H Books

"A modern classic. Dewey's lectures have lost none of their vigor...The historical approach, which underlay the central argument, is beautifully exemplified in his treatments of the origin of philosophy."--Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

"It was with this book that Dewey fully launched his campaign for experimental philosophy."--The New Republic

Dewey's philosophy is hard for some people to get into, or take seriously, because his whole body of concerns and ideas are present behind every sentence-- so, even though his language is plain-spoken, it is "saturated with meaning," to use one of his phrases. So it takes real work, and he doesn't always succeed in keeping the foreground clear, while remembering the background. It's DOING philosophy, rather than merely writing ABOUT it. This book is a great example -- what does philosophy do for us, how does it contribute when it is woven into the other enterprises of life, and what ideas in philosophy stand it the way of its making a living contribution. The book is full of dramatic, and even radical thinking, but in quiet, reflective language that requires relaxed, persistent attention.

Written shortly after World War I, John Dewey's classic RECONSTRUCTION IN PHILOSOPHY offered an introduction to the philosophy of pragmatic humanism, arguing against traditional philosophy by suggesting their fountains in self-justification were flawed and proposing an examination of core values based on other criteria. Published in 1948, this Dover reprint of the enlarged edition is an important guide to any college-level philosophy collection.

Written soon after the First World War, Reconstruction in Philosophy by James Dewey attempts to lay out a program for making philosophy adapt to the needs of a new time and age. As man's experience has changed in the modern era, so must philosophy change; philosophy must evolve in order to explicitly address those issues from which it originally arose - those dealing with the everyday concerns of man. It is contemporary philosophy's (in 1919) detachment from man's real life and goals that Dewey wishes to diagnose and address. Philosophy must break the bonds of tradition and become entirely secular; the scientific method which revolutionized man's life must be embraced by philosophy - the facts and experience oriented spirit of science must pervade the reconstruction of philosophy.

It is the rise of science as the great shaper of human life and culture that constitutes the greatest change in human experience. Pre-historic man's life - which, according to Dewey, consisted of brief periods of food gathering and the rest of long periods of reverie - gave rise to conceptions of the nature of man and the world. As men's culture advanced, so did men's accounts of the nature of man and the world; these developments culminated in the works of the classic ancient thinkers, notably Plato and Aristotle. These were philosophies that denigrated ugly matter and imperfect change, and idealized perfect, eternal forms. These philosophies, and those in modern times which carry their influence, place ultimate value and ultimate reality in otherworldly or extra-sensory things - in the Forms, Celestial Spheres, the Categories, etc.

The Pragmatic method proposed by Dewey seeks to dispense with the old dichotomies and idealizations and transform knowledge and philosophy from the "contemplative to the operative." Science broke the old dogmas about the physical universe and philosophy should similarly make experience the test of our principles; abstractions, principles, generalizations, etc. should service concrete action, not the other way around. "The true is the verified," writes Dewey. This is the method by which logic, epistemology, morals, politics, etc. should base its reconstruction.

Dewey's program, it may be argued, only serves to relocate rather than resolve some of the main issues of philosophy. How exactly the methods of science are to be absorbed by philosophy, and whether philosophy does in fact differ from the sciences only in its degree of generality are unanswered questions. While deriding "fixed and final" end in ethics, Dewey posits "growth itself as the only moral end." And by defining society as "the process of associating in such ways that experiences, ideas, emotions, and values are transmitted and made common," he makes both the individual and the state subordinate to this process. Have we not traded one thing to subordinate ourselves to for another? This is not to say that Dewey doesn't offer a framework that perhaps allows us to offer more satisfying answers to philosophy's issues (which is just what Dewey argues for); its just that he is proposing a new methodology for answering those issues, not (in this work at least) offering specific answers, or defending in a satisfying way the assertion that his program is in the first place tenable. These comments aren't mean to trivialize Dewey's program offhand, but to point out the sort of questions he raises which should be answered.

For a much more fruitful and rigorous defense of a pragmatic-type approach to some of philosophy's central issues, see Susan Haack's Evidence and Inquiry: Towards Reconstruction in Epistemology (for the title of which she borrowed from Dewey). This work by Dewey, however, is required reading for those who wish to study the American Pragmatist school.

John Dewey, as I've heard, was never comfortable with labels. Throughout his career he shifted from and to many rubrics: pragmatism, interactionism, instrumentalism, transactionism, experimentalism. Truth be told, all of these are present in "Reconstruction in Philosophy" and partly because of that, this is probably the best intro to Dewey available.

Dewy has a bone to pick with traditional philosophy. Not only has it lost track with real, as opposed to academic, problems (anyone walking down the street can tell us this) but it never really was that good at depicting real questions and descriptions anyway. Take comcepts like Plato's ideal forms and Kant's a priori. Neither of these are teneble in any realm of experience; rather, they were a misguided quest to explain the permanance and stability of the world.

Dewey's book is an attempt to pull the carpet out from under their feet; science and inquiry using its methods shows us that the world changes and if anything, stability is something that is felt by us - not inherent in the world. Thus a prioris, ideal forms, seperation of the noumenal and phenouminal amongst other current 'problems' in philosophy - all based on the idea of permanant/transitory dichotomy - are not only wearing thin, but are fast showing to be irrelevant. From this, he builds the groundwork of a philosophy in between rationalism and empiricism. Taking from rationalism an admiration and recognition of reason's power to direct action and combining it with empiricims fascination with experience, Dewey creates a philosophy that puts the spotlight not on one or the other, but on both as leading to and taking from eachother.

The first chapter are a philosophical survey of how philosophy went wrong; particularly in Ancient Greek and early Christian philosophy (both having a love affair with absolutes outside of experience). The second chapter focuses on the mistakes when philosophers, like Francis Bacon, widened the chasm between the real and experiential and the ideal and rational.

From here, Dewey proceeds piece by piece to show what was wrong and how to fix it by making clear tht scienctific inquiry (the equal interaction between subject and object) leaves no room for absolutes, forms or a prioris (or at least, not in any pragmatically useful sense). By extension, things like formal rules of logic above experience, non-experimentalism in moral or political theory and psychology that includes the individual without an equal part of the social; all of these become little more than unfounded but continually persisting glorifications.

For the reader interested in Dewey, naturalism, instrumentalism or the implications of pragmatism, this is a great introduction. From here, I suggest Dewey's "The Quest for Certainty" followed by "Experience and Nature", topped off with "Human Nature and Conduct".

This is a good book as a review for nurses already in hemodialysis and an informative book for new dialysis nurses.

I have a Masters of Science in Nursing. This was the best written, easiest to read book I have read in a while. Question and answer format. Worth the money.

This book is very informative not only for experienced Dialysis professionals but also for those who are new to this sub-specialty. I highly recommend it for anyone who needs a book that is very readable and covers the topics necessary without using terminology that is too technical and complicated to understand.

"THIS EDITION INCLUDES SIX NEW CHAPTERS:
* Transplantation
* Diabetes and Hemodialysis
* Pediatric Hemodialysis
* ESRD in the Elderly
* Management of Quality in Dialysis Care
* Renal Care and Information Technology
These chapters focus on the needed interdisciplinary approach reaching across the continuum of care."
[from the book of back cover]

I used this book at a study guide for the nursing certification test in 2000. I passed with flying colors. It is comprhensive and to the point. There wasn't a subject in the test that was not covered in this book as well. This book is a much easier read than the ANNA curriculum. If you are looking to study for the CNN or CDN then look no further.

Reviewed by Kim and Sean Peterson for Reader Views (5/06)

Karen Greene gives in to peer pressure. Wanting to be accepted, she agrees to ride a horse that demands more skill than she possesses. When she and the other teens ride the trail, Karen struggles to control the uncooperative horse, Comet. Her poor choice and the sudden appearance of a dirt bike on the trail place horse and rider in danger. When the frightened horse bolts, Karen and Comet suffer injuries in a traumatic accident on the nearby road. Although her body recovers, nightmares and lack of confidence plague her. Karen fears riding her own gentler Morgan horse, Robin.

Karen's parents decide to move Robin to a different training facility, Gallant Morgans, with the hope that their daughter will find a way to overcome her fear of riding horses. The less intimidating atmosphere exposes the teen to new friends, including Heather Richardson who helps the owner Chauncy train horses for show and for the trail.

As the humans, horses and other animals at Gallant Morgans help her overcome the apprehension about riding, they also encourage the redeveloping bond between Karen and Robin. The mare doesn't take advantage of Karen's trepidation, but is the essence of patience as her young owner strives to re-master the skills that have seemingly abandoned her.

As volunteer horse caretakers at a local therapeutic riding facility, we feel that Feld accurately portrays both the responsibilities of caring for a horse, as well as the special bond developed through time spent together. Girls (and guys) who long for the full equine experience will savor this fourth story in the Morgan Horse series.

All I can say is, I wish I were a teenage girl again, because this series would have been on my bookshelf right up there with the Black Stallion series, the "Flicka" series, Marguerite Henry, and all the other horse books that were close to my heart. I recommend starting with "Blackjack" and reading the series through in order, as you can see the characters, both human and equine, grow and learn, and new characters add a new dimension, just as they do in real life. The best part is, as I can testify as an owner of 5 Morgans, the equine episodes in the books are realistic. Morgans really ARE like the horses in the books. And as a mother of 3 teenage girls in the past, I can also testify that the girls in the books are very much like the adolescent girls that filled my house all those years ago. Even though I am WELL beyond my teenage years, I can't wait for the next book in the series - I hope it is as exciting and uplifting as "Robin". Knowing this series, I am sure it will be!

This is a great book for horse crazy people, children and adults. Well written. Ellen keeps getting better and better, her Morgan horse books are something any teenage girl would want, and adult horse lovers too. Highly recommended. All three books in this series are EXCELLENT!!

Once again Ellen is right on the mark when it comes to a believable story with the delicious overtones of whimsy and fantasy that horses conjure up in all of us. All of Ellen's books are worthy additions to any library of children's classics, and are a recommended read for all ages and genders. We await more additions to the trusty list!

Ellen Feld zooms me back to my childhood and memories of riding with my friends. Yep, we did some crazy things with our horses...and so many times it was a result of peer pressure. Our horses, like the Morgan horse Robin, seemed to know better and were there to help teach us so many valuable lessons. Ellen's story takes hold of this reality and addresses it with a mature hand and detail that floods the senses with the smell of horses and leather, the sounds of hoofbeats and laughter, the sight of green grass and wonderful Morgan horseflesh, the feel of the reins and a freshly-curried coat, and the sheer bliss of spending time with horses and friends. I have to wait (somewhat impatiently) while my son finishes each new book that Ellen writes!

When my son graduated from Army chef school, I couldn't resist presenting him with a signed copy of this book. It really was the perfect gift! He loved it and so did his classmates and instructors. Guess Army cooking really hasn't changed so much over the years. lol He intends to try several of the recipes as a lark. He's going to let me know how it goes.

this is a great cook book, not only for M*A*S*H* fans but, for anybody who enjoys cooking. the titles of the recipes are all M*A*S*H* related. THERE ARE COCKTAIL RECIPES!!!!!!! a must for any true M*A*S*H* fan. the col. Flagg truth serum is very good stuff. your girlfriend will love it!

As a true die hard fan of MASH I can honetly say this "takes the cake!" After flipping from beginning to end I actually attempted Hunnicutt's wife's cookie recipe.

Needless to say they were AWESOME, and my wife and my family enjoyed them until the last morsel. I'm now looking through the book for more wonderful morsels of goodness.

Jocularity! Jocularity!

This book is a funny look at life in a fictional mobile army surgical hospital through the eyes of an army private. Igor is not a well trained army cook, but is forced into the role of cook by the army anyway. In spite of his lack of great cooking skills, the recipes he includes in his book are actually quite good. My sons, both of whom are extremely picky eaters, have made several of the simpler items included in this cookbook and have enjoyed the results of their efforts.

This book is not for the master chef or for the hardcore food critic. The recipes are fairly basic and don't require a lot of unusual skills or ingredients. However, the story, the pictures and the recipes are fun and useful.

If you are a fan of M*A*S*H, as I am, you will really enjoy this book and find the recipes a nice addition to your own collection.

In 1950, a country bumpkin named Igor Straminsky answered his country's call to duty and, as an unwitting Army private, soon found himself in the most hostile environment that the planet could ever serve up. No, we're not talking about Korea. We're talking about the men and women of the 4077th who queued up three times a day with plastic trays, growling stomachs, and growing suspicions that they'd more likely meet their deaths at the inept hands of their new cook than they ever would in confrontations with the enemy they'd come to fight.

"Dear Ma," Igor wrote home, "Instead of letting me work at something I'm good at, they're gonna make me do a job I don't know anything about! Radar, the company clerk here, told me that he thinks the Army does that on purpose."

Still, a job was a job and the beleaguered young private wasn't going to let the ongoing sarcasm of Captain Hawkeye Pierce dampen his spirits.

HAWKEYE: It's inhuman to serve the same food day after day. The Geneva Convention prohibits the killing of our taste buds.

Suffice it to say, Igor had plenty of time to hone his craft (such as it was). His stint in a mess tent chef's hat, in fact, lasted 8 years longer than the actual Korean War. When the hit television series M*A*S*H finally bowed out in 1983, almost 125 million viewers tuned in to say goodbye, the largest audience ever for a TV show.

"Ma!" he wrote, "I'm sure you've heard the news...IT'S OVER! I'll probably be home by the time you get this letter but I wanted to write it anyway. I'll make everybody dinner when I get there but could somebody else please serve it?"

Fortunately, Igor's efforts to please the palate weren't left behind on a helicopter pad. His alter ego-Hollywood actor/writer/entrepreneur Jeff Maxwell-has compiled the best of Igor's mess tent magic into a hilarious book entitled "Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor."

Testimonial from Colonel Potter: "There seems to be a misconception here-those recipes weren't lost! We did our best to hide them."

Within these wacky pages--which are replete with black and white production stills, "dog-tag" quotes, and letters home-the author not only gives us generous dollops of homegrown culinary advice but demonstrates a talent for memorializing his Army experiences and friendships with his own brand of signature recipes:

* Hawkeye and Trapper's Swamp Spaghetti
* Winchester's Upper Crusted Chicken
* Hot Lips Tri-Tips
* Pork Choppers with Barbeque Sauce
* Stuffed Seoul
* Radar's Teddy Bear Turkey Loaf
* The Colonel's Kernel Stew
* Toasted Tank Tuna
* Hunnicut's Homesick Cookies
* Intravenous Drip Dip

IGORISM:
Hawkeye told me he went to school for twelve years to be a doctor. I trained in boot camp for eight weeks to become a soldier. It sure takes a lot more time to learn how to save a life than how to end one.

As clueless as Igor seemed to be whilst unveiling inventive concoctions such as "Cream of Weenie Soup" or "Hot Potato Pucks", he shows remarkable clarity in laying out instructions that are fun and easy to follow. Whether you're mustering your troops off to work or school with "Frontline Flapjacks with Chocolate Gravy", settling in for an evening flick with "Movie Night Popcorn Shrimp" or dazzling your next book club group with "Forward Marsh Melts", there's no denying that Igor knows what it takes to please picky eaters.

IGOR: Peas or carrots, Sir?
HAWKEYE: Oh, a little of each will be fine.
IGOR: Good, because I don't know which is which.

He has also included a short section on drinks, including "Pre-Op Novocaine Shake", "Swamp Swill Martini" and "Suicide is Painless", the latter popularized in song for both the original film and the TV series.

Testimonial from Hawkeye Pierce: "Can't wait to try the recipes. There are several people I'm trying to kill."

In real life, by the way, Maxwell is the inventor/purveyor of a kicky Bloody Mary Mix called Chico Rico™ which won a People's Preference Award in the 2003 International Zesty Foods Show. The mix, which he describes as "Lip Smackin' Fire & Spice", is available at Bristol Farms or through his website at http://www.chicorico.biz/order.html.

While dinner is cooking, TV trivia fans will find themselves well entertained with Maxwell's behind-the-scenes anecdotes as well the convoluted journey that took this affable actor from the bowels of the Print Department at 20th Century Fox to stand-up comedy to the elation of playing a character with an actual name on a hit series instead of just a credit as "Soldier 1". The proliferation of candid shots suggest the slap-dash happiness of an overgrown kid who has not only found himself at the summer camp of a lifetime but in the thick of new friendships destined to last forever.

HOTLIPS: I thought you might enjoy being the Charity Officer for me. You'd be so good at it.
BJ: Oh really?
HOT LIPS: You have such a nice smile. Not liking you is the same as not liking a collie.

Last but not least are the bittersweet tugs of nostalgia which remind us that the 4077th wasn't just Igor's family and his home-away-from-home but a weekly part of our own family as well.

"Dear Ma," his letter began, "We all just found out that Colonel Blake gets to go home. Lucky guy-sure wish I was gonna be on the plane with him!"

In the third season finale, "Abyssinia, Henry", marking actor McLean Stevenson's departure from the cast, viewers will recall the heart-stopping moment when a stunned Radar announced that Colonel Blake's plane had been shot down en route to Japan. There were no survivors.

It was moments like this that reminded us of what good writing can be. And it's books like "Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess" that demonstrate Private Straminsky has a definite calling in top brass cuisine.

My Dad bought this book when I was a kid over thirty years ago. He never got as much out of it as I did. I'd spend hours looking at the many firearms listed in this large volume. It got me started in collecting old military arms and I refer to it still to this day.

This was purchased as a gift for a person that had been looking for it for several years; he is very pleased with it!

I highly recommend these Small Arms of the World books, due to the good coverage of Curio and Relic firearms, how you can take them apart to clean them, how they operate, pictures of individual weapons, interesting diargrams of some popular guns, and just simply the most information you are going to get on semi-automatic and full automatic firearms, at least that I can find. Seems that especially machine gun technology is some kind of restricted information somehow, at least in newer books, but at least these Small Arms books can help a former U.S. Army machine gunner like myself understand a little better how the guns I was checked out on,actually worked in principle. So, if your quest for knowledge is machine guns, then I defintely recommend these books. And if your quest for knowledge is Curio and Relic classified firearms, then especially the older versions of the Small Arms books are what you need. The newer ones kind of water down really old technology, while paying special emphasis on what was hot technology at the time, like a early seventies Small Arms will talk in depth on current American small arms like the M16, but will have minimal space on bolt action rifles, for instance.
I definitely recommend the 1969 9th edition as a good all around "get you by", if you just wanted one edition on older Curio and Reic Firearms, if you are a collector of Curios and Relics like me.

Small Arms of the World: A Basic Manual of Small Arms
is a classic. it is one of the best fireames books ever made, it is a real pity that it is out of print. they realy should rerelease it, I know I would buy it.
But until that happens I'll just have to keep getting it from the library.

If I could only have one firearms book I would choose this book hands down.

For the person interested in modern military small arms, this book is the place to start. It presents the material well, with good photographs, understandable diagrams, and interesting text. Hopefully an updated version will come out someday, but I don't think anyone will regret buying this one now. In fact, I have an older edition from the 1960's that I treasure for it's better coverage of now-obsolete firearms, special emphasis on World War 2 German designs, and more complete history of firearms through the centuries. This edition, on the other hand, gives more attention to weapons developed during the 1960's and 1970's. No doubt, after some future edition finally brings us up to date on modern high-tech weaponry this book will still be a valuable snapshot of the variety of arms in use throughout the world during the final decades of the 20th Century.

I highly recommend this book as the starting point for a good understanding of the small arms field, or as plain old good reading for the relatively technical-minded gun enthusiast.

My husband is reading this aloud to me. Although it is taking us a long time, we are close to the end now. It has been an incredible read and is written in a very accessible style.
It has been a really great book to read aloud as the translation is beautifully done and the humor, both of the subject (Kierkegaard) and the biographer (Garff) shines through in every chapter. The translator (Kirmmse) must be very gifted.
I would recommend this book to any student of history, theology, or modern thought and literature. Kierkegaard was a remarkable thinker and his humanity, genius, and foibles as a human being are evident in his own writings and in this beautiful and mesmerizing biography.

I have read a number of reviews of this book. They are unanimous in acclaiming it the definitive Kierkegaard biography, both in its comprehensiveness and its readability. It tells the story of Kierkegaard's life year by year, with special emphasis on what happens from 1835 when he was twenty- two to his death in 1855. The biography places special emphasis on the literary poetic Kierkegaard. It does not interpret in depth his varied and paradoxical philosophical and religious works. It does however provide the valuable biographical information which can enable us to better understand those works.
Mankind has few geniuses and when they come along they shock us into a new awareness. It is possible to argue that where Kierkegaard most shocked was in his emphasis on the 'lived life' the 'real experience' the 'authentic encounter with God' .And this as opposed to the false, formal and protected encounter.
This of course is the major reason why the Existensialists, including the atheist Sartre could find a true predecessor in him.
Kierkegaard 's labors in decrowning Hegel, and in showing the official Church to be at odds with the true experiencing of Christianity were couched in a language, ironic, paradoxical, parabolic and witty. The pseudonymous authors who spoke for various sides of his personality enabled him to express sides of a personality which always wished to remain somewhat hidden, secret and mysterious.
I have read only a small part of this work and am very eager to read more. And this because Kierkegaard like Kafka is one of those thinker- poets one of those supreme individual masters of their own way of writing in the world as to to seem to me as for so many others, a true spiritual forbearer.

K fans-and in this day of badly needed freely speaking Danes, who is not one?-can at last rejoice. Here finally is a book about SK that makes clear the Corsair magazine affair, the matter of K's trousers and thin legs and curved back and how he took his coffee (strong with lots of sugar), the unending engagement to Regine, and oh yes K's attack upon Christendom.


Garff is learned, witty and a master prose stylist. Under a photo of K's elder brother Peter Christian we read...'Irresolution seems almost to shine forth from the eyes...' A self-promoting K enthusiast named Sommer is described as having the 'zeal of a plagiarist.' One could go on and on, and Garff's observations always seem to hit the mark.

Also wonderfully, there is nothing here about 'the father of existentialism.' Garff tells the life, and leaves the impact on the future to others.

It may seem astonishing to many that a nearly-900 page biography of Soren Kierkegaard would ever be described as riveting, or as a page-turner, but that is exactly what this book by Joakim Garff, translated by Bruce Kirmmse from the original Danish, turns out to be. I first noticed it at the bookstore of my seminary, and, intended only to read through a few pages at the beginning to be somewhat familiar with the text (having a friend who is very into Kierkegaard), I noticed when I next looked up that I was 60 pages into the book, and half an hour late for my next appointment.

As Garff states in his preface, biographies of Kierkegaard are few and far between. Even in his native Danish language, 'biographies of Kierkegaard that have appeared since Georg Brandes' critical portrait was published in 1877 can easily be counted on the fingers of one hand.' Part of this was Kierkegaard's own stated desire that readers read his works, not into his person, and he often published under pseudonyms. However, this is an ironic situation, Garff writes, because Kierkegaard puts so much of himself into his writing that there are definite autobiographical elements. Israel Levin, Kierkegaard's secretary for many years, also recognised the paradoxical situation in dealing with a Kierkegaard biography - 'this is a life so full of contradictions that it will be difficult to get to the bottom of his character.'

One of the things Garff should be credited for is not trying to force a particular paradigm or interpretation on Kierkegaard. We don't discover 'Kierkegaard the existentialist' or 'Kierkegaard the religious rebel' or other such personas here - rather, these elements and more are all interwoven into Garff's text to show a complex and not always comprehensible figure. Garff is neither a true-believer nor an official apologist from any set place - he instead set out 'not only to tell the great stories in Kierkegaard's life but also to scrutinse the minor details and incidental circumstances, the cracks in the granite of genius....'

Kierkegaard was a troubled and troubling figure. His life was very brief for someone with such a prodigious output - he lived only 42 years, and his productive time as an intellectual was really only half that time. Garff organises the biography chronologically, taking a year-by-year approach (after putting Kierkegaard's childhood and adolescence together into one chapter, 1813-1834), each year being devoted to its own chapter. In this fashion, Garff looks much more closely at the events and relationship in Kierkegaard's life (both personal and institutional relationships) rather than systematically looking at themes and ideas in his works.

Garff seems to assume some familiarity with Kierkegaard's works at various points - this is not a critical analysis of Kierkegaard's thinking, nor is it even necessarily descriptive of his work in many cases. However, the biography is accessible to those who do not have much experience with Kierkegaard (and I must count myself among those; I have read a few of Kierkegaard's works, and a few analyses, but would never consider myself an expert on the subject).

As translator Bruce Kirmmse states, the book is done in a rather conversational style with an informal sense about it - it is not a dry and dusty historical tome. Not being familiar with Danish, I cannot but take his word that this is true of the original text by Garff, but given the reading here, one cannot imagine that Garff or the editors would have been happy with it done in any other way had this not been faithful to the original. In keeping with this more informal style, there are endnotes rather than footnotes. There are nearly three dozen illustrations (paintings, photographs, other line-art and maps), an extensive bibliography.

I will dare to say, as ironic as it may be both to the subject of reading the biography of a philosopher as well as to the subject of this particular figure, this was a fun book to read.

First published in Denmark in 2000, Joakim Garff's massive and monumental biography of the "melancholy Dane" makes its English debut just in time to commemorate Kierkegaard's death exactly 150 years ago ( November 11, 1855). Anyone who has taken a college freshman class in western civilization or philosophy has a vague familiarity with the name, if not his thought, and some have even dared to tackle his complicated and brilliant work of "indirect" communication via pseudonyms and his later "direct" (and was it ever direct!) communication under his own name. In grad school I took a turn at Kierkegaard, and even now in my office there hangs a poem by him thanks to my wife's calligraphy:

Herr! gieb uns blöde Augen (Lord, give us weak eyes)
für Dinge, die nichts taugen, (for things that do not matter)
und Augen voller Klarheit (and eyes full of clarity)
in alle deine Wahrheit! (in all your truth!)

Kierkegaard prefaced his work The Sickness Unto Death with this prayer-poem.

Although a wild diversity of interpreters from existentialism to deconstructionism has claimed Kierkegaard as their own, and although SK's personality and complex oeuvre present any biographer with an extraordinarily difficult task, Garff shows that he is rightly understood as an artist-poet whose focus was distinctly and deliberately religious. He treats the reader to large doses of SK himself, and reviews all his major writings and journals, focusing on Kierkegaard's life and not really his thought. In this sense he treats Kierkegaard personally rather than intellectually or theologically. He starts with his early years, and proceeds year by year. I would have enjoyed an epilogue that took a stab at Kierkegaard's ecclesiastical, pastoral, and theological legacy. How did a writer in backwater Denmark whose books had print runs of 500 copies (only one of which sold out), whose grave remained unmarked for twenty years after his death, and who barely traveled, emerge as one of the most seminal thinkers of Christian history?

Throughout his short life (1813-1855) Kierkegaard battled a pronounced and chronic melancholia that resulted from a number of factors--his pietistic and stern father, his public humiliation in Copenhagen's rollicking newspaper the Corsair, his sense of victimization, his scathing denunciation of the Church of Denmark's chief bishop (Mynster), and his broken engagement with Regina Olsen. His hypochondria did not help, nor did his estrangement from his lone surviving sibling (his five siblings and mother all died by the time Kierkegaard was about 20). For much of his life, he tells us, through a monumental effort of repression, diversion, and displacement, Kierkegaard distracted and protected himself from his melancholia through his prodigious writing. And there is no doubt that his melancholia served as a fund for enormous artistic creativity and interior reflection (a fact not lost on psychiatrist Peter Kramer in his recent book Against Depression). Writing was his therapy, he once observed: "I saved my life by telling stories." Like Mozart, he just might have been the artistic genius whose sickly body could hardly contain its pulsating brilliance.

What infuriated Kierkegaard was pious pretense, intellectual sophistry, the evisceration of the radical Gospel, and a bourgeois religiosity that tamed Christianity of what he called its "terror." The state-paid clergy, he sneered, derived social and financial gain from the Gospel: "In the splendid cathedral, the high, well-born, highly honored, and worthy Geheime-General-Ober-Hof-Preacher, the chosen darling of the important people, steps before a select circle of the select, and movingly sermonizes on a text chosen by himself, namely, 'God has chosen the lowly and despised of the earth'--and no one laughs" (p. 773). Since no one laughed at the discrepancy between genuine Christianity and the pale imitation of cultural Christendom, Kierkegaard intended to provoke a collision or catastrophe between the two. This was train wreck by design. He was an agitator and pyromaniac who employed his literary brilliance to utilize satire as an act of arson: "I am the one who has set the fire in order to smoke out illusions and trickery" (p. 774).

Garff honors his subject but does not ignore his faults. Kierkegaard could be unctuous, petty, shrill, cynical, inaccessible to anyone he did not care to see, and vindictive. One subject of his lethal pen lamented, "he could make you feel small." His father was one of the wealthiest people in Denmark, and it was not lost on his critics that Kierkegaard never worked while he enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. But he had little money at his death, and financed most of his own publications. One observer complained that while Jesus cried over Jerusalem, Kierkegaard employed dripping sarcasm to laugh at the church.

There is something like a scorched-earth smell in Kierkegaard. It is hardly news that the church "swarms with many faults" (John Calvin). I rather like the choice of the feminist Catholic writer Joan Chittister who describes herself as a "loyal member of a dysfunctional family." Still, we can thank Kierkegaard for never letting us forget the ideal, how far and so self-servingly we fail it, and forcing us to consider what it might mean for each one of us as a "single individual" whom he addressed.

Every Vietnam Veteran, who believes he has figured out the answers to all his problems, needs to read and re-read this book. For the most part, "We didn't know We didn't know" It took years of healing as well as many delayed casualties before most of us began learning about PTSD. So........where are the Veterans Center Personnel when you need them? Obviously not reading very much!
This book should be mandatory reading for every Veteran who enters a program for PTSD. This incredible book is an"Interstate road map" to recovery. Especially for those who heed it's advice, explore it's pain, and recognize the emotional flash backs experienced in the war's aftermath.
Many Vietnam war veteran's had extreme difficulty overcoming the rejection and discrimination they met upon returning from the war. For many,their life spiraled out of control as they sank deeper into an emotional abyss. This is a book written by a man who experienced it all. He overcame poverty, a disfunctional family,a terrible childhood, and the insanity of war, while setting a benchmark for integrity, family values, and making a difference. This is a book for those who think that they can't make it any further.
W.H. McDonald is still making, a huge difference for those who will read his words. It is certainly worth the price of this book.

I found Bill's book a life changing experience. His triumphs over his horrible childhood experiences made me re-think my own and I was able to forgive many people out of the past, and thus change my present. I found this book exciting, memorable, and
once I started reading, I was unable to put it down. I purchased several more copies for people I thought would also have a life changing experience with it, and loaned out my personal, autographed copy to others. The feed-back has been tremendous. CONGRATULATIONS BILL!! Another job well done.

Mr. McDonald's book is both entertaining and inspirational. His stories are honest and compelling from start to finish. His first-hand account of the ravages of war are vivid and thought-provoking. This is one of those books that will haunt you pleasantly long after you turned the last page. I highly recommend adding it to your collection. It's one that you'll refer back to often.

Ostensibly a memoir written around the author's tour in Vietnam during 1966-1967, this book is far deeper and more thought-provoking than the usual Vietnam-era `We wuz in Vietnam and you done us wrong" books that fill the marketplace today.

As crew chief / door gunner on a UH-1D Huey helicopter, author William H. McDonald saw and experienced sufficient combat for him to win a Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, as well as 14 Air Medals; his combat exploits alone would make for an enthralling story.

But while fighting in Vietnam was a major part of McDonald's life, it by no means consumed him, as his book illustrates. "A Spiritual Warrior's Journey" is a collection of absorbing and charming vignettes and slices of McDonald, from early childhood through his marriage, to his active `retirement' and subsequent return to Vietnam.

McDonald's story has an appeal to those who believe in a higher power, and to be more definitive, a compassionate higher power that assists and looks out for those human beings receptive to God's love and directions. His book is replete with stories of his life in which a higher power interceded to keep him alive, keep him fed, and keep him on what he believes is the right path in his life. And fortunately so, because his recounting of how poorly his mother treated him in his early years, and continued to treat him badly as he matured, is truly saddening. It would have been easy for the author to sink into the morass of drugs and alcohol as did many veterans of his era, yet it is clearly his belief in this higher power that kept his attitude and life far happier and more satisfied than most.

"A Spiritual Warrior's Journey" is a unique book, and one well worth reading. Written in a casual, conversational, and very personal style, it is surprisingly understated yet very positive : Yes, the author has had a difficult childhood, yes, combat in Vietnam was cruel, bloody, and merciless, but for those who can keep their eye on the bigger cosmic picture, you are not only not alone, but there is a higher power who always has your back.

Life's journey for all of us is as distinctive as our fingerprints. Bill McDonald's remarkable journey --- from tragedies to triumphs --- is a beautifully detailed trip through his childhood to the Vietnam War and into an adulthood of wisdom. His insights teach us about ourselves.

But a warning, leave your preconceptions behind. When you open the pages of A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR'S JOURNEY: The Inspiring Life Story of a Mystical Warrior, you are entering a world where the commonplace becomes magical, and coincidence suddenly makes sense.

McDonald is a warrior, a veteran of Vietnam, during which he won the Silver Star. An athlete and prize-winning student, his childhood home was dominated by a violent stepfather and a negligent mother. At the age of nine, he spent a year isolated in a hospital room with a near-fatal disease.

In Vietnam, he saved the lives of many soldiers because he sensed danger that could be avoided. In one case, he refused to allow a helicopter to take off, risking his reputation and a threat of court martial. He had several near-misses in combat when by all rights he should have been killed but bravely saved not only himself but others.

His are not the meanderings of a self-important scribe, but are backed up by U.S. government documents and eye-witnesses.

Throughout the rest of his life, McDonald used his "sense" to raise a family and help others through difficult times. He was also instrumental in the making of the award-winning Vietnam War documentary "Shadow of the Blade," released in theaters in 2003.

I unequivocally recommend this book. Read it. It will change your life for the better. It certainly has mine.

After reading Earl G. Graves's bitter autobiography, I fully expected John H. Johnson's manuscript for success to be riddled with distain. I was pleasantly surprised however to find that Johnson; through such works as, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, and How to Win Friends..., by Dale Carnegie, made a fortune turning social negatives into profitable and professional positives. Having met eight U. S. Presidents along the way, Johnson's autobiography is a refreshing treatise on determination. It should be noted that much of Johnson's success came about before integration, when the African American community lived by the, "it takes a village," mentality. The nurturing he was provided during the early years provided for a favorable turn of events ultimately guiding him; not without the requisite obstacles, toward a life of success. John H. Johnson's, `Succeeding Against the Odds,' is a testament to the spoils of desire, determination, delayed gratification and a strong belief in ones self. Bravo Mr. Johnson, well done! I issue this glowing review however with a caveat; there are a few grammatical errors; thus, my conservative rating, nevertheless, this was a fun read.

I bought this Book way back in 1992.I always Admired Mr.John H.Johnson for all that He overcame&also for providing Ebony&Jet into my early childhood all the to the present. what He overcame&what He Accomplsihed is truly incredible. He created magazines that spoke&gave Black America a Fair shake at the Newsstand&also showed our world in a up-lifting light. John H.Johnson is a true Pioneer who trail-blazed so much for the better.RIP&this is a Must have Book.

I could definitely related to Mr.Johnson's story. It is inspiring, insightful, and truly a guide to those of us on the often obstacle laden road to success.

Never allow your personal feelings or emotions to close the doors of oppourtunities. Where the is a will there truly is a way. His story is remarkable and his book enables you to understand that yours is too.

Think and Grow Rich...

This book uplifted the self esteem of me and many other African Americans. It was the story of a black man raised in rural Arkansas who had a dream. He figured out at an early age that African Americans wanted to know about what was happening in their community. There where only so many if any stories about us in Life Magazine. And if they did publish something about us it was negative. Why couldn't African Americans have a magazine of their own? One that told stories, positive stories about our lives, our heroes, and our history. This book gave me hope to know that even a lower middle class, African American boy from the Bronx like myself could grow up and strive for greatness amongst our people and the rest of society. John H. Johnson's publications are over 50 years old now and are still giving us stories that uplift our minds, bodies and spirits. Reading this book is not only a joy and a honor but it should be required reading for all African Americans and focal point of reading for all others.

In his book, Johnson states "There is an advantage in every disadvantage, and a gift in every problem" and "I believe that the greater the handicap the greater the triumph." By this he means to say that disadvantage creates opportunities and forces one to do more with less. He believed that disadvantages were "...challenges to be overcome and not facts to be accepted." A disadvantage provides a challenge that, with the proper motivation and mindset, forces one to try a little harder and work a little smarter.

Two distinct disadvantages that Johnson cites are early in his life: 1) Arkansas City (his birthplace) did not provide a high school education for African Americans, and 2) The economic depression stemming from the Great Depression. These two disadvantages, when taken together, provided a sort of "critical mass" that propelled Johnson on the trajectory that is his story -- his move to Chicago and subsequent business endeavors.

The fact that the disadvantages cited above were realized so early in life is worth note. There is a scientific discipline known as "Chaos Theory" that, among other precepts, states that the time evolution of a series of interrelated complex events is extremely sensitive to the system's initial condition. The analogy that may be drawn to Johnson's life is this: had he not moved to Chicago due to his ambition and his Mother's tremendous sacrifices for her son's education, it would have become increasingly difficult for Johnson to have succeeded to the extent he did, as chronicled in his autobiography.

This statement is supported by the many references he makes in the book about the seemingly random events that led to his success as a businessman; Johnson states, "I'm scared someone with pinch me and wake me up." Thus, it seems that the many disadvantages the author faced throughout life, most notably (in his words) early in life, created an advantage, which led him to great wealth and notoriety.

While Wade Cook is primarily known for his savvy investment strategies, Wade is also a keen thinker with a positive mental mindset. He believes in America and wants to make everyone aware of the opportunities available only in America.America is indeed the land of opportunity where everyone can reach the stars, if only they will step up on their toes just a little bit.

This book will make you feel proud to be an America; to live in the greatest country in the world. Mr. Cook is obviously very proud of his country and didn't forget where he came from and why he has reached such extraordinary success.In todays world, that is unusual.Hats off to America and Wade Cook.

After Business Buy the Bible, I would rate this book; Success: American Style as Cook's most important book to date.

This is why foreigners have saved and planned to come to America.
It's SUCCESS: AMERICAN STYLE.

This is why we have FREE ENTERPRISE here.
It's SUCCESS: AMERICAN STYLE.

This is why Americans are far wealthier than people in any other country. It's SUCCESS: AMERICAN STYLE.

And this book tells me and all of us a lot about Mr. Wade Cook,
SUCESS: AMERICAN STYLE and a very proud American no doubt.

Notice there are no negative reviews here. I guess that tells us a lot about the bashers. I seriously doubt if Wades ever present bashers will ever read this book. Too bad--It's their loss!

And what a great book to shut Wades ever present detractors up. Only in this great country, does anyoe and everyone have the opportunity to reach the stars.Success American Style: Unfortunately terrorists and Wade bashers will never read and benefit from this outstandin work.Great book Wade. Keep em coming.

America is truly the land of opportuity.I found this book very motivational, inspiritional and rekindled my faith in the American Dream.This may be Mr. Cooks most important book to date (especially after 911). I also recommend Business Buy The Bible and Don't Set Goals The Old Way.These books will get your attitude tuned and help you reach those lofty goals that all too often lay dormant inside you.

Ok, I will freely admit that this may not be considered by some to be a scholarly historical assessment. I have been interested in the reign of Louis XIV since childhood when my mother purchased for me a coffee table book of photographs of Versailles. I wondered what could possibly have taken place at such a monstrous and wonderful palace. Since then I have read at least a dozen books on the period which tend to focus on the development and impact of absolutism in 17th century Europe. But this little book is a gem because of its author. Nancy Mitford was the daughter of an English Baron and spent her life as both an academic and a socialite. Her telling of the lives that swirled around Versailles palace is authenticated by the impression one gets that she would have been completely at ease in that setting. This book was written in 1966, just 7 years before her death. Her style sounds more like gossip than history, but is generally regarded as very well-researched. I warn you that if you read this book or one of her other historical biographies, you are in danger of becoming hooked on Mitford and will probably seek out some of her other well-loved books. This was a very enjoyable book and I find myself going back to certain chapters from time to time. One of the most memorable portions is the end where she describes a ghoulish sacrilege; the looting and desecration of the tombs during the revolution. As any good book will, it fascinated me and left me wanting to know more.

Nancy Mitford is best known as an author of witty, elegant novels like The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. In the 1950s and 1960s she also produced a number of historical works, of which The Sun King is one of the best.

The Sun King is a personal biography of Louis XIV. It does not deal in great detail with the political, military, or economic issues of Louis XIV's reign but primarily focuses on his personal life and that of his family. Louis married his double first cousin Marie Therese of Spain (she being his genetic sister for all intents and purposes, the reader is amazed that his family turned out as strong and healthy as they did). He also had three major mistresses and a string of casual acquaintanceships which produced a number of illegitimate children. His numerous relations also produced a quantity of children and had many extramarital relationships.

A major part of the book deals with the construction of Versailles. Indeed the book seems almost to be a biography of the chateau. The profuse illustrations, including many photographs of the chateau and its grounds, add immeasurably to the pleasure of reading this work.

But the most compelling reason for reading The Sun King is to enjoy Mitford's elegant, witty, prose style, which is as much in evidence here as in her novels.

Here's "Lifestyles of the Obscenely Wealthy and Powerful"! I admit I'd never read much about this period of history (I'm fond of joking that my in-depth knowledge of politics and history more or less ends with Elizabeth I's death), but the bit I read at the bookstore made this book irresistible. I passed up an Alison Weir for this, but I don't regret the choice at all. It is both charming and knowledgable, with a witty, personable, almost gossipy tone.

There's a lot of information here, packaged with lots of pictures and glossy pages. It is a lovely book to look at purely on an aesthetic level. But do take the time to actually read it! Though sparse in areas, it is a rich look at the life of Louis, and at the lifestyle of a courtier of his day. The creation of Versailles is gone into in much detail, as are sexual politics and wartime attitudes. Mostly this focuses on Louis' personal life and that of his court and how Versailles came about, so there isn't much here about actual wars or about international politics. But what there is is just stupendous. I'd call this a must-have for a beginner in French history. I'm very glad I got it.

Nancy Mitford came to me by way of this book and, ignorant of the incredible talents that lie with her, her sisters and the aristocratic family into which she was born. Since then, I have devoured Nancy's fiction, her personal history and I have much more to learn. However, it is her talents as a biographer and historian, perhaps best exemplified with this book, that I believe she achieves the realization of her greatest gift; that is to send life into the dead hand of history. In "The Sun King" history comes alive as I have truly never experienced. Here is a book that takes heretofore one dimensional characters and fills their frames with humanity, giving them dimemsionality, life. She uncovers the perspective that sheds light on each characters good and bad side, turning Louis XIV, Monsieur, The King's wives, his children, in fact the whole of the court at Versailles into a vision in one's head that makes it easy to understand why the Ancien Regime in France can still provide relevance to a contemporary world that approximates it so little. Relevance and topic interest, to be sure, is the most amazing feat for a historian to achieve. Nancy Mitford with "The Sun King" stands among rarified company in such an achievement.

This book is an absolutely amazing piece of work. I was introduced to it while looking for audiobooks on ITunes. The audiobook was so enjoyable that I felt compelled to purchase the actual book to read along with it.

Mitford makes each of the historical figures come alive, and makes an opulent and enclosed society accessible to readers of any age. The work is gossipy enough to be interesting, but not to such a degree as to detract from the historical accuracy. I would recommend "The Sun King" to anyone who wishes to learn more about the age of France's greatest king and the people that surrounded him.

The only drawback is that for one to fully appreciate the book, they should have a very basic knowledge of French and European history (at least as far as names and dates are concerned). Having long been interested in history, I did not find this a problem, but I can see how one who was not familiar may find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Otherwise, this book is about as close to perfection as I've seen.