Sweden Books

From the Ice Age to the assasination of Olof Palme, Scott digs into every nook and cranny of Sweden's history. The account is blissfully more than political, though that is the backbone of the book. Besides hitting the military conquests, the great kings, etc. The farming life, the culture, the art, literature, and science of Sweden are also major points in this book, perhaps more aptly a history of the Swedish people, rather than just the nation's history.

Of course, Gustav II Adolph and the tragic Karl XII and the Great Northern War are probably the two greatest contributions of the Swedish people to the development of continental Europe, and they are dealt with very well in this book. But, the shoes of an Empire always too large for Sweden, the book reflects more on the progressive and peaceful transitions and compromises that have made Sweden's politics unique in the world, and more recently, almost a miracle. From the alliance of the monarch and the people against the nobility in the policy of land reduction which forever halted feudalism, to the age of freedom in which Sweden experimented with a bourgeoise liberalism, and finally through the gradual peaceful fall of plutocracy into democracy and the welfare state, Sweden has proved itself to be an iconoclast of domestic and foreign policy.

The author(s) *the 1986 revision contains an additional Epilogue* end on a probing discussion of the Welfare state. The great progressive achievement, they find, rests almost solely on the rich culture of Sweden, a conclusion one can hardly disagree with. A great portrait of a brilliant nation!

Nelles Guide/Sweden by Gerhard Lemmer, Birgit Kramer, and Otto Steiger not only gives the reader and traveler great information about the country but also is beautifully done with numerous exquisite photographs of all regions of the country. The layout of the book is very user friendly from its captivating narration of the history and culture of Sweden to it's well organized information on 9 travel areas throughout the country as well as detailed discription and advice on the best way to get around and see all of the metropolis of Stockholm. Throughout each section on the various regions to be explored, excellent maps correlate places and points of scenic interest through numbering in the narrative that corresponds to numbers found on the maps of the region. This along with giving specific distances between places and time needed in travel gives the reader a great orientation. At the end of each section about a particular region the authors have added a helpful cataloging of hotels, restaurants, hostles, nightclubs, and significant points of interest by town or specific area with telephone numbers, dates open, and price range. By coming at the end of each section this information does not break up the flow of the narrative and detract from the enchantment of the area to be explored.

The photography coupled with the narration made this one of the most enticing travel books I have read. I felt lured to Sweden and found myself facinated by the discriptions of what one would see and experience traveling through the countryside. The authors did a wonderful job of bringing in the main historical dates and happenings when describing a town or area without losing sight of the scenic interests. I found other travel books on Sweden did not give me a feeling for the country as this Nelles Guide did. Although some books like Frommer's Sweden gave more overall information, they lacked the wonderful pictures and narrative that bring out the character of the country. My desire to visit Sweden was greatly increased from reading Nelles Guide of the country; whereas, the other travel books on Sweden left me with no feeling for how Sweden might differ from any other European country. I would greatly recommend Nelles Guide to Sweden to those wishing to visit the country as well as anyone that would like to know what the country of Sweden is like.

Life is full of myths, some of them inspiring, others downright dangerous. It is the unmitigated opinion of the author of this book that one of the most insidious myths around is that of "the Swedish Model". And not only for Swedes, although they are most directly concerned and harmed by its tenacious hold on their minds, but for anyone who still believes that socialism has something to offer. This is truly a fascinating read, the story of how a nation once celebrated for its modern welfare state philosophy develops into and reveals itself to be a bastion of inflexibility, intolerance and uniformity. In Mr Nilson's view, it is very difficult to be a person in Sweden, an individual. In fact, amidst the enlightening and riveting descriptions of self-serving, lackluster union bosses and politicians at all ends of the political spectrum - and apparently it's a small one - of an entrenched "two-facedness" in matters of racism and neutrality (say one thing for the audience, think and feel another), one also finds perhaps the profoundest and most disturbing observation of all: the Swedish system, with its propensity towards down-to-the-details regulation of life, is a killer of souls. There seems to be no room for the human spirit in this place. Forget about being weird or eccentric! What makes the system so sad are ultimately not the high taxes or over-regulation per se, but the waste of human potential. Not to mention the cost of the "brain drain" already taking place. I am presently living in Sweden and must say that I believe Mr Nilson has captured many essential truths about this "last Eastern Block" country. More food for thought on this subject can be found in the his previous book "Sverige: Sluten Anstalt" (also available through Amazon, though unfortunately only in Swedish. In this book Mr Nilson reveals many previously unspoken of sins of Swedish society, most notably adherence - well into the 70s! - to theories on racial and mental hygiene. The title compares Sweden to a locked psychiatric ward). Finally, it's not often one can say that a non-fiction book reads like a novel, but this one does. Read on!

I came across Emanuel Swedenborg's name while reading: "The Soul After Death: Contemporary "After-Death" Experiences in the Light of the Orthodox Teaching on the Afterlife by Fr. Seraphim Rose".The Soul After Death: Contemporary "After-Death" Experiences in the Light of the Orthodox Teaching on the Afterlife See my book review.

Swedenborg is one of the first writer's to write about dreams and visions and the afterlife. Dr. Carl Jung Memories, Dreams, Reflections was an avid reader of Swedenborg as were, Raplh Waldo Emerson , Elizabeth Browning and Emmanuel Kant.

Swedenborg spent the last 27 seven years of his life writing his spiritual journey. He is honest, articulate and unafraid to befriend the unconscious.

I am very grateful that Swendenborg's books have been translated to English, they are gems ready to be discovered.

This book takes you through traditional folk woodcarving, with an emphasis on sloyd (handcraft) knives and some discussion of axe, adze, and gouge work.

The author shows you the tools and how to sharpen them. Then he gets into carving techniques and different kinds of strokes. He discusses in detail control, power and safety. He starts off showing you how to sharpen a pencil, and gets into dough bowls, butter paddles, spoons and ladles. There is a good discussion of how to design spoons so that the strength is maximized by the shape of the spoon and choice of wood.

If you are interested in carving boots or ducks, this book is probably not for you. But if the sensuous appeal of a spoon carved from a tree branch appeals to you, you will find it fascinating.

Favorite quote: "A knifeless man is a lifeless man."

The author was funded by both the Swedish and Dutch public health authorities, though the two countries have opposite drug policies.

The Swedish policy more resembles that of the US.

In the US the Russell family of Wackenhut and Russell Opium Trust(ROT) and Yale Skull and Bones neo-puritan witch-hunting hypocrites make money warehousing non-violent drug law offenders.

My mother and father put this collection together, so I'm a bit biased, but this really is a wonderful collection. Although some of the stories are a bit creepy, it was great to grow up hearing these stories before I went to bed. This is the second pressing (the first was Random House, this is UofMinnesota) and the new pressing has a great cover, and feels great in your hand. Anyone who likes fantasy or folklore really cannot miss this one!

Would you give your horse away? Well Fritjof did. In Tangles by Marie-Louse Wallin, I love this book because it shows that if you don't like someone when they just move in and you are not they're friend, wait a while and you may be friends later. That is what happened to Anna and Fritjof. What the author is trying to share is to be more considerate of being helpful and to be happy a lot. It tells you to be careful of your possessions. I think Anna is a good friend for Fritjof. They both like horses. I think this is a good book because it tells you to be more careful and to be more considerate of life. At the end of the story, will Fritjof get Tangles, her horse, back? Find out!

It is fascinating to read this geological and tectonic historical development of the regional and the continental background. Many new ideas and interesting geomechanical analyses are contained in the book. The book shows a logical and phylosophical way of thinking. The illustrations give reads brief and clear pictures of the whole story.

Britt is more famous obviously for the men in her life than her acting career. This book, which I read many years ago, tells it all well. But recently I saw her on stage in the lead role in a show. I was absolutely blown away by how good she was. She's clearly a lady who never got the breaks to match her talent. Perhaps she's making up for it now.