Classics Books

It is definitely the best book I have ever read, and I read many great books throughout my life. I read it about six times, the first one when I was little. I still remember. Now I got it for my own children. It has amazing principles, and wonderful teachings. I wich we could all see life the way "El Principito" does. What a great lesson!

A BOOK THAT INFLUENCED MY LIFE

The book that has influenced my life is "The Little Prince". This book iis basically about a little blond boy that meets an adult with who he will become friend, somewhere in the world, dunno where.He discovers, during a trip, adults, who will allow him to understand adults world and life on hearth In the begining of the story, the pilot crashes in a desert and thers were the story begings.This story has many characters, but the two main ones are the pilot (the narrator), and the little prince.One of the main settings are the dessert were the pilot meets the little prince, and the planet were the little prince lives, but this story has many settings.

I read this book because my mother told me that every kid must read this book, so she gave me the book and i read it when i was almost 12 years old. This book has influenced my life in many ways. Every time i read this book it makes me think, about pepole and friendship, it makes me cry, laugh, and be a better person and a better friend. It also makes me be more pacient, and this is a thing that im not so good at, but every time im in a cituation were i have to be pacient, since i read that book, I have teach myself to try to understand people, and why they are like that. This book is in a prose/chatter way written, in this way it was easier for me to understand the meaning of the words. This book you have to read it more than once to get the meaning of the words.











By Avira Arreola.

Creo que uno de los libros mas lindos que he leido. Es un libro que podes leer a cualquier edad, tendo 18 años y recien lo lei.
Es una aventura muy linda que algun dia espero poder leer a mi hijos :)
Les recomiendo este libro a todo mundo.

It's been one of my favorite books since I was in 6th grade, great life values in this story! Great for kids! and people of any age.

This is a lovely story, and I wanted to own the book to follow while I listen to the story in Spanish on my ipod. Children's stories in Spanish are a delightful way to study for the mid-level student.

T.William Waltrip, M.D.

I believe the other reviews of this book to be quite accurate; rightfully noting its annoyingly bad layout(lacking index, missing page headings of what you're reading, etc). Disregarding these shortfalls, Orwell's writing itself easily makes up for--and surpasses--were the publishers have blundered. I read these essays with child-like Christmas morning joy; finding pleasure in them as if peeling away the wrapping paper from the presents, leaving me engulfed with intrigue over Orwell's subjects, prose and opinions. This book is a real treasure trove for all those who enjoyed Orwell's most famous, if not cliche, works of 1984 and Animal Farm.

This is a beautiful, compact, hardcover, volume with a cloth bookmark built into the binding. If you are an Orwell fan, this book is well worth the money. It contains a very wide selection of Orwell essays, including the most popular ones such as "Shooting an Elephant," but also the rarer ones as well. I especially enjoyed reading Orwell's "As I Please" columns from the Tribune; these are difficult to find in compiled form.

I highly recommend this volume, but I must echo the same complaint of other reviewers: There is no index, and this makes it impossible to find Orwell's essays on a specific topic unless you already know what to look for. For example, Orwell's "As I Please" columns are labeled by the sequence number of their creation with no indication of topic. This is not very useful, as Orwell wrote about so many varied things.

All in all, a good value, but I must deduct one star because of the lack of an index. Also, I would certainly recommend this book for the Orwell aficionado, but not necessarily for the new or casual Orwell reader. Read Orwell's novels first; you will have a better appreciation of the essays afterwards.

In these by times highly emotional essays written in the 1930s and 1940s George Orwell gives us with in depth analyses his personal viewpoint on the literary, political and socio-economic scene.

In literature, he sees the novel as `a Protestant form of art, a product of the free mind, of the autonomous individual.' Orwell's aim was to `push the world in a certain direction: a battle against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism.'
In his criticism he searches for the essential (hidden) message of the author.
Dickens's rather naïve creed is: `If man would behave decently, the world would be decent.' His ideal is `a hundred thousand pounds, a quaint old house, a sweetly womanly wife, a horde of children and no work.'
Henry Miller's books are `a passive acceptance of decay and evil.'
H.G. Wells dreams of a utopian World State.
R. Kipling is a jingo imperialist, but he didn't understand that `an empire is primarily a money-making concern'.
W.B. Yeats is in essence a defender of feudalism, `a great hater of democracy and of human equality, of the modern world, science, technology and the concept of progress.'
A. Koestler's main theme is `the decadence of revolutions owing to corrupting effects of power.'
P.G. Wodehouse's real sin is to present the English upper classes as much nicer than they are.
In `Gulliver's Travels', J. Swift delivers a frontal attack on totalitarianism and shows that he is a disbeliever in the possibility of happiness.

Orwell's view on world matters is rightly `no Law, only Power'.
Nationalism is inseparable from the desire for power.
The concentration of the media in the hands of a few rich men puts the freedom of the press and intellectual liberty under attack. The `very concept of objective truth' is lost.
The Spanish war showed him the essential horror of army life.
He is extremely severe for the British establishment: `The British ruling class thought that Fascism was on their side.' For them, `it is better to inherit, than to work.' `In an England ruled by stupidity, to be `clever' was to be suspect.'

But his solution is also naïve: `common ownership of the means of production. The State, representing the whole nation, owns everything, and everyone is a State employee.' In other words, he pleads for a massive bureaucracy.
But he contradicts himself when he complains that `everything in our age conspires to turn the writer into a minor official!'

These essays contain also vivid memories of his public school life (`irrational terror') and of his Indian life ('Shooting an elephant'). He comments on sports (`war without shooting), detective stories (J.H. Chase), poetry (`the most hated art form'), mildly pornographic comic postcards (`a harmless rebellion against virtue') and ends with a superb portrait of Ghandi.

These remarkable essays, written by a fearless superb free mind, a fighter for justice and a true `révolté' (A. Camus), are a must read.

As a lit major very interested in politics, I find this collection to be fascinating and instructive. Mr. Orwell's views on what corporations would do to the news media and the stifling effects of politically correct speech are vital today, and should be required in civics and political science classes.

Mr. Orwell managed to anger and inform both liberals and conservatives by exposing hypocrisy and dull-minded dogma. His writing style is sharp and free of tiresome twists and turns. In fact, "Politics and the English Language" (954) targets academic writing that is puffed up for no reason other than to hide the fact that the writer has little to say. (And this article should be required reading in graduate literature classes!)

The power of his insights and imagery can be seen in "How the Poor Die," a sad, upsetting essay that made me want a shower and a drink when I finished reading it. (Again, this is current today with the horribly neglected and virtually unregulated "assited living facilities"--and even the Walter Reed outpatient scandal.)

So few writers have had such vision that it is worth repeating the cliche: George Orwell was a social prophet--a genuine one.

Because of Mr. Orwell's deep understanding of political systems and human nature, his excellent style, and the breadth of his subject matter, I think it would not be over-praising him to say that this volume ranks with Montaigne's collected essays.

This volume is lovely, both in binding and text size; however, as other reviewers have pointed out, the publisher should have taken the trouble to include an index at the end of 1363 pages of essays! (Write to Knopf/Random House to complain!)

I'm going to contact my county library to arrange donating a copy of this; it is a shame this book isn't on the shelves!

George Orwell: 1984 and beyond


The futurist novels 1984 and Animal Farm are George Orwell's primary literary legacy. He contributed the phrase "Big Brother" to the language, and is remembered... if at all...as a novelist and social commentator.

But Orwell was much more than that - during the Second World War he worked for the BBC as a commentator, essayist and writer. He was a consummate professional, a brilliant satirist, and an indefatigable correspondent. He volunteered in the Spanish Civil War and wrote "Homage to Catalonia" from his experiences.

What is more surprising is that Orwell ...who died at 46... left voluminous essays, letters and reportage which have been compiled in four thick volumes by Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. * (George Orwell: Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters; Volumes 1-IV, Nonpareil Books, 2000), and in his Collected Essays.

. He lived as a tramp for a while, got arrested for being drunk, worked low-level jobs and wrote "Down and out in London and Paris" from his experience. Orwell struggled personally and financially; his first marriage ended with h is wife's death, his second was short, and he was usually broke. That changed with the publication of l984 and Animal Farm...the latter a satire on the Russian Revolution. Ray Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451" owes a debt to Orwell. His BBC broadcasts during the War were classics.

In his short life, Orwell produced a huge body of work: his Collected Writings run to 20 volumes, and his essays fill four books. He is one of the major figures of 20th Century English writing.
Major Works

"Down and Out in London and Paris" 1933
"The Road to Wigan Pier" 1937
"Homage to Catalonia" -- 1938
"1984: 1945
"Animal Farm" 1949
"Selected Essays" 1957
"Orwell: The War Broadcasts" 1985

I lived thru this area and like today information was subject to national bias so this was the rest of the story particularly the divided ideas in Japan.

I have read many WWII military history books, and this was a nice complement in that it provides some of the background that led to the action in WWII. Well-written and researched.

One of the very best books I have read on these fateful years, in a true Kershaw tradition. Very well researched and highly recommended.

This is a book which looks at ten decisions taken between 1940 and 1941 which affected the course of the Second World War. Rather than an alternative history it looks at each decision and the logic for it. It is worthwhile looking at one example to see the books method.

For instance Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union in retrospect seems outrageous folly. Look at what happened to Charles XII of Sweden and Napoleon. Both led armies into the depth of Russia and were defeated by "General Winter." The size of the Soviet Union made landing a knock out blow impossible and Germany was drawn into a war of attrition which it lost just like Charles and Napoleon.

The genius of this book is to show how in the context of 1941 things looked different. Germany had defeated France in 1940 and occupied its north. Britain although undefeated was not able to put an army on European soil which could match Germany's. Germany (which had absorbed Austria) had as allies Italy, Hungary, Romania and Finland. In the First World War Germany with the support of the Austrian Empire had been able to defeat Imperial Russia whilst it had the majority of its army on the Western Front. It now could devote the majority of its army to the Russian operation and had more allies plus the resources of Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Balkans, France and Denmark. Thus in 1941 Germany looked back on the victory in 1917 knowing that it was infinity stronger being able to put an army of 3 million into the field. Germany also felt that its army was highly trained and operationally streets ahead of the Soviets who had struggled to defeat tiny Finland.

In fact the conventional wisdom in 1941 was that the Soviets would be defeated quickly and that Germany would then have a vast new colonial empire that could be used to build up its air force and navy to defeat Britain to ward off America.

Kershaw shoes how Hitler grappled with the problem of what to do after the defeat of France. To invade England was well nigh impossible because of its naval strength. If the Germans could get an army ashore there would be no way to supply it and it would be defeated. To build up naval superiority if possible would take years. To wage a Mediterranean strategy was also difficult. The logical first step would be to seize Gibraltar so that Britain could be denied access to the Mediterranean and Egypt would be isolated. This would also give some chance for uniting the Italian and German Fleets. The problem was how to make up a coalition of forces? Spain would only enter the war if it got the French colonial possessions in North Africa. This would alienate the Vichy Regime and possibly the French Fleet would join the British. All in all, although it now seems weird to Hitler the invasion of the Soviet Union was the easiest strategy and the most likely to lead to victory.

In a similar way Britains decision to fight on in 1940 seems to be an act of gallant folly. One that was good for the world and reflective of Churchillian bravery. Yet in the context of the time there was some discussion about seeking terms. The reality was that any terms were likely to simply weaken Britain's military position and lead not to peace but an eventual subjugation to Germany. Fighting on was the only real option.

The brilliance of this book is that it is able to put each of these 10 decisions into the context of the time and to show the mind set of those who made the decision. It is not only a powerful work but also something of a page turner.

For those familiar with Kershaw primarily through his definitive two-volume biography of Adolf Hitler, 'Fateful Choices' might seem, at first glance, like a comparatively light-weight book with a 'what-if' gimmick at its core: what if England had sought a negotiated peace with Germany, what if Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor, etc. But Kershaw is not a light-weight historian, and he uses the book's structure as a series of teaching moments about key turning points in the course of the war. His discussion of the debates inside Churchill's war cabinet are fascinating reading for those familiar only with Churchill's public pronouncements that England would never back down: Kershaw weighs in on the various arguments of the participants and even gives a fair hearing to the reasoning of those who were ultimately on the wrong side of history. The book also brings up less well known but equally fascinating turns of events such as Italy's unilateral decision to invade Greece, which opened up yet another front in an already sprawling world conflict. This book is probably best read by people who already have a certain familiarity with the major events and figures of the period, but it would also be highly recommended for students enrolled in college courses on modern European history, where outcomes are all too often presented as fait accompli. Kershaw shows that history frequently turns on individual decisions made by individual people, and he does so with vigor, authority, and grace.

This is easily my favorite Classic work of literature. Unlike many of the other classics, such as the Odyssey, Iliad, Aeneid, and others, this book kept my attention the entire time and I couldn't wait to finish. Robert Graves does a tremendous job of translating it into an easily readable version.

book includes the original story of Cupid (Pysche). perfect gift for lovers possessing a sash of intelligence.

Everyone should read The Golden Ass, especially this translation. Just reading it can deepen a person. It's one of those books to be treasured and re-read every few years, finding new insights and humor. The Cupid and Psyche portion is rousing and sly and stands alone. I've given copies as gifts over the years and notice my friends still hang on to them long after.

Apuleius' The Golden Ass, or Metamorphoses, is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. Composed in the second century, this picaresque work tells the tale of Lucius, a man whose curiosity in magic and indulgence of sexual pleasures leads him to accidently transform himself into an ass. What follows are the various trials and hardships he endures as well as the tales he hears throughout his travels. It is not until the intervention of the goddess Isis that Lucius is transformed back into a man, and he devotes the rest of his life to her cult.

Apuleius' storytelling is lively, witty, an often sexually explicit. Indeed, many forms of fetish are showcased within the pages, including beastiality. More often than not, the novel indulges readers in their guilty curiosities while also providing hilarious and adventurous prose, with a splash of red-streaked violence thrown in for good measure. However, despite being written nearly two-thousand years ago, what may shock the modern reader most is how approachable and familiar is not only the humor but also the sentiments and sensuality of these Roman characters. It is not difficult to imagine Lucius' world.

The Golden Ass offers readers a romp through ancient Rome through the eyes of a contemporary while also entertaining. It is also a highly revealing documentation of religion and magical belief in Greco-Roman polytheism, and contains the only complete description of the initiation into a Mystery cult. The true essence of the novel is that it is a fable culminating in the religious transformation of the individual and the embrace of salvation (soteria). However, the pagan salvation was not one of the afterlife, but of this life, and involved changing one's perspective of the world and also of life and death. The ass in the ancient world was seen as the most base of animals, an utter slave to its desires, and Lucius' transformation at the end should be read as symbolizing his overcoming of those passions.

The Golden Ass is bawdy and shocking, but also intelligent and satisfying. Graves' translation is fluid and easy to follow. The prose is as enjoyable (and perhaps rewarding) to read today as it no doubt was nearly two-millennia ago.

This is certainly an entertaining reading experience and Robert Grave's translation makes this 1800 year old novel come to life for modern audiences. The book is full of stories within stories, a device that I found very entertaining and reminded me of the best works of A.S. Byatt. The story within a story approach allowed for multiple wild digressions of the most fantastic types. Stories of magic, murder, rape, incest, poison, bribery, theives, beastiality, orgies, homosexuality, and all other manner of hair-raising encounters populate the multiple stories within stories.

Yet there is certainly a strong central theme and storyline in the plight of poor Lucius, the attorney turned into a donkey. The world and humanity are seen anew through the eyes of an ass.

The book does take one major departure with the longer story of Cupid and Psyche, skillfully told. The book ends with another change of pace when Lucius devotes himself to the gods, especially the goddess Isis/Diana/Artemis, the White Goddess.

I think the book was excellent and would never have survived so many centuries if each age did not find the human condition to be much unchanged despite the wild and wooly tales encountered here.

Lamb Chops...What do lamb chops have to do with this story, well everything! Lamb Chops is the vaudeville routine that brought fame to this comedic duo in the late 1920's. I have the link to a You Tube movie short that was filmed in 1929 for this popular routine here. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFcsdgkg54 ) In this clip and others that I've seen with Burns and Allen, I think Gracie is the reason that they had so much success. She was so natural in her role as the "ditzy dame". She was good if not one of the best funnymen to a straightman role. This book takes the reader back to the waning days of vaudeville and the beginnings of film, radio and television as the new media for bringing entertainment to its audiances. George Burns takes us back down memory lane with a personnal love story that lasted nearly 40 years. His memories include many places and friends that I as a reader enjoyed visiting. I don't read love stories usually, but this love story is one that I enjoyed and won't soon forget.

In our disposable transient society of today, it is a refreshing change to see a love and a marriage that lasted so long. As time goes on, it is becoming an even rarer event.

In this book, Mr. Burns fondly remembers his wife, Gracie Allen. The stories that he tells about her, how they met, and how they managed to stay together so long were interesting to read and entertaining.

I would recommend this book to all ages. It is easy reading and also tells somewhat of the history of vaudeville, radio, television, and movies.

If you love old Hollywood, read this book. If you loved George & Gracie, read this book. If you want to read a true life love story, READ THIS BOOK. I just love the inside scoop on the old Hollywood that George dishes out. I never knew Cary Grant sold neck ties before becoming a screen idol. Harpo Marx (the quiet one) wanted one child in every window to wave goodbye or hello when he pulled up in the drive. George wasn't all that impressed with Marilyn Monroe.

This book is an easy read and so hard to put down.

Growing up, I really only knew Goerge Burns for the occasional television special he would host. Other than that, and his "Oh, God" movie (which came out when I was very young), I was relatively unfamiliar with him.

In the mid 80's, when I was about 10 years old, I found that a local radio station would run old time radio comedies from 8-10pm, and as such, I used to fall asleep nightly listening to the like of Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly, and, of course Burns and Allen.

I finally just purchased this book from and Amazon bookseller about two months ago, and honestly, it's as good a $2.95 as I've spent in a while.

As other reviewers have said, many times bigraqphies can be a bit on the dull side, but George really did well with this. It is an easy read... a page turner. It's very interesting to get more insight on what a great performer she was, and how natural it came to her. One always got the feeling that even though she was delivering her "dizzy" Gracie charater, that underneath that was a very smart, clever person. This book certianly backs that up, and it backs it up with all the warmth and affection George Burns had for his wife.

I thoroughly enjoyed this not only for the story of Gracie, but also as a way to look inside the life of an entertainer at that time. I neverquite understood before what it was to work the vaudeville circuit, but there is a ton of insight in this book.

This is a must read for even the most casual fan of old time radio and the celebrities of that era.

I glanced at the reviews here to see if my opinion of this book was just a fluke, but they pretty much bear me out. I didn't expect this book to be nearly as good as it is. On second thought, though, it's not that surprising. This pair was magic and it was seen in everything they touched, the prime and lasting example being the without parallel Burns and Allen Show.

Burns and Allen successfully weathered many storms, making the transition from Vaudeville and stand-up comedy to radio and later to television. The earliest TV shows are the only ones available on DVD, but in later seasons they really hit their stride. In this hilarious and ground- breaking show, George would turn on the TV in the den to see what Gracie was doing, and regularly chat with viewers about events in progress. Gracie would walk in the wrong side of the set and regale viewers (or listeners) with non-stop comedic patter, malapropisms and surrealistic humour (ala Ernie Kovaks) with George as the straightman and pinnacle of style puffing his ever-present cigar.

Even as an octagenarian he could still act (Oh God, You Devil) but as a nonogenarian (92) he could still write. This marvelous memoir is not only the most delightful reading I've had in a long time, but makes me all the more want the Burns and Allen show on DVD. This book was a bestseller in hardback, but is now unaccountably out of print. Yet many readers would love this book, and would enjoy making the acquaintance of the remarkable Gracie Allen.

Of the eleven novels by Wendell Berry in the Port William saga, Hannah Coulter is probably the best. It is a complete life told with great sensitivity of a poor girl and an outsider to the families written about in the other novels of the saga. Hannah has great determination and ability to overcome her limitations with the help of her grandmother and the Feltner, Coulter and Catlett families. The story covers the period from 1922 until the turn of the century. It is an epic tale.

This is one of the best books I have read - a wonderful book of community and belonging

In his Port William novels, Wendell Berry has built a community of nostalgia and gentleness that provides an opportunity to redirect our attention, for at least a time, from the day's most discouraging headlines. Enough of modern society trickles into the edges of Hannah Coulter's story, however, that we are reminded she may very well be our own contemporary.

This is the story of a woman widowed twice, who has never had extreme wealth but who seems to have learned contentedness in most situations and to be quietly resigned to the rest. Is she an idealized and not fully real character? Probably, but that could also be said of some of the many angst-drenched lead characters in other contemporary fiction, and I admit I find someone like this far more interesting.

The difference in her world from that of so many of the rest of us is summed up by another Port William resident's summary of what has happened to her children who have moved on to Ohio, California, and beyond.

"Andy said, 'You're worried because they've left the membership,' and he smiled...They've gone over from the world of membership to the world of organization. Nathan would say the world of employment.'...One of the attractions of moving away into the world of employment, i think, is being disconnected and free, unbothered by membership.It is a life of beginnings without memories, but it is a life too that ends without being remembered. The life of membership with all its cumbers is traded away for the life of employment that makes itself free by forgetting you clean as a whistle when you are not of any more use. When they get to retirement age, [my children] will be cast out of place and out of mind like worn-out replaceable parts, to be alone at the last maybe and soon forgotten.

"'But the membership,' Andy said, 'keeps the memories even of horses and mules and milk cows and dogs.'"

And that is the magic of Berry's writing; his telling of stories of those who are still *members* of a community helps keep their memories alive and reminds us of our own need to find our own community within our own spaces.

I don't always agree with Berry. Sometimes I agree with his dianoses but wonder what practical solution there is for the problems he notices. But one thing I must say is that he is able to beautifully capture the pathos and wonder of human community. Quite simply this is a beautiful meditation on life and relationship. If you do not come away longing for or at least pondering community and what it means you may want to check you pulse. His descriptions of married life are sublime.
A few random questions I have as I read the Port William novels:
-What would happen if an Italian immigrant moved to Port William? Would they be welcome?
-What is evil? Would you ever want to just kick someone out because they were so bad?
-Should I just let the effect of the novel wash over me or should I respond to a larger message?

ok.. I read this a year ago and loved it! It is elegantly written and soulful and kind. BUT after reading Wallace Stegner's 'Crossing to Safety'..and re-reading a chapter of 'Hannah Coulter', I'm afraid this book falls downward into a whole other category of writing. In my mind, 'Hannah Coulter' lacks humor..detail.. and the complexities of marriage. While Berry doesn't sugarcoat or gloss over his characters, he doesn't go into as much depth as I'd like, leaving me wondering and frustrated as to what's really going on inside Hannah, Nathan, and all the other folks of Port William. There just must be a whole lot more than 'everything's fine' in bucolic Port William..

The beauty of Stegner's book is that he manages to write 300 some odd pages on 'very quiet lives' and I truly hated for the book to end. With 'Hannah', I was left wanting more, not at just the end, but throughout the entire read.

I like to read the old books about golf. Five Lesson from Ben, Swing the Clubhead, etc.

I like this book, it provides insight about how to play really good golf. I have read over couple of dozen golf books and this is certainly the one in top of my list.

In comparison of new golf books versus the old ones, I found that there is more fundamental skill that descripted very clearly for the old ones. Maybe, it is because in the old days, if you need to play well, you can only rely on the technical skill, but today, you can sometimes rely on the technology. It is not easy to find those secret from the new published books.

Probably one of the best instructional books on Golf every written. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in learning more about the game of golf or improving there game.

This is a simple book that I have read and reread for profit and for pleasure many times since I was a teenager working as a caddy and golfing as often as possible. Although I was unable to play too much golf during the past summer on account of a hospitalization, I know that I will be rereading this succinct primer over the winter in anticipation of hitting the links again next Spring.

Tommy Armour writes with precision and grace. His brief book is truly intended to help the novice golfer and contains valuable advice that will help these players take several shots off of their scores. It is filled with basic instructions that are easy to understand, commit to memory and implement. I always found the material on assuming the proper stance and employing the proper footwork to be most beneficial.

To a small degree, some of the advice contained in the book, which was published fifty plus years ago, may be somewhat dated. Armour was writing in an era when golfers still used actual persimmon woods (driver, brassie and two spoons), not oversized drivers and forgiving metal woods for their tee shots. New technologies have allowed professionals to hit drives that would have been unimagineable in the past. Long drives once measured two hundred fifty to two hundred seventy-five yards. Now, many top players can exceed those distances. Nonetheless, apart from the instructions on tee shots and hitting a driver, much of the material contained in the book is still relevant for contemporary golfers.

Armour discussed realistic strategies that will help most ordinary players eliminate strokes from their scorecards and improve their enjoyment of the game. I am an enthusiastic, but not particularly consistent golfer, but I still try apply these common sense lessons whenever I play. Armour was an advocate of scrambling and not quitting on a hole despite a bad tee shot. You could recover from a poor drive and still try to make a one putt par.

Tommy Armour's great strength as a writer is that he explains things in nontechnical language that can be clearly followed. Diagrams and charts are basic and kept to a minimum. Unlike so many other pros, Armour also had a sense of humor: on the subject of putting, he admitted that he was not an expert by any means and, apart from imparting some essentials, he simply recommended that his pupils stick with whatever works for them!

Armour was a tournament champion, who later went on to have a successful career as a teaching professional and club designer. The popular Armour line of clubs is still being manufactured today.

If you prefer to pay for golf instruction by the pound and insist upon illustrated diagrams and stop sequence photos, this book is not for you.

When I bought this book, I was looking for something that would really step up my game. I wanted to be consistent. Armour's book can show you how to be truly consistent at golf. This book is aligned with Hogan's theory on golf instruction. So the rationale since Hogan got so much success using his technique, it must work. Many golfers don't realize that Hogan had awesome flexibility and talent to get away with using his technique. If you don't have the body of Hogan nor the flexibility get the following:
The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide: Key Techniques for Becoming a Zero Handicap Golfer or Better by Patrick Leonardi. The isbn is 1933023090. I used this last book and I don't have much flexibility and I improved right after using the techniques in Leonardi's book. I went from an 96 stroke average to about a 88 stroke average within 7 weeks. I play twice a week so this definitely says a lot. All I have to say is that this book works.

Bear in mind that this is a book originally published in the 1950s. It's widely regarded as an all-time classic, but it's now very dated. Armour was an excellent player (one of the great iron players of all time) and a superb teacher, but some of his theories are no longer in vogue. I can tell you that way back in the early 1960s this book, through Armour's focus on the hip turn, transformed me literally overnight from a beginner who sliced the ball to someone who has fought a hook for the last 40 years. I bought this updated edition strictly for its sentimental value, and I wouldn't foist it on someone who was serious about achieving his or maximum potential because a GREAT deal has been learned about the golf swing since this was written (and today's equipment demands a different sort of swing anyway). However, if you've played for awhile and just can't seem to get the hang of the golf swing, this book is so straightforward that it may be just what you need. You'll end up looking like Julius Boros rather than Tiger Woods, but odds are that'll be a major improvement if you're now shooting over 85. Armour was a transplanted Scot who was very eloquent, and this book is a pleasure to read for that reason alone. Some of his most basic wisdom ("THINK WHAT TO DO -- that's concentration in golf") still sticks with me every time I play. A ROUND OF GOLF WITH TOMMY ARMOUR, in which he steers his 90-shooting friend around the course in 79 by making him play within his limitations, is also excellent.

Journey of the Heart has been all I hoped it would be. The message in the book gives hope, not through wishful thinking, but through confronting destructive patterns. What is hopeful is that the message gives one hope in reclaiming a relationship or at least making you better at how to relate. The book is not lightweight, but it is personal and reaches to where we humans struggle and sheds light and gives guidance. If you are serious about being better at relating, this book is serious about helping.

This is one of the most profound books I have ever read. I first read the book some ten years ago and at the time I recall thinking "Why didn't I know this information?". Within this book you will learn how to establishing a healthy connection with another. This is a must have book. How I wish I had such insights when I was young.

Item was received with other purchased item, thus I received it in a reasonable amount of time. Book was like new!

This is an excellent book that challenges you to risk being intimate with yourself and your part. Welwood's observations are keen insightful, but delivered in a manner that is respectful to his readers. What I got most from this book was reading and reflecting on all of my relationships and the intimacy I allowed for myself as well as how open I am to others. I definitely recommend this as a book to read to help you appreciate the deeper layers of passion that a relationship can provide.

I have read this book several times and never cease to come away with a new understanding. It has depth, compassion and useful information for moving through some of the modern relationship dilemmas that cause so many of us suffering.

John Welwood is a Ph.D. psychotherapist with a deep knowledge of world religions, especially Buddhism. He also has a lot of life experience and has written many books on a variety of topics including other relationship books.

One of the things I most like about this book is the author's ability to apply both modern psychological thought and Eastern philosophical wisdom to modern day problems. He does this in an easy to read fashion with a compassionate tone. He does not come across as omniscient, but rather as a fellow traveler on the relationship path of spiritual growth.

I believe relationships are probably the best or at least one of the best self-growth paths anyone could ever follow. John Welwood shows us how to hold them as such in this marvelously insightful book.

I also recommend his book called "Toward a Psychology of Awakening." This book is subtitled "Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation." This would make a nice accompaniment to the book above, but the content is heavier and so is the style. However, it is packed with great information and it represents some of John Welwood's best writing.

I particularly like Welwood's insights on "spiritual bypassing" or escaping our psychological and emotional work by overly emphasizing the transcendent and dismissing the wisdom of embodied experience. I'm sure glad a guy who is writing relationship books holds this point of view because as anyone knows who has been in a committed relationship, there are lots of important ingredients to a good relationship beyond the spiritual considerations. The phenomenon of spiritual bypassing is explored very directly in "Toward a Psychology of Awakening."

Cindy Guidry lives in Neverland. Living and working in Los Angeles is difficult enough; try dating there. Guidry is a smart, funny, sexy woman who is trying to get in touch with her own power as she approaches 40. She's knows it's in there, somewhere. But it's hard to feel powerful when you live in a town where everyone is judged by appearances, and most of those are plastic.

I really enjoyed Cindy's voice. This is a book written by a clever woman who realizes that most of the men she meets are bombarded with too many choices on a daily basis. They can no longer make a decision about anything, especially the most important one of all, the decision of commit to a mate.

Guidry takes her readers on an enjoyable ride through Hollywood as she starts to put the pieces of her life together (accompanied by a Dave Matthews soundtrack) all the while feeling like she's the Last Single Woman in America.

She may get stuck with the easy "chick-lit" label, but Cindy Guidry has written a book filled with enormous humor, wit and poignancy -- and a well-earned understanding of relationships between men and women. Her trenchant observations -- on her own life, the men in it, her career, her family -- take no prisoners, including herself. More importantly, I loved her voice: the one of that smart, way-funny girlfriend who always tells the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, and god bless her. Men will be pleasantly surprised by their un-chick-lit treatment here, if they ever read it (mine have, and responded overwhelmingly positively -- "She gets it!"). Definitely a worthy read.

I have never found a book in which the writer (and narrator in this instance) seemingly gave forth so many of my own thoughts. I always considered myself to be a little too jaded, cynical, or critical, and am now glad to see there is a whole generation of us. Cindy Guidry shows there is really nothing too depressing about not knowing what you want to be when you grow up and, guess what?, there are lots of us out there. To heck with Generation X, it's Generation Cindy Guidry all the way!!!

Having been a former lover and devout follower of the series "Sex in the City" and having had to settle for vacuous attempts to fill that time slot or reruns on TBS ever since, I am looking forward to seeing this book and the idea behind it coming to life on HBO.

You get it all here..answers to the dating Universe and some.. I laughed, i cried and i was shocked at the honesty..very refreshing indeed!
.. highly recommended from this Goddess (and not just a chick read guys).

If you're a guy and you cringe that this might be another MEN SUCK book written for only women to read and rally together around the flagpole of self inflicted injustice, this is the book for you. Although she has her complaints about men, this is a refreshingly fair-handed, often sympathetic book about both men and women and their attempts to find and understand each other in this isolating cyber-world. While there are bestsellers as well as entire television networks dedicated to the proposition that MEN SUCK, Guidry offers the possibility of individual empowerment and an unflagging belief in Love, all the while making you laugh out loud about waxing and nail polish and cats and other things men don't generally care about. Men really do want to know what women think, and Guidry tells us in a way both entertaining and enlightening.

5 stars what more can I say.

I first read this book about 5 years ago. At the time I had no idea that it would have such a dramatic effect on me. Currently, I am on my 2nd copy and will probably order a 3rd soon. (just to be sure). I cant imagine life without this book to reference, espechially when times are tough. Once, when someone asked me what 3 things I would bring to a deserted island, ( Im sure youre all familiar with that question)--this book was one of the 3 things. I have trained myself to pick up this book anytime I find myself being tossed around by any difficulty I might find myself in. I can open it to any page, and there I find helpful advice on ANY problem. Not only wisdom but Truthful, honest solutions and to every problem that has ever been known to man. All the answers are contained in its pages, and I know they are all the answers that I will ever need.

Of the thousands of books I have read over the years _The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power_ has been by far the most important, at least on a personal level. When I first read it - I came across it by chance - I felt a rather strange but pleasant emotion of inner freedom and release. Now I turn to this book whenever I feel anxious or oppressed and the weight just falls from my shoulders. Vernon presents some of the greatest spiritual truths of the ages in very clear language, without dogma, jargon, psychobabble or new age fluff. The 'cosmic power' he talks about is about peace and clarity of mind, about realisation of one's true self by breaking free from the conditioned ego or social self that we normally live from. Through the ages there have been a small number of men and women who knew Truth and Vernon was one of them. Read this book and find out for yourself. jonathancolman@hotmail.com

Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard is a perfect book. It was written by an awakened man and it explains in clear language the way to become awakened. I attended classes and personally met this man and he embodied everything he taught about awakedness. He spoke clearly and directly to the ignorance that enslaved me and called it out for me to observe, and in that observation, I have seen freedom. There's nothing to "do" to awaken. There is something to see. Vernon Howard explains the darkness so perfectly that light becomes apparent. He was teaching these truths before so many others, yet his words are still the purest. If you are suffering, you need this book. Vernon will show you why you suffer and how to leave that suffering behind. Whether you suffer from guilt, loss, fear, jealousy, anger, or anything else, he will show you the thought patterns that have created that suffering and how those thought patterns can be seen through and risen above. Before I read Vernon's work I was depressed and hostile. His teachings have released me from this painful way of living. He can do the same for you.

The mystic path has never been so simplistically put into words. The wisdom of mysticism is hardily the best philosophy to explicate into tangible, solid practices. The nature of Howard's parables teach truths otherwise missed in daily life. The book hits on key events of typical life as seem from the eyes of mundane trivialities, though later boarders on the line of cultism. I must stress that this book reads well, as it's beautifully narrated through format and relevance. The end of the book leaves the reader with tough choices, being that the book easily compels the reader to 'act' by quickly adopting many of the advice scattered through the chapters, the final step might be beyond the realm of possibility for most. Whether you choose to fully implement your Cosmic Power into your everyday life and seek to conglomerate with others of the same 'mystic level', or extract key concepts in which you will utilize for selfish purposes, The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power will get you there.