G Books

Vico's immense view and creativity is expressed at the outset with his Tableau of Civil Institutions: a graphical representation of his incredible work; this alone underscores the reason for Joyce's sparked imagination. The greatness of this work is in its deep structure and layers of examination. I came upon this work looking for references to Sanchuniathon, a little known historian preceding Herodotus. Vico inspires many epiphanies particularly the regarding the kernel of wisdom as piety, mythologies: the allegories of myths, and the origin of aristocracy, democracy and monarchy. Vico moves across many subjects making extensive and resolute political analysis of each one including, notably, the origin of Roman Assemblies and the oath of enmity the heroes swore against the plebeians. Any student of politics can find notions truly relevant to the present, such as under: Section 13 Chapter 1 "Further Proofs Drawn from Mixed Commonwealths Which Combine Earlier Governments with Later States" Where Vico writes: "The newly free peoples found themselves masters of their own sovereign powers...By pursuing their own private interests, free peoples let themselves be seduced by the powerful into subjecting their own public freedom to the ambition of others." To sum, as almost only a great epic can yet in an entirely explicative, vast and reflective manner, Vico dives deeply down to the grit and spirit of the ties that bind us and that forge our societies: citizenship, marriage, religion and death.

Most people come to Vico for one of three reasons: historical perspective (fans of Spengler), philosophical curiosity (fans of Marx), or literary insight (fans of Joyce). Regardless of the motivation, the reader will be confronted with a highly unconventional text at first: the open of the book is an overlong explanation of the bookplate. Then we are faced with a collection of Nietzschian aphorisms. By the third part of the book, if the second part hasn't trigged an interest, the explication of parts 1 and 2 grab and take hold of the reader. The result? Once the reader finishes the book, the seemingly obtuse open seems perfectly reasonable for in the course of the text for Vico assimilates history, anthropology, philosophy, philology, and genealogy into a comprehensive whole which is perfectly symbolized by the bookplate. Though, at times, his premises seem rather far-fetched (Vico himself notes this), the intent of the work is rarely obscured. The only complaint? Perhaps Vico could have expanded the work more to make his attempted scope and range cohere better. But then, Frazier did this in a similar work (The Golden Bough) and we have 12 volumes to show for it!

That Vico is largely unknown, even by the so-called experts teaching in our universitiues, while mediocrities and worse of the past half century are lauded and taught widely is yet another indication that our educational standards are dumbed down considerably. Vico is difficult to read, and we are increasingly an intellectually lazy people who prefer simplistic platitudes that sooth our postmodernist prejudices.

I give this Penguin edition only a 4 not because New Science is not itself a 5 or because the translation itself is weak, but because Vico requires copious notes. Most who read this work will do so on their own, and they need considerable help unless they are already as well read in the Classics and works of the Medieval and Renaissance eras as was Vico himself. Perhaps soon we will see an edition that meets that need, which also might encourage a few more to teach Vico, before we fall into the re-barbarism.

Several people asked where Vico is taught / who studies Vico. The Graduate Institute at St. John's College (Great Books program) studies Vico in the History segment, which is really Philosophy of History, for 8 classes, 1/4 of the one of the three History classes. The Great Books people seem to have thought Vico was worth reading. The late philosopher Eric Voegelin wrote an essay in the compendium "Order and History" singling out Vico's work for its insights and calling for scholars to take up the "New Science." At Emory University Donald Philip Verene runs the Institute for Vico studies. There are also many collections of essays on Vico by both American and European scholars. St. John's College library in Annapolis has a good number of them.

"Reading Vico" is a new experience: This ain't a novel, it's written in numbered axioms and conclusions, but it's rewarding work, like Plato's Republic or Tocqueville's Democracy in America. You see versions of Vico's ideas in movies today like I Am Legend. As to how to approach the book--I would suggest reading according to the schedule/order listed on the St. John's College Grad Institute website. You can download the Graduate Reading List for the History segment--it's free. Don't stop until you reach the end--therein lies the big finale (it's much better if you don't read ahead)!!

When I read Vico in a public space--subway, park bench, stoop--I always fear that someone will approach me and ask what his "general thing" is. Even after reading this book for a few years, I still really don't know. I'd probably say something like "it's about history and poetry and salt marshes and thunder."

Still, Joyce said that reading Vico made his imagination grow. I completely agree. Even if you get frustrated with a few vague aphorisms, you can always blame the fact that Vico fell off a ladder as a child and damaged his brain--whatever. Read to understand, but if you don't understand, still read. This is a truly remarkable book.

This is a very good compliation of literary works of Western literature. It is refreshing to read the works of the masters of literature of yesteryear. Today, most people have never read or even heard of these works. What a shame!

The book arrived in a couple of weeks. I would have liked it to have arrived as early as the other 2 books did, but that was okay. It was just the book I needed and at a much reduced price from what the University was charging for it.

Everything was exactly as the seller described. On time and speedy service. Would buy from again.

Looks brand new. Very useful and I'm happy to have this in my library

I bought this to use with Tapestry of Grace curriculum, and used it with a 14 yr old fresh out of public school. It was way beyond her vocabulary level and reading skill set. This is a book I have seen used in college classes, and it figures, because much of the poems and plays are written in old or medieval English. We ended up scrapping this book most of the time and reading the same works in modern English online.
Having said that, for a child who is used to a classical education, this collection of works would be a pleasure to read.

This was a pretty good Sabrina book. Sabrina keeps popping into TV shows and books, because of a spell Hilda tries to put on Amanda. This book has some funny parts, but in some places it was a little boring.

Sabrina pops in and out of books and tv shows, because Amanda has put a spell on her. It's a great book, and it's real funny!

The Sabrina books are naturally good. Now You See Her Now You Dont is a really humorous book.It's all about a youth potion a random popping spell and Sabrina's bratty cousin Amanda.I think Sabrina fan's will really enjoy this fascinating book.

What's going on? All of a sudden, Sabrina keeps popping out of real life & into a novel or TV show! Then a few seconds later she pops back to the real world again. So far, no one has witnessed her strange disappearances. But how long can she be that lucky?

Sabrina is sure it's just another pop quiz from the Quizmaster. But she can't she can't come up with the right solution, & there's a party at the roller rink tonight. What if she's skating & just disappears into thin air? Won't everyone think that's a teensy bit weird?

Even worse, every time Sabrina pops out, she's gone a little longer. If this keeps up, she could disappear from real life completely!

What's going on? All of a sudden, Sabrina keeps popping out of real life & into a novel or TV show! Then a few seconds later she pops back to the real world again. So far, no one has witnessed her strange disappearances. But how long can she be that lucky?

Sabrina is sure it's just another pop quiz from the Quizmaster. But she can't she can't come up with the right solution, & there's a party at the roller rink tonight. What if she's skating & just disappears into thin air? Won't everyone think that's a teensy bit weird?

Even worse, every time Sabrina pops out, she's gone a little longer. If this keeps up, she could disappear from real life completely!

The book arrived in excellent condition. The contents reflects the latest in ideas and research. I'm completely satisfied.

This textbook was recommended by our local OB-GYN specialist. We reviewed it and agreed prior to shipping them to all of the teaching universities we have been working with in Romania. Nearly 1500 pages of practical and intelligent information in an easy to read format.

This is an excellent book that is well written. It is part of my required books for my certified nurse midwifery program at Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. I highly recommend it.

I'm a certified-nurse midwife and I love this book. It's pretty much everything that's in the medical text, Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, minus the research data.

It's small and portable and actually a pleasure to read.

I hope there's an updated version coming out soon - this one was published in 2002.

There are two texts that are considered the most authoritative on the subject of Obstetrics. Williams is edited by the staff at Parkland, the largest Obstetric hospital in the U.S. and not surprisingly, they consider their text to be "the premier source for the specialty". Williams is also academically dry.

Gabbe, by comparison, is easier to read and covers essentially the same material. This text is written in a way that that I feel you don't have to be an OB Geek to follow the various points. This is NOT to say that Gabbe is "OB for Dummies" or a cliff-notes version of an OB text: As Department Head of OB/GYN at a Major Hospital, I find Gabbe both authoritative and complete.

Cutting to the chase: Gabbe is easier to read than Williams, and if you need info more in-depth, you should already be a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology anyway (or at least a junior fellow), which means that you're accessing the ACOG website on-line anyway.

Miss Read's novels capture the best aspects of the small town provincial novel--the sense of connection, the wry Austenisms--while leaving the sentimentality and pollyanna-ism sometimes afflicting the genre to her lesser imitators. A Peaceful Retirement brings us another step--perhaps a final step--nearer to the end of this series. I recommend this series, and this book within the series, to anyone who wishes that a novel might have both a 20th C. awareness and a somewhat 19th C. sense of perspective....Most people have not discovered Miss Read, and one somehow wonders if "most people" really ought to. But I am certainly glad that I did....

Miss Read has written over 40 titles, with this final tome describing how her headmistress heroine copes with her new-found life of leisure.

In an afterword, the author says she is laying down her pen "with a thankful heart". It is all the more surprising therefore that these final tales show no sign of staleness. In fact, "A Peaceful Retirement" is quite playful in tone as Miss Read copes valiantly with a series of unlooked-for marriage proposals.

Given that the school year is so regular the author manages to describe events such as Christmas celebrations and harvest festivals with no sense of repetition, and as ever captures the tensions between town and country living, children's and adult worlds and men and women beautifully.

With this book Dora Saint, the real-life Miss Read, can take her own retirement from authorship knowing that she has served her readers well.

I just finished reading "A Peaceful Retirement". Just like her other books, it was excellent reading. I was sorry when the book ended because I wanted to read more. Few years ago I wrote Miss Read a letter stating I loved all her books. She was kind enough to write me a handwritten letter in reply. After a hetic day, I look forward to reading her books and revisit the loveable characters in the quiet town.

I enjoyed this book just as much as I have all the other books written by Miss Read. The reason that I enjoyed this book so much was that it was like catching up with old friends and being transported back to the Village and all the surrounding scenery which captures my imagination. I recommend that you read not only this book but all those that Miss Read (Dora Saint) has written for anyone that enjoys people and a very descriptive story which includes the lovely countryside that one can only imagine. I will miss my friends very much. Thank You Dora Saint for giving me many hours of pleasure.

I just finished reading "A Peaceful Retirement". Just like her other books, it was excellent reading. I was sorry when the book ended because I wanted to read more. Few years ago I wrote Miss Read a letter stating I loved all her books. She was kind enough to write me a handwritten letter in reply. After a hetic day, I look forward to reading her books and revisit the loveable characters in the quiet town.

does anyone even imagine that this little charmer pretends to be more than the wee delight that it is, and has been for decades? math, even recreational math, does expand over time; carpers can carp that this or that latest thing isn't here. but really, what IS here, page after page, will amuse and edify almost all readers.

The various and quicksilver aspects of mathmatics is really where the charm lies for the scholar,as numbers themselves are the critters with which all scientific worlds are populated, the true scholar should begin with these first principles. A very good book for students who could use a few wows.

A great supplemental tool for teachers! I had terrific fun with my 6th grade math students when reading them certain passages in this book. Many of the topics covered, such as factorials, hexidecimals, triangular numbers, pi, primes, etc. are not generally covered in the middle school very well or at all, and this book serves as a great launching tool for discussions that kids enjoy and think about long after class is over. Also, many topics go in depth and will challenge even the best high school math students and take them in many directions that traditional math education does not.

Everyone has that smart-alex relation who ruins Thanksgiving dinner by proving to every four year old in the room that they know more about math than they do. There are several ways to deal with such a pain in the posterior but the least likely to involve violence and police intervention is this book.

There are few `wonderful' books ... you can count them with the fingers of one hand ... this is one.

The `smart-alex' in the family would call this book: `just a book on popular mathematics' thunder against it and not know 1/100 th of those facts within.

This is understandable number theory ... I guess you could call it that. It takes a number, some whole integers and some fractional or decimal parts and tells you about them. What they are made off, how to use the number, how it was used historically ... in other words it not dry like those awful wiggly things scraggy armed Mr. Enngenheimer [whomever] bored you with in high school

In the foreword to G.H. Hardy's book A Mathematician's Apology, C.P. Snow tells an anecdote about Hardy and his collaborator Srinavasa Ramanujan. Hardy, perhaps the greatest number theorist of 20th century, took a taxi from London to the hospital at Putney where Ramanujan was dying of tuberculosis, Hardy noticed its number, 1729. Always inept about introducing a conversation, he entered the room where Ramanujan was lying in bed and, with scarcely a hello, blurted out his opinion about the taxi-cab number. It was, he declared, "rather a dull number," adding that he hoped that wasn't a bad omen. "No, Hardy! No, Hardy," said Ramanujan, "it is a very interesting number. It is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways."

Usually it takes a great deal of insight as well as considerable mathematical training to discover a yet unknown properties of some number. Only recognizing the beauty of a number pattern is much easier, though, especially with a friendly book like this one on hand. Wells, a long-time mathematics popularizer, has collected over 1000 numbers he considers interesting. Each of them is given a short explanation, often accompanied with a bibliographic reference. Celebrities among the numbers, like i, e or Pi, are given a more comprehensive treatment. Included are also several sequences, like Fibonacci's, Mersenne's, Fermat's, Carmichael's or Kaprekar's, each accompanied with its explanation. So are cyclic, amicable, untouchable or lucky numbers, and many more sequences you probably didn't know about.

While Wells' dictionary certainly gives the impression of a well-researched work, the list of numbers is by no means exhaustive. Anyone familiar with chaos theory will notice the absence of Feigenbaum constant; prime hunters would probably be interested in discussion on Woodall primes, Sophie-Germain primes, or Proth primes. But they are better off with Paulo Ribenboim's book on primes, anyway, while Wells' book, with its easily understandable explanations and accessible price is probably more suited for the "recreational mathematics" audience.

I am not a huge fan of poetry, having been forced to read it in school, but Smith is so down to earth and real that I enjoyed the entire book. The cover got my attention and I decided to try it. I was glad I did! The words are obviously from the heart and based on personal experiences. It really made me think about how far our society has come and how far we still have to go. But it's not just about race relations, it's how all people relate to each other. I highly recommend that you take the chance and give it a read. It will seem like candy for the brain but it's good for it too. I look forward to more of Smith's work.

To the Author of the book, who is a wonderful man with strong and kind words. When you read his Poetry, you can assume one point at the beginning, but at the end of the poem it holds all Truth of Today's Society. One who reads will gather strength in their Heart to understand what People have been through. "At the End of each poem The World becomes a Better Place" by Poetacizing your Mind...G.

The words and meaning evoked from each poem truly is expressed from the heart. It is so nice to see a poetry book that is not sentimental or trite but speaks of the truth, both universal and personal. Recommend this book to poetry enthusiasts and those readers who just want a blast of fresh, honest writing.

Enjoyed it! G.Smith's book speaks loud and clear about today's culture and everyday life. Funny, heart felt and REAL!!!

It's always a treat to be exposed to what Gordon's thinking about and I'm glad he's now laying it down in print. This book of poems is funny, poignant and sincere. He covers a lot of ground (Bush, Katrina, Mercedes-Benz, workplace discrimination) and covers it in his own unique style. A few of my favorites are "Music", "M/M", "Is Not Positive" and "Beautician Addiction". I look forward to the spoken word CD as the only thing better than reading Gordon is getting to hear him talk (and giggle).

Pride and Joi was predictably romantic and delightfully interesting. These characters had substance and we can all learn from the lessons they learned.

I was looking for a change of pace when I ran across this little book. Pride and Joi by Gay Gunn is a remarkable love story! It is the story of Joe Pride and Joi (Martin) St. Marie. Joi is torn between accepting the love of her soulmate who will take her as she is or trying to love someone who can give her all the material wealth but can't satisfy the fire in her soul. Joi and Pride captured me because it was well-written, the characters had depth, the plot was plausible and the writing style was breathtaking. While reading about Pride and Joi, I felt like I was swept off my feet and taken into a romance fantasy that ended with a fairy tale ending. Along the way I feel in love with Pride and Joi and hoped that they would work out issues, differences, and keep other folks(who were not so well meaning)out of their business! And while I thought that the ending might be predictable the twist and turns that were added along the way pleasantly surprised me. If you're a romance reader and looking for a good romance novel or even if you don't like romance novels but are in the mood for a good love story please read Pride and Joi. You won't be disappointed!

The Love story in 'Pride and Joy' is exhilirating and refreshing. This novel is gracefully written, and flows like a river over a cliff. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you want a pleasant, happy, invigorating story, you won't be disappointed.

This book was really good. I loved Joe Pride. He was just an ordinary guy with extrordinary love to give. He loved Joi unconditionally.

Joi Martin was afraid to really love someone, because she thought they would die. She figured if she married well, the money would be enough. That was until she met Joe Pride. Joe showed her what life could be like with a someone who loved her wholeheartedly. Joi's mother didn't think Pride was good enough for her daughter. She always made Joi think that marrying well would be better for her. OH, how wrong she was. You need to read this book to get the full effect. I guarantee, you won't put it down.

It is so wonderful to read a book like Pride and Joi that celebrates what is right about love between African-American people. So many times in our literarture men are portrayed as dogs, women make stupid choices. In this book, a smart woman chooses a sweet, fine, hard working man. It is wonderful.

I have read a number of books which attempt to give an overview of Jungian psychology. Jacobi's is great but if one doesn't have some background, it is a bit difficult. This book is an "oldie but goodie" and provides easily understood explanations of Jung's basic concepts. It is not all inclusive but certainly can spark the reader to pursue more investigating.

Although it may be rather brief, this book does an excellent job with introducing people to the basics of Jungian psychology. For people beginning to learn about Jung's theories, I think this is one of the best starting points, and after reading it I've had a good basis to continue learning more about this subject. It's well-written, easy to understand, provides real-life examples to clarify concepts, and the information is organized in a logical sequence. Altogether it is a wonderful overview.

Jung builds off many of Freuds concepts, therefore the author Calvin Hall had to, and does have a sense of Freudian psychology. There are also many things that are Jungs own such as ideas about: a collective unconscious, archetypes, dreams and symbols and various personality types. All these things and more covered by Calvin Hall - originating from Carl Gustov Jung. Read it.

This book is absolutly wonderfull; it defines all of Jung's major psychological contributions in layman's terms. A very, "to the point" book with minute, clear examples in each area.

It's a waste of money. Get it at the library, instead. The informational contents are minimal. The paper is of the lowest quality causing the contrast to be very low and very difficult to read. A much better introduction is "What Jung Really Said" by E.A. Bennet, ISBN: 0805210466.

Envy is the main emotion, out of a string of mixed emotions, that truly captured me after reading this amazing book. I found myself envious that i didnt have the imagination, experience and sheer brilliance to write this book myself.
I was also left with the yearning to correspond with another in such a way, as did the characters Delphine and Jean-Luc.
For a book lover like me this was the book i was looking for without knowing it.I read it within a day. I couldnt fail to take this book anywhere without a pen, purely so that i could underline phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that i loved throughout this book to re-read whenever i wish to be uplifted.
I thoroughly loved reading this book, especially due to its surprise, and unfortunate ending.
I would recommend it to anyone who wishes, or a few hours, to dissapear into a world that involves just you the reader,the characters and their wonderful journey.

I have just finished reading this book....and im now quite jealous that i hadnt written it myself.
A short, sometimes sweet, sometimes cruel story of longing and loneliness, intimacy and imagery..the tale of two passionate people never to meet.
The portrayel is brief and you cant help but wonder more about these intriging characters, but still you root for them and their discovery of finalised happiness.

I felt like I had a lot in common with Delphine in the beginning, in that I have been captivated by an artist's work (in may case, a musician) to the point of worship, and finally told him so. And, like the character in this book, my favorite artist became my artist friend. That's how I got carried away by this story, told entirely through the letters between the two characters. And the completely unpredictable and shocking conclusion left me feeling as betrayed as the main character. I actually did proclaim "Oh my God!!!" a bit too loudly in the room I sat reading, when it concluded. Initially, I immediately re-read the brilliant work, my eyes scanning microscopic details for the embedded clues that could have saved the main character the agony in the tragic ending. Since then, I have found myself changed... not quite taking foregranted. I now stay entirely sensitive to clues in my real world, to avoid being deceived. A word to the wise... it is a masterful work, so please do not miss out on the opportunity to engage yourself in a work like this one.

Priority is one of those rare gems that you can only hope to stumble upon every now and then. It is the sensuous, poetic journey of two lovers who have never met, but are on an inevitable collision course with destiny. It reminded me of the exotic and delightful correspondnce in the Griffin and Sabine trilogy by Nick Bantock, but left me with a sense of fulfillment at the end, even with it's surprising and extraordinary twist.

I liked the book, even though the letter format seems a little choppy vs. regular written prose. And boy was I surprised at the end. No one could ever guess the ending which really put a spin on the entire book. Excellent erotica with intelligence.