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Titles Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Titles
Entrepreneurship
Published in Paperback by Harcourt Brace College Publishers (1997-08)
Author: Donald F. Kuratko
List price: $27.95

Average review score:

Excellent - For Both Student and Entrepreneur!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-08
I found this book to be an excellent guide when it comes to describing the entrepreneurial process as well as how to start up a business. Not only does it cover the theorectical sections of this vast subject, it also provides guidance on how to go about getting funding, encouraging creativity and innovation within a firm etc. It details the stages of a business and has a number of case studies. A great book!

Essential reading
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-11
This book played a significant role in shaping a business plan that attracted institutional investment for a technology start-up I co-founded in Brazil. Great book.

Very Helpful!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-12
This book has really helped me in class. It ties into all of the other books we use and all of the discussion in class. The book is actually interesting and easy to read unlike other textbooks!

Entrepreneurship: A Contemporary Approach
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-10
This book is phenominal. While it is an academic textbook, it really hits home to the real world. The business plan section is extremely useful and the real life company examples and case studies are quite interesting and insightful.

The finest business text ever written!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-03
Dr. Kuratko's book is positively OUTSTANDING and a MUST read for anyone who is even CONSIDERING starting his or her own business. Dr. Kuratko is considered by many to be the nation's foremost expert in the field of entrepreneurship and small business management. His book blends the structure of a course textbook with excellent real-life case examples. This is, without question, the finest book that I have ever read. I keep it by my nightstand!!!

Buy this one! You WON'T regret it!

Michael

Titles
The Faithful Friend
Published in School & Library Binding by Topeka Bindery (1999-10)
Author: Robert D. San Souci
List price: $15.80
New price: $9.95
Used price: $4.24

Average review score:

Well Done...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-04
I read this book with no prior knowledge of the author or any of his other literary work. What first captured my attention were the two young men of color on the book cover. Second thing that captured more of my attention were the well done, scenic, and colorful illustrations by Brian Pinkney. Author Robert D. San Souci even added a glossary for the words that young readers of the English language may not be familiar with. For example, words such as Bon-Die, Bonjou, Monfi, and Monsieur.

"The Faithful Friend" tells the heartfelt story of just that...a faithful friend. Clement (of Martinique in the Caribbean) and Hippolyte (of French descent) were friends, yet as close as brothers. They embark on a travel for Clement to propose marriage to a young woman that he fell in love with by sight of a picture only. Along the way they discovered the dead body of an old beggar in a banana grove. The good hearted young men provide a burial for the body and continued on their journey. After reaching their destination, all was well with the woman... but her Uncle did not care for a marriage between the two. The Uncle was also a wizard. He attempted to cast a spell on the young man who sought a wife, but the faithfulness of a friend caused none of the spells to work. On their journey home the friendship is demonstrated in more ways than one. The mystery that surrounds the spells and the faithfulness of the friend captures the readers attention. At one point I thought that I could predict the ending, but the author was too slick to let his readers be disappointed by having a predictable ending.

Overall, this is one book that I will highly recommend to young readers because it is well done from beginning to end (story and illustration). It is like an old folks tale with a French & Caribbean flavor. It may also spark a young reader to want to learn a foreign language, which is a valuable skill to acquire.

Review by:
Pamela Jarmon-Wade

Excellent Selection!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-12
Set on the French West Indies island of Martinique, this classic telling of two inseparable friends who would give their lives for each other, offers more than mere fairy tale. Clement and Hippolyte are as close or closer than brothers, even though they do not share the same race. They have been raised together since birth and cannot be parted. On a journey to find Clement's true love, they find and bury a homeless man, run from an enraged uncle, and dodge three curses cast upon them by a quimboiseur (a wizard).

At first I wasn't sure I would like this tale, as I made my predictions while reading. I thought I had completely guessed the ending. "How predictable," I surmised. "Too easy to figure out." As I continued to flip the pages, my predictions began to unravel.

A Tale of Two Friends with Loyalty
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-03
This book represents the length that a friend will go to help and care for a true friend. These two young men have built a very strong bond that holds them together like brothers. This story takes place on an island with many twists and turns that make it a very exciting story. I think it is very important to let children know that we should be loyal to others in time of need. This story really hits on the true meaning of friendship, although it is fiction. My students love the illustrations which are done in scratchboard. Robert D. San Souci is a very good author for folk literature. I also like his book, The Talking Eggs. His work is good for teaching good values, or morals to students through unreal happenings.

The Faithful Friend
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-21
The Faithful Friend is a French tale base in the Caribbean on the island of Martinique. Two inseparable friends, Clement and Hippolyte, are on a journey to propose marriage. After a beautiful woman named Pauline accepts Clement's proposal her uncle sets out to destroy them both. Three zombies have cast spells on the couple and it's up to Hippolyte to save them. The content seems to be appropriate for the ages indicated on the back of the book. However, there are some fairly complex words within the text, but a glossary has been provided at the beginning of the book. The Faithful Friend is definately written for young children, yet adults will enjoy the tale as well. Each illustration brings more meaning to the text. It uses bright, beautiful colors that words could never describe. They are also very accurate and consistent with the story. The artist uses a scratchboard technique throughout the entire book. This book seems to have been binded well, and the front cover bears two handsome young African boys, along with the Caldecott Honor sticker! Two thumbs up!!

When other friendships have been forgot, ours will still be hot
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-22
When author Robert San Souci isn't writing yet another version of the Cinderella story (this man has done everything from skeletons to Cajuns, I kid you not) he can be found writing the film script to the Disney film Mulan, adapting every folktale known to man, and collaborating with some of the best living children's illustrators out there today. He can probably tile his floor with his Coretta Scott King Awards at this point and that Caldecott Honor he acquired from "The Faithful Friend" probably doesn't look too shabby either. Of course, Mr. San Souci hasn't a degree in folktales nor has he ever worked in a professional capacity when studying them. My response? Capacity schmapacity. This guy does his research, knows his stuff, and produces some of the best darned picture book folktales out there today. If his backgrounds just in advertising and film reviewing, so be it. At least he has a healthy respect for the genre and a great ear for folktale text. "The Faithful Friend" is an excellent example of both.

On an island in Martinique, two boys grew up on a sugar plantation. One boy was Clement, a brown-skinned boy who's father owned the estate. The other was Hippolyte, Clement's white companion and servant of the house. The boys grew up together and one day Clement told his friend that he'd fallen in love with Pauline, the niece of a man rumored to be a wizard. Hippolyte worries that there may be danger in going to visit her, but his friend won't be talked out of it. Together they travel along the coast road and, as they go, bury a poor beggar they find dead along the road. When at last the boys meet Pauline she's charmed by Clement but her uncle is not impressed. Though she swears to marry her new (some might say instant) love, the uncle vows to stop them at whatever the cost. Now Hippolyte must save his friend and insipient bride from zombies, poisoned fruit, nasty water, snakes, and that awful fate of turning to stone. Friendship has never been so good.

In an Afterword of the book, San Souci gives a riveting account of the many variations of this tale and gives a mighty compelling explanation of why exactly he chose this particular version. Turns out that this story is a Martiniquan version with an alluring chance to incorporate ghosts and grateful dead (sans Jerry Garcia) to the mix. He makes several allusions to "The Types of the Folk-Tale" by Antti Arne, which lists every single folktale variant and gives each one a number. Hence, your average grateful deal/the dead man as helper tale is tale type 505 while the rescued princess/the grateful dead man story is more along the lines of tale type 506. I don't know about you but I'm now itching to get my hands on this "Type" book to find more stories that fit certain molds.

When he chose to tell this tale of a black character and his white hero sidekick, San Souci switched the genre from the typical white-guy-and-his-magical-black-friend story found in every bad movie and book to something original and interesting. Race is not necessarily a factor in this book, allowing the viewer the chance to concentrate far more on the story than the politics. Because San Souci is throwing every folktale trick into the mix (from the ghostly to the ghoulish to the ghastly to the gorgeous) you might think that he's in danger of spreading himself too thin. Quite the opposite turns out to be the case. Though he draws from a variety of different sources, San Souci finds the perfect balance between the fabulous and the meaningful. This is a story about friendship, plain and simple. It just throws in a few zombies here and there for kicks.

San Souci has paired with every conceivable illustrator in the past and in this particular case he has been put together with the very well-known Brian Pinkney. Personally, I much prefer Brian Pinkney's pictures to those of his father Jerry Pinkney. His pairing with San Souci has always been particularly inspired, and I consider their work on "Sukey and the Mermaid" to be an example of one of the best picture books available to kids today (and certainly the top mermaid picture book every made). In this picture book Pinkney engages in full-throttle no-holds-barred scratchboard and oil pictures. The result are lush full-color spreads that shed delicate pink/purple light from oil skies onto scratchboard faces or delicately swirl circular winds of power around hot orange mangoes in a zombie's hand. Speaking of the zombies, I don't know how San Souci pictured them when he wrote this story down, but Pinkney has made them somewhat hot. These are good-looking zombie women. An odd but interesting choice on the artist's part.

You know, I don't usually like scratchboard picture books. When Mr. Pinkney wrote and illustrated, "The Adventures of Sparrowboy", I felt the technique was completely unnecessary. Seeing it in the context of this story, however, it not only works but compliments the story itself. All in all, "The Faithful Friend" is everything a good children's folktale should be. Creepy and lovely and with a good moral that is not moralistic. A jolly good read altogether.

Titles
The Farmer's Wife
Published in Hardcover by Hoopoe Books (1997-05)
Author: Idries Shah
List price: $18.00
New price: $9.00
Used price: $1.18

Average review score:

Blindness of the academics
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-28
The editorial review laughably misses the rhythm and the deeper layers of this story. May I gently suggest that it was reviewed in haste?

This book is a tour de force in higher order thinking, randomness and unforeseen outcomes.

A story for children at first glance that is actually a blueprint.

Children get this story. Why can not some adults even begin to scratch the surface of what is available here?

Let your child decide! Buy this book for them, read it, ask questions as to what is occuring in the tale. Then watch and listen to your child.

You may be surprised at the insights of your youngster!



A real keeper! Happy colors and charming story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-13
This must be a book for pre-readers because the plot's extremely simple. I got it for a 3 year old and it's perfect -- the kind of story with a repeating pattern of words that the reading adult can embellish on. It's a joy to look at, almost magical. The story is interesting too, with a subtle lesson in patience (I think) and enough whimsy to keep a tired adult awake.

Parent/teacher review
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-17
This book is delightful. What a great concept to introduce to young minds. Not just that if you keep at something you might persevere. But also that our ultimate success often comes by way something or someone outside ourselves - when we least expect it!

Childrens books by Idries Shah build mental agility
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-16
Tragedies like Columbine are a wake-up call. It's clear that we need to provide our kids ...with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" — or even the whole community — is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding—even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

Fun story, many more hours of fun just exploring the art!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-16
This is a new twist on the types of stories that kids love to read and hear over and over. It begins with a lady making a simple request...she just wants her apple. The chain of events that results though, teaches cause and effect in a fun way. What really makes the book a lasting treasure is the art work. We found ourselves going through the book both from front to back and back to front just exploring the colorful and playful art. I highly recommend this book for kids or even adults who like the playful prose and pictures. Two thumbs up for Mary Rose Santiago and Idries Shah. I look forward to seeing more of their works.

Titles
From Frege to Godel: A Sourcebook in Mathematical Logic (Source Books in the History of the Sciences)
Published in Hardcover by Harvard University Press (1967-01-01)
Author: Jean van Heijenoort
List price: $47.50
Used price: $29.98

Average review score:

Oops
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-10
"Philosophical and Mathematical Correspondence" was published 13 years after Heijenoort's.

Essential reference in the history of logic and computing
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-13
The second part of my review title may shock some, but the excellent collection of papers that Van Heijenoort has edited (and in many cases translated!) is also an excellent reference in the history of computing. Everyone appreciates that mathematical logic gave rise to computer science; the papers in this collection from Hilbert, Herbrand, Gödel, and others will show why.

If your interest is instead the history of logic, all the classics in the range specified by the work's title are here, complete with their own ideosyncratic notation. van Heijenoort's wonderful introductions to each piece will interelate the works, provide references to other literature and situate everything in a wonderful intellectual climate.

Be warned, however, that the foundational papers in this still growing field continue for another 15 years or so; these are reprinted in Davis' (alas, out of print) anthology _The Undecidable_.

This collection will keep you busy and wet your appetite for a sequel!

A classic
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-09
This book contains translations of original articles from this period. In one case, Herbrand's theorem, there are extensive notes to repair a mistake; but most are simply presented as is, with short introductions that give some historical context. It is really wonderful to see the ideas develop. Fortunately, this book has recently been reprinted. Library copies are falling apart.

Within the reach of determined general readers
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-20
This excellent collection has introductions which help immensely. With only a math major from the 50's and no advanced degree I was still able to develop my own fairly rigorous single page synopsis of Godel's theorems.

Just a comment.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-09
In response to Jay Miller's question below there is a book titled "Philosophical and Mathematical Correspondence. Gottlob Frege" that has 21 letters between Russell and Frege over a period of 10 years beginning with Russell's observation of his famous paradox in 1902. This wonderful collection of correspondence was published 20 years before "From Frege to Godel" and includes letters from many of the same mathematicians and logicians.

Titles
Gas Turbine Theory
Published in Hardcover by John Wiley & Sons (1979-04)
Authors: H. Cohen, H. I. Saravanamuttoo, and G. F. Rogers
List price: $45.95

Average review score:

Excellent Introduction to Gas Turbine Engineering
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-19
This is a great book on the theoretical aspects of gas turbine engineering. It is a basic text that introduces all the basic concepts. It also has a lot of fundamental governing equations (i.e., mathematics) and formulas useful for engineers needing a basic introduction. It explains the state-of-the-art. Heavy emphasis is on industrial gas turbines (power plants for electricity generation). There is also reference to future gas turbine technologies.

A Classic in Gas Turbine Courses
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-24
This is a great book for students who face by first time a gas turbine course. The only disadvantage is the lack of explicit information about turboprop, turboshaft, ramjet and scranjet. But, overall is a good book.

The most outstanding book on Gas Turbine Theory & Design
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-17
I have acquired the fifth edition of Gas Turbine Theory by Professor Saravanamuttoo to add to the previous four editions in my library. Like the previous four editions, I have found the latest edition to be the best book ever written on Gas Turbine Theory and Design.
I have noticed many improvements throughout the new edition with updated information on both Industrial and Aero Gas Turbine applications. In fact, it is the only textbook that covers both types of Gas Turbines with great clarity and depth for students ande practising engineers.
In particular, it has more illustrations with pictures and reference to actual Gas Turbine plant performance and design features as compared to the previous editions which makes it most relevant to real world applications.
As a practising engineer(O&M) in a Gas Turbine Generating Plant(630MW), I have found the inclusion of Performance Monitoring and Degradation to be most welcome given my special interest in this area.
I used the second edition as a student at University and the latest edition as my preferred and favourite textbook for the Gas Turbine part of a course that I teach in Thermal Power to final year students reading for the BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West Indies.
After comparing it to all other textbooks in this area, I consider it to be the most outstanding and excellent coverage of Gas Turbine Theory and Design for both students and practising engineers. It is extremely comprehensive with geat emphasis on details and contains the depth to provide the reader with a thorough knowledge of the subject matter.
It is my opinion that this book culminating in its 50th year of existence since the birth of the Gas Turbine engine would become a collectors item worth much more than was paid for it. It is real value for money and may be grossly underpriced. What a great bargain if ever there was one!
I would strongly recommend this new edition for students pursuing courses in gas Turbine Engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and practising engineers involved in all applications of the Gas Turbine.

The book for understanding gas turbines
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-02
I have always used this book as a textbook of the gas turbine course for mechanical engineers and I find it perfect for its clarity and completeness.

Every gas turbine operating engineer should have this!
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-13
This is one of the best books available in the market today covering both the theory and applications of gas turbines. It is unique in that the treatment contains both theoretical and practical aspects of gas turbine engineering. As an engineer who has spent over 23 years working with gas turbines I have used earlier editions of this book and it has helped me immensely in getting a clear understanding of gas turbine operations and specifically of the components and matching of turbine and compressors. It is a well-written and organized book that has clearly stood the test of time- this being the 50th year of its publication. Unlike many other traditional gas turbine textbooks, Prof. Saravanamuttoo brings his vast practical and industrial experience into the text -a feature that many operating engineers will appreciate. This edition is noteworthy as it incorporates latest technologies relating to gas turbines (advanced gas turbine, low NOx combustors, new cycles etc.) while retaining it classic lucid writing style. Every engineer who operates a gas turbine can benefit from this book as it will provide a deeper understanding of different components and their interactions. I highly recommend this book!

Titles
Harold the Last Anglo Saxon King
Published in Hardcover by Wrens Park (2000-03-20)
Author: Ian W. Walker
List price:
New price: $12.75
Used price: $9.90

Average review score:

Five stars!
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-27
This was an excellent, intense account of a unique king's biography. I read this book to get more info on William the Conqueror, but now I'm obsessed with Harold II. A must-read for history buffs.

If your looking for a good book on Harold, this is the one
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-26
In terms of English history,not much is ever really said about Harold. Those who are looking for an informative and surprisingly entertaining work on the Monarch should look no further.

Ian Walker has left no stone unturned in the telling of Harold Godwineson and his family. Starting from his grandfather and father and ending with his grandson becoming the prince of Kiev.
After reading the book, you come away with a sense of the time that he lived in and more importantly a sense of the man. Walker is also very good at surmising how certain decisions and choices that were made having an effect on the people at the time. Case in point the effect of how Harold's contemporaries veiwed his oath breaking to William. Few historians are able to do this.

The author does love his dates and locations, but he is very thorough when it comes to extended family. Also and most importantly, he writes with a point. Instead of going off on a half page tangent, Walker writes in brief and consise paragraphs. When a major player such as William, Tosti or Harald Hardrada comes along, he writes a full chapter.

I have been looking for a book on this king for long time and this has surpassed my expectations. A definite "must-have" for English Monarch and Anglo-Saxon enthusiasts.

Thoroughly enjoyable and informative study.
Helpful Votes: 20 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-10
Everyone who takes English history probably remembers 1066, William of Normandy, the Battle of Hastings, and King Harold; essentially the date, the location and the leaders of the combatant armies. Some may remember that the fight was over the right of succession to the throne of England after the heirless death of King Edward the Confessor. A few may even remember that Edmond Halley's famous comet made an appearance just beforehand, creating great consternation that was immortalized in the Bayeux tapestry. For most, Harold's reign seems almost a foot note, hardly more than an intermission before the main event of the Norman conquest. With William and his successors come castle building, classic knighthood, feudal society, all the "romance" of the middle ages. Harold is so often treated as a cipher to all of this that the true drama of this transitional age is often lost on the student. Harold is just "the loser."

Ian Walker's book brings this period more into focus. He approaches his subject by examining, not only Harold's own life and career, but that of his grandfather and father, creating a sense of the venue for the events of the Conquest. Harold is no longer just "the loser." He is a powerful and intelligent warrior, dealing as often in diplomacy as in bloodshed, able to play the chess game of power politics in a very turbulent time. He was in fact "the last Anglo Saxon king," and his time, like the withdrawal of the elves from Tolkien's Middle Earth, is the end of an era. His predecessor Edward was the last of the line of Alfred the Great, the king who had wielded the tiny Anglo Saxon kingdoms into the one kingdom of England. William and his successors would turn the island into a developing nation state striving for a place in a world among other rising nation states.

I found particularly interesting the author's approach to the period as one of a family biography. Harold was not just a famous figure in history, he was a member of an ambitious extended family. Like the Borgias in a later time and place, Harold's father and his grandfather played major roles in English political life during the years preceding the Conquest, as did he and his brothers in their own time. Walker follows these careers, because it is the net created by their liaisons that defined the period. Pull out any of these lynch pins, and the history of the era would have been vastly different. Interesting too were the careers of Harold's children, who went on to carry the family into succeeding generations of international leaders. I have often wondered what the fates of descendants of famous people have been. What did happen to Cleopatra's surviving children for instance? At least in this instance, more is documented about Harold's children which gives a sense of closure to Walker's book.

Thoroughly enjoyable and informative study.

A great achievement
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-08
This book has enough detail and judicious use of sources to be of great use to the academic historian, while the author's lucid writing style and the sensible structure of the book will no doubt make it accesible to the interested layperson. Well done!

Fantastic!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-03
This is a great book for anyone interested in the mysterious and obscure events of England in the year 1066. Walker does a great job, trying to bring Harold Godwinson to life.

Titles
Henry VIII (Bibliography & Memoirs)
Published in Paperback by Constable (1987-06-22)
Author: Jasper Ridley
List price:
Used price: $37.78

Average review score:

Ridley is a genius
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-22
Yet again, J Ridley takes the reader on a remarkable journey, guiding you through the maze of factual background without ever letting your hand go. His mastery of the English language and notable training as a barrister make him the best narrator of the century.

Brilliant
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-22
Ridley is brilliant as ever. In his masterly style, he portrays both historic detail and periodic insight in such manner that the reader is captivated from the first page onwards. The ongoing battle with Lady Antonia Frazer's biography is a delight (especially when historical inaccuracies in her biography are condemned to footnotes). A book one cannot put down for a single moment.

Henry VIII-a ruthless tyrant
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-11
Ridley paints a picture of a King who is as ruthless a tyrant as any 20th Century dictator. Henry VIII is shown as a ruler who forced his ministers to do his bidding and then executed them to satisfy public opinion, once his policies began to loose popular support. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, including breaking with the Pope in Rome and reforming the Church in England with him as the head, when the Pope refused to grant him an annulment from his wife, who could not give him a male heir. Thereafter, Henry played Protestant and Catholic factions against each other, so that he could remain in complete control as an arbiter; alternatively burning influential Protestants as heretics and Catholics who refused to recognize him as Supreme head of the Church of England as traitors. Ridley's picture shows us a king who would stop at absolutely nothing to get what he wanted, including turning society and 1000 years of religion completely upside down! A fascinating look at the Stalin of the 1500s!

The Best Bio of Henry VIII
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-05
Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. When I first received this book and saw how HUGE it was (and in small print, yet), I thought I was in for a long, tedious and boring read. In other words, the kind of book that you start but it becomes harder and harder to keep reading until you finally give up way before the ending.

To my surprise, this book engrossed my attention from day one and became impossible to put down. Jasper Ridley has done a masterful job of giving us a very detailed biography of one of the most memorable kings in history. Unlike so many other books about Henry, Ridley refuses to monopolize the subject matter with sensationalistic details revolving around Henry's wives. Instead, he concentrates on the much more important religious, political and social aspects of his reign.

I think this book captures the true essence of Henry VIII--a tyrant, selfish, arrogant, and demanding. A person who in almost every instance was able to manipulate people into doing his dirty work for him. An individual who could play tennis with a subject he considered a "friend", such as Thomas More, and then easily have this bosom companion executed without nary a shred of remorse whenever it would serve Henry's advantage to do so. One of Henry's most popular practices was to sail the Thames surrounded by women and fawning courtiers while a former close advisor, friend etc. was being executed. This king was a master of disguise, making it appear that he had little or nothing to do with distasteful events and absenting himself from the controversy at hand.

The author mentions early on that, in effect, while gazing at the famous Holbein portrait of Henry VIII in all his glory, people were mesmerized by the majesty as portrayed in the painting. What they did not notice were the hard, unfeeling and pig-like eyes that were barely visible in the already bloated face. If the eyes indeed are the "windows of the soul", Henry was a very cruel individual indeed.

Although his reign was extremely productive in many ways, such as his interest in solidifying England as a naval power, the most striking aspect is, of course, the religious break with Rome. Here too, Henry waffles back and forth as the winds blow. To say this was an achievement is merely subjective; it began a period of intense religious misunderstandings which resulted in the deaths of untold innocent people who refused to accept this or that form of religious belief and worship. As such, I cannot classify Henry's break with Rome as a positive issue. I am not religious, and therefore perhaps not qualified to judge this. But the results of this action are being felt well into modern times. It is a subjective issue as to whether this extreme action on his part set his country and Europe on the right course.

As initially stated, do not be put off by the size of this book. It will engage your attention and provide a picture of Henry (essentially minus the much touted wife leaping) that probably comes closest to what this famous monarch was actually like.

Fascinating biography of a ruthless king
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-02
Jasper Ridley's bio of Henry VIII, if nothing else, suggests to me that executioners must have had a steady employment during early 16th-century England. In Ridley's biography, England's formative king is essentially a psychopath, and the country became Protestant, not because of any doctrinal attachment to the Reformation, but as a consequence of political machinations and goals on Henry's part. This, in fact, is one of the book's great strengths; Ridley is rare among biographers in his thorough attention to and excellent summary of the thicket of political events surrounding Tudor England, and this book does an excellent job of explaining these intricacies. Especially fascinating was the depiction of the conflict between Henry and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Henry would have probably gotten the papal annulment that he wanted to dissolve his marriage to Katharine of Aragon, if only Charles had not effectively controlled the pope and been such a bitter enemy of Henry's; then Henry would have found no need to break from the Catholic Church, and history would be entirely different! For a Renaissance monarch, Henry seems more to resemble one of the 20th century's bloodthirsty dictators in this book. While the depiction initially surprised me, Ridley backs up his claims with such excellent documentation and use of primary sources (which I was able to check), that he definitely has a point! A fascinating bio.

Titles
How to Use The Science of Mind
Published in Hardcover by G.P. Putnam's Sons (1988-11)
Author: Ernest Holmes
List price: $12.95
New price: $9.95
Used price: $1.55

Average review score:

Perfect
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-15
This book is exactly what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Great service.

Power To and Through the People
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-16
Since the movie The Secret came out, there is a renewed interest in what I like to call "Mind Stuff". People want to find out how they can use this Power so that they might experience a better and more fulfilling life. I've been a licensed Religious Science Practitioner for almost a decade and I get a lot of new clients and people attending my classes who want to know how they can start using "Mind Power" to create the life they want.

What I tell them usually shocks them. I tell them that they are already using this Power. And they look at me with a scowl on their face, "No I'm not. My life is a mess. I'm in a bad relationship. I hate my job. I drive a 1973 AMC Gremlin and I have .73 cents in my 401k..."

And I just smile at them, "Wow. You're really powerful. Look at all these things you created. You're amazing. Why don't you create some more garbage while you're at it..."

"Huh?"

What I am trying to tell these people (and you) is that we are always using this thing we call, for lack of a better term, Mind Power. In Truth, all there is, is Mind. What we want to do is to learn how to use this Power consciously and deliberately and this wonderful little book by Ernest Holmes can really cut through a lot of the misconceptions that people have about the Law of Attraction.

It's not about holding thoughts or trying to get this Power to work. It is recognizing that the Law of Mind knows how to create. You don't need to know how, just like you don't need to know how an acorn becomes an oak tree, you just need to know that it works and it works every time.

The thing I really like about Ernest Holmes is that he just throws out these amazing thoughts that almost leave you breathless because they are not only so philosophically sound but they are also quite beautiful. He says,

"One practicing this science (the Law of Attraction) is always endeavoring to conform his thinking to a spiritual ideal. He must train himself to be aware of the Divine Spirit at the center of his life. His arguments, statements, affirmations or denials are arranged to disclose the reality of this Spiritual Presence, to make It real, to feel It. There is a Spiritual logic higher than the intellect. Every person has an intuition about this and unconsciously senses its reality. In practice one consciously guides the intellect to this spiritual perception..."

That just blows me away and that's just one of the many paragraphs that I have underlined four times. Every time I read this book or even look at it briefly before a meditation or before I start my prayerwork, I am blown away by how closely Ernest Holmes listened to Inner Self...his Higher Self...his God Self.

I believe that the Law of Attraction is not to just be used for material things, but for a deeper understanding that we are Spiritual Beings now. It's one thing to manifest an unexpected $100 or get a new car, but it's quite another thing to know that you are an inlet as well as an outlet to all there is in God. And once you know that, feel that, be that you will always attract abundant situations and experiences because you will no longer be praying for abundance, YOU WILL BE ABUNDANCE, which, by the way, is who you already are on a Spiritual Level of things.

This book reminds us that we are never praying to God to change as much as we are praying to change our own minds about who and what we truly are.
We really don't need anything. I know you are saying, "But...but...but..." and believe me, I, too, have at times, a serious case of the "big buts", but when I really am clear and aligned with my Source (God) I can fully appreciate and understand what Jesus meant when he said, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you..."

Not a Kingdom that's in the afterlife, but a Kingdom that is within you now...that place within you that knows Its Eternal Nature now and isn't now the accepted time to live an abundant and joyful life in EVERY aspect of your being?

This is a book full of great reminders that Life is good and the only thing that stands in our way is our thought about it and what thought has done, thought can undo. You have the Power now to change because you are the Power made beautifully manifest.

Peace and Blessings,
john "the Light Coach"

A good little book to clarify concepts from the textbook "Science of mind"
Helpful Votes: 20 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-06
I found the textbook "Science of Mind" to be not so clear in it's concepts, but this little book helps to clarify things, and helps to give a better understanding of practicing Mind Science. The philosophies and practices outlines make for a major improvement in one's life.

makeing a difference
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-12
I have had and used this book for 30 years. To say it helped change my life would be an understatement. I have given away many of these books over the years, this one is for my granddaughter.
Ken Ingerson

"more light"
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-05
My interest in the pursuit of spiritual knowledge began long ago.
My first taste of the truth or "Good Orderly Direction" came from Emett
fox. Ernest Holmes is his apparent mentor. Knowledge always comes to the seeker and Holmes is simplicity at its best. A simple and direct map to the right road to follow. Ask and you shall recieve.

Titles
Jimmy Jonny Brownie Stays Up All Night
Published in Hardcover by Bing Puddlepot (2000-10-09)
Author: Bing Puddlepot
List price: $14.95
Used price: $0.41

Average review score:

Boppy's Choice
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-27
The best review of this book comes from my grandchildren who insist I read this with them every time they overnight with Nana and Boppy and are all freshly tubbied and jammied up. Theyu love this book time and time again. It's humor remains fresh and fun and I hope Big Puddlepot (what kid doesn't love that name!) add to the Jimmy Johnny Brownie saga with more hilarious episodes. Buy it now ... you will be glad you did.

A wonderful story with great meaning for kids...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-23
I have had this book for awhile now and it has been really fun to read recently with my two small children during our "Three books before bedtime" daily ritual. They are getting to the point where it is difficult for them to go to sleep and Jimmy Jonny has initiated some wonderful conversations about the things we do and what can happen afterwards. A well written, well illustrated delight!

Unique, entertaining, highly recommended picturebook story!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-16
Jimmy Jonny Brownie doesn't like to go to bed. And with the approval of his parents, he stays up all night. What he discovers the next day as a consequence of not going to be the night before instills in him (and young readers everywhere) the parental wisdom of bedtime for even the most energetic of kids. Beautifully enhanced with the lively artwork of Sherwin Schwartzrock, Bing Puddlepot's Jimmy Jonny Brownie Stays Up All Night is a unique, entertaining, and highly recommended picturebook story that has a true moral to the tale.

A Great Bedtime Story
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-08
What a wonderful way to combat those "I don't want to go to bed" noises every parent hears when bedtime nears! This book explores the consequences of not going to bed in a creative and very amusing way that captures the attention of children--and those adults who are young at heart! The story and the illustrations combine to create a bedtime adventure to enjoy with your child.

What Every Kid Wishes For... And the Very Funny Consequences
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-04
Who doesn't know a kid who comes alive when the rest of the world is turning out the lights? Little Jimmy Jonny Brownie is darling... and his adventures are not only fun to read, they are fun for kids to learn from. A great book by a terrific writer and terrific illustrator. A+.

Titles
The King and the Three Thieves: A Persian Tale
Published in Hardcover by Viking Juvenile (2000-10-23)
Authors: Kristin Balouch and Omid Balouch
List price: $15.99
New price: $20.00
Used price: $1.64

Average review score:

This one is for keeps
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-14
You laugh, you cry. It is so wonderful. I started reading it to my olderst child when she was three.
Now it is on all 3 kids most wanted list.
A book to cherish for ever. Each have one to take home when they are grown up to read to their kids.

A Delightful Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-15
This is a wonderful book for the whole family. It's hard these days to find a picture book where the narrative is as compelling as the illustrations. This is one of those rare books. The folk tale is refreshingly new and unfamiliar, and teaches a lesson not often heard in children's books. And Kristen Balouch's brilliant sense of color and design have a warmth and humor that is really appealing. I wish I could decorate my home with these pages!

I look forward to more books from this talented illustrator.

A Beautiful Addition to a Child's Library
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-31
What's great about this book is that it's not the usual children's fare. The story of the Persian king and the three thieves who help him to learn tolerance and generosity is told in clear simple language that children of all ages can understand. The illustrations are just gorgeous--they're done in subtle and rich color, with bold graphic patterns, and in a style that reflect the origins of the tale. My kids love it! I hope this author comes out with another book soon.

A Beautiful Addition to a Child's Library
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-31
What's great about this book is that it's not the usual children's fare. The story of the Persian king and the three thieves who help him to learn tolerance and generosity is told in clear simple language that children of all ages can understand. The illustrations are just gorgeous--they're done in subtle and rich color, with bold graphic patterns, and in a style that reflect the origins of the tale. My kids love it! I hope this author comes out with another book soon.

Good reading at bedtime
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-02
My kids loved it and enjoyed having it read to them. The illustrations are fun and I recommend this book to all parents.


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