Source The Books

Mark Doty in his latest collection of poems, continues to delight and entertain us with his brilliant style of writing that is elegant, compassionate, and unabashedly, and proudly gay. These poems are of a universal language, speaking to all sexual orientations, for they are not all gay themed verses. Doty's poems are always a real pleasure to read for they speak from the heart on subjects that are important and of interest to many of us who share his same ideals, thoughts, and feelings. I have always been a fan of his poems for that reason. As he describes the degradation of Walt Whitman's vision of a democratic America in "Letter to Walt Whitman", or of the joy and entertainment that "Little Kaiser" brings to so many people in "Private Life", I can not help but smile at the joy he sees and experiences in trying to get close to Whitman, and in exploring the inner thoughts of "Little Kaiser". I have to admit I am a little prejudiced toward these two lovely poems, for each has references to companion parrots. I loved the poem, "Letter to Walt Whitman" that Doty wrote after touring Whitman's home in Camden. He was trying to find something there that would make Whitman seem more real and still alive. He did when he discovered Whitman's parrot preserved by the taxidermist's wax, and wrote, "Then one thing made you seem alive: your parrot." And in "Private Life" we learn all about "Little Kaiser" the African Grey parrot, who has been a fixture for many years at the local headshop on Commercial Street in Provincetown. Doty has a way of describing all life beings with the beauty they so rightly deserve.

This sixth book of verse by Mark Doty is one I will be returning to many, many times. The poems in this collection cover a wide variety of subjects, and this creates an opportunity for everyone to find one of interest to them that will definitely become a favorite. The several poems he writes about Provincetown, a town I have come to care about and call a second home over the past quarter century, are my favorites. Doty seems to have the same feelings for this special place that I have. It is the beauty of his words that keep me looking forward to and eagerly awaiting his next collection of poems. A Real Pleasure!!

Joe Hanssen

I typically don't raise issue with others' reviews. After all, most have been taught that a poem can have many interpretations. Yet to think of "Private Life" as a compassionate description of a beautiful caged creature is missing the point entirely, I think. In the first stanza, the speaker describes Little Kaiser (a caged parrot in a popular tourist destination) as being "confronted" by the noisy hecklers and insensitive tourists who pass him every day, acknowledging, "He doesn't seem to mind," the operative word there being "seem." Two stanzas later, we learn that his cage carries the warning, "I bite." [Obviously, he does mind.]

Then the speaker passively suggests, "He couldn't be said to be/lonely; all day the world comes to him." How could anyone who gets so much attention be lonely? When the speaker then describes the pedestrians as an "endless procession of faces, only a few of them known," the parrot takes on a much more human quality, and that's where the parrot turns into a metaphorical vehicle to describe the human condition in general, but a gay man's condition quite specifically. This metaphor gathers momentum in the last 5 or 6 stanzas, describing his tail as "stunning red,/a frank indulgence of the private life." [wink, nudge]

When the speaker shifts focus from the subject to the speaker ("What does Kaiser dream?"), (s)he develops a more philosophical posture rather than the one of the passive journalist from the beginning of the poem. First we are asked to imagine what Kaiser's not dreaming ("Probably no original paradise;/this little trooper was born in a shop."), invoking of course the story of the heterosexual, biblical Creation, of which we gay men obviously don't have an equivalent. Rather, we have been asked to acquire a gay culture that we're repeatedly relegated to and blindly accept.

The speaker then asks, "should he prefer a single,/perfect other?"...pointing to the cultural stereotype (accepted by gays and straights alike) of the idea that gay men are promiscuous and not easily tied down: "one human form/after another bent over him/in momentary delight, while he takes//their measure, and mouths a limited vocabulary, all greeting and praise." But that's enough communication for our parrot/gay man, the speaker's last description giving it to us most plainly just in case we missed it already: "promiscuous singer, whose tongue/lifts and curls out to the world, performing/all night in his blanketed cage."

Doty has dealt with similar subjects before, lamenting over such gay conundrums as the "austere code of tricks" or that "we are all on display in this town, sweet machines, powerless, consumed." But with "Private Life," [even the title suggests you look beyond the parrot, as Doty's title has] he's turned the sensitive, curious descriptions of a gay man at odds with his own "culture" in addition to the world itself into a more honest, indeed, unflinching, look at the way we move and process and feel...or (unfortunately) do none of these things.

Doty's sixth book of poetry shows his elegant and strong style while exploring both public and private life. These poems luxuriate on the tongue and in the mind, and boldly paint vivid images in the readers' minds. Winner of a Lambda Literary Award for poetry, "Source" is a delightful example of Doty's works.

I don't mean to sound cranky, but I'm tired of hearing the words "beautiful" and "moving" in relationship to the work of Mark Doty. Of course his poems are these things, but they're much, much more. They're rigorous in their thinking; they're relentless in their questions about perception and mortality, and revolutionary in their evocation of a social and metaphysical vision. This is a poetry of ideas. It's a poetry that rolls up its sleeves and takes its reader gently--but FIRMLY--down "into the source of spring."

Mark Doty's, one of America's premiere poets, has done it again with his newest collection of literary gems, "Source".

Doty's poems cover a range of topics, from dead wildlife to working out, all exude a personal flair that enlightens and illuminates our existance while sharing his. His poetry both confounds and inspires; you read and question the meaning, and then, find a diamond mine of a line you cannot let go, and mentally ponder the treasure. Some poets aggreviate by not allowing access into their lives or meaning with their work; Doty opens the door, doesn't shy away from honesty or complex thought, and allows us to wander through his charming maze of words.

As a reader of his work, it's nice to see him returning to old familiar themes, especially those that mention Wally, a heart's love who perished due to AIDS. While we may write and write about those songs that inspire us, perhaps there can be never enough said about some things, and Doty casts a beautiful literary light on those topics with each passing year.

Source is an excellent add to your poetry collection.

I have collected a large number of books on communes and hands down, this book is the most interesting, the most informative and the most open story about the experiences The Source group has had. If you're only going to buy one book to learn about life in a cooperative and collaborative society, BUY THIS ONE. You will learn more from this book than you can in most conversations with people who have "been there." That the group designated a historian to annotate their experiences solidifies an authenticity of experience you won't find outside of the other commune book experiences. A terrific read.

Oh how good it is to have a refreshing, honest reflection of a time when pushing the limits, opening the senses and growing past traditional norms was a way of life. This book presents beautiful photographs and true accounts of a unique period of our history.

Beyond judgements and discussions of this "family" being a cult, are woven in truths which have become mainstream in our society today. Father, Jim Baker was a revolutionary, visionary, luminary who opened the door for healthy living.

Thank you so much for creating this body of work. It just goes to show that The Secret and those who we look to today for enlightment have roots in a time which was not as receptive as we are today. It is truly an amazing reflection and a breath of fresh air.

This book is most amazing. It has opened up a belief in me that there is some light on this planet that has been in the hands of darkness and the grip of greed by those who have the power. This group made a difference and I hope they keep going. The writing was supurb and the story timeless.

This book was fascinating. I couldn't put it down and when it was finished I wanted more. There was lots of great information and stories of a bygone era...a magical time in history, a magical time in Los Angeles, and a magical time in the lives of those who lived being part of The Source Family. The pictures of a that era and the family were great...definitely recommended for anyone interested in spirituality, group living, and that unique time of the early 70's.

I truly enjoyed this book...fascinating! What a journey the Source Family took through those years! What is interesting is that they were a very clean tribe and financially successful....compared to so many "dirty hippies" of that day and age. The photos are gems of a by-gone era. A real insight into commune life.

As a manager responsible for approximately $100 million in spend, I found that this book was able to effectively break down the complex topic of strategic supply management into manageable chunks. I find this book to be useful for the entry level supply chain professional as well as for the practicing purchasing professional. This book not only discusses today's best practices but it also lays out what needs to be done in order to prepare for tomorrow. I will be using the valuable information provided to improve our practices with regard to managing our supply base. It was well worth the read, and it will continue to be a ready reference for me going forward.

This text should be required reading for every supply chain professional. It covers every important topic and trend in supply management and does so with a unique blend of theoretical analysis, industrial survey results and real-life examples. I was particularly impressed with the sections on supplier selection, managing supplier performance and the use of information technology to optimize and support supply objectives. From this text, I learned not only how to take a big picture, strategic look at the problem of supply management but what tools and techniques are available to help day-to-day execution of that strategy. You can quickly see from this text just how complicated supply management is and that a high level of interaction exists between many different functional organizations. Taking a short-term, isolated approach to this topic and ignoring the trends and advice offered in this text will make it very difficult to achieve long-term success.

I was very pleased with the writing style used by the author. It did not read like a textbook with listing of fact after fact. Instead, the author made the subject matter enjoyable to read and included some personal observations that stressed the practical aspects of the material. I would highly recommend this text to anyone who works in supply chain management.

This book is an excellent read for supply chain professionals and those wanting to understand the tools and practices of world-class supply management. Thoroughly researched, Trent provides the foundations and processes of supply management and supports these with real-world examples demonstrating how organizations have transformed their supply chains. The book is a quick read and the summary points at the end of each chapter are also a great reference for those in a hurry. Supply management organizations looking for sustainable competitive advantage will find this guide invaluable.

This book is a complete guide to supply management for any purchasing professional or student. It effectively addresses all the pressures supply professionals face today and provides actionable solutions. The book provides a holistic view of supply management but also gives specific tools and identifies additional resources for more in-depth research. Specifically, I found the tools for supplier identification and selection and the tips for crashing the timeline for supplier identification and selection very useful. While this book is executable by more senior supply professionals, lower level supply professionals can benefit by it also. If you have been too busy to follow what others are doing, this book will give you the heads up on new trends that work. It's a fast, well organized and interesting read you can breeze through during the weekend so when you go back to work on Monday you can begin transforming your organization to a lean and mean supply management machine.

Strategic Supply Management provides a step by step guide to creating a world-class supply chain. By focusing upstream on the power of procurement, readers can learn to establish a solid integrated foundation upon which to build their corporate value proposition. Trent uses timely examples of real-world companies and supplies straight-forward assessment templates that, once completed, provide a comprehensive plan to develop a sustainable and highly effective supply chain. Injected with an occasional dash of humor, this book is a well-organized, efficiently-detailed must-read for anyone wanting to transform their twentieth century procurement function into the strategic supply chain required to compete successfully in today's world.

this introductory work, written by an intelligent, respected conservative christian new testament scholar, is a helpful book for getting into several issues dealing with historical Jesus study. The book is developed along two main headings, Jesus in His cultural context and Methods for studying the gospels. Each heading is further subdivided into chapters getting into the details. Covers literary evidence for Jesus, biblical and non-biblical, political and sociocultural history of the new testament era, historical Jesus quests, historical criticism, source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, tradition criticism, narrative criticism and gospel genre. At a little over 200 pages, there is plenty of detail to go through, and it is presented in a well researched manner. It's obvious that the author has done his homework. This book is introductory though, and it does not cover all the necessary bases, it covers many, and covers them quite well, it does not so much deal with the theological/spiritual content of Jesus and his meaning, it touches on this here and there a bit, but this work mainly sets out to deal with methods of studying Jesus historically, i.e., the sources and how they are used. This is definitely a good addition to add to one's list of works to be consulted for Jesus studies! Some other very helpful works not to be missed are: R.T. France- The Evidence For Jesus, Michael McClymond- Familiar Stranger:An Introduction To Jesus of Nazareth, Peter Walker- Jesus and His World, Craig Blomberg- Jesus and The Gospels, Robert Stein- Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of The Life of Christ, Tom Wright- The Original Jesus.

This is one very handy book. If you know very little about biblical scholarship, it fills in all the gaps and tells you about the scholarship of the last few centuries. It's also invaluable for anyone who simply needs to find some information quickly.

For example, who was the fist person to comment on the dating of Mark? "Irenaeus...places the composition after the death of Peter and Paul in the late 60s, while Clement of Alexandria looks to a date during Peter and Paul's time in Rome, which would push the date back into the 50s" (p 29), Or when was Luke first cited? In 1 Clement.

What about the nonbiblical evidence? About the debated "Chrestus" mention, Bock points out that "The confusion may come from the name Chrestiani, a vulgar form of the name for Christians" (p 48). He goes through all the complications of trying to date the birth of Jesus. He includes all the problems of dating the census, even pointing out that "the term translated 'first' in Luke 2-2 could be rendered 'before' (as in John 15-18) in which case only one census is alluded to here, the later on from AD 6" (p 70).

He also covers the history of the period, social background, and then, in the last half of the book, delves into the past few centuries of the hunt for the historical Jesus. What have two centuries found, have they managed to tease out the actual historical Jesus or not? He explains what has been called the three quests for the historical Jesus, and tells you who the main players were, and what has been the judgment about their theories.

Whether you are starting out or an old hand at bible studies, this is a great book.

Bock is a respected, conservative New Testament scholar. In Studying the Historical Jesus, he offers one of the most accessible introductions to the study of the "Historical" Jesus. If you have simply read your New Testament your entire life and are now curious about its background, origins, and the history behind it. Or if you have had little exposure to the New Testament and wonder what it is all about, historically speaking. This book delivers.

The Introduction opens with brief discussions of sources relevant to the study of the historical Jesus, including the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, and Josephus. Each is only a few paragraphs long but explains well the source and its relevance to studying Jesus. The main event of the Introduction, however, is his run down on each of the Canonical Gospels. Bock delivers solid discussions of each, including their structure, unique emphasis, authorship, and date. Not surprisingly, Bock's conclusions are traditional.

Bock also delivers a chapter on the Nonbiblical evidence for Jesus, ably covering the "usual suspects" of Josephus, Thallus, Tacitus, and company. Next there is an informative discussion about the chronology of Jesus' life. Bock nondogmatically discusses the various alternatives about when Jesus was born, how long his ministry was, and the date of his death. Thereafter, Bock delivers a helpful general history of the Greek and Roman empires, and then a more focused discussion on the geography, population, and culture of first century Palestine.

In Part 2 of his book, Bock moves into a more argumentative tone as he discusses and criticizes the search for the "historical Jesus." There is a helpful history highlighting the key players and their theories in the three "quests" for the historical Jesus. Bock then summarizes five systemic problems in historical Jesus research, including an undue skepticism of narratives or sayings that are similar to Old Testament narratives and sayings, and inadequate historical attention being given to Luke's special material, Matthew's special material, and the Gospel of John. The criticisms are well taken and receive insufficient consideration in most New Testament research.

Next Bock devotes chapters to several methods of historical inquiry as applied to the New Testament: Historical Criticism, Source Criticism, Form Criticism, Redaction Criticism, Tradition Criticism, and Narrative Criticism and Gospel Genre. The discussions are well done, defining each as well as emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses inherent to each disciple. Bock is no reactionary. He sees a role for each in researching and understanding the New Testament and Jesus, but appropriately chides much modern "historical Jesus" studies as overly skeptical.

In sum, Bock has delivered an excellent resource for those interested in looking into the unfamiliar ground of New Testament criticism or studying the "historical" Jesus. Indeed, this would be one of the first books I would recommend to any such person.

In *Studying the Historical Jesus* Darrell Bock has written a primer for his students at Dallas Theological Seminary, one that is also useful to interested readers in general. In a sense, the book provides a defense on two fronts of the historical study of Jesus: against the unfounded belief that it throws doubt on the truths of Scripture, and against excessive skepticism about the historicity of the Gospel accounts, such as many critics have engaged in since the Enlightenment.

As he notes, "[W]e must differentiate between what we know from history and the text and the way we reconstruct history. ... rather than applying our doubt to the text, there is nothing wrong in examining carefully our own understanding in studying the text." (159) Thus, the book is in two parts:

(1) A brief presentation of the sources of our knowledge and of "what we know from history and the text." The premise is our need to understand the social and cultural environment in which Jesus lived and in which the Gospels were written, and the historical background of the Jews prior to and including the time of Jesus that led to fervent messianic expectations. In the Introduction, under Greek Biblical Sources, Bock includes a survey of the content, themes and introductory issues pertaining to the four Gospels; in the conclusion to the whole book he expresses "confidence that the Gospels are a solid source of information."

(2) An equally brief examination of the different critical methods, their strengths and weaknesses, that scholars use in reconstructing the history behind the Gospels and how the Gospels came to be in their present form. After an introductory section, there is a chapter on the three quests for the historical Jesus, in which Bock notes that the third quest does not supersede the second but runs alongside it - the third quest "works more seriously with Jewish backgrounds" (147). A chapter on historical criticism sets the stage for the following chapters on source, form, redaction, and tradition criticisms. The final chapter on narrative criticism and the Gospel genre is different in that the topics are subsumed under literary criticism and considerations, not historical criticism.

The concise discussions drive the curious reader to reach out for more, aided by bibliographic footnotes; nonetheless, it is surprising how much information this introductory work imparts. Bock is an experienced writer; he adds interest to his prose by avoiding generalities (most of time), linking names and dates to hypotheses and methods, and relating seemingly ho-hum social, economic and geographic details to what we read in the Gospels. So, for example, not only do the hills of Galilee reach 2000 to 4000 feet above sea level while the Sea of Galilee is 685 feet below sea level, but also: "This dramatic drop-off explains the weather in some events in Jesus' ministry as he was on the Sea of Galilee. Winds can rush down with a tunnel effect... resulting in huge, dangerous storms." (113) Who after this would not want to read again the passage about Jesus and the disciples as they crossed the lake to "the other side" (Mark 4:35-41 & parallels)?

In the Preface, Dr. Bock says only time will tell whether he had succeeded in what he set out to accomplish in writing the book. This is one affirmative vote.

If you are interested in learning about the historical Jesus, this book might be the best place to start. Darrell Bock, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, presents a concise introduction to the background material you'll need to study Jesus. Prof. Bock reviews the references to Jesus outside of the NT, the chronology of Jesus' life, methods of interpretation, and the history, sociology and politics of Palestine. There is also a good discussion of the various quests for Jesus. The approach is conservative, but not uncritically so.

It's important to realize that this book is introductory in nature. Some of the discussion is rather thin. As an example, Prof. Bock discusses Jewish Midrash, but makes no mention of its role in interpretation, e.g. the claim of Gundry and others that the infancy narratives are Midrash. If you've read one or two New Testament introductions, you probably won't learn too much new.

This is a really great way to organize teaching strategies to include all cultures and all types of learners. The methodologies build communities and teach appreciation of diversity, not division.

Awesome Book! Awesome Concept! I am on my way to observe a Tribes classsroom in my own community

When I completed the Tribes course, I received this book. I have found it to be a fantastic resource for the activities associated with Tribes and I would highly recommend it to anyone who was interested in promoting a safe learning environment.

This is a wonderful book, not just for the professional educator, but also for parents, group leaders, or those who may just want to experience community building and sharing. This is truly a great book!!

I am a Teacher Assistant and work with Special Need students. The Teacher and myself use tools in this book everyday. It offers fantastic ideas and strategies for the classroom, no matter what age group. I work with 7yr old to 12 yr olds. They all benefit from the activities in this book. It is a good idea to have it with you in the classroom and to use it spontaneously when an incident may arise. It is a very user fiendly book. I highly recommend it.

This book is filled with wisdom from start to finish, I will be reading my copy many time sover. If you are into non-physucal teachers like Abraham then I suggest you also check out this book. Thanks P'taah! :)

This book will assist the remembering and true Knowing that is deep within you. Read if you are ready to remember you are limitless.

I loved this book. I have had 2 sessions with Jani and P'taah, a most loving and kind Spirit. P'taah, in this work, provides exercises and practices to further open the Heart Space. P'taah and Jani are such loving Spirits. If you enjoy channeled work I would also recommend Summer Bacon's book "This School Called Planet Earth" A wonderful companion to "Act of Faith". We love you P'taah and Jani!! Thank you for sharing your love and your work with the rest of us!!

I read this book 3 years ago and it has changed my way of thinking,reacting,and living. It put into words most of what I believed to be true but was always to busy to think about. When I apply the beliefs brought forth in this book which ring true to me (and they are many) it brings about a feeling of total freedom. This is an incredible book and I continue to read it to this day.

"Wondrous" seems to be one of P'taah's favorite expressions and it certainly well defines the content of this book. If it doesn't powerfully alter your life in a more joyous and life-celebrating direction, I can't imagine what would. P'taah delivers his powerful yet simple truths with the warmest sense of humour and most unconditional love I have ever encountered. A most recommended reading.

Ever hear of the ancient mystery religions from the ancient mediterranean world that supposedly influenced the new testament? This is just about the best book to actually read up on what the mystery religions consisted of. A good tool to check out for yourself if there are or are not any parallels between the mystery religions and new testament content.

The book is informative and well presented. It was required reading for a Masters Class, and it augmented the other required reading, as well as the classroom information. The author writes commentary on the background of the mystery, and then the sacred text.

As Marvin M. Meyer explains in his excellent introduction, the Mysteries (from the Greek myein = to close) were associations of individuals: 'The Mysteries were secret religious groups composed of individuals who decided, through personal choice, to be initiated into the profound realities of one deity or another. They joined an association of people united in their quest for personal salvation.'

Unlike the Catholic Church or State religions, the Mysteries had no power base and no organized structure. They were an easy target for those who considered them as enemies or serious rivals in their power search. The Catholic Church attacked them fanatically in speech, picture and scripture. After becoming the official religion under Constantine the Great, the Roman Church convinced emperor Theodosius the Great to commit one of the most savage crimes against humanity: he ordered in A.D. 391 the abolition of all pagan mysteries and the destruction of their sanctuaries, giving at the same time a religious monopoly to the Pope.

This book contains excerpts of very well known works like 'Bakchai' by Euripides or 'The Golden Ass' by Apulejus, but also texts which are difficult to find.
The editor wrote a small introduction for each of the mysteries considered together with excellent bibliographies.

Not to be missed by all those interested in Ancient history.

Marvin W. Meyer's "The Ancient Mysteries: A sourcebook of Sacred Texts" is a splendid resource for original texts pertaining to the ancient Greco-Roman mystery cults. Meyer covers the full range of mystery cults, from the mysteries of Demeter and Persephone, through the mysteries of Dionysos, the Great Mother, Isis, Osiris, and Mithras, finishing with the mysteries within Judaism and Christianity. The texts span a wide spectrum of viewpoints and sources, from relatively objective accounts by period historians, to manuals from within the cults governing discipline and worship, to actual hymns and stories by initiates such as Apuleius's "The Golden Ass." My favorite selection was his excerpts from the Orphic Hymns, reproduced from the incomparable translation by Apostolos Athanassakis, which inspired me to obtain and read the entire book.

Meyer provides a brief introduction to each form of the mysteries that he discusses, along with brief introductions to the excerpts he provides. This book is an excellent introduction to what the mysteries were, and how they were seen and experienced by initiates, dramatists and historians during the period when they flourished.

A very useful source book, I use it often. The division of the book into specific religions/cults makes it easy to use.

The only thing lacking are images/diagrams to supplement the texts.

The chapters on Isis, Osiris and Mithras are excellent.

This is possibly the finest single volume history of the Sioux War of 1876. I never realized from the Army's position what a concentrated effort, involving thousands of soldiers, this was. I also never realized that the Sioux inflicted not one but two significant defeats on the Army, both by 2 different groups of Indians and each within just a few days of the other.

From the Army point of view this was a determined campaign, involving 3 separate, converging columns over thousands of square miles. From the Indian point of view this was an uncoordinated, chance thing, with 2 different groups rendezvousing with each other within just a few days.

This is an excellent work about a strange pseudo war whose centerpiece is the Custer massacre. John S. Gray provides a meticulously researched, somewhat controversial, account of what appears to have been a totally unnecessary war. The maps are very well done, allowing a greater understanding of the tactical issues and terrain faced by both sides.

fair, balanced and packed with incredible information
worth 6 stars !

This is a great book to learn everything about the 1876 Sioux War from the political and economic situations that fueled the conflict (gold and the Black Hills, dissolving the 1868 Peace Treaty), the behavior of the independent Sioux, Grant's ultimatum, the Sheridan three prong attack on the Sioux, the political (Custer and Grant) and weather problems hindering he start of the campaign and General's Crook and Terry's frustrating attempts to catch the Sioux and Cheyenne who fragmented into smaller groups after the Little Big Horn. Also covers Crook's March campaign that resulted in a controversial but failed battle on the Powder River and the critical battle of the Rosebud in June 30 miles southeast of the Little Big Horn which occurred just 8 days prior to Custer's annihilation. Crook, the great Indian fighter with twice Custer's number, becomes displaced out of the Sheridan attack plan due to the furious attack by the Sioux and Cheyenne. Gray also documents how the winter roamers left the agencies to join the summer roamers (Sitting Bull, Gall, Crazy Horse, Two Moon) which peaked with one of the largest villages ever on the North American continent at the time of Custer's attack. The book completes the story by detailing the aftermath of Custer's battle with Crooks and Terry's joint and separate campaigns and the addition of General Nelson Miles. Not a total story on Custer, for that you should read Gray's "Custer's Last Campaign" but start with "Centennial Campaign" to get the complete picture.

In 1981 I made a phone call to a retired medical doctor named John Gray. I told him I had just finished reading his book, CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN, and would love to talk with him. I figured we would talk on the phone, so I was surprised when he invited me to visit him in his home in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I accepted his invitation without hesitation.

We spent the entire afternoon talking about his book. There was one question that I was anxious to get answered. Why did he write less than a page about the Custer fight itself? Gray didn't really know what happened during that battle, so there really wasn't much to say. I laughed but it made sense.

This book is not about the Custer fight, but about the entire campaign of the Sioux War of 1876 and it is filled with new revelations about the causes and events of this war. Most interesting is Gray's narrative about the White House meeting between Grant and his aides concerning how they should deal with the Sioux problem and why they started a war.

The book is filled with detailed maps of the Indian movements during the campaign, where and when they camped and for how long. The same is done for soldier column movements.

There is an excellent analysis of the size of the warrior force at the Little Bighorn that historians accept to this day. The numbers will surprise you.

If you have not read much on the Sioux war, then I highly recommend this book. You'll learn that the Custer fight was just one of many events of a long brutal, bloody war.

This is the best book on this subject! You should also get his book on the last stand.

I have actually met this very talented, classy, funny, " crazy about the color green " ( his quote ) . A very interesting and beautiful book that sits on my coffee table for all to see... Worth every penny ( especially autographed ) As a floral designer I am so glad that I got this book !!
Enjoy looking through it...

This is a stunning book!! It is a treat to sit down and get lost in the creative genious of Ron Morgan and the sensitivity of the photographer. I purchased this as a present for a friend, but will be purchasing another for myself.

This is a long awaited book by Ron.This is as wonderful as the classes he has given on floral design.I would put him in the same catogory as Kenneth Turner.

Aside from a brief text forward, The Center Of Attention is a splendor-filled book that eschews mere words and devotes itself entirely to photographs of eye-catching and heart-stopping tablescapes using flowers, vegetables, and other plant themes as created by master floral designer Ron Morgan. Powerfully enhanced with a wealth of full-color photographs by Pamela J. (works of art in and of themselves), The Center Of Attention fully captures Morgan's beautiful floral design masterpieces ranging in a wide variety of moods from fresh spring morning to somber candlelight evening. The Center Of Attention is enthusiastically recommended for serious and dedicated students of floral design, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an appreciation of skilled and artistic flower arrangements.

WOW! I was just given "The Center of Attention" as a holiday gift and was stunned as I opened each page. The cover did not do the contents justice. Some of his concepts seem simple enough for someone like me to replicate. The photograpahy and lighting was beautiful. This is a book to keep out for others to enjoy as well as a perfect gift for anyone with an eye for beauty.

I received the kit in good time and in perfect condition. The book is easy to read and understand. I haven't tried the technique yet so can't say if it works. Overall it's been informative and interesting.

I bought this book to use for teaching Clutter Clearing with feng shui and it is a good book but doesn't have a lot to do with feng shui. I like to offer students a variety of resources and this book was definitely different from the other space clearing books on the market. As such, it was very worth while. If you are looking for space clearing ideas to connect you to Mother Earth, this is the book for you. I will use it again and am glad it is available.

This Do It Yourself Space Clearing Kit is a great idea for starting of the Chinese New Year right! And apparently many other well known authors and healers felt the same way because they are offering bonus gifts for all purchases through Earth Transitions's website at: www.earthtransitions.com/special until February 4th. Check it out, and start the New Year off right!!

Years ago we attended one of Christan's workshops when she was in California. There was so much of Christan's wisdom to learn, digest and understand. We all benefited so much from doing the space clearings on our own homes that Christan taught in her workshop.

I'm so glad that Christan has now put her wisdom into book form so that others can benefit from it as well who cannot attend a personal training.

Christan's approachable, non-dogmatic methods invite you to access the world of energy easily and quickly. Christan always seeks to share the basic principles so that you know what you are doing, and why you are doing it.

This dogma-free space-clearing system can be utilized by anyone in any environment. Recently, we find ourselves amidst endless reiterations of feng shui material in the market-place, and I find Christan's work a breath of fresh, uncluttered air. Thank you, Christan, for your powerful, effective contribution.