Works Books

The book is very useful to understand Ayurveda's principles and the remedies seem very good (I already tried some and they worked quite well).

I consider this book as a very valuable secret, which everyone must have. A must buy!!!

Any Metaphysical person will enjoy learning about alternative ways to keep your body in tune with the Natural way of Living!

Being relatively new to Ayruveda lifestyle, I am reading as much as I can. This book is a wealth of information and easy to understand. Vasant Lad is very well known in the field. If you are interested in how Ayruvedic can heal, this is the one to read. Highly Recommended.

I have already used a few of these and can't believe the difference. It's true ayurveda too, not the other stuff that is sometimes mixed in, just tried and true Ayurveda to help yourself, your family or future patients for more serious students. I think this should be in every household actually.

The writing in this book may well be described as a cross between PG Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh. If you enjoy those authors you will enjoy Saki.

Hector Hugh Munro, who used the pen name Saki, is, along with Guy de Maupassant, O. Henry and Anton Chekhov, one of the most best writers of short stories in literature. This collection is well worth reading. I rate it at four stars because compared to the other aforementioned writers it has too narrow a focus. Saki's stories are almost unfailingly humorous and concerned with the foibles of upper middle class British society in the period from about 1890 until 1915. In this sense they lack the variety of O. Henry, the poignancy of Maupassant and the scope and harsh reality of Chekhov. The humor is also very, very British. This evaluation may be a bit unfair especially since all the other reviewers have given it 5 stars.

Having said all that, the stories are still very enjoyable and a delight to read. Many of the stories are about cynical young men, children behaving badly and often involve animals. Some are quite clever and funny in any culture. Most of them are quite short--three or four pages--and thus can be read in a brief period. One can read them while eating a meal, when riding on a bus or train, or in any situation where you have a few minutes to spare.

The book is divided into six parts, but this division is largely artificial and without real meaning. The first part (Reginald) deals with the affairs of a young man of that name. Reginald is a young man given to making sharp repartees to disrupt dinner parties. For example in the first story, which bears his name, he asks guests to their utter confusion, "What did the Caspian see?" In Reginald On Besetting Sins we find, "the cook was a good cook as cooks go; and as cooks go she went."

Part three, The Chronicles of Clovis, deals for the most part with another young man, the irrepressible Clovis, a seventeen-year-old scamp. Here we find perhaps Saki's most famous story, The Unrest Cure. Clovis is riding on a train when he overhears a man saying how boring his life is. Noting the man's address Clovis vows to make it less so. Upon arriving home the man receives a telegram saying that the bishop is coming to his house and his secretary will arrive shortly to make the arrangements. The secretary, Clovis of course, soon arrives and begins disrupting the life of the household. He informs the man that the bishop has arrived and is in the library and that the real purpose of the bishop's visit is to kill all the Jews in the town! The man is horrified and proposes to leave to get the police but Clovis tells him that the house is surrounded by people (including boy scouts!) with orders to kill anyone attempting to leave. Shortly thereafter local Jews began to show up in response to telegrams sent to them by Clovis. Chaos abounds and the man's boredom is definitely cured.

Saki's descriptions of people get right to the point: "He has delightful hair and a weak mouth. I shall take him with me to Homborg (sic) or Cairo." He describes a corpulent musician getting up from a nap thusly: "the musician's flabby redundant figure sat up in bewildered semi-consciousness like an ice cream that had been taught to beg." Then there is this description of the Salvation Army: " It was quite interesting to be at close quarters with them, they're so absolutely different to what they used to be when I first remembered them in the eighties. They used to go about unkempt and disheveled, in a sort of smiling rage with the world, and now they're spruce and jaunty and flamboyantly decorative, like a geranium bed with religious convictions."

Some of the better stories include The Lull about a politician who takes a respite from campaigning with the help of a precocious little girl; Dusk, a story about the dangers of believing people who ask you for money; The Story Teller, in which a man on a train tells a story to some children that they will never forget; Forewarned, in which a young woman who has been living isolated in a rural area all her life suddenly goes to visit in the city and finds the politics too much for her sensibilities; and Hyacinth, in which a small boy by that name disrupts an election.

The best story in my opinion is the one that isn't funny. The Image of the Lost Soul tells of a church statue (the Lost Soul) and a small bird who become friends. But there friendship proves fleeting and the church bell rings out the moral--"after joy comes sorrow." The last few stories are about war (Saki served in WW I and was killed by a sniper in 1916) and tend to be more reflective.

All in all these stories should not be missed.

For a perfect summer read try picking up an old favorite... this collection of the work of Saki (real name: Hector Hugh Munro) includes over 130 short stories, three novels and three plays and sports an introduction by Noel Coward. Though written 100 years ago, this vast body of work is amazingly fresh and contemporary. Many of the stories are under four pages long, but they manage to paint amusing pictures of the privileged class as seen through the eyes of an obviously gay, brilliant and somewhat bored young man who uses a sharp knife to pry up the upper crust and expose what's beneath. Sample the stories - his work is available on line - [.........]

Saki is the consummate stylist and chronicler of a stuffy Victorian England nearing the end of its reign and world dominance. He savors the comedy of manners with all its many class-based restrictions and inbred peculiarities and finds ways to highlight--through ironic twists of fate--the inherent and underlying pathos of a people so stuck on themselves they frequently are tripped up on their own vanities.Therein lies the "beauty" of a Saki short story: he fleshes out the quirks and peccadillos of human nature--its pomp and its farcical facets--and we come away the better (and ennobled) for it. If it's a Saki story--there's subtle mirth and magical missteps awaiting the reader.One wonders what great additions to his rather slim body of work there would've been had he not perished--fighting in the war that was supposed to end all war: World War I.... A man of "privilege" who purposely sought no special dispensation during the vicissitudes of warfare when mustard gas hung ominously in the air and men were often taken by disease sooner than they were by enemy fire. A short life it was for the "old boy," H.H. Munro...one that lives on in his brilliant body of work....Well-told tales that will live on as long as questing readers come calling at the "House of Saki."

Saki (H.H. Munro) writes with a facility and style that guides the reader unerringly to the surprise denouement in which propriety is set on its head. His bitingly clever turns of phrase are made bearable by his eagerness to challenge and thwart the norms of society.

This is the third copy of this book that I have purchased for relatives affected by prostate cancer. All have praised it as an invaluable guide to their own treatment, as it allowed them to participate in their own care and decision making.

This is definitely a great source of information about prostate cancer and how to modify diet to minimize the effects of the malady. This basic approach should be common knowledge, perhaps more widely taught in schools, for all men around the world, of all ages, but unfortunately it is not. What I find most interesting is the various foods that can shrink prostate cancer cells, and should therefore be consumed regularly, such as broccoli, tomato paste, watermelon, and soy, and also foods that feed or cause growth in those cells, and therefore should be avoided, such as red meat and dairy fats. Although I have not finished the book, it is rapidly affecting my personal food preferences. I don't know for certain if I am accomplishing what I intend, but I get a pretty good sense of optimism from reading this book.

Dr Walsh's book is a must read for the older American male. Well written and quite detailed, it is easily understood by senior men regardless of their educational background. Reading this book should be recommended by primary care physicians to patients with an abnormal PSA who are referred for an urological consultation.

By the time you are purchasing this book you probably are on your way to having a biopsy or, more likely, have received the report and its not good news....This book is the most comprehensive of all that I've looked at since my own biopsy, though one warning is to keep in mind that surgical techniques have still improved even further since the book went to press a couple years ago....The stress on incontinence after the radical prostatectomy may be overwrought -- or at least I became overwrought with anxiety until I actually spoke with several men who have had the procedure (robotic surgery) in recent months. Compared with those who shared their stories with me who had surgery four to seven years ago, it seems like night and day. So maybe talk to a few folks before reading this book, or else you are likely to despair more than you need to. Very well written, filled with all the detailed information you'll want to know.

Excellent book. It contains everything a man needs to know. This cancer is beatable but each of us needs to take a couple of basic steps to protect us from this desease. It calms the person who is undergoing a removal of the prostate. It need not be life-threatening. Yes it will be painful and bothersome but nothing a man cannot withstand.

Although written so long ago, it really is wonderful for our day and age today! Very practical advise and food for thought in an easy to read style. There is so much to gain from reading this book, written for everyone.

This is an astoundingly helpful book. St. Francis de Sales manages to give all the benefit that you can reap from a spiritual guidance book. In one of the first chapters, he recommends finding an actual spiritual director- best advice. In conjunction with doing so, this is one of the most wonderful little treasures I have come across. It pertains to all people, of all states, too. I have other books- Divine Intimacy, Words of Love, Divine Mercy in My Soul, School of Jesus Crucified... each is priceless. But this little book is especially good- St. Francis speaks so simply, clearly and beautifully, and it is set up that one can easily pick it up and turn to the subject/chapter that he wants particular counsel on right away. This can help you advance quickly in the spiritual life, with confidence and love!

This classic is a wealth of insight and advice for nurturing a devout life. It predates and foreshadows the call for all to be saints at Vatican II and by faithful like Pope John Paul II and Saint Josemaria Escriva to sanctify the ordinary. This is a powerful and profitable book for our times from the great evangelist who won many back to the Catholic faith from the Protestant reformation. For the historical value as a classic it is well worth reading but as a practical devotional toward a truly devout life even today, it is a priceless treasure of the faith.

I was skeptical about starting this book, because most of the saints' writings I have read have been very theological or spiritual in nature, basically above my head. This one is practical and easy to follow. It makes sense for an everyday person who is just trying to grow closer to God. It applies to each individual no matter what your vocation or job and is specifically directed at those who are NOT priests or religious (although they probably would benefit, as well). This is a classic! A winner that will be read and re-read for years to come!

I sought out this book on the advice of a priest and was not expecting the book to as useful as it was! I was immediately drawn into the book as it explained how a devotional life can be integrated into any state of life. I especially was thankful of the effort de Sales puts into explaining what is proper for one to do according to their vocation in life. Though I am Catholic, a Pentecostal friend once asked if Christians can meditate and immediately lent her this book and she has come back to me with many questions on the meaning of certain words, but has otherwise been very glad to read the book!

This book can be easily recommended to anyone seeking a deeper prayer life; young or old, priest or layman, Catholic or Pentecostal.

This massive coffeetable book does exactly what it sets out to do: photographically chronicle the 20th century, showcasing the famous and the not-so-famous. Along with familiar images such as the flag-raising at Iwo Jima, the Buddhist monk immolating himself, the sailor kissing the woman in Times Square on V-J Day, the kneeling girl screaming over the body of one of the Kent State dead, and the man facing down the tanks in Tiananmen Square, there are lesser-known images such as Soviet soldiers leaving Afghanistan in 1989, an alternate scene of a flag-raising at Iwo Jima, a very young Dick Clark sitting among the chart-topping records of 1957, old men lining up to get their social security benefits, and a Muslim groom and Christian bride picking their way through the rubble of Beirut on their way to crossing the Green Line so they could reach her church and get married.

Instead of dividing the book up by decades, it goes by historical era--1900-13, 1914-19, 1920-29, 1930-39, 1940-45, 1946-63, 1964-75, 1976-92, and 1993-99. After all, more often than not things from the previous era are still influencing a new decade, such as how the Seventies were by and large a continuation of the Sixties instead of an entirely new era. Each chapter begins with a short essay by a prominent historian, and each features a "Turning Point" section, focusing on subjects such as space travel, discovering our prehistoric ancestors, closing the gender gap, outlaws, bandits, and mobsters, civil rights, and the conquest of the atom. Each chapter ends with a requiem, highlighting some of the prominent people who passed away during that era. In addition to the usual suspects such as James Dean, Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Charlie Chaplin, and Susan B. Anthony, there are also some lesser-known personalities, such as Albert Woolson (the last surviving Civil War vet), Martha the passenger pigeon (the last of her kind as well), Sen. Cornelius Cole (the last surviving person who voted in President Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial), Aimee Semple McPherson (the now-largely-forgotten evangelist who faked her own kidnapping in the Twenties), and James Naismith (the inventor of basketball).

This is a great book for all those who are interested in 20th century history, and many of the images are bound to bring back memories the readers, whether they were born in the early century, at mid-century, in the later decades of the century, or anywhere in between. (Although it should be noted that some of the pictures are a bit disturbing and graphic and might upset children or even some adults, such as the ones on page 8 and page 178.) One wishes the book were even longer and had been able to include even more images of the past century; there were a couple of events and images I was rather surprised to see excluded, such as the killing fields of Pol Pot's Cambodia, the Armenian Genocide, the fiery end to the stand-off in Waco, the disastrous U.S. excursion into Somalia, the Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics, and the war in Bosnia. Still, in a book this size, one can't expect absolutely everything to be included, and all of the images that are included are stupendous.

I first noticed this book in fourth grade, as my teacher liked collecting interesting books. I ended up reading it cover-to-cover about 6 times. I am a major fan of history, and always have been. I am in the seventh grade now, and when we talk about things in history class, some of the beautiful pictures still come back to me. I also really like how the written part of the chapters are written by authors like Avi. This falls in the class of my "most favorite books of all time," including the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card, The Breadwinner, and any and all E.L. Koningsburg books. A great read!

I bought this book for my 85+ year old mother in law for Christmas 2005. She loved it so much, she later asked me to help her find one for a close family friend. A few weeks later, her sister Corrine came to visit, and they poured over the pictures in her copy of the book - "remembering when" they had seen this or that. They especially loved the pics of San Francisco in 1940's when they were young and going clubbing. I later ordered (yet) another copy for Aunt Corrine's 87th birthday - and she just loved it! It's so hard to buy gifts for someone over 80 - this is a sure fire hit!

Life has done a superb job of pulling the whole century together into one book.I wont't tell you what picture was the first picture the started the book off with.But I'll tell you this;they got it right! This in not only the most important and best picture of the 20th century, but also; the most significient picture to portray what man has done;ever.Check out the book and see if you don't agree.
It must have have been a difficult,but rewarding, task to decide what to include and what had to be sacrificed.Everyone must have their favorite pictures of the century and will find many of them in the book.A very good balance was made between text and pictures.
An excellent book to have or to give as a gift regardless of r age.

Life has done a superb job of pulling the whole century together into one book.I wont't tell you what picture was the first picture the started the book off with.But I'll tell you this;they got it right! This in not only the most important and best picture of the 20th century, but also; the most significient picture to portray what man has done;ever.Check out the book and see if you don't agree.
It must have have been a difficult,but rewarding, task to decide what to include and what had to be sacrificed.Everyone must have their favorite pictures of the century and will find many of them in the book.A very good balance was made between text and pictures.
An excellent book to have or to give as a gift regardless of age.
There are other similar books;but none better.What else would you expect from TIME!

This book covers a lot of stuff in a compact guide. For a short trip, or for a longer trip, it is worth it in terms of value: financial, information and size. It doesn't have extraneous information and it is helpful for walking tours of different neighborhoods. It includes assorted unique details, like about gardens and architecture which makes the information very interesting. And, it even includes information on restaurants and food, making it complete.

My partner Jeb and I returned last week from an amazing trip in Mexico City. We had sought out a guide to the city and found this one online. We had read quite a bit from other sources but found things here that appealed to our sense of wanting to "get to know the place" rather than simply hitting the greatest hits alone.


We quickly found ourselves carrying this book with us as so many moments we spent following Jim Johnston's lead were quite amazing. In addition to fantastic food advice, this guide is written with enough restraint not to squander the impact of "discovery". We had many of these fine experiences - the fantastic cakes at Pasteleria Ideal , the joy of the "wet dog" park in La Condessa, and the surprise on first seeing the psychedelic dining room on the approach to La Gruta were really gratifying examples.


We are already planning future trips to Mexico City and spending time in La Roma and La Condessa made us think to seek out short term rentals there. This book shares special information not found in other guides and is written with a personal passion that will really add value and authenticity to your trip.

I just returned from Mexico City and cannot say enough about how much I depended on this book. While any mainstream guidebook can point out the common sites, this one takes you off the beaten track and leads you through tours of less frequented neighborhoods. Its like having a (very well informed) local right there with you. I felt as if I could make an entire trip just by following the walking tours and food recommendations. Certainly get another book for details like street and subway maps, but use this one to plan your days and get to know the real Mexico City.

The little book on Mexico City by Jim Johnston is quite wonderful. As someone who has visited there many times, he still offers places that were new to me, and frankly, it was fun to read about places I'd already seen, as he brought a fresh point of view to them. Getting taxis in this bustling town is crucial and I much appreciated his listing all the hidden spots where one could get a safe cab. His one page riffs on various cultural aspects of Mexico are gems, especially one on surrealism and another of friendliness. This book does what any first-rate travel guide should do, it made me want to get on the first plane back to Mexico City.

I bought several travel guides before I went to Mexico City. This was the only one that I took with me every day before I left the hotel. The walking tours, restaurant recommendations and travel information are exactly what you need for an insider's look into Mexico City. I lent the book to some family before they went to Mexico City and they agreed, this was the best Mexico City book.

Well written and balanced/clear prespective on teachings of Islam. Also included huge reference of various scholars & personalities in Islam. A kinda of book one just can't get affort to ignore not matter what madhab one is following.

This is an excellent source of reference to learn about the Islamic law. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to learn about this subject.

well laid out, wonderful index. if you ever have a question about your conduct/practice (if a Shafi'i) this is the only book you'll need.

As an American, bought this to find out what exactly Islamofacists mean when they refer to Sharia Law. I found that Islamic law is quite scary and barbaric - especially when applied to women. Next time I hear a muslim cleric on TV saying that we need Sharia in the US, at least I'll know exactly what he's talking about. I heartily recommend this book to any freedom loving Westerner so they can be informed on exactly what the Muslim civil rights organizations (like CAIR) in the US are trying to accomplish.

Very well organized and useful as a reference. An encyclopedia of Islamic thought and practice. A necessary companion if a westerner tries to understand the Quran and how it is put into practice, at least by some. highly recommended.

For someone who is interested in religion and who is taking his/her Kabbalah studies one step beyond the book is delightful. It includes around five different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah and it comments you the reading fragment by fragment, therefore providing you a full understanding of the whole text and also a detailed, useful, and interesting explanation of Kabbalah as a whole, even providing you with spiritual exercises or a way to practice what the text says

Most impressive representation. While the subject is deep and extremely thought provoking, the writer has made every attempt to explain the subject in explicit detail.

I especially appreciated the use of root words in Hebrew to further clarify definitions. As well as the explanation of pronunciation of Hebrew terms, as in where to place the tongue to make the correct sound.

I would like for there to have been more direct instructions for meditation.

photoartist4u

I am not Jewish, nor am I an expert on Kabbalistic text, but I know a precious gem when I find one. As others have said here, this is NOT for the beginning student of Kabbalah. I really enjoyed how Aryeh Kaplan included the Hebrew text, along with a translation, then followed by extensive interpretations of each line. It is an intense read--really enjoyed the section on the 231 gates (ironically, I nearly flunked geometry in high school).

If you are truly ready for more intense study of Kabbalah, then this translation of the Sefer Yetzirah may be exactly what you are looking for.

Rabbi Kaplan does a wonderful job (as he does in all of his works) of explaining the primary text says and of opening the way for further study (through his copious footnotes).

The diagrams are extremely helpful, as are the recommendations concerning the "practical" use of Sefer Yetzirah.

However, even for those grounded in Jewish studies (as a spiritual path, not as an academic field), this work is NOT recommended as a "first step" in the esoteric. Try Rabbi Kaplan's "Innerspace."

One copy is at my bedside. One copy is in my study scrawled with notes, quotes and notations! I found the second copy at a bookstore bargain table! I didn't even blink, it was bought by me. I knew a second copy would give me one to share. This book is what Kabbalah is. An amazing book. Simply, amazing.

The clarity and insight of the Summa is unrivaled in philosophical theology. St. Thomas is dedicated to finding the truth and attaining happiness. He pursues the truth with formal logic and applies Aristotle, Scriptures, Church Fathers et alia to reach solid conclusions which make perfect sense. Like Euclid, Aquinas requires some postulates, i.e. the existence of God and God's revelation of Himself. Positing these, he builds a solid invulnerable theology which must convince any intelligent reader.

This is the definitive work of Catholic theology and is still studied in all the divinity schools. I had the two-volume set included in the Great Books of the Western World. It isn't the sort of work one goes to for a little light reading, obviously, but as an exercise in applied classical logic as well as theology, it is one of the most important ever written.

Thomas is important to both mystical and non-mystical traditions within Christianity, and for me the most interesting aspects of the work are where he attempts to deduce the various aspects and attributes of God. This was a popular exercise in the area of natural philosophy, and even mathematicians with a religious bent, such as Newton and Leibnitz, had a go at it, Newton referring to God in his Principia (his mathematical theory of universal gravitation) as "...an infinite and elastic spirit." And of course Leibnitz is famous for the ontological argument for God's existence.

In addition, Thomas was also concerned with everyday life and ethics and morality, with a person's natural and supernatural life, countering heretical thinking, and the nature of beauty. He influenced early Renaissance artists such as Fra Angelica, who followed Thomas's three canons of beauty: immaterial purity of form, luminous clarity of color, and harmonious beauty of proportions, and Angelica's paintings are really meditations upon these three principles, in some ways not so different from the way Perugino's paintings (Leonardo's teacher) were sometimes meditations on spatial geometry.

Finally, you may know the story that when Thomas was in school, he was very quiet in class and so his fellow students thought him dull. But at the conclusion of one class when the teacher gave the final exam, he was the only one with the right answer. Sort of reminds me of those stories about Einstein. :-) All of which just goes to show you that you can't judge a book by its cover--nor the Summa Theologica, too, I might add.

I purchased this Five-volume set after taking a couple of philosophy courses, which I feel like I should recommend to anyone starting to dive into this hefty text. If you don't feel like taking a class, perhaps some of the secondary texts written by philosophers about Aquinas will help in reading this fantastic set of info.
Aquinas forms his arguments in a way that is almost flawless. I am not Catholic, yet I find this to be an explanation of Catholic doctrine that makes me almost want to convert. For anyone from the atheist to the devout catholic, this text is a window into one of the greateast natural and revealed theologians to ever document his thoughts. Footnotes are aplenty to send you on your way to other documents, especially Augistine, so be prepared for an obsession.

Mike Yandell

Probably the best sys theo work ever. Oh, that more fellow Protestants would pour over this text!

These volumes have withstood the test of time in the worlds of religion and philosophy. Reading the words of one of the greatest minds in history is both entertaining and educational. This set is a must have for anyone who likes to study philosophy. For a beginner, it may be beneficial to get one of the many Aquinas readers or help texts, but it doesn't take very long to catch on and soon you will find yourself just reading at your own pace, making your own ideas about what Aquinas is all about.

I train Ving Tsun in the Moy Yat lineage, so my review comes from that perspective. I think Sifu Belonoha's book is an amazing reference guide that can supplement serious Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) training. Bear in mind, however, that this is not a book you buy to learn Ving Tsun kung fu from. It is supplemental material if you are a student in training. It could also be used as a guide for a new person to show what you can expect from ving tsun training.

The book covers details in applications and forms, diet recommendations, work out habits, ving tsun history and lineage, etiquette, customs and so forth. The level of detail of this information is unmatched in its thoroughness and accuracy, and frankly, this is the first and last ving tsun reference book you will ever need. I recommend using this book with the guidance of your sifu, and to not dig further ahead in your training than you are introduced to concepts in class. But this is a priceless supplement to review techniques and forms you have already been introduced to.

If you're looking for a book that will teach you kung fu: don't. Find an instructor, then buy this book.

Being a student for 13 yrs, it was good to find a book that covered so many topics of wing chun and his approach to it all. While I may not agree with a lot the author had to write, too much outdated info, he stayed faithful to the minimal of the art...namely a good description of the forms. The photos and explanations may help someone who forgot how to do the forms. Otherwise not much else if you never practiced wing chun.

Not the best organization. Very detailed and covers lots of information. Doesnt cover dummy form...Odd

"Everything should be done as simple as possible, but not simpler"
The book starts with this Albert Einstein phrase, and Mr Belonoha does it very well when writing his book.

I am new to wing chun, I've been training since last september, and bought this book to get to know the background and philosophy of this art. It has been very helpful for learning the names of techniques, understanding the basis af a certain move or technique, where and how to employ it,
and to get a general view of this great martial art. GREAT BOOK

It is simply one of the best books on the market on Wing Chun style Kung Fu.
You cannot go wrong purchasing this book.