Works Books

I would love this book even if I wasn't lucky enough to grace one of its pages (page 82 is myself and a co-worker at Yahoo! Inc. on that night). Alex, your work on this project was beyond imaginable, and the results are incredible!!

To see the world at large on this date, from every country, displayed on the pages of this book is really something wonderful. We are truly a global family, and this has never been more obvious.

I bought copies for everyone for Christmas!

This is a fabulous souvenir of the turning of the millennium. The project is fascinating and the content of the book is highly engaging.

I found myself flipping through the pages for hours.

It made me want to celebrate the millennium all over again.

Fantastic book. Really captured the spirit of entering the new century. Loved the variety of high quality pictures. Even more impressive when I learned that many of the photographers were amateurs.

Dawn of the 21st Century is a phenomenal photographic expression of the 24 hours surrounding the change of the millennium. A tremendous project undertaken by one man(Alx Klive) and his volunteers to collect and cull the best of over a quarter of a million pictures taken by thousands of photographers as the millennium dawned over a year ago. The pictures, however, remain timeless and serve to remind us what a wonderful art photography is for capturing an eternal moment. I'm proud to have been chosen as one of the Millennium Photo Project photographers and hope that you enjoy the book as much as we enjoyed producing it.

I first heard about this project through a colleague in the publishing industry. Apparently this renegade group of people (from Toronto I think) put together this whole thing completely on their own, after everyone in the publishing industry turned them down. They went ahead with it anyway and organized the whole thing on the Internet using amateur and enthusiast photographers from around the world. I was skeptical of what the final quality would be like but decided to order one to see for myself. I have to say I was blown away when the book arrived in the post. The pictures are astounding and very very different from any photography book I've ever seen before. They are incredibly 'real' - that's the best way I can think of describing it. Lots of ordinary people getting ready to go out, meeting up with old friends, celebrating at home, praying and so on. Basically the book is a visual feast that focuses heavily on the human experience. It is simply fascinating to see how different people from all different cultures and backgrounds celebrated the same event. My favourite photo is of a Masai tribesman standing on the plains of Kenya, where the human species is thought to have first evolved. It is a stunning and poignant image that should perhaps have been considered for the cover. But that is only a very minor criticism of what is overall an astounding achievement. The top art book publishers in the world (Phaidon? Taschen?) would have been immensely proud to have put a book like this together. The fact that a bunch of amateurs did it on their own makes it all the more remarkable. Whoever in the publishing industry turned this project done must have been out of their minds. Kudos to the sheer guts of the people who went ahead and did it anyway! Bravo!

I love anything Ravi Zacharias writes. He brings you to the only conclusion possible in whatever spiritual truth he is presenting, and I love this. But greater still --- there is in Ravi Zacharias a truth that transcends intellect -- he genuinely loves the Lord he writes (or speaks) about. This makes his books or his sermons worth my attention.

"When we see our hearts as God sees them, we find His strength, not only to understand good and evil, but to act on it. The one who resists this truth has nowhere to turn." (p. 184)

Ravi Zacharias is a native of India, but got Saved and converted to Christianity as a young man. He is most famous as a public speaker for explaining and defending Christian concepts in an intellectually thoughtful context, mostly by debunking the faulty viewpoints of the opposition. Where other radio preachers and book authors are heavy on emotionally expounding upon Scripture, Ravi's unique approach focuses on intellectual discourse. He talks and reasons his way as to why Christianity and Bible teachings are correct, without necessarily using Scripture as the sole evidence, but rather by using logic and focused thinking. He teaches Bible truths and values using observations about society, history, and culture.

I personally find that Ravi is most concise and focused on the radio, not in his books, nevertheless, in his autobiography, WALKING FROM EAST TO WEST, Ravi says that DELIVER US FROM EVIL and THE REAL FACE OF ATHEISM are his bestselling books. I have read both, and I think this book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, is his strongest work.

"It was not the Code of Hammurabi that touched America's conscience. Nor was it the intent or content of the Koran. By no stretch of imagination was it the pantheistic framework of Eastern mysticism. America's soul was indubitably formed in keeping with the basic assumptions and injunctions of this, the moral law of the Hebrews, which gave her a vision of history's linear thrust whereby she was to reconcile liberty with law." (p. 154)

In DELIVER US FROM EVIL, Ravi writes about the state of Western culture, which has largely abandoned Bible-based morality and thus also suffered the consequences which we must now try to redeem. "Freedom can be destroyed, not just by its retraction, but also by its abuse." (p. 86)

The popular concept that there are no absolute truths, and thus anything goes, morally speaking, is at the basis of today's sorry state of affairs, culturally speaking. "An ABSOLUTE is basically an unchanging point of reference by which all other changes are measured...RELATIVISM is, therefore, only another word for ANARCHY, and that is why truth itself becomes elusive when there is no longer a point of reference." (p. 219)

The danger is that without a commonly accepted standard of morality, our culture is constantly under attack from within, by people with unhappy, desperate hearts which know no peace, and who wish to enforce an absence of morality. "Rebellion that sees no sanctity in life's essence is a constant state of mind bespeaking a heart that will never be satisfied." (p. 136)

This can only be done by trying to build a consensus that there is no God, the Bible is not real, and all that exists and may be considered is the material world--ripped away from any spiritual meaning or purpose. "...secularization assumes that this world--the material world-- is all we have...secularism is the philosophy of choice for American intellectual and political life." (p. 23)

In the USA, where the the 1st Amendment has been perverted by religion haters to mean freedom FROM religion, the problem is one that we are living with everyday, and not for the betterment of society, but to its detriment. "Not only has secularization brought us a silent universe with no voice from without, it has also brought us a silence from within as it has redefined the whole role of conscience." (p. 56)

Have you ever been self-righteously confronted by someone defending morally reprehensible things, while condemning the concept of morality itself? "In an unbelievable and shocking turn of events we have moved from speaking out against certain moral choices to being pressured by political enforcement and the so-called tolerant cultural elite not only to accept what was once disapproved of, but to celebrate it. Allowance for people to determine their own moral destinies has been supplanted by the demand that even that which may be repugnant or offensive to one's moral sensitivities must be acclaimed and glorified." (p. 133)

The anti-Christian spirit of this age has increasingly, and secretively, turned to the power of a secular judicial system of government to try to enforce immorality and condemn morality. "...the power to create and enforce moral relativism has been placed into the hands of government. Political power is a strange place to entrust morality because proverbially politics is not synonymous with moral uprightness. The very institution that is distrusted most has now become the shaper of the soul." (p. 78)

These days, we are pretty far along the wrong path in our Western culture, and the good guys are very late in catching onto the game plan of the bad guys, to wit, the public school system has been taken over by secularist believers who get to teach their secular view of life while condemning a Christian worldview because it opposes their immoral behavior. "The whole point of state controlled education is that it gives to the government the power to shape the souls and write on the fresh slates of young hearts... to assume that they accept that responsibility from a posture of neutrality is to live under the most destructive illusion." (p. 138)

By the time I finished this book, I thought that Ravi explained how things got so bad in our culture, and that knowing that much, we are better equipped to understand and deal with the situation, which will basically require an act of God to straighten out, of course, but God will win in the end. Christians know how the Bible ends and the true believing Christians end up in Heaven, while what do the secularist have to look forward to in the end? Nothing, by their own perspective, and worse, eternal damnation from a Biblical viewpoint. You can't beat God in the end. "Throughout history the Word of God has remained firm; it rises up to outlive its pallbearers." (p. 190)

Amen that, Ravi, amen that.

Leave it to Ravi Zacharias to put eloquently what all of us somehow feels. Something's gone wrong in our society -- it's not as kind as it used to be. Something's amiss. Ravi has tapped into that "something". As always, brilliantly thought out and argued. Always with compassion but never compromised.

This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, points out what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA.

Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods.

Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.

The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum).

The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual.

This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others. The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations.

Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again.

Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.

Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul.

Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart.

The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook. I also recommend Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Bruce Walker, While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer, Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski, The Dragons Of Expectation: Reality And Delusion In The Course Of History by Robert Conquest, The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci, The West's Last Chance by Tony Blankley and Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple.

This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, identifies what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA. Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods. Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.

The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum). The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual. This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others.

The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations. Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again. Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.

Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul. Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart. The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook.

The Illusions of Postmodernism

Intellectual Impostures

Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas

Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie

Discourses on Livy or Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius by Niccolo Machiavelli

Love it! Just as advertised!

Machiavelli's Discourses... a book that is a compendium of historical events analyzed in such a way as to obtain a lesson that is both precise as well as eternal. I think that all who consider going into politics or any kind of management role should be handed a copy of this book. And by any kind of management I mean from management of a state to managing a home and family. It is practical, ruthless and efficient. You can glimpse its central premises through the actions of those who succeed.
The translation of this book is flawless and delivers the full content of the author's message.
I'm convinced that this was a life changing book for me to read, it certainly affected my perspective of events around me and my way to interact to them. It is a self help book if you can interpret it beyond the historical dressing.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in history, management, or politics.

This book describes how Rome was being governed as a Republic and gets into detail about the wars they fought. Even for Machiavelli these writings we distant history and what really surprised me was the way this book has been written and translated.

Being an admirer of Rome and its golden age this book really gave me new insights, despite reading a lot of other books about this subject. As in Machiavelli's most famous book 'The Prince' politics are again the major subject. It is really astonishing to see the details and consequences of the actions that are being taken.

If you would like to know more about Rome, history or politics, grab a copy of this book.

Nicholo Machiavelli earned a bad rep with those who read and mis-read his best knon work, The Prince. It was not his intention to write this book to correct that bad image, but with this book we are given a different look at the great Itsalian poitical scientist/historian. He shows us the virtue of a democratic form of government. Recommended by anyone who wants a clearer view of the author, the Renaisance, and the growth of political theory.

Niccolo Machiavelli, (1469-1527), writes the greatest treatise on keeping a republic vibrant by comparing Rome to republican Venice. Machiavelli has gained an unwarranted notorious reputation for his "evil" treatise on political thinking and acting through his authorship of "The Prince". "The Prince" received more notoriety than his politically erudite work "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy" in which Machiavelli espouses his belief that the Roman Republic was the best and most virtuous form of government to emulate. His breadth and understanding of Roman history is remarkable. Machiavelli's love of his country Florence, and the proud political work as a minor government administrator and ambassador Machiavelli performed during its years as a republic show through in this work. It was on his many ambassadorial trips to the French, Papal, and Italian courts that he learned to observe political leaders and their governmental institutions which formed the basis of his political theories in his many writings. My favorite quote from Machiavelli is; "It's better to act and repent then not to act and regret".

Modern philosophers starting with Machiavelli reject the classical view of politics as undemocratic and elitist. Only wealthy men of leisure would have time to develop the virtues and character necessary to rule. Machiavelli believed that man by nature was selfish and driven by ambition. Machiavelli is not interested in character formation and moral appeal but in building the right kind of institutions to govern society. Laws and justice would protect men from power hungry rulers. Modern philosophy is an out growth of the revolution that takes place in the natural sciences during the Enlightenment. The purpose of science is the conquest of nature man is in control of human life. Philosophers from Machiavelli on become sectarian. "Everything good is due to man's labor rather than to nature's gift."

As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I found this to be an indispensable book to continue one's journey into political philosophy and history of Europe.

This is the ultimate book on Disneyland. It's more than a postcard book, it traces the history of the park & combines descriptive text with some of the best pictures you'll ever see of the park as well as the attractions, past & present. I have most every coffee table photograph book on Disneyland that has been released over the years, & this one is definitely the E-Ticket of the bunch. If you have the excellent 'Disneyland: Then, Now & Forever' (also Bruce Gordon), you have a taste of what you will find here.
The 2nd Edition is also the better of the 2 editions, with added material (1st Edition was 1995, 2nd Edition updates to 2000). I would take the 2nd Edition over the 1st Edition if they were both offered at the same price for this reason. This book is out of print... permanently since the unfortunate passing of Bruce Gordon in November 2007, there will not be any future updated editions.
Speaking of price, this book retailed for $75.00 when it was released. With some patience, this book CAN be found for around $150.00-$200.00 despite what you see here. These copies have been sitting for at least a few years at an inflated value. The book itself is spectacular, the fact that anyone would try to sell the book at $300 & up is shameful.

What memories this brings back! Not only are the postcards wonderful, but the narrative is very entertaining - much more than I had hoped for - and the postcards are supplemented with some wonderful photos to fill in some of the gaps. A great way for us (we?) older Disney fans to share our memories of Disneyland with our children (and later grandchildren), too. I know I will get many hours of enjoyment from this book over the years to come. I am so glad I decided it might be worth the price - it's worth many times over! 2007 update - Wow, the price I was referring to was $52.50, not the $189 I see it going for now.

Let me start this review with the following statement: This is the most prized book in my collection. I'll try not to be too biased. It is also the most expensive and one of the hardest to come by. In the Afterwords section of Walt's Time, Bruce explains how The Nickel Tour came to be:

"We talked to every publisher we could find, and heard the same story, word for word. No Commercial Potential. No audience. No Market. No Deal."

They put the book together themselves: Scanned all of the cards, did the layout of every page and had it printed in Italy. They lugged the books to every convention and sold them through mail-order.

"And guess what: we sold every book we printed". --p. 241, Bruce Gordon, Walt's Time - From Before to Beyond

Disneyland, the Nickel Tour is a look at the first 45 years of Disneyland's history seen through the postcards of the park. In addition to Randy Bright's wonderful Disneyland the Inside Story, The Nickel Tour stands as one of the two most comprehensive books about Disneyland's history. Where it edges out Mr. Bright' work is that The Nickel Tour does cover the past 20 years. Unfortunately, Mr. Bright passed away in 1990 and a second edition is not forthcoming. Bruce Gordon, the primary writer of The Nickel Tour, was an Imagineer and started with the Company in 1980. Mr. Gordon co-authored many books about Disney and there are several that will be published posthumously later this year. Mr. Gordon passed away in November 2007. As it stands, the second edition of The Nickel Tour will probably be the last.

The Nickel Tour is an amazing work on so many different levels: the postcard images, the photographs of attractions that weren't released in postcard form, the historical information and the writing. They begin by sharing pre-opening cards and work their way through the history of Disneyland. One of Gordon and Mumford's strengths is that they write well and can take something as simple as post cards and turn it into an epic look at a theme park. The writing never gets technical and is always filled with reverence, love and a little remorse. Occasionally, they slip in some humor. It is always fitting and they obvious love word-play. The following paragraph could have been presented as just a litany of facts, but they went a different way with it.

"On the left hand side of Main Street, we encounter the Sunkist Citrus House. Long before this view was taken, the Citrus House had actually been two separate stores, one housing "Sunny View Jams and Jellies" and the other housing the "Puffin Bake Shop." By October of 1958, Disneyland had canned the jam and jelly shop and opened a candy store in its place. It was a sweet deal until June of 1960, when the Puffin Bake Shop went stale. (It seems they just weren't making enough dough to stay in business.) And even worse, it wasn't long before everyone was beginning to sour on the candy shop next door. So the two shops were joined together, and in a dedication ceremony held with Walt on July 31, they finally became the home of the Sunkist Citrus Shop. Things were calm until 1990, when the time was ripe to spin around in a circle once more - only to find the Sunkist moving out and the Bakery moving back in! Well, that story certainly had a peel. Orange you glad we wasted all this time? Meanwhile, here's the scoop on the Carnation Ice Cream parlor: in 1997 they split from their original parlor and (having lost their Carnation along the way) floated into the home of the bakery. Then, with perfect Disneyland logic, the bakery moved into - the ice cream parlor! If that doesn't get a rise out of you, nothing will!" p. 121

The sense of history that you get from The Nickel Tour, through the postcards and photographs, has not been presented in any other form. Besides being a reference work for postcards, it is almost a wish book--one you can flip open to any page and see a favorite or long-gone attraction and dream about visiting or re-experiencing. The images are stellar and your appreciation of postcards as art and history will grow.

Bottom Line: This work was obviously a labor of love for Gordon and Mumford. It is hard to stress how important this work is in the Disney Literature. Beside being one of two major historical works about Disneyland, you get a feel for how Disneyland evolved, how Walt plussed the park and how the Disney Company moved forward after Walt. It is the most cherished book in my entire collection. If you are lucky enough to find a copy, get it. I know that many people will dismiss this book because it is about Disneyland, but without Disneyland, there would be no Walt Disney World. The history of Disneyland offers a lot of insight into the growth of Walt Disney World as well.

This book is simply amazing!

www.imaginerding.com

I cannot say enough about this handsome, evocative, skilfullywritten book. Just as Disneyland is more than an amusement park, thisis more than a trip through Disneyland's places and times...

I wouldhasten to add that this book does more than to simply transport you tothe park as it is today; it is the best simulation of a time machine,transporting you back to previous incarnations of the park, the waythat they were experienced and enjoyed in the vanished culturallandscape of the 1950s and the 1960s. A lot of those joys are gone --the Rainbow Caverns of the Mine Train, the subatomic journey of InnerSpace -- and this is the best way to see them again.

What Iparticularly enjoy about this book is that the authors clearly sharemy childhood fascination with wondering "how it all worked."You get aerial shots of the park under construction, pictures ofaborted attraction developments, and the stories behind detailsranging from the marching band kiosk to the eucalyptus trees inAdventureland.

Walt would have approved of this magnificentlyconceived and executed journey through Disneyland's past and present.

I've read "The Art of Walt Disney", "Walt Disney Imagineering", "Disneyland:The Inside Story", and several other books about the Magic Kingdom, and this book is by far the most detailed and enjoyable of them all. Every store that's ever had an address on Main Street...every sponsor that's ever had an exhibit in Tommorowland...IT'S ALL HERE. My only complaint is that I wish some of the illustrations were larger so you could take in more detail...but considering that every postcard ever issued by Disneyland is included, in addition to behind-the-scenes photos and concept art, this is an understandable compromise. Absolutely the best book ever printed on Disneyland.

It has been years since I have read anything to which I connected in this way, and I am in the phase where I recommend it only to people I very much like.

I have never read a book that better describes the fullness of life and emotions and the grace of acceptance. The weaving of philosophy throughout the book provides a handle for the characters to check and compare the lives they thought they would lead and the ones they are living and how to help each other along in that journey. The many sides of friendship shine brightly. The perils and joys of love in all its complexity are drawn with Schwartz's lush brush of words. The depth and breadth of grief felt with the loss of a child will never be better defined in all it's many facets. This book is a gift to readers.

I really enjoyed this book. But I disagree with the other reviewers about the language. I thought it was good to discuss philosophy but I felt the rhetoric got in the way of the story. I lost interest in the characters for awhile and skipped over much of the dialogue. I liked the theme of the book and definatly understood the "Disturbances in the Field." I just wish the author didn't jump around from chapter to chapter. I hardly realized what had happened to change their lives so drastically until a few pages into the chapter. All in all, I'm glad I read this book but I didn't need Philosophy 101 again to enjoy it.

This book is, quite simply, a wonder to read. Lydia Rowe -- a grown woman, married to an artist and the mother of four children -- experiences one of life's deepest tragedies. But the novel is not about the tragedy; rather, it explores nothing less than how to be human.

How do the insights and guidance of ancient philosophers impact us when life temporarily stops making sense? How is romantic love different from platonic love and the love of friends ("another self"), and how do they complement each other? How do you reach a point of acceptance -- with yourself, your dearest friends, and the haphazard world? When do you need to be apart and when must you come together? And what is the role of forgiveness in often unforgiving times?

All these questions -- and more -- are explored in this masterwork. Never is a false note hit. The growth and blossoming of friendships...the trials and rewards of motherhood...the coming together and rendering apart of marital couples...all these are tackled and the characters are all rich and three-dimensional.

After reading Disturbances in the Field, I found myself easily irritated with the next couple of books I picked up (some of them prize-winning). Lynn Sharon Schwartz has an instinctive knowledge of being human, and it shines throughout. I cannot recommend highly enough.

I recommend reading this book as a pair with Kate Walbert's "Our Kind," for a rich and comprehensive look at what happened to the "Seven Sisters" (i.e., Wellesley, Smith, Vassar, Barnard) women from the 1950s and early 1960s. "Disturbances in the Field" is the kind of book that makes you run out to the bookstore or library to see what else you can find by the author--it's that good. I think other readers probably got even more out of it than I did, being unfamiliar as I was with a lot of the philosophers mentioned and the tenets of their schools of thought. But the stories that this novel tells about Lydia and all her friends from this era have plenty to offer even if you are not familiar with the philosophers. I would recommend sticking with it through the first few pages, which might seem a little daunting at first--it is definitely worth seeing through to the end.

A wonderful gallery of accurately painted forces of the Revolutionary War era including Loyalists & German hired troops as well as weapons & artifacts. All that seemed to be "missing" might be the 1st Continental Light Dragoons or the Continental Marines. It was also great to see that for the first time since John Mollo's 1976 Uniforms of the American Revolution the uniform of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons correctly depicted with white facings as opposed to the inaccurate buff color.

Although the world is filled with books on the various sorts of things which armed and equipped the Revolutionary War soldier, this book moves into uncharted territory. While Troiani's paintings brings these diverse sorts of soldiers to life, the full color photographs of many of the most important surviving artifacts from the war adds a dimension found nowhere else.

Yet another excellent book by Don Troiani. A must for any AWI fan. I found the mixture of paintings and original weapons, uniforms and accoutrements a refreshing touch. However, those who have copies of 'Battles of America' and 'Soldiers of America'will find many paintings repeated in this new book.

Not since George Neumann's landmark "Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution" has there been such a remarkable assemblage of artifacts and images. The former, drawn from public and private collections from across the nation include many items that have never been published, let alone in color. Don Troiani's exquisitely detailed images, some new, some drawn from previous works, provide invaluable context for the objects, as well as documenting the bewildering variety of uniforms worn during the war. Both artifacts and images are described within the impeccably thorough research of noted historian James Kochan. This volume is destined to be the standard reference for the student of the American Revolution that "Echoes of Glory" is to devotees of the Civil War, and is a must for anyone from historian to general reader who is fascinated by the drama of the war that gave birth to America.

With nearly two and one-half centuries having passed and literally thousands of books on the topic having appeared since the events of the American Revolutionary War, calling a new volume "pioneering" seems a bit bold. Relative to this important and exciting new gift to students by master artist and collector Don Troiani, though, that term is fully appropriate. In literally no other book to date have such historically valid visual perspectives of our War for Independence been gathered, through both a remarkable array of original artifacts and Troiani's impeccably researched and executed artwork. For this pre-photography American military epoch, no other source yields such a "you are there" perspective



While the bookshelf of "material culture" albums relating to Civil War memorabilia is both broad and expanding nearly every year, the number of significant books on Revolutionary War artifacts and relics ever published can literally be counted on one's fingers, with most of the still best-selling volumes having appeared during the bicentennial years of the 1970s. That sharp contrast, of course, is a direct reflection of the exceptionally greater rarity of the arms, equipment, apparel, and everyday-life items that can be proven to have been used by the armies of the 1770s than is the case with the militaria of the 1860s. Troiani has done all Revolutionary War students a great service by expanding the presentation of such earlier artifacts beyond those from his own fine collection with a startlingly superb array of items from other private and institutional collections, most never before published and many rarely ever seen by the public. These historic jewels are brought to the reader through close-up, full-color photos of such striking detail and beauty as to almost produce the experience of having these fascinating artifacts in one's hands.



The element that weaves together and breathes life throughout this gallery of fine militaria, of course, is Troiani's peerless artwork. With more than 50 of his paintings beautifully reproduced in this volume, the artist has brought true vibrancy to an era and its people almost habitually misperceived as lifelessly archaic or, worse yet, patriotically "quaint." In particular, the single-figure and small-group studies clearly reflect the precise documentation yielded by author James L. Kochan's exacting material culture scholarship. Such world-class historical accuracy, together with artist Troiani's insistence upon "period-correct" faces and physiques, has produced for us a strikingly innovative window upon the Revolution.

Mr. Rabbin vividly describes the true nature and uncompromising power of the meditative experience in his new book. His eloquent and articulate style of illustrating the true spirit of meditation penetrates to the core of practice, revealing the bare essence of reality.

Robin Rabbin is a contemporary mystic who has been facilitating Meditative Inquiry retreats for more than fifteen years. In Echoes Of Silence, he draws upon his considerable expertise and experience to instruct the reader in the art of meditation as a method of achieving inner peace and happiness. Rabbin explores the true nature of meditation, revealing what it is -- and is not. Rabbin employs prose poems combined with beautiful duotone images to dispel many of the myths surrounding the authentic meditative experience. Echoes Of Silence is highly original, "reader friendly", a welcome introduction for the novice, and with much to offer even those having prior experience with meditation.

Rabbin's sutras are as timeless as the soul, providing a nourishing nectar for our hungry spirits. Packed with the wisdom of a true sage, this is a book you can read over and over since the words on its pages are ageless and will serve the soul forever. I will keep it with me always.

Robert Rabbin has achieved the near-impossible; he gives us the essence of the nondual without leaving us stuck in the mind. His aphorisms are simultaneously the map and a glimpse of the actual territory, and remind me of the discourses of the great J. Krishnamurti.

Once again, Robert Rabbin has managed to define the indefinable....to bring understanding to what seems incomprehensible for many of us. His unique and gifted style of turning words into wisdom brings clarity to the silence within us. Echoes of Silence is truly the meditation guidebook for the new Millennium.

I work with people who are at different phases of job and career development. This book is an excellent resource for all of them. I've even bought a couple of copies to lend to those who have not yet established a reliable income for themselves. It's a great tool and I thank you for writing it in a style that is accessible to so many different people.

I enjoyed the author's common sense approach to the resume miracles often promised by other books and resume services. Functional resumes do hide a lack of experience but employers already know that. Tricks with format and fonts might look neat but most resume reviewers are going to look past the presentation at some point. This book focuses on the basics, words that work, emphasizing accomplishments over position, keeping things simple, clear, concise and easy to read. But once you get past the large list of action words, there really isn't much more to this book. Personally, I like the formatting ideas in books like Resume Magic and the emphasis on using keywords which are often how resumes are filtered in the Internet age. While the author of The Elements of Resume Style seems to belittle these stupid resume tricks, they do seem to work.

Still,in spite of this quibble I'm giving this book a good recommendation because I found the information on grammer, fonts, style and basic format very helpful, as well as the grain of skeptism that comes with it. But comparing the sample resumes presented in this books and the ones found in other like Resume Magic, and putting oneself in the place of an employer, I think the visual formatting and style does make a difference. This book is a good start or even a complement but not the last word on resumes.

This is an easy read. The descriptions are concise. The author explains the reason for his suggestions. There are numerous examples for form and format. The one thing I found missing was how to set up a resume for those who have worked for one company for over 30 years but have had several jobs and titles within that time frame.

Mr. Bennett leaves no stone unturned here...he takes readers through each step of writing a resume so diligently that I feel as if he has practically re-written my resume himself! Throughout the book he reinforces the importance of being honest about work histories and teaches readers how to position job hopping and gaps in employment. (Now I can feel confident in selling myself despite the many detours I've taken in my career!) He puts readers in the point of view of the employer and goes into great detail about how to use language and visual layout of the resume to make the most impact. He supplies tons of descriptive words and shows how to turn terms like, "strong interpersonal skills" and "great team-player" into actionable statements with evidence that actually mean something to employers. (This was very enlightening to me!) He also explains best practices with cover letters, inquiry letters and replying to salary history requests...you NAME it and this book's got it. Mr. Bennett clearly has a lot to teach on the subject and I feeled armed with a powerful weapon in being able to re-position myself on paper and get myself hired. This book is a must buy!

This is the one to get. Trust me, I write resumes for a living.

I'm at something of a loss as to what to say about this book. I couldn't decide if I should give it five stars or one, so I cut the difference and gave it three. This book is bizarre. If you can wade through the sections of repetitive, juvenile, slang-ridden, poorly written diatribe there is a lot of very helpful medical information which every endometriosis sufferer should know. I learned so many useful and helpful things about reproductive endocrinology, the immune system, the digestive system, and endometriosis itself. Yet the authors could easily have gotten the same amount of information into the book using half the words. Some parts of this book are clearly and concisely written and very helpful, while other sections of the book read as if the authors wanted to make the details understandable to a five-year old. I was definitely annoyed and somewhat insulted, as I think the authors ought to assume that the people reading it are going to be adults with functioning brains. However, I cannot help but recommend this book. The information in there is good, if you can put up with the useless junk and find information in the midst of verbosity.

After three years of infertility due to endometriosis, we had given up hope. After eight months on this diet we were expecting our first child with no medical intervention. Even if you aren't trying to conceive, this diet DOES help you feel a lot better.

As a stage IV endometriosis sufferer, the diet recommendations dramatically alleviated menstrual cramps and especially bowel pressure and pain through the removal of wheat/wheat gluten, minimizing red meats, and maximizing vegetables, fruits and nuts. I found that starting this diet within a few months post-laparoscopy was most helpful.

I've been reading this book since before I had surgery last week and am going to give the diet a try. The explanations of unbalanced hormones and lack of certain vitamins/minerals causing my symptoms and horrific PMS make alot of sense. I dropped out of biology in college because it seemed to be over my head, but this book explained body chemistry and cell production in a way that I can relate. Through the nutritional advice in this book, I am hoping to get pregnant and not have to have surgery again.

This book is written in a friendly and easy to read manner. It has a lot of information to absorb, but is what every woman with Endo should know. If you want to learn more and want to follow the guidelines provided then I strongly recommend this book. In only three months my life has changed. I understand my body like never before and am excited that following the suggestions in this book will lead me to my dream - pregnancy. After having purchased numerous books on Endo, it was nice to have one that finally answered my questions and was enjoyable.

The first edition of "Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy" was recommended to us some ten years ago and we decided to update to the 5th Edition. This volume contains nearly 50% more information on the advances in detection, treatment and prognoses of the various types of cancer. Not being a physician, I have found that the references are easily read and understandable. It provides insight on prevention and treatment.

Great strides are being made and this book gives inspiration and hope that our doctors will continue to attack cancer in all forms.

I recommend this reference book to all who want an authoritative source to understand the types and stages of most common cancers.


Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy; Revised 5th Edition: How Cancer Is Diagnosed, Treated, and Managed Day to Day (Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy)

Higly recommend. Great to have around so when you have questions this book will answer them, as we often have questions when a doctor is not around to answer them. Sometimes we may may not want to ask a question well this book lets you find your answers in the privacy of you home. I had 2 previos versions and I preordered this one as the others were very useful and this one has been also.

While working in a very large private hospital in Omaha, I worked in Radiation Oncology. Finding myself alone, without a nurse to teach me how to teach my patients, a friend suggested this book. I purchased it, devoured it and put the information to use, teaching my patients about treatment protocols, systems involved in their treatment process, in terms that they could understand. I recommended this book to many of them, they always returned to thank me for suggesting the book. CC

It is a wealth of information - that every person diagnosed with any type of cancer can benefit from. Having had 2 bouts with breast cancer, I have bought many books. This one is the best resource book I have found. I have loaned it out many times and everyone is thankful for the information.

It is written in an easy style, such that an average person can understand the language. It presents many questions for the patient & family to ask doctors, along with the many options available.

I highly recommend this for anyone who needs any type of information about cancer and it's treatments.

This book is a one stop guide to so many things involving therapies that it is hard to know where to start. Cancer nurses feel this is the best consumer book out there. Information is in plain English, simple terms, with lots of illustrations. Tons of referrals to agencies that may be helpful.