Quotations Books

The Great Treasury is based on the syntopicon of the Britannica Great Books of the Western world; the syntopicon is an index of basic, central terms in the great books (the so-called "great ideas"), arranged in alphabetical order from Angel to World. In the syntopicon, each central term is assigned its own chapter, which begins with an introductory essay on the meaning of the term and its various interpretations in the great books, followed by an outline of topics falling under the great idea of the chapter; specific references to passages by the great authors in the series relevant to each topic follow. The Great Treasury mirrors the syntopicon's format, but includes a selection of topics, together with the text of the relevant passages from the great books. The Great Treasury is more than a book of quotations: it serves as a practical guide to the wisdom of the Western world, of particular use to anyone interested in philosophy not merely as a professional academic discipline, but as the ancients viewed it: as a way of life.

This is one of the best single volume books that my family owns. It is not the average "book of quotations," the quotations are organized according to the idea being represented. The ideas are extensive as well the quotations for each. They authors represented are everyone from Plato to Bertrand Russell. Highly recommended.

Simply put, essential to any well rounded library reference section. It is so much more than the quick snippets one finds in the average "book of quotations". Mr Adler and company have made a volume that offers the reader and researcher deeper and longer passages, within which are nested many of those quotable nuggets we are so familiar with. But this book gives them to us in context.

For the historian it is a wonderful timeline of the evolution of thought on many subjects. For the reader, it is a well crafted look into the quintessential ideas that have shaped western society and our literature, both fiction and non-fiction, and a window into the times in which books were written, when concepts such as war or death, or love were rather different then the 21st century mind sees them. For the writer the book is a must for understanding the zeitgeist of different ages and writing believable fiction.

The Great Treasury is, without a doubt, the most useful and interesting book I have in my possession (it is my father's, but I "acquire" it from time to time). Brimming with insight into just about everything, this compendium is essential to any scholar or "backyard philosopher" you know. It contains insight from almost every major philosopher, encapsulating many topics (however, there are very, very few female writers). It is also brilliantly indexed, and flipping to your topic of choice is simple and easy. I believe that it is an essential part of everyone's library, and if its presence is missing, then it should be bought.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in ideas and prepared to distil the essence of what has been thought on major topics. There are thousands of entries. (The index alone is some 350 pages.) It's far more than a book of quotations although that too. Few books contain such extensive extracts running to several pages of normal print -- the type face is fairly small (My eyesight is poor but I had no trouble.) The content has been brilliantly categorized by theme and what I found invaluable was to sweep through history and notice the changing views of philosophers, essayists, and major poets over time.(There are relatively few female writers) Virtually all the major western thinkers are featured. If you are interested in finding out what major thinkers thought, this could be your starting point. It'll take you three months to read through if you tackle the whole thing at a go as I did. Excellent value for money.

Instant Zen is absolutely unique in its design and concept and provides something most of those self-help books can only hope to accomplish: a sense of well-being and dimensional perspective on life and its challenges. This book is cheaper than Prozac and considerably better for one's body chemistry. Brilliantly done!

This book brings the principles of the I Ching into a format which can be used daily. It's a valuable contribution and tool for becoming aware and conscious.

The essential tool for distilling confusion to the sublim

This book found me on a day of solitary wandering in the urban landscape that is New York City. Pick it up, flip to a random page, and enjoy it's simple wisdom. Or don't.

This gift changed my life...a simple audio tape with amazing Zen wisdom. I knew nothing about Zen until I began listening to this tape in my car on the way to work. Every morning I'd play it for the half hour drive and slowly the ancient wisdom began to sink in and I started to feel more peaceful and aware. The voice of the author is so soothing and I advise anyone to give a listen and see for yourself.

A good book written by a great man. Yet, I expected much more from a man who had risen to the papacy. One might want to consider the other side of the `John Paul Coin' - Albino Luciani or John Paul I - the valiant champion of human dignity for women, orphans, the remarried, homosexuals and others whose everyday lives are scorned by doctrine. Unlike his successor who was taught from an early age not to question the authority of his ancestors, Albino received his commission to rise to the papacy and bring change to the Church at the age of twelve from his revolutionary activist papa. Two good men - yet, two very different men - two very different sides of the same coin, John Paul II the conservative side and John Paul I the liberal side. I would suggest a look-see at Lucien Gregoire's PAUPER WHO WOULD BE POPE.

This compilation of quotes from the Holy Father's addresses and writings show what an appreciation and love he had for the Blessed Mother, and is like a peek into his heart.

The Holy Father had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and this book is a beautiful tribute to that devotion. I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did.

This beautiful book is a loving tribute to the Blessed Mother through the words of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II. His devotion to Mary is wonderful to behold. The book is ideal for devotional or inspirational reading.

I find this book to be very inspirational and insightful to John Paul II's, one of the holiest men alive, knowledge and understanding of our Blessed Mother in the Catholic Church today. The author has taken 17 different titles of Mary and taken many different speaches, writings, etc and put them together to show JPII's desire for us to know who Mary is and what she does for us. I really took a great deal from this book as I not only use it as a prayer meditational, but also as a refernce helping me to grow in my devotion to Mary.

Really great photos and sentiments on every page. Funny to read & fun to give.

This beautiful, inspiring little book is a perfect gift for a sister or a sister-like friend!

This is a cute little book. The pictures of the animals are precious and the sayings are inspiring. I need to purchase more for my other sisters ;0).

I loved this book and ordered one for each of my 3 sister's for Christmas. The pictures of the animals are so sweet, and funny too! This book will definitly bring a smile to anyone's face, and warm their heart :0)

I bought this for both of my sisters. They each cried and laughed over the images and captions. This book truly demonstrates the bonds between sisters. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves their sister and wants a fantastic way to show it! Wonderful book!

White Southerners who fought for the Union are the neglected heroes of the Civil War. Their Northern comrades could return home to a heroes' welcome. Their Confederate foes went home to lick their wounds and glorify their "Lost Cause." Soldiers of the "Colored" regiments are getting their due. But most people have bought the lie that the South and the Confederacy were synonymous.

The South has countless Confederate memorials. Where are the memorials for the brave men who fought for their country instead of being seduced by the lies of the Slave Power?

I purchased a copy of this book soon after it was published.

Everyone knows some Southerners faught for the North. We have men like Admiral David Glasgow Faragut. We have West Virginia. But it turns out there is a lot more to the Southerners who sided with the North.

This book is their story. Comprehensively and state by state the author gives us their story. In addition to individuals serving in Northern state units except for South Carolina every single seceeding state contributed units to LIncoln's army. The South had no comperable formations. Yes, they had regiments from from the slave states that didn't seceed, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri but no regiments from Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey or any other.

This book also gives us a basic idea on what kind of men they were. For the most part they were hardly any different from those who faught for the South.

A most interesting read.

Current's book fills a little known niche within the body of knowledge of the American Civil War. It addresses union regiments and union loyalists, from Southern states, who fought for the north. Current reviews the bidding on a state-by-state basis addressing union support in each area. One outcome of this union support was the creation of the state of West Virginia, but Current also addresses the strong pro-union regions of the mountainous areas of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas. It also reviews unionist support in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The book ends with a review of the loyalists' contribution (no worse, nor better than northern units).

Two things that struck me: first that there was more Union support than is popularly believed, and the Confederate authorities had to put considerable effort into controling their own populations. Second, it seems odd to have Confederate rebels become quite upset about rebels (or tories as they called them) in their own midst.

After getting stationed in Georgia back in 1997, I became interested in the cause of the Southern Unionists. As a CivWar reenactor I found this subject to be on one hand totally verbotten for polite fireside conversation. On the other, some interest but little information. Thank God over the last few years several books have come out to help fill that info gap. The South vs The South(poorest of the group), Lincoln's Loyalists, and Guerillas, Unionists,& Violence On the Confederate Homefront(very good!) have done alot for these forgotten souls. The best remains Lincoln's Loyalists, my orginal was permantly borrowed by a "rebel" buddy and passed about throughout the greyback community. Finally I've found another copy! Even for hardcore seesch, this book is a must read for anyone studying this sad chapter of our nations history.

Most readers will probably be astonished to learn how extensive support for the Union was among white southerners during the Civil War. The author provides a detailed, state-by-state description of organized military units from the southern states that fought for the Union. A final chapter summarizes the statistics -- something that I found particularly helpful. I hope that many southerners will read this book and be inspired to seek out their own Loyal ancestors. This chapter of southern history desperately needs to be better known.

This is a great book with lots of different excepts from books and poems and songs about love.

The little big book of love is a wonderful book. It includes a lot of victorian looking pictures, love notes, poems, stories.
There are some absolutely cute poems in it, and I love having it around just to look through the pics. It's perfect for anyone.

Treat yourself to this chunky Valentine filled with the most delicious and timeless tributes to love. You can read the intimate love letters of such famous couples as Napolean and Josephine, Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, Isadora Duncan and Gordon Craig, and many more. You'll also savor excerpts from famous stories and plays such as Pride and Prejudice, The Velveteen Rabbit, the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, and much more. My favorite section is the love poems, thirty hearfelt selections including the flawless "To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet as well as works by Shakespeare, Yeats, Lord Byron, and more romantic souls.

But don't think of this as just a literary anthology. Besides being one of the best in that genre, it also includes tempting meals as a prelude to a night of love. Complete aphrodisiac meals plus tempting desserts like the ultimate chocolate mousse and lemon hearts are guaranteed to keep the Valentine feeling year-long. You'll also find a recipe for fortune cookies which allows you to put in your own message. The recipe is footnoted with lots of suggestions to get your mind brainstorming, like "Birds do it, bees do it, we'll do it tonight" or any other messages you'd like to convey.

A final section includes love songs from the likes of Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, the Gershwins, and others. Of course, for days after reading these lyrics, I found myself constantly humming "I Only Have Eyes for You" by Al Dubin and Harry Warren.

Every page is illustrated with full-color images, over half from the early twentieth-century. They enhance the words, even those from people I never thought of as particularly romantic (Woodrow Wilson, e.e. cummings, John Adams, to name a few). So nice to know that love is truly a universal feeling that touches us all!

This anthology is a pure delight, guaranteed to keep love in your plans 365 days a year.

This is a compilation of poems, classic excerpts from plays and stories, words from popular songs, sweet tasting recipes, love letters, short-short stories, and illustrations that focus on love as a theme. The poets, storytellers, and playwrights represent a who's who of English literature to include Shakespeare (his sonnets), Twain, Joyce, Dumas, and Angelou among other notables. The love letters include Churchill, Napoleon, Darwin (an extract from his famous Journal), and Kafka, etc. The songs are older classics.

The collection is fun, well designed, and can be leisurely read in no particular order as desired by the reader. Cupid struck pay dirt with this wonderful collection that will brighten up anyone's day. THE LITTLE BIG BOOK OF LOVE makes a wonderful unique Valentine's Day present that will not lie on a coffee table, as the recipient will relish the wide variety of tributes to the power of love.

Harriet Klausner

THE LITTLE BIG BOOK OF LOVE, which measures seven by seven inches but is an inch and a half thick, is a marvelous gift for your sweetheart (or yourself!) to be kept on a nightstand or coffee table--perfect for reading aloud or for solitary indulgence. Including both familiar standards not-so-commonly found works, this volume is filled with poems (Shakespeare to cummings to Gillom), story & play excerpts (JANE EYRE to THE VELVETEEN RABBIT), songs (Cole Porter and the Gershwins), recipes (Honey Figs, Seduction Salad, Sinful Chocolate Fondue), letters (Napoleon, the Brownings, E.B. White), and 19th century illustrations (cupids, Victorian lovers, hearts, flowers, and doves). To complete the package are a table of contents and a woven-in red ribbon bookmark to find and mark one's favorites (opening to a random page and reading is fun, too). This is a quality book of quality literature to last as long as your love.

Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews

This is the first book I have bought by Susan Branch and I could not put it down. Her ideas are so wonderful. In fact - I am going to buy every single one of her books. I love the quotes and sayings. There are so many wonderful ideas to share with your spouse. A definite must have.

This book by Susan Branch is indeed a quaint keepsake. It`s filled with easy recipes, quips, quotes, and fun stories. I especially like that each page is unique and pleasing to the eye. With her own whimsical artwork and hand written style, I found it most enjoyable!

This keepsake book is a great gift idea for someone who has recently gotten engaged or as an anniversary gift. It has adorable illustrations and the lists are actually useful (traditional anniversary gifts).

This is a beautiful book to give at a bridal shower or as a wedding gift. There are wonderful drawings and the quotes and sayings are lovely. I especially love the "advice on marriage":

When you marry him, love him
After you marry him, study him
If he is secretive, trust him
If he is sad, cheer him
When he is talkative, listen to him
When his quarrelsome, ignore him
If he is jealous, cure him
If he cares naught for pleasure, coax him
If he favors society, accompany him
When he deserves it, kiss him
Let him think how well you understand him
But never let him know that you manage him.

Susan Branch is the best.

I used this book for Valentine ideas for my husband. The steak and potato recipes are divine! My husband loved it! This makes a terrific wedding shower gift, or just a fun b-day present. All Susan Branch books are wonderful and this is one of her best!

At first I thought "why am I getting this in February, I've already missed a whole month's of advice!" And then I opened it! It is a never-ending calendar, applicable in year 2000 and in year 2010. What a useful tool for personal development, with new and fresh quotations, as well as "food for thought" from the masters. Action steps on each page prompt the thoughts and deeds necessary for success and fulfillment. The only way to start the day!

This is a GREAT calendar! Every day it's something different--humor, wisdom, poetry, advice, inspiration. The variety keeps me engaged and looking forward to the message each day. The action step with each page provides a missing link and reminds me to get moving on changes in my life.

While the content is great, the presentation is well thought out too: the calendar works. It stands on its own, it's compact, pages turn easily, and the graphics are simple and tasteful. It works in home or office and the price is right.

I ordered several calendars thinking I would give them away for the holidays. When they arrived, I liked it so much I decided I had to give one to my husband so we'd have one at home. Although my husband and I just put it out on January 1, I know we're going to enjoy it...perpetually! I heartily recommend this as a gift for friends and colleagues, but get one for yourself too!

The Perpetual Calendar is a thought provoking collection of inspiration and instruction for practical, daily living. The Perpetual Calendar was given to employees as holiday gifts. One employee stated that he could not put it down...he read the whole year on the first day! Other Calendar recipients were family and party hostesses. Everyone agreed it was a great gift that lasts! The daily quote and complementary action step is read everyday at work. It is uplifting, positive, and a great way to start the day.

A book full of useful strategies. Uplifting and necessary on the road to achievement.

This calendar is the best I have seen. Very inspiring and fun to read. I look forward to flipping to the next page each morning and implimenting the Action Steps. Dr. Rinke's wisdom has made a big difference in my life with this calendar.

I was familiar with The Complete Kwanzaa by Doroth y Winbush Riley and had the opportunity to meet her and discovered this treasure-house of quotations. I was totally amazed and awe-struck that this book has not received world-wide attention. I bought five copies one for each member of my family.

I use this book for every speech that I write. It is an invaluable resource for anyone who reads, speaks and communicates with the public. I have worn out two copies and had four copies borrowed by relatives because once they start reading My Soul, they can't put it down.

As a recent graduate of Spelman collge I have used this book on everything from essays to speeches. It contains many rare and unusual quotations and has inspired me to do further research on unknown authors whose quotes are found within.It is a must have for all students from elementary to post graduate studies!

This is the most comprehensive book of its kind. It includes not only the more popular quotes by well-known people of color, but many less popular, yet equally profound statements. Each entry is a rich morsel of hope, history or human insight. What a treasure for "souls looking back" and those pressing forward. Saluta Continua!

Okay, so this was created as a collection of quotations by people of color. And it is probably the best collection to date of this kind. But it is just flat out a great quotation book. I was recently doing a search of my quotation books (I have over 400, and regularly refer to about 50 of them) and this book had the best quotes I found, regardless of color.

I was looking for quotes to help a friend doing a book on the negative aspects of big business. Most quote books only provided positive quotes. This book had quotes by Martin Luther King Jr,, Angela Davis, Malcolm X. which fit perfectly, and not just referring to realities of people of African heritage. This book reflects a different way of looking at the world, a perspective that evolved from slavery and a history of having to fight to gain the grounds of freedom and equality. It is a great book for all students, not just ones of African heritage. We all need to think about the world, about life, work, God, happiness-- all the topics good quotation books explore-- from the perspective of the people of color.

Dorothy Winbush Riley, an elementary school principal and former teacher first put her quote collection together for students. She did a great job which deserved the American Library Association Best Reference Book Award.

Keep this one in mind if you are writing or speaking about social change.

My purchase of My South: A People, a Place, a World All Its Own was a gift for my 77 year old godmother who has everything she could ever need or want. I saw the book in a bookstore and fell in love with it but felt I "could find it cheaper" That I did through Amazon. It is a warm reminder of what we Southerners know and love. It was not historical documentation but memories were stirred and merely inuendos hinted of a way of life and maybe a better time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of participating in Turner South's My South Spoken Word events, and was greatly surprised and honored to be selected for inclusion in the book and DVD. The photos and words are a wonderful broad canvas of what the South really is, which bears very little resemblance to some cute British Chick talking about turnips in a bad accent. This book covers all aspects of Southern life, and the performances on the DVD are wonderfully honest and heartwarming. 3 guesses what my family is getting for Christmas presents!

St. John has combined pictures and text to form a wonderful little book that accurately describes *my* South. The only limitation is in the eyes of the viewer---only a true child of the South will fully appreciate this jewel. I have purchased three books for gifts; now, I must get one for myself.

My South: A People, a Place, a World All Its Own, edited by Bryan Curtis, is a 128 page book of poetry and photographs describing the love and sense of home that the various poets within the book have for their Southland. It is a wonderfully written and edited book which gets to the heart of what it means to be a Southerner: a person who understands that God, family and home are truly important and that ancestors are more than just names on headstones or in old genealogy books. This book is a must read for every Southern born and Southern bred individual. More than that it's a must read for those who aren't from the South and just don't get it. In conclusion, a poem found on page 44 of the book sums it up nicely:

In my South, we know the difference between
surviving and truly living.
Around here to be rich means to never go hungry,
so you'll find food, and love, and opportunity a'plenty,
and there'll be people telling you to pull up
that extra chair that always seems to be handy
and to make yourself at home at the table that
overflows with wisdom and corn bread.
And we'll quench your thirst with sun tea--
made sweet and made cold and served best in
jelly glasses and Mason jars, if you please.
--Tressy McMillian

Pick this book up y'all. Read it yourself and get copies for your friends and families. They'll thank you for it.

What a wonderful experience! The written and the spoken word presented here is very powerful. As a Southerner I identify with the feelings expressed, but even those of you who are not born southern can find sentiments that you can relate to about family and freedom. And you can learn about the REAL South!