Humanities Books

This book is a good introduction to Foil fencing. It does have some dated pictures but the information given still serves favorably for the new foil fencer. It should be clear this book should be used in addition to current lessons being taken to be able to extract the information correctly.

A simple and complete introduction to the sport. The text is a little dated but still accurate. Probably the best introductory book for the money.

This is a clearly written basic introduction to Olympic-style sport foil fencing, with good illustrations. It is much more readable than most others, and is written for a U.S. audience. Foil is the weapon most often used to teach beginners, and though I am a sabre fencer I found this book very useful during my first year.

A REVIEW BY NICK EVANGELISTA:

This book has been around for quite a while, and for good reason. It is a fine, basic volume on fencing. I recommend it.

Instructively organized, beautifully written, and edited to include representive artists in painting, sculpture, and architecture, even "environmental art," over the most significant Western styles and periods, this general text glows with some of the best reproductions of visual art ever produced. The first two chapters, Why Do We Study Art and The Language of Art, provide marvelous distillations of themes and ideas that recur throughout the history. The artful coincidence between the intelligence of the author and the skills of the publisher will enrich all readers, providing endless pleasure.

My order was a new book, perfect condition and arrived very quickly.

Excellent textbook. Full of quality photos of the art in focus. The information is in great quality and to the point.

In a word - comprehensive. This book is beautiful from cover to cover and covers most of what you would expect, but adds detail in terms of comparing works of art in small side bars. A painting of a reclining Venus is brought up in sections covering later time periods to show the influence early art work had on the pieces of the day. A significant covering of 20th century art is also important to note as with that period now closed, we can see that it is more than just about Campbell's soup cans by Worhal.

I had the misfortune of having the flu but the recovery passed quickly as I spent literally most of the day reading through this book and reaquainting myself with the foundations of art. Now I see the influence of various forms of art in almost everything around me. As a designer I like to think that what I produce is new. Of course the best design borrows from the past...even if its a web page layout or corporate brocure. This coffee table sized book inspires me to realign and recognize that great art is to be inspiring as well as revolutionary.

I can hardly wait to get into the CD ROM again, which on first pass seems to beg for another sick day.

This book is translated nicely. I found it easily readable and digestible. Karl Barth's insights into the humanity of Christ are needed in today's culture. Everything hinges on the incarnation of God and Barth illustrates this in his book. Against the backdrop of regurgitated gnosticism--that God could not become a man--this book speaks to the importance of Jesus in the flesh.

Karl Barth needs to be engaged by my generation. We are craving the things of God written in earthy, pedestrian language. This book is a fine read.

Shameless plug--check out my new book Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Thoughts on Intimacy, Community, and Eternity

Karl Barth is arguably one of the greatest Protestant theologians of the last 200 years. This book is one of his most easier to understand material. Here he writes for the average Christian and not the academic scholar.

The writing is engaging as Barth's essays deal with three different subjects, yet, compliment each other. The first essay is "Evangelical Theology in the 19th Century." Barth concisely examines the dangers of liberal theology and the effects it had on the 20th Century.

The second essay is "The Humanity of God" of which the book is titled. This essay is a Christological work and is well worth the read.

The last section, "The Gift of Freedom", deals with the Christian life i regards to God's gift of Freedom. Frredom is a gift from God that He alone can bestow on us.

This is a great work which is very easy to read and quick to get through (only 96 pages). This book will inspire to read more works by this great Christian thinker. Whether one agrees with him or not, Barth is always engaging.

This is a short, readable introduction to the man who has influenced 20th century religiosu thought more than any other. The book is actually a collection of three separate essays. The first is a critical analysis of 19th century theology with its tendency to focus on human beings rather than on God. The second essay addresses the nature of God and God's relationship to humanity. The final essay addresses the issue of Christian freedom and Christian responsibility. The collection is theologically deep enough to entice academics, while readable enough to be approachable by any serious layperson.

Karl Barth insists on an infinite qualitative difference between God and humanity. God is `wholly other', and there is nothing that humankind can do to bridge the gulf; however, God can reach `down' to humanity, and bridge the gulf. This is not something that happens by merit or effort on the part of individuals, but is entirely the grace and gift of God. This is important to understand as part of Barth's `Humanity of God' - God being wholly other is nonetheless wholly other with us. The primary expression of this being with us is through Jesus Christ; however, Barth stops short of saying that this is the only expression.  

It is important to realise what Barth is saying - humanity cannot reach God by philosophy, or theology, or science, or nature. God cannot be reached by religious feelings or actions. It all comes down to God's action toward us, on behalf of us. This was rather radical for Barth to propose, given the longer trend in theology over against which he was operating led to increasing ideas of natural theology and the ability of humanity to attain `divine' heights through learning and increase in knowledge, or indeed through increase in faith and spirituality. 

Barth's `Humanity of God' is written more for the general reader than for academic theologians (my students in theology might feel differently about this!). The book consists of three sections - the first is an essay on Barth's overview of nineteenth century theology. Despite being a twentieth-century theologian (arguably one of the greatest of these), his education and formative study is firmly rooted in the Germanic nineteenth century academic enterprise. The second essay is the one from which the book's title is taken - the Humanity of God. This is an essay on Barth's Christology, in which he looks at God's divinity and humanity in Jesus Christ. The last section deals with the issue of human freedom, and how this freedom is in fact a gift from God.  

There is an interesting tension in Barth's work, in that while Barth on the one hand wants to say that there is nothing, no piece at all, in humanity that can earn, be worthy of, or even try to seek after the infinitely distant God, yet there must be some sort of `turning to' or acknowledgement of God, which stretches uncomfortably for Barth toward an act, or a work that needs doing, hence, works righteousness. This tension is never fully resolved, either in this text, or in Barth's voluminous work elsewhere. 

One feature of Barth's overall theology is the recapturing, primarily for Protestants but also for Christianity as a whole, of the orthodox tradition from the beginning of the history of Christendom; however, this is in may ways subverted by Barth's insistence on the Humanity of God that includes God's capacity for suffering, and that this is key to his true authority. Barth's sense of free will is also at odds with the longer tradition, seeing freedom as coming not before but after God's salvific act. The sinner is a slave, not free at all; freedom comes after the grace of God gives it. 

Barth's work here in this text is important and accessible to Christians Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant. Barth's work at reviving the sense of the importance of the body of the Church and the absolute power of God is an important focus for all Christians to deal with in their theological musings and actions. In some ways, `Humanity of God' was a response to Bonhoeffer's `Cost of Discipleship', which advocated strongly for the need for right action (orthopraxy) in response to the gospel; Barth and Bonhoeffer both experienced the terrors of Germany prior to and during the second World War, albeit in different ways; a comparison of these two texts is worthwhile. 

Barth continues to be of great influence in the theological development of academic theologians and clergypersons world-wide; this text, `The Humanity of God', is perhaps the easiest of his writings, focusing upon some of the most important features of his theological work.

I purchased this book orginally over 12 years ago, when my children were young and while I was running a family home child care business. The kids and I loved it! It's full of wonderful ideas for everyday activities using "recycable" household items such as card board tubes, newspaper, string... many different ideas to keep the projects interesting and the kids busy creating. I recently ordered this book for my grandson and family so as he grows they can enjoy many of the activities together, his mother did growing up.

I get a warm fuzzy every time I remember this fabulous book from my childhood. I used to check it out from the library at my elementary school as often as possible and I still remember some of the projects I made (stained glass windows made out of paper, crayons, and vegetable oil, anyone?). FULL of crafts and fun things on all time and skill levels - perfect for building creativity for kids of all ages. I would recommend this for babysitters, kids, parents, or anyone that needs crafty inspiration!!!

Excellent resourceful book. Great for a rainy day or boredum busting. My church uses it for Sunday School and I use it for my kids. Some Arts and Craft Ideas for all ages and interest. Something to pick up before schools out for the summer. Also try, Majorie Frank's IF YOU'RE TRYING TO TEACH KIDS HOW TO WRITE, YOU GOTTA HAVE THIS BOOK.

I read through this book. I find that this is an awesome resource for teachers, art teachers, students, parents, caregivers, and the list goes on. If you work with children this is a must have for you!!!

There is a paucity of political sociology textbooks available these days. The (2005) Handbook of Political Sociology is an excellent edited collection but does not provide the fundamentals for undergraduates.

Kloby's (2004, second edition) 'Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology' introduces basic concepts and then grounds the approach in political economy. Readers are introduced to basic Marxian principles such as surplus value and imperialism.

He does a great job of explaining how old money (Rockefellers, etc.) got rich and juxtaposes that process next to the high levels of exploitation (including job fatalities) faced by railroad, steel, and oil workers who worked for the old money capitalists.

He goes over neoliberalism in the United States by covering rising income inequality. Not only does he cover rising income inequality, but he goes over its link to health insurance, economic growth, home ownership, the CEO pay explosion, union decline, strike decline, etc. He covers these major transformations/trends in American society. Following this is a chapter that links the first and second half of the book: corporate power plus globalization.

He covers the basics of corporate power, includes an analysis of the Enron scandal.

By chapter five, and this is somewhat unconventional, he introduces major theories in political sociology: pluralist, power elite, marxian structuralist. The following chapters cover development and world-system approaches as well as the Cold War.

At first I did not like that he waited until chapter 5 to introduce theory, but I think it actually works well because the first chapters provide students with concepts of power and historical political economy as well as the corporation.

There could be an expanded coverage of Foucault, surveillance, and the panopticon principle. He does mention COINTELPRO , but this should be expanded to include how racism operates.

Certainly the best political sociology textbook I've yet encountered.

"Few sociology texts extensively review global issues of inequality even as economic inequality grows prolifically and causes significant damage to the world's ethnic minority peoples across all geographic borders. However, Kloby's book accomplishes this feat by extensively reviewing the relationship between transnational corporate exploitation, the extensive reach of Western political institutions, and the alleged "free trade" or neo-liberal policies of the world's richest nation-states and international financial institutions.

Even for those of us who fail to include a political sociology course in our curriculums, this text is a necessity for introductory sociology courses, inequality courses, and criminology courses that dare to take a critical worldview of current socio-economic and political dynamics.

... this book is a necessity for any Introductory Sociology class, not simply political sociology classes. It should be mandatory reading for all sociology students at some point in their undergraduate curriculum and furthermore, a necessary adjunct to any graduate class. Jerry Kloby has spoken the truth in the fashion of Noam Chomsky and bell hooks..."

Read the full review at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_200407/ai_n9434774

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology, 2nd edition by Jerry Kloby (Humanity Books) More than ever before the world is being shaped by the interests of transnational corporations and their partners in global financial institutions such as the IMF and WTO. What are the consequences of such concentrated power for the great masses of people throughout the world? One clearly emerging pattern is the growing disparity between the developed nations and the rest of the world. In this excellent analysis of power distribution and its effects, sociologist Jerry Kloby presents data on the increase of wealth and income inequality, and argues that many of the policies pursued by the developed nations and transnational corporations have led to a deterioration of both living standards and the environment in many parts of the world. He also discusses a power shift in the United States that has weakened the working class.
Kloby creates a comprehensive picture of global society from many diverse events and trends-local and international, contemporary and historical. The many graphs and tables containing supporting data guide the reader toward a heightened understanding of the complex forces underlying contemporary developments. He also clearly explains the meaning and relevance of such sophisticated but important terms as neoliberalism, dependency, civil society, and social capital.
This fully revised and updated edition will have enduring value for students and scholars of sociology, political science, economics, and international relations.

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology, 2nd edition by Jerry Kloby (Humanity Books) is an invaluable resource for the student or professor of social science that looks critically at global power and inequality. At once impressive for its breadth, depth and readability, this work speaks to audiences beyond the classroom and should therefore earn a more popular readership among activists, organizers and engaged citizens of diverse political orientation or interest.

The book begins with an introduction to the origins, rise and crises of capitalism and its attendant socio-political conditions along with theories of political economy that prepare the reader for a tour of economic inequality in the United States, corporate and state power, and global development.

The chapter that directly addresses the sociology of development provides an honest and cogent appraisal of the prevailing theoretical approaches to development in our time in a way that is potable for both high school and college students and rich enough for scholars of inequality and development.

Overall, Kloby's book is a grand and critical tour of US and global power relations in the 20th century and the present that concludes with valuable speculation about grassroots challenges to corporate, state and neoliberal hegemony.

The wealth of data and information that is invested in the work provides a valuable resource for classroom discussion and an unmistakable transparency to the skeptical reader. I have used Inequality, Power and Development in the classroom with great success and I will be sure to continue.

It's easy to read and the structure is logical. Both picture and text describes the movement and how it should be executed. It's good for both the student and the teacher, and contains beside the descriptions of movements the basic of jazzhistory, music theory, stretch and a lot more. It's a good book.

I teach jazz dance in a college setting and recommend this book for my students. Jump into Jazz breaks the art of Jazz dance down beautifully. I have found this book to be extremely helpful and concise. The illustrations are easy to understand, and the worksheets at the back of the book are a wonderful way for my students to test their understanding of the ideas presented.

I bought Jump Into Jazz for my daughter who is a High School Dance Teacher, and she has found this book, recommended to her by another dance teacher, to be a thoroughly useful tool that she refers to daily...excellent.

I bought this for my neice and I have been the favorite Uncle ever since!

I was going to write this review in Spanish, but, all the other ones are in English, so I will play along...

This books has one passage, when Seguismundo talks to the girl for the first time, when he says:

Con cada vez que te veo
nueva admiración me das,
y cuando te miro más,
aun más mirarte deseo.
Ojos hidrópicos creo
que mis ojos deben ser;
pues cuando es muerte el beber,
beben más, y de esta suerte,
viendo que el ver me da muerte,
estoy muriendo por ver.

God, I never get tired of reading that passage, it is the best, my favorite in the world.

Loved the rest of the book.

Ps: For the lawyers: The above passage is copyrighted, blah, not mine, yours, blah.

This book is one of the most comprehensive works of Spanish literature. It forces you to think about honor, loyalty, love, and dreams. Perception is reality in this world created by Calderon de la Barca. This is a timeless creation.

This play by Pedro Calderon is one of the treasures of Spanish literature. From the golden age of hispanic civilisation comes this tale of a country in turmoil, the mistreated prince at the heart of it all, and a mysterious woman who brings order out of chaos.

Este libro es bien confuso al principio pero despues que empiezas a leer te das cuenta de que es muy interesante, asi que lean este libro de Pedro Calderon, que sin duda alguna no lo van a poder soltar. La vida es sueno es un libro que te lleva a realizar que es verdad que la vida sin lugar a duda es y sera simplemente un sueno del que no puedes escapar, con cosas buenas y cosas malas tambien. LA VIDA ES SUENO, te va a facinar!!!!

This is a Treasure. From the beginning to the end I felt transported through time and space, accross the world of Doug Hauger that ought to be fictional or science fictional, but it feels just so real because the scenes we are witnessing are vivid. The author manages skillfully to give us an impression of what it was like to be a Soldier in a Roman war, that further triggers thoughts about the condition of being a Soldier and the choices he is confronted with as well as the consequences of his actions. We are given the opportunity for a moment to step into the shoes of different people through history and see the law of cause and effect, action and reaction, karma. A story that grabs you to the core, written beautifully and deeply thought and soul provoking, one you will want to read quickly first and then again slowly to savor the experience and reflect.

This book uses good imagery and a very thought-provoking subject to weave an interesting theme into a great book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a deeper look into their own lives.

Lepidoptera is amazing, engaging, keeps you on your toes and delves deeply into that persistent constant known as change. Like all species in the order Lepidoptera which undergo drastic transformation, the characters in this book undergo analogous metamorphoses as they learn from their choices and beliefs. I have now read it twice and I loved it even more the second time. It is one of those books which keeps you thinking, pondering and contemplating long after you have finished reading it. Thank you Mr. Hauger for writing such a tantalizing novel - I am looking forward to your next work!

This book is written very well and has such an amazing story/ journey in it. I just finished reading it and loved it so much I am immediatly going to read it again (I never do that!).
I strongly recommend it!

I met Jim Burke five years ago when I purchased his book The English Teacher's Companion. It remains an invaluable source in my practice. Since then, I have added each one of Mr. Burke's books to my collection and have always found relevant and concrete information that I can take into my classroom the next day or use over the course of a unit. Jim Burke's Letters to a New Teacher is the next best thing to having Jim Burke in the room next door.

In the book, coauthored with Joy Krajicek, Mr. Burke allays the fears of a first year teacher who seeks advice on a range of topics-from classroom discipline to teaching writing to creating a unit. Each response, written in a convivial style, offers concrete solutions to Joy's problems and has already proved beneficial to me in the middle of my sixth year teaching. When creating a unit, for example, Burke offers several specific suggestions that will allow the teacher to create steps that assure student success. When teaching writing, this book has helped me to see that not only is learning to write is a process, but also learning to teach writing is as much of a process. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I learned from this book is that it helped to reaffirm for me that accepting the calling of being a teacher means accepting an eternal process of learning. There never will be an end, per se, only a deepening.

Burke includes several poems in his responses to Joy. Each one helped me to rethink what ideas I have about the teaching profession, about my students and about the ideas I have for my classroom. I strongly recommend teachers add this title to their collection. The letters in it will only help to reach for the excellence in ourselves that we demand of our students.

Jim Burke is an inspirational teacher; his books have long been a source of support and wisdom. What is so wonderful about "Letters" is the insight Jim and Joy give into the very real questions, struggles, and satisfaction we all experience as teachers. It is refreshing to read such a honest portrayal of the hearts of two teachers. I came away from the book hopeful, knowing that there are others asking the same questions I ask, even in my fifth year in the profession. Reflective teachers will relate to this book and be helped by it, no matter how long they've been at the job.

Jim Burke is one of those rare people who, when you ask him a question, turns and looks you full in the face before he gives you a reply. You get the sense that he is really listening-ruminating over his own appreciation for the question as well as his desire to genuinely answer. In his new book Letters To A New Teacher, Jim does just that. He doesn't rest on his accomplishments as an award-winning teacher--dispensing golden sound bites of truth and then walking away. Rather, he invites the reader into a conversation. A conversation initiated by Joy Krajicek. He shares the uncertainty, the failures, and the discoveries of the life of a teacher. He hears the yearning of Joy, who like many of us who teach, long to grow in our understanding of the relationship between teaching and life. For Jim teaching is not merely about a subject as much as it is about a lifestyle--a lifestyle of learning how to listen, how to recognize our own gifts, how to challenge ourselves to excellence, and how to grow our students. This is a book to be shared with every teacher, whether novice or veteran. What emerges is a fountain that brims over with encouragement.

I just finished "Letters" and I gotta say, what a tremendous book!! It is a different text than ones previously written by Jim and truthfully, I was exceptionally impressed by the intimacy. Mr. Burke reveals so much of his true self -- both as a person and as a classroom educator -- that I now feel like I know him as a friend now that I have read this book. In certain places, it's literally like a stealing a wonderful glimpse into a man's soul -- really good stuff!!!

Obviously, Jim has a gift for words. The voice of the book is strong, distinct and nakedly honest-which I absolutely loved. If there is one element which might have been my favorite, it's the fact that Jim never skirts away from the confusion, the lack of surety and the imprecision of our profession. (NOTE: I am a teacher as well.) What we do is so much more art than science and in this world of standardized tests which only measure us in a scientific manner, Jim unabashedly address the "grey" in an NCLB universe that only evaluates the black and white. To be so brave about this admission, the conceit that, "Hey, there are times when I am simply going on faith here and there I times I fall flat on my face," is bold. Especially because society's impression of what an educator should be is so unrealistic.

The misperception about educators is that they are professionals who should know exactly what they are doing at all times and know exactly how to do it in an effective manner which can be statistically quantified by evaluations and measurements. And Jim spends quality time saying, "Hey Joy, it's cool to flub it up. That's how you learn to become better in a job where you never stop either striving to become better or learning." But society doesn't want to hear that. Not when Joy's students are the ones who will ostensibly suffer. No parent wants their kids to be taught by a teacher who is inexperienced and lacks educational mastery. Yet, Jim so honestly admits that even he, the author of 13 books, an award winning veteran of the classroom, a dedicated professional (which, BTW, Jim Burke's commitment to education is the HIGHEST I have ever seen - it makes me feel like a complete and total slacker), blah, blah, blah... even Jim Burke still finds himself "flubbing it up" now and then. This book is just so human.

In my estimation, Mr. Jim Burke is to be saluted for giving voice to the paradox that is teaching. We strive to be great but we are set up by the public education system at large to be mediocre at best, with too little time, too many students and not enough resources. Yet still, we forge on.

And this book inspired me to keep doing so.

Read this book -- you will be a better person for it!!!

This is a wonderful resource for the classroom. It really cut down on the amount of work I had to do to put together a unit.

I am very happy with my purchases. I got both Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird and cannot believe all of the information, activities and ideas! Everything I need to teach my ninth graders the content standards, and the novels. I wish I had found these a few years ago--they would have been a lifesaver for me as a new teacher. These Literature Guides were recommended to me--and now it is my turn to do the same! Great product! VERY highly recommended.

I just received my order and I am absolutely floored with the amount of materials available. Clearly focused on my needs as a high school teacher, and clearly DOES meet the content standards. I have recommended this line of guides to several teacher friends. Yeah! I can have a LIFE!

I ordered another lit guide (Of Mice and Men) and was very pleased, so I ordered TKAM for my 9th graders also. From vocabulary, to quizzes, to a unit test, to their phenomenal "Standards Focus" activities, I can relax and TEACH! What a concept! This company truly delivers on what they claim. Highly recommended.