The Empire Books

This book is a collection of nine short stories written by some of the finest science-fiction authors ever. The stories are: Chalice of Death by Robert Silverberg, Orphan of the Void by Lloyd Biggle, Jr., Down to the Worlds of Men by Alexei Panshin, Ministry of Disturbance by H. Beam Piper, Blind Alley by Isaac Asimov, A Planet Named Shayol by Cordwainer Smith, Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell, Fighting Philosopher by E. B. Cole, and Honorable Enemies by Poul Anderson.

All of the stories are excellent read, which I say with no exaggeration. In Particular, Ministry of Disturbance and Blind Alley are among of the best short stories I have ever read. However, the gem in the crown is Diabologic. This story is outrageously funny, and a fascinating read. This is an excellent anthology!

Dr. Blakmore's analysis of these political writings is very insightful. He uncovers the intertextual conflicts, in particular between Burke and Wollstonecraft, and provides an indepth literary analysis of both. His diction is sofisticated, yet approachable to an average student of 18th Cent. Literature. A must read for anyone interested in the political philosophy of the Age of Englightment.

This is an eminently readable piece of scholarlship. The information is well-organized, well-expressed, and utterly fascinating. Congratulations to the author. Well done!

These novels were published by TSR and tie into the Agent 13 supplement for their Top Secret RPG. The story is set in the 1930's and concerns one man's quest against The Brotherhood, an organization of evil. Agent 13 is similar to The Spider, but not just a carbon copy. The book races along at a quick pace, which is what every thriller wishes it did.

I wish these guys would write more novels!!!

This book is a cool and judicious survey of recent thinking on Ireland in terms of colonialism and postcolonialism. Building on the work of revisionist historians, the author patiently dismantles the myths of nationalist and unionist fundamentalism. In addition he shows the intellectual poverty of literary-critical theorizing about colonialism, especially as applied in the Irish case. He faults leading British and Irish intellectuals for projecting onto the family feud in Northern Ireland a Fanonesque pattern of imperialism and anti-colonial resistance. I see this book as a defence of modern Irish democracy against tawdry and violent ideologies. Unfortunately, the author is apparently British, and he tells the story of Britain's adventures in Ireland with little show of empathy for the victims; nor does he examine the record of Britain's handling of the recent "troubles." Many will use this as a pretext for not tasting the medicine he offers. An ideology which has thriven on myth and rage is hardly likely to digest reasoned, critical argument in any case. Even if historians find much to contest in the book's slant, it should contribute to creating a more mature, sophisticated, and international perspective on Irish history.

Big large-size book with many photographs and articles. Edited by Bernard Lewis; Chapter texts by: Bernard Lewis, Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Fritz Meier, Charles Pellat,
A. Shiloah, Edmund Bosworth, Emilio Garcia Gomez, Roger M. Savory, Norman Itzkowitz, S. A. A. Rizvi, & Elie Kedourie. Chapter topics:The Faith and the Faithful: the lands and peoples of Islam; (The five pillars of Islam, belief, opinion, and toleration, the rule of law, etc.); the Man-Made Setting: Islamic art and architecture Arabic script, rejection of sculpture, The Mosque: origins & Meaning, etc.); Cities and Citizens: The Growth and culture of urban Islam; The Mystic Path: The Sufi tradition; Jewellers with words: The Heritage of Islamic literature; The Dimensions of Sound: Islamic music, philosophy, theory and practice; The Scientific Enterprise, Islamic contributions to the development of science; Armies of the Prophet, Strategy, tactics and weapons in Islamic warfare; Moorish Spain: The golden age of Cordoba and Granada; Land of the Lion and the Sun: The Flowering of Iranian civilization; the Ottoman Empire: The rise and fall of Turkish domination; Muslim India: From the coming of Islam to Independence; Islam Today: Problems and prospects of the 19th and 20th centuries.

This is an excellent work - but unfortunately Amazon has spelled the author's name wrong. Check out his other titles under Dr. Khalil SEMAAN.

Some crucial documents concerning the history of Islam are presented in English for the first time, in Islamic Administration Under Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, a scholarly study by Farouk S. Majdalawi of the achievements and legacy of the reign of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph after Prophet Muhammad. Examining the creation of post office, judiciary and police of the era, the construction projects carried out, the growth of the Islamic army, and much more, Islamic Administration Under Omar Ibn Al-Khattab offers readers a kind of "window in time" revealing a most remarkable time and place of great change and growth in Islamic history.

This book is an essential reference for anyone with interest in doing any type of study in the history of Islam from 600-1500. Humphreys hasn't written yet another drab, stale survey book; rather, he compiled something immensely more useful. He has created a veritable inventory of scholarship, not coarsely comprehensive but pleasantly judicious, and accompanied it with a running commentary that places each work on the larger grid of modern scholarship on the subject as well and extrapolation of the various challenges realting thereto. In this way, it facilitates a critical yet broad engagement with the important scholarship hitherto written in the field helping us to refine, reconsider, and reshape the direction of future scholarship. Also, this work serves as an accessible point of entry for historians who specialize in areas other than Islamic history whom I trust will also find in plenty helpful.

The history was written by individuals who were asked to provide information about their Loyalist ancestors. Lots of Family Histories.