Trading Books

Angela Carole Brown offers the working musician a valentine in "Trading Fours", an unabashed glimpse into a little known (and little valued) world. As Ms. Brown once explained, most `civilians' characterize musicians as Madonna and Sting, or simply the kids in the garage. "Trading Fours" is about those in between.

Ms. Brown's characters are richly drawn and should be immediately recognizable even to the non-musician. They crackle with angst, jealousy, bitterness, and, occasionally, hope and enthusiasm. Her dialog is crisp and her imagery so vivid, you'll be able to taste the stale dinner rolls at the gig.

For the musician, "Trading Fours" will cut to the bone. Ms. Brown, herself a musician and artist of rare, uncompromising quality, knows this world well. This is an accurate mirror, an honest reflection of a group who despite popular opinion really has no other choice but to do what they do. The empathy Ms. Brown has for her colleagues is obvious.

On a personal note, as one who has had the joy and honor of making music with Angela, I must say that "Trading Fours" reminds me of the real reason we do this, the reason that gets pushed aside far too often: Music.

Thank you, Angela.

Blend engaging characters - that you care about from the instant you meet them - with a spirited storyline filled with creative twists and turns that reflect both life and the jazz idiom it represents and you have 'Trading Fours'.

I literally couldn't put it down.

Thank you, Angela, for a gifted performance. Looking forward to your next literary gig...

I just finished reading "Trading Fours" and Boy! it hits hard on many levels - not just the accurate depiction of characters
with all the tortured thought processes but a really good storyline as well.
The deathbed scenes with Hayes and Seth are truly dramatic and will touch you all the way down to the core of your deepest sensitivities.
You can recognize all four main characters and all sub-characters because Ms Brown has made them familiar to anyone who's been or still is part of this world.
The feelings and thoughts behind each situation pass through all our consciousness at one time or other- some more than once.
some are just constant nagging and torture. (that ringing in my ears bothering anyone?)
I recommend this read to anyone who doesn't understand this level of the music business - and why some choose it.
(starting with my mom)

To anyone who has ever said "Oh, you're a musician. What's your day job?" - READ THIS BOOK!

Angela Carole Brown captures, in a "take no prisoners and pull no punches" style, the true realities of what it is to be a free-lance musician working the casual gig scene on LA. The roller-coaster lifestyle, the compliments, the insults, the loves and heartaches, the sacrifices and rewards, the way musicians are looked at by other people and the way musicians look at other musicians - it's all in "Trading Fours." This book should be required reading in every college and university music school under the heading of "Gig Reality 101."

I have had the privilege of working with Angela in a variety of situations in LA over the past 8 years, and rest assured - she's no "chick singer." She is a true musician, in every positive sense of the word. It's a shame her CD's are not included with the book. They would, without a doubt, establish her credibility to anyone who might have any doubt as to what she is talking about.

They live among us, but in many ways they live in a parallel and opposite universe, like Bizarro World in Superman. They work all weekend while the rest of us play, but they get to sleep as late as they want in the morning. Except on Sunday of course, when they have to get up early to go play their Church gig.

I'm talking about Casual musicians. No, not the musicians you see playing in the Symphony Orchestra down at the Music Center. Not the kids making a racket in your neighbor's garage trying to play Linkin Park covers. Not even the Top 40 band playing down at the local nightclub. I mean the tuxedoed mercenaries who show up 20 minutes before downbeat to play the live music for your Wedding, Bar Mitzvah or Corporate Party.

This is what is known as a Casual. No rehearsal. You may never have met the other Casual musicians you're about to play with. You have all been sent to this hotel or Country Club ballroom by a Casual Agency, which books the gigs and takes most of the money. It will sound just fine however, because everybody knows all three or four hundred tunes they're expected to, and can fake or sight-read the rest.

Maybe it has something to do with the tuxedo (or black evening dress that female Casual musicians wear), or maybe it's the income bracket, but Casual musicians hover in the social food chain somewhere between the waiter at your table and the guy that parks your car when you pull up to the hotel. This in spite of the years of diligent practice and yes, talent that it takes to master their craft and yes, their art.

Art and Commerce make strange bedfellows, and most Casual musicians would scoff if you asked them if they considered a Casual an artistic event. Nevertheless, all but the most jaded and bitter among them bring as much musicality as they can to these proceedings and under the best circumstances, they can be very enjoyable events. They can also be endless, hellish tribulations, hence the raising of one's wrist to look at one's watch being known as the `musician's salute'.

There is a certain camaraderie among Casual musicians. Perhaps borne of a shared feeling of being outside the mainstream of society. Artists forced to prostitute their gift in return for a wage far below their qualifications. This is one of the favorite topics of conversation between musicians on Casuals. They will always chuckle when you tell them the old joke: "How do you make a musician complain?" "Give him a gig".

Almost all Casual musicians have something else that they're working on besides Casuals. Something with a future, and something more fulfilling than playing slavish imitations of the same old songs, night after night. In this era of the home recording studio, everyone now has a studio quality CD of their own original material and performances. And there's always that possibility in the back of everyone's mind that they themselves could rise above this workaday existence with the stroke of a record company executive's pen.

The fact that it is a statistically tiny possibility does not banish the tinge of dreams that it brings to this lifestyle, like being permanently enrolled in the lottery. Not since the gold rush have there been so many dreamers happy to plug away at such a long shot. Actors don't qualify, because they make their living waiting tables. Indeed, simply earning your livelihood playing music is the fulfillment of a dream. As they say, it beats working.

This fraternity of dreamers lives right in the midst of the rest of us, and yet they have their own world, which is mostly invisible to everyone else. This is the world that Angela Carol Brown brings to life in Trading Fours. She is a natural born storyteller, and she has lived this life, so it exudes an air of autobiography. Indeed, you would swear these characters are real people. Maybe that's because they are.

I am aware of very few works of fiction that deal with this interesting world where art meets commerce and dreams encounter reality. The Adam Sandler movie `The Wedding Singer' dealt with the subject in a somewhat slapstick vein, and did nail some of the truly hilarious aspects of this business, but the characters were cardboard cutouts.

In Trading Fours we get glimpses into the lives of four central characters, all in the course of one 24-hour period. Each chapter deals with each of them in turn, emulating the Jazz musical device of `trading fours', where each musician will improvise for four measures and then on to the next musician and the next in turn. Each four measure `solo' by each musician should reflect and complement those of his band mates, and this is exactly how the chapters work together in Trading Fours, eventually coalescing into a whole at the denouement.

But this is much more than a book about a lifestyle. It is a rumination on life itself, and what's important. It's about four people finding their way to their own answer to that question. It is all leading up to a tribute to a dying musical icon named Hayes DeWitt, who symbolizes the spirit of fierce loyalty to ones own dream, even in the face of worldly failure. This is a masterfully woven tale by a master storyteller. The spirit of the book itself is summed in one of the last lines of the book: "This one's for Hayes".

I bought this book a couple years ago. Used the Temari ball as a pattern to make ornaments. Made a basket, some cranes and now I am working on the Peacock.

All I had to do was take one crane to church and boom I had orders. I've sold enough cranes to pay for the book a dozen times.

And if you want to know if the book is clear enough for kids. I showed it to a lady at church. Her 9 year old daughter borrowed the book, made a baby swan and took first place in a regional art contest.

One of my favorite things to do is to keep a bowl of prefolded peices handy. I play with them like Legos and when my friends come over their kids spend hours "buidling" with them.

My only regret is that the author has not released even more books.

I bought this book for my 14 year old son who has done origami for the past three years, he found the instructions very clear, and was delighted with both the variety of shapes that were given, and how easy it was to modify the shapes to create different designs.

I first saw a swan in a japanese restaurant and was interested in learning where they got it from. The owner of the restaurant said he had made it himself and reccomended this book to me to learn for myself.
This book has really good explanations and step by step instructions to start with. the diagrams are very useful and the initial pages teach us how to fold the paper and all that.
it does get difficult to make the more complicated objects like the swan which requires about 600 pieces...it is better to start of with something small...
also it is pretty time consuming,,and as they say in the beginning of the book it is really nice for someone to have espescially if he is recovering from an illness...
i wud absolutely reccomend this book...

I first saw completed 3D origami projects of the dancing crane and peacock done by an older Japanese gentleman, who had lots more origami years under his belt than I, and said, "WOW".

He handed me his 3D origami book to look at and within a few moments I realized that I could do any one of the projects shown too.

The instructions are very easy to follow. You might find it more difficult to find the exact paper you want.

You are folding the same size paper into triangles for projects then assembling them into rows to create your 3D project.

Be patient, some of the larger projects require hundreds of triangles. The good-luck hyotan (gourd) takes 762. Looks great when complete in gold or silver foil. I used gift wrap and cut it to the appropriate size because this required so many triangles.

In the end, you'll be very pleased with a completed project and your friends will be amazed.

This book is nothing like other origami books. My friends even offered to pay for one of the swans I made from this book. Of course, it's alot more work than ordinary origami foldings (like cranes, and other single paper folded origami) but it's worth the work. Once you finish making one of those swans, you'll be looking at it and go "wow...did I make that??" You'll draw alot of attention and be very popular!
Finished origami looks very sophisticated, yet it's very easy to make (just need little patience).
Buy this book, you won't regret and it's worth every penny.

Following a concise and accurate history of the markets last 2-3 years and the possible developments that may effect participants in the markets.

This book is worth a read, by anyone interested in the markets.

I'm only sorry that I think the political aspects of these changes not happening is not addressed.

Patrick Young looks into his magic eight ball and reveals what the future holds for the financial markets. Very radical and probably very acurate. A must read for those traditional brokers who are contemplating a second house in the Hamptons

As the cover of this book says: Liquidity! Accessibility! Transparency!

The authors take a European perspective to challenge the traditional way that financial markets have operated in the United States and elsewhere. They point out, correctly I think, that the revolution is here. Fully automated markets now do the bulk of the worldwide futures trading. For example the Chicago Board of Trade was overtaken in futures volume by the fully automated German-Swiss EUREX in Frankfurt in 1998. London was charging from behind to take a big piece of the automated futures business as well. Automated trading experiments are going on in a number of other places, as well.

The vision the authors have is captured by a quote from Ludwig von Mises: "Economic history is the story of the gradual extension of the economic community beyond its original limits of the single household to embrace the nation and the world."

This vision is essentially of convergence into one global market, with one clearinghouse, and one regulator to do everything. The need to get costs down will require that convergence as the ultimate solution. How imminent this vision is has to be a guess (the authors convey the vision in the form of a dream), but the stories in the book show how often the complacent, traditional view has been wrong. The authors are good at pointing out the speed bumps that will delay progress, and outline good ideas for better and faster implementation.

But they are definitely tolling the bell in the near future for face-to-face selling. "In the future there will only be electronic traders." They also see a rise of small traders, small banks (doing direct placements of IPOs over the Internet with traders without underwriting syndicates), and greatly squeezed paychecks for traditional investment banking and trading activities.

I found the book to be consistent with my own vision. I was still left with the question of why the transition has not been a faster one. Financial markets should be converging at a much faster rate, if one looks only at the technology and the use of the Internet. Which aspects of human stalls are the worst delayers? Probably the tradition and bureaucratic stalls, because the existing markets and regulators are very slow to see new opportunity. Consider how recently fixed trading commissions disappeared. Those should have been gone in the Roaring Twenties.

If you want good detailed information on the state of the electronic market revolution, this book is essential reading. If you own a seat on an exchange, your pocketbook requires immediate attention.

There is an excellent section on how to prepare for the transition, and another one on the dangers to be cautious of.

Good look in building your wealth faster through more efficient markets!

In reading the book, there are many things that would scare traditionalists in our business. The rules are changing, and unless we adapt as traders and exchanges, we will be doomed. As I have discussions with other board members, and other floor traders, some intuitively understand the coming electronic age. Others pass it off as a purely European phenomena. "It won't happpen here.", is a phrase I hear every day. Brokers and traders see that the computerized competitors are having a tough time gaining a foothold in the American futures market. They rest thinking that their future is secure, and that maybe their margins will be squeezed a little. The revolution has only begun. While some of the positions the book posits seem outlandish, Columbus was seen as outlandish in 1492 too. This is a must read for any person associated with floor trading or an exchange. This also makes good reading for anyone involved in government regulation. Barriers are being broken down. Borders set by politics are not relevant to the sea change taking place in the financial marketplace. The U.S. is the titan of investment capital today, but a government that shackles the growth of the marketplace due to over regulation, is doomed to see all that capital leave for less regulated environs. I am on the Board of Directors at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, so I speak from experience. The revolution has begun, and we are trying to embrace it.

Building on the monthly news and insight from Patrick Young's ADTrading.com newsletter, Patrick Young and Thomas Theys have put together a concise history of recent developments in capital markets, especially the futures markets, and the steady advance of electronic trading. As a longtime reader of the newsletter I have been exposed to most of these ideas on a monthly basis; as an industry executive I have watched the events unfold day by day. Nevertheless, this compilation provides fresh insight into Capital Markets trends.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in an overview of the recent history of the futures, equity and FX markets and a plausible view where the markets are heading.

I would also recommend Capital Markets Revolution to industry insiders who are well aware of the events and ideas discussed, as they can benefit from the framework and view of the future into which current events are placed.

ALAN, I want to thank you for your book on Covered Calls. I subscribed to a course that cost several thousand dollars to learn all the different ways to use options (Bull Call, Bear Put, Straddles and Iron Condors etc) but they never told much about covered calls. I bought your book for $19.95 and a Subscription to Investors Business Daily. I have recouped my investment in the course and have settled on using covered calls exclusively to do options. My thanks to you for showing me the way. It involves much less risk and your method is a way that I can do options without losing sleep. It does require some monitoring, but that only takes a few minutes a day. Thanks Again

For the first time in my very long life the market is now my friend. This system is so clear and concise I'm even getting great returns in the market. Just following Alan's advise alone can point you in the right direction toward financial freedom. A must read if your looking to do things right.
Dennis Hand

Best Book on covered call options that I've read
This system was a real eye opener -Takes you step by step through the entire process from picking the correct stocks to exit strategies-While most option books only give you a cursory glimpse into covered calls, Ellman's book goes through the entire process-A must read for beginners and veterans alike

This book is an excellent read.Alan Ellman has developed a profitable system that a novice can follow as well as a seasoned investor.Alan makes the art of selling covered calls easy to follow and understand.The approach is very conservative,producing a steady monthly income stream.I have been selling covered calls using his system and have had a positive cash flow every month(even when the market went down).I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to successfully take charge of their own finances.

I have been trading options for over thirty years. I have often made money on the option but lost more on the stock. I own Alan's book because he has developed a structured method of selecting the best stocks for covered call writing. If you follow his rules for selecting the stocks, selling the covered call and, if necessary, cutting your losers, you should be very successful.

This book is a classic for all of us who are looking for a change of pace and a better way of life. With the Virtual Office a reality, we can work virtually anywhere, so why not choose the pastoral life? We refer our readers who harbor such dreams to this book again and again. Sarah Edwards, author The Practical Dreamer's Handbook.

Your book is well informed and plenty of resource that gave me more confidence. Reread it few times. I really enjoy reading it very much. Thanks

This is the best book of it's kind that I have read - out of about 5 or so. Written in 1997, the authors considered the Internet and telecommuting as well. And it is nearly as relevant to Australia (where I find myself) as to the USA. Easy to read, it contains many useful hints, tables, and resources. Valuable questionaires and lists. What you should and what you shouldn't. What you need, and what you don't. Even so, we also had a "First Try". But nothing ventured is nothing learned.

As the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Partnership for Economic Development, your book has become a major source of reference.

If you have been dreaming of moving to the country, but don't know if you can really do it successfully, Country Bound! is a great resource. The Rosses lay all their personal experience on the line, frankly and comprehensively. They help you ask yourself the "nitty-gritty" questions that you MUST consider before making such a big life change. The book's separate sections on lifestyle and business considerations help you break down the decision into manageable pieces. The many quizzes and activities are fun as well as eye-opening, and the writing style makes it a quick, enjoyable read. One reading may not be enough, however! There's so much good information here, you will want to review many sections over and over!

This book examines objectively the use of MDMA ("Ecstasy," "mole") in the US and Europe. Saunders reviews many aspects of the drug and its culture (eg his personal experience, history, psychological dangers, social effects, safety, psychotherapy and much more). While the majority of readers probably use the drug or are thinking about using, non-users should read this work as well (it was recomended to me by a fellow parent who had bought it after learning that her 20 yearold son had begun using MDMA). Saunders did not recieve much publicity b/c of the taboo subject, although many reviewers and critics personally thanked him for a well written, informative book.

This book is excellent and I agree with all the other people that have reviewed it in a positive way. However, what surprised me is that Nicholas included very little about the bad effects of Ecstasy, such as first-time user panic attacks, negative effects that might occur (anxiety, claustrophobia, fear of others,midweek crash, etc.) I agree totally with him that E should have never been made illegal, but I feel that he was (rest in peace) so passionate about the good part of E that he forgot that E has a definite downside. Ignoring this downside can make some readers think that E is ALL positive. I recommend this book because still it's very informative and obviously well-researched, I just want potential readers (and E users) to keep in mind that Ecstasy is a strong substance that should be used with respect.

Earlier incarnations of this book, "E for Ecstasy," "Ecstasy and the Dance Culture," and "Ecstasy Reconsidered," have been chosen for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

Of all the books on MDMA I've read this is by far the best. Very well organized and goes through everything concerning MDMA from its legal status to the chemistry behind it. The text is very easy to understand even for those who do not know much about this subject. All his statements are backed by solid evidence derived from independent research and real life stories. Saunders gives the reader a chance to decide for himself, rather than telling the reader 'This is what I looked up so this is what I think, and therefore what you think as well'. I would recommend this book to everyone. The author has dedicated his life to this subject, as indicated by the quality of his work.

Saunders, a brilliant and inquisitive man, writes of his experiences, research, and overall knoweledge of MDMA. From the chemical make-up to the trafficing of the drug, Saunders tackles the entire realm of Ecstasy and its culture. A must read for anyone curious about the subject - #1 Thesis on Ecstasy

This book makes it relatively easy to understand the mathematical principles behind the Black-Scholes theory. The CD guides you through various scenarios and plots everything for you. You don't have to be a mathematician with a PhD from the University of Chicago to appreciate the explanations and diagrams depicted. A "must-have" for every options trader or investor - a definite "keeper"!

Fantastic software!

The book is really a step by step tutorial on how to use the
probability forecasting software that is on the CD.

Excellent learning tool as well as a decision-analysis tool for investments.

Really great. Loved it. Learned a lot!

Many thanks to the author.

One Caution: It doesn't work on a Macintosh
(unless you have PC emulation software for your Mac).

Cheers,
---Freddy

Any student or trainee having to study this topic really should buy this tutorial.

Having a degree in Mathematics and a professional accountancy qualification did not prepare me for the explanations of Black Scholes to be found in most text books.

They may have got a Nobel prize for their option pricing model but Black and Scholes were never going to get an award for clarity of explanation.

Having grappled with this area for a few months, I decided I needed a little more innovative help; hence my purchase of Jerry Marlow's interactive tutorial.

Two days later and I feel I could go for the next Nobel prize myself!

So many things click into place so quickly, it's marvellous.

Jerry gives his email address which I had to resort to for one query. He answered most helpfully within a couple of hours.

I suspect that it helps to have had an overview appreciation of the area before starting the tutorial but this shouldn't deter first timers from starting with this.

The visual presentation the book offers combined with the interactive CD-ROM make this indispensable to anyone who really wants to understand how option pricing works. It's right here on my desk for easy and quick reference - which is my advice to everyone!

I was skeptical to buy it since there were more than 100 different books available on options... but I am glad I choose this book. Its easy and the software developed beats anything I have seen yet... All the free softwares available are excel based but do not offer such insight on the subject as this book.
I would strongly recommend it to anyone. Only hitch is that the software is bit slow to run but it performs...

I think this is a great book for crocheters like myself who primarily work in string, and love doilies or table runners. I am not interested in clothing, so bring on patterns and as many as you can. This book is loaded with different styles shapes and textures. I learned by learning the language of written out patterns, but the visual experience in these diagrammed patterns is a walk in the park for those who have prior experience. I've got about 10 years of thread crocheting under my belt and this book is one that I enjoy. The pineapple pattern is one of the easiest to make and this book has a very large collection of them. Some require a bit more understanding, but I believe there are patterns for all levels of talent. And by the time one uses this book, I believe each will become an intermediate to expert if they are not there already. Enjoy!

I love this book it caters for the beginner straight up to advance crochet patterns. I have no problems recommending this book for someone who loves pineapple patterns. Just great.

Very, very pleased with this book, pineapples are one of my favorite items
to crochet.

The doilies are really beautiful. All of them. Range in size from approx. 8" to 29". The photos are beautiful but the instructions can be difficult. They have some written instructions which, quite frankly, I don't understand at all. Either they are a style I don't understand or they are a poor translation. But they are also in that diagram style so you have to learn to read the symbols. Which is easier than I thought, so I don't mind. I've run in to a couple places I still couldn't figure out but I'm not an expert. I think the book is worth the money I paid. I look at it over and over and have started 5 doilies already because they are so so pretty! I should also say that most of the patterns are for round doilies but there is a triangle, a rectangle, a couple ovals and a pillow cover. I rated the book a 4 because it is so beautiful but the instructions can be sketchy. I really do recommend this book.

I used to get Magic Crochet pattern books years ago, that only had doilies. Later on they added other crochet patterns, scarves, sweaters, etc. which steered me away from them. I have not been able to find a doily pattern book with a visual pattern until Pineapple Lace: with complete diagrams. I would recommend to anyone who crochets, beginner or expert. It is so much easier to look at the pattern instead of having to read it.

After being an exchange student in Japan, I found myself longing for the foods my host mom made, and decided to try cooking them myself! (Despite my absolute inability to cook previous to this.) This book provides recipies that taste exactly like the foods that could be found both at my host mom's table and at Japanese restaurants. They're easy to follow, include lots of photos to illustrate each step, and allow for improvisation for ingredients that are sometimes hard to find. I recommend Quick and Easy Japanese Cuisine highly for those looking to start (or continue) a cullinary adventure!

I've looked through the whole book, read up, and even made one of the recipes so far. I'm the only child in the family, and I don't get to cook often, but my parents love when I cook Asian food, so this book made them happy when they saw it. Everyone loved what I made so far.

I bought this book from a Japanese bookstore in "Japan Town" in San Francisco on vacation. I am online now buying more for my friends. I compared this book with every other english language Japanese cookbooks in the store (and there were MANY). I found this one to be superior to the rest as it contained everything I would need to prepare meals. I should mention I have lived in Japan for 5 years and have a good feel for what is authentic. This book has allowed me to create some very nice meals at home approaching resturant quality of those found in Japan. I expecially like the pictures that show all the steps of the preparation including pictures of the ingredients. Also included is a section that shows how food is served (presentation on table).

Honestly, I don't see how you can go wrong buying this book. Its inexpensive and contains EVERY aspect you need to be sucessful: tools and utensils, knife skills, ingredients, recipies, and presentation.

Now I just wish I could find similar books for Greek, Italian, Thai, and so on...

-Steve Maercklein
Austin, Texas

I have been living in Japan for 3 years and we are about to move back to the U.S. One of my Japanese friends pulled out her copy of this book to give me some recipes. She actually bought it when she lived in the U.S. so she would have English language versions of recipes to give her American friends. She found this book to be very close to her mother's and grandmothers' way of cooking. The recipes are easy to follow and the illustrations of preparation techniques are very helpful even for someone without any prior knowledge of Japanese food preparation.

This book was given to me over a decade ago by a Japanese exchange student Kay, who stayed with my family. She was a wonderful guest and she even cooked some of the things in the book for us. This was the book which sparked my interest in Japanese cooking. I still use it to this day. It's a great basic book for someone just getting started and a good reference book for anyone who is familiar with Japanese food. It has some good timeless photos, especially for being an older book. It also has several black and white pages with photos and drawings of cookware, utensils, table setting, the various meal courses and a guide to tea. Overall, it's worth owning, fair for a coffee table book and wonderful in the kitchen!

As with all Rumis poetry and Coleman Barks translations this is a goose bump inducing beauty. I love Rumi and this is no exception.

This has been my favorite book for years - it can transport me into another world as nothing else that I know of... This is as good as it could ever get or even better ;)Everything you ever need to know to live and love life.. is there :D

Rumi needs no praise from me and Barks' translation is beautiful, mysterious, and urgent. I find his introductions to the many sections especially moving. My only problem is that I ordered the book after I bought Barks' "The Essential Rumi," which changed me. This book has many overlaps. I'd have preferred to see more original translations, but as a first introduction, you can do no better.

Coleman Barks once again translates the words of Rumi with respect, good nature, a bit of humor, and a deep understanding of this 13th century mystic and poet. A renowned poet and something of a mystic himself, Coleman Barks leads us through his book as a constant and caring companion. He begins each chapter with his own touching stories, guidance, and expert explanations for the material he lays out. One simply cannot come away from this book without having some sincere appreciation for the devotion and dedication Coleman Barks has for another poet's words.

In "Rumi: The Book Of Love: poems of ecstasy and longing", we are led deep into the regions of the soul, where love is both Universal and Divine. It is a love that beckons us to shed our own image and concepts of ourselves, in exchange for a love that is so vast and joyful, its eloquence can only be experienced rather than explained.

How can we know the divine qualities from within? If we only know through metaphors, It's like when children ask what sex feels like and you answer, "Like candy, so sweet." (88)

Rumi seems to realize mankind is comprised of many faiths, and he mentions many of them with dignity and respect. Yet Rumi's own experience takes him beyond religion, even his own. He often exchanges the word "God" with "Friend", and refers to himself and others who have achieved his enlightened state as "Lovers".

Rumi's words and sublime wisdom ring true for us, as he shares his knowledge of the God-Friend in a both Universal and personal message. We are extremely fortunate to have the poetry of this selfless and compassionate mystic reach us through the fragile, and often forgetful, span of time. Because through Rumi's poetry, we seem to hear our own soul's call and longing to gently open like a beautiful and fragrant flower, and laugh with a tender and colorful sweetness.

There is some kiss we want with our whole lives,
the touch of spirit on the body (33)

Brian Douthit
Author Of Perfectly Said: when words become art

How can I put into words the absolute wordless dimension this collection of poems creates within me?

The commentaries and introduction sections by Coleman Barks are valuable as well beyond words.

The reader would gain insights simply by picking it up and thumbing to any page and just read, read! My daughter and I tried this, we would bring up topics and then say "And what does Rumi say?" and I would read whatever the first words were that I saw in front of me.

They were always universally fitting.

I loved it, just like I love this book.

Wordless, speechless, love-filled - inspired.