of rereading a work of science fiction that I read when I was young and being forced to tone down my childhood enthusiasms. I had the opposite experience with _The Ant Men_. I read it hastily in my youth. After all, I had read lost world stories before, and I had read giant insect stories before. (Alex Schomburg could have included a giant insect as part of his endpaper design had he chosen to do so.) But in fact, the book is much better than I remembered. North's description of the Australian desert is magnificent, and his information on the tricks for survival in the Outback are fascinating. The realism of the real-world setting makes the lost world setting seem more credible.

North does well with his characters, also. My favorite is the Aussie driver, Nugget Smith, who might be considered a forerunner of Crocodile Dundee. His opening line is: "Mamma, mamma... In a place like this, you got to be as careful as a fat man on a diet" (1). There are two scientists who deduce the existence of the giant ants before they are actually encountered. This is a refreshing change from characters who are totally mystified by all the clues until the initial encounter. And that encounter is nicely dramatised:

The shapes on the plateau were solid and convincing enough. They were not the substance of dreams, but living, moving, three-dimensional creatures. And presently, their outline took on a more definate appearance. They appeared now to be enormous ants reared on hind feet-- man-sized insects, each with a slender feeler or antenna jutting from the shining black dome which was evidently the head of the creature. What shocked the watchers the most was the uncanny touch of the human about them. They appeared to be half ant, half man. There was no sign of the four membranous wings distinguishing the order of Hymenoptera to which they-- if ants they were-- rightly belonged; nor could Professor Orcutt, studying them intently, discover any signs of the usual six legs. The middle pair of legs was missing. (57-58)

Sharp-eyed observers of Paul Blaisdell's original cover who noted that the ants did not have six legs could now be assured that it was not an example of artistic carelessness. I do not want to reveal too much of North's plot, but I believe that it is fair to say that he delivers a few surprises along the way.

Think of this novel as analagous to a 1950s science fiction movie. Most of the films at that time were cheap, unimaginative, badly acted "monster movies"-- what Hollywood producers thought the public wanted. But every so often, there would be a movie like _Forbidden Planet_, _The Thing_, _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, or _This Island Earth_ that was done with a certain amount of style and intelligence. _The Ant Men_ is like one of those relatively classy movies. It takes some stock conventions and does something special with them. I believe that there was a paperback edition published by MacFadden Books. But if you can, get the Winston hardback. It is worth the investment.

Patrick Dawlish, head of "The Crime Haters" is called in to investigate the blackmail of 3 millionaire playboys. Each has fallen for a beautiful blond. The investigation leads to a hit and run and a murder. It also leads to a potential witness. But will she live long enough to help track down the killers?

This was written as Gordon Ashe. I like some of Creasey's other series better, but this one had a good plot with a lot of action.