Publications Books

John Robbins was a good friend to many people, and I was fortunate enough to know him when he lived and worked in North Carolina. "Strings - The Miracle of Life" is a great story by a talented historian. John was always a true raconteur - he could hold you spellbound with utter nonsense, or really make you think about the hard decisions in life. It came as no surprise to me that John Robbins wrote a book about love and death and healthcare that I had to read in one sitting.

This is a nonfiction book that baby boomers facing health crises--their own or their parents'--should read. But this tale of miraculous recovery from life-threatening illness feels more like a Vonnegut novel than the standard human interest story you might expect.

It cuts elegantly between the tense and fast-paced action of a quite miraculous liver transplant and sophisticated spiritual and philosophical questions about ethical issues in life and medicine. There is a wonderful section that presents the disorientation of a type A personality in a medical crisis--mental confusion due to prolonged illness, lack of control, medical complications, frustration at the slow pace of recovery--and reads like a primer for 50-somethings who are facing their first serious illness or surgery or trying to understand the growing frailty and increasing health care needs of their aging parents.

It weaves the varied and sometimes conflicting perspectives of patient, family, and med! ! ical professionals into the most complete picture of a modern medical crisis I've seen.

Mr. Robbins takes the reader, grabs them quickly, and doesn't let go until the end. You know he survives his ordeal, but you are still in tears in the middle wondering "is he going to make it?"

Thanks for writing this valuable book.

John Robbins uses a mix of Buddhaism and basketball (effortless effort) to tell how he survived and prospered after a near death experience. Part medical thriller and part spiritual exploration, he tells his story of surviving a liver transplant. His recollections about his surgeon alone are worth the read. A very good writer, he tells his story without without self-pity or fatalism. Inspiring is perhaps an over-used word in book reviews, but you will agree it applies to Strings.

It was with great saddness that I recently learned of the passing of Dr. John Robbins from one of his Thai friends.

I knew John in Bangkok prior to his illness and saw him in Washington, D.C. both while he was waiting for the transplant and later after he received it. My last conversation with him was at the time his book was published and he was so excited by the possibilities.

John's use of the Buddhist "stings" to hold the book together is wonderful. His "rat-a-tat" writing style in describing the fast pace of medical events is attention-getting.

John changed the world a bit with his book. I regret I will not be able to tell him how much it meant to me.

Excellent and deep text on Becoming ... a better person, liberated, purified in character. And much more.
I feel a deep measure of gratitude to the author.
Deep bows,
HikerBob

This is a cloudless and exceedingly matter-of-fact atlas for anybody who involves themselves with meditation practice. This book is truly a practice guide, as the title suggests. Although I would without hesitation recommend this book to beginner's, it's honestly more for those of us more familiar with meditative practices.

The author, Matthew Flickenstein, takes aim at what most of us commonly call vipassana (insight) meditation. He gives a pretty surprising investigation into both it's benefits, and what sometimes can lead to actual drawbacks. The purpose of insight meditation, he points out, is to simply see things as they really are. Reality as it is. In order for that to happen, we need to not discriminate what we are aware of, we must be truly be aware of all that arises, without grasping or even resisting any of our experiences. But whenever we move our concentration in a specific direction, such as the breath, we are subtly forming a purpose and we are no longer communicating "no preference" in our awareness of what we are experiencing.

This book goes into much more specific detail about the benefits and drawbacks of certain styles of practice, something I could never summarize in the confines of such a review. Matthew Flickenstein presents us with a most intriguing body of work here, a priceless companion on our road of discovery and introspection. So what are you waiting for? Buy it!

Finally, a Dharma text that avoids the unnecessary mystical, vague, and ambiguous writing notorious in much of Buddhist literature without devaluating the inherent mystical, vague, and ambiguous nature of Buddhism. Bravo, Mr. Flickstein!

Confused or adrift in your practice? Maybe reading a lot and putting off actually getting on that cushion you ordered? Well, read this book (and Ayya Khema's *Visible Here and Now*) and you will be confused, lost, or procrastinating no more. Brilliant insight shined right where you need it. GET THIS BOOK!

Echoing a previous commentator, the emphasis of this book is definitely Vipassana. Nevertheless, it is an exceptionally lucid read - quite a contrast to some of the more abstruse texts associated with Theravada. I thoroughly enjoyed the clarity of the work and find it a great addition to my small library of buddhist writing.

I am beginning a Qigong practice. After researching many books on the art, I decided on this one. I feel very lucky to have found it. It is a clear and helpful guide to the practice. Yang Yang is a scholar and martial arts master. You will benefit from both his skills. He very clearly directs you in a practice, while explaining the intention behind each direction. In a complete practice, you seek to acquire the internal and external aspects of Taijiquan. If either component is missing in your practice, "gong", the fruit of practice, is limited. Specifically, Dr. Yang Yang's complete curriculum includes, "Three essential pillars": Qigong, Taiji Form, and Push-hands. My advice is to search out a copy of this book and buy it. I think you will appreciate it as much as I do.

Best book on Taiji for beginners or more advanced that I have read. It is very clearly written. Scientific literature review is very helpful.

I am a Yang-style tai chi student but found this book to be perfect for everyone. Yang Yang perfectly captures the essence of our art and presents it in a readable and enjoyable style. I read it slowly to savor every concept and every turn of phrase. This book is highly recommended to those just beginning tai chi or those who have been doing it for many years. If you have never experienced what tai chi can do for you, this book will send you looking for the nearest sifu.

Yang Yang's book, Taijiquan, is very deep and goes beyond what most people will ever know or need to know about Taijiquan and science. As a M.S. student in Exercise Science, as well as a practitioner of Hunyuan Taijiquan, I was very impressed at the depth that Yang goes into in describing the neural mechanisms at work in Taiji. He also points out various topics that western science can delve into that has yet to be investigated.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Taijiquan as well as to students of Exercise Science in order to better understand why Taijiquan is as helpful as it is in delaying aging processes.

Whether beginner or expert, Master Yang Yang's book will provide a foundation on not only what Taijiquan is and is not, but how to work your way into an understanding of it.

The book begins with some self-history of Master Yang Yang, then dives into what exactly Taijiquan is, and what it means to practice a martial art, with emphasis on both words. There follows an excellent chapter on how to pick an instructor, which is often neglected in the face of advertising and convenience.

The meat of the book goes through the three pillars of Taji practice: meditation (feeling and building your Qi), forms (using and extending your Qi) and push hands (feeling Qi from the outside). In each section, he provides the why's (why is meditation crucial), the how's (how to get started, the basics) and motivation (if you need any). The chapters also discuss how these three pillars are linked to one another.

The final chapter, "Why Practice Taijiquan?" pulls it all together, describing what you will, might and will not get out of efficient practice.

There also follows a quite well done appendix on the history of Tajiquan and the Chen school.

This is not a technical "how-to-do-the-forms-and-moves" book. For that, I recommend Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming's series of books and DVDs (or, if you are lucky enough, take one of his seminars).

You will not learn Taijiquan from this book. But you will get a excellent background and a sense of what it is, how you should approach it and practice it, and what it can become inside you. Master Yang Yang writes not only with thought and intellect, but you can feel the passion that he has for his art. Martial artists say that the art lives through them, and that comes through in this book.

I love Temari balls. If you want to learn this fascinating craft - you will find this book very helpful.

This is an excellent guide to help you create beautiful, and fun-to-do, Temari balls. Simple and easy to follow intructions are given.

I first became aware of Temari when I saw some balls on display by a lady offering lessons on how to make them. The lessons were $65.00. I decided to check Amazon.com before I gave up learning it on my own. I ordered this book and was thrilled with the results. The instructions are very easy to follow with lots of drawings showing exactly what to do. I was successful on my first try and I am delighted with my new hobby. I have just ordered a second book by Diana Vandervoort and can't wait to get it. By the way, the balls that I had seen on display were all from this book.

As far as I can tell, I own every Japanese and English book on Temari currently being published. This is the book I recommend to beginners who want to learn this wonderful craft. It would also be good for someone who knows a moderate amount already, as it has some advanced skills.

I first was introduced to temari while channel surfing, and stumbling onto the Carol Duval show on HG network when Diana Vandervoort was demonstrating her craft. I could not wait to get my hands on her book and try it for myself-mostly because I could not believe something so elegant and complex could be so easy to do! This turned out to be one of the easiest crafts I have ever tried, and I have tried my hand at A LOT of things. The photos are truly inspiring, and the instructions are some of the easiest to understand and follow. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, and new patterns.

Reviewed by AJ Cooper for Reader Views (1/07)

"Things Invisible to See" is about a number of different families and people. It is also about spirits and death. The main focus revolves around Ben and Clare. Ben is on a golf course with his friends goofing off and they decide to hit baseballs towards the river. The ball is pitched to Ben and he hits it so hard it goes across the river and strikes someone. All of the boys hear the scream and take off without determining who they hit. Ben searches the local paper in the hopes of discovering who he hit. A number of days later he does locate a small article about the girl his baseball hit. He is wrought with guilt and works his way into her life and the life of her family. Clare is unable to walk due to the accident and it cannot be determined why she cannot walk. Clare has a spirit that visits her and takes her to see different images and people away from her body. There are also others in the book who are able to see and communicate with the spirit world.

The book goes on and on with each chapter describing different families. It is very disjointed to me and not really that interesting. It is as if parts from this book are taken from many other stories and then added together at the last minute. I found this book very hard to read. I felt I had been reading this book all of my life and could never get to or find the ending. There are small parts of the book that I found interesting. But over all I would not read this book again and I am not sure who might enjoy it. I am sure there must be a group of people who may enjoy "Things Invisible to See," but I could not take a guess as to who that might be.

This book turned my teenaged niece from a non-reader to an avid reader. Can there be a better tribute to any book?

Admittedly, I'm from Ann Arbor. But Willard is quite magical in capturing the feel of (what was then, before WWII) a smallish Michigan city, from an utterly unexpected angle. The book is one of the most successful examples of magical realism I have ever encountered, and Willard's prose itself is enchanting. I've read this book (and its successor, Sister Water, now out of print) many times, always with fondness, and I recommend it to anyone else who wants a thoroughly good read.

I just ordered a hardback copy of this book, because my paperback is falling apart from so many readings! I was not surprised to see so many other reviews for a book so old; because this is a wonderful, magical book. I picked it up at a used book-store, even though it looked to be a "fantasy", which I don't read. But this novel cannot be wedged into any genre. If you love baseball, are interested in (or lived through) WWII, grew up in S. Michigan, went to U. of Michigan, or believe in miracles, this book WILL resonate with you. And you may love it without any of those points of resonance! It also has those subtle references that make re-reading worthwhile. Example: a scene set in early December 1941, where Death-a little man who is a main character in the book-attends a seance several days early, because "he has important business on Sunday". It was my third reading before I followed the book's timeline well enough to realize Death had to be at Pearl Harbor that Sunday.

This book leaves you with not just a good feeling, but a tingle of wonder--like maybe there are always little miracles afoot in the world???? If Nancy Willard only had one "big novel" in her, I'm glad its this one; but I'd love to see more from her.

This is a wonderful book. I teach it in a class on "Baseball, Literature, and American Culture." Like all good baseball books, it's not really about baseball. It's really about love, war, families, race, and other universals. Willard is a gifted writer who understands that adults like stories with spirits and ghosts and magic and whimsy as much as kids. The baseball in it is well-rendered. Willard is a sophisticated fan (Tigers): she knows whereof she speaks. It's a shame it's not in print as there are so few works of baseball fiction by women. This the best I know of. I photocopy 50 copies for my class (with permission). It works. Students like it, especially the more literary types.

It has been over 30 years since this book was first published and it's really amazing how Kyokushin-kai has evolved. I would like to point out that some of the techniques depicted in this book are actually wrong. Ushiro-geri (back kick) for example is executed by turning your head in the opposite direction of the kick.

This book only contains the very basics as far as techniques are concerned but it does explain a great deal about breaking techniques. It explains the proper techniques for breaking stones, bricks and striking the tops off of bottles half filled with water. Unlike the first volume, this volume doesn't have any katas with the exception of Tensho.

Nowadays, low kicks and round kicks from different angles are an important part of kyokushin-kai but when this book was first published they were all but non-existent. The special kicks such as the low kicks and Brazilian kicks were developed over a period of time through competitions and from studying Muay Thai kick boxing techniques.

The value in this book is to appreciate how much kyokushin karate has evolved and has become one of the hardest systems of karate to learn.

I've read this before and watch the korean movie about the, authors life Kinda almost good as the book itself.
Hope they print more of this book "what is karate"1958 coz we shall introduce this to the new student who wish to study martial, arts.
anybody who wish to sell there books or just lyin around there bookshelves pls. contact me glim@asia.com

I have later (newer) version of THIS IS KARATE autographed by author himself Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate (Ultimate Truth) Full Contact Karate System. It always amazes me how Sosai Mas Oyama could put his knowledge together in this one book and in such a practical manner. I remember his speach was always full of spirit, and valable. He always had a good story to tell, and drew everyone's attention with his kindness and love....

I would also recommend WHAT IS KARATE. These TWO books are now getting harder to find, and increasing in value. These books should be used as a Text book for Kyokushin practicionor. You must SWEAT, SWEAT, SWEAT before you can even utilize the information shared in this book. OSU~!!!!

This is Mas Oyama's best work. I would say it is the most complete book for Japanese karate (Not okinawan). There are good practical applications in this book. And self-defense training.

This is regarded as the bible of kyokushin karate.

The author Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama, was a legend in his own time, and the creator of Kyokushin kai karate -one of the largest karate styles in the world.

This book is old and looks it, it is however one of the finest karate manuals ever published. Along with its brother books ("what is karate" and "Advanced karate") it forms the nucleus of the kyokushin style. On its own it is a outstanding work second to none of the inumerable more recent books on karate. When it was released it set a standard few books can measure up to.

It is a step by step introduction to the fundamental techniques and katas in karate, also it contains selfdefense and some more unusual aspects of karate such as breaking and other special training methods.

The section on history is very aged though, and should not be taken as absolute truth. Much has happened in the research in martial art history since this book was released 1965.

This book is recommended to any practicioner of karate, but especialy to practiciners of kyokushin karate or to practicioners of kyokushin derived styles.
Only please be aware that even kyokushin karate (the style the author founded) has changed slightly since this book was released.

It tends to be expensive, but it is worth it.

Nice book. I chose the book because of the Amazon.com reviews. It appeared to be what my Grandson had requested and he seemed pleased to get it as a Christmas present. We will have to wait to see if the information in the book helped him with the training.

This book is absolutely fantastic. After reading numerous other training books and still having difficulty with my young dog I stumbled onto this book by accident. Spencer covers every aspect of training the puppy right through to advanced blinds and marks. His style of writing is very clear and his use of anecdotes helps to illustrate the real life ramifications of various techniques. Until I read this book I had great difficulty training consistent blind retrieves. Spencer's explanation of the correct use of conditioning flags has made it so much easier. I have read this book at least ten times and learn something new every time. I can't recommend it enough.

James B. Spencer's Training Retrievers For Marshes And Meadows will hold a specific appeal for hunters who use retriever dogs in their work. Beginners are taught how to gain rapport and train dogs, from basic obedience to training for the hunt - and receive instructions particular not only to retrieving in general, but to the breed.

Before, during and continuing with the training of my current yellow Lab, I have read quite a few books on the subject. I wish I would have had this one sooner! Easy to read and great instruction all in one book.

I found out about this book in 1991 shortly after I had gotten a Lab puppy that I wanted to train to be a working dog.

I had read all the popular books at the time, but none made it clear to me - what I needed to make clear to my dog !!

I met a man on Compuserve who raised and trained working retrievers in the Midwest. He highly recommended this book, but it was difficult to find, and in those days we did not have "AMAZON.COM".

Anyhow, I finally got the book and my dog Molly became the best working dog I have ever had the pleasure to hunt with. She was nothing short of amazing at spotting birds down, and she could easily blind retrieve the ones she did not see fall (almost always a double).

This book also taught me the concept and importance of teaching "force training" for retrieving, and it indeed works.

Molly is 15 yrs old now and is "retired", but if she was physically able she would hunt with me tomorrow.

So my strong advice here is get this book if you have a young dog that you want to be well trained and a pleasure to hunt with. Also, well trained dogs make MUCH better and happier pets!!

-- Cain

A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises (A Genie in the House of Saud)

A bit arachaic in language and cultural approach, but the narrative pictures Doughty draws are fascinating; submersion into a little known cultural and time. Great for anthropological studies.

I must, grudgingly, give this monumental classic work of travel and adventure five stars, despite the fact that I don't really like the author. Doughty was probably not a very nice, friendly person; his life and opinions seem centered around a strict, almost fanatical and unforgiving, religiosity (he was a very fervent christian). Nevertheless, what he set out to do, he did with ample success and eficiency; and what he set out to do is not so simple as it seems at first sight,in my opinion, except for one of his main, but most superficial goals: to redeem the English language from the poverty and oversimplicity it had fallen into (Doughty believed the English language had fallen from grace since Spencer: I wonder, what would he think of it now?).

"Travels..." is an account of Doughty's two years of wandering through the Desert, in the 2nd half of the 19th century, with Hejaz and Nejd nomads. Unlike many other travellers before him (such as Sir Richard Burton), he never even tried to pretend he was a muslim, but admited to the nomads he travelled with that he was christian....and then went on, once and again for two years, to argue christianity's superiority over Islam and to explain how the fact that they were muslims excited his pity at seeing them fooled by their fraudulent Islamic beliefs. We know that traveleng in Arabia in those times was quite risky and dangerous, so it is a wonder that he was not killed by the nomads he was travelling with after they had to hear, for the hundredth time, how their faith was a fraud!!! This pious propensity, or even thirst for martyrdom (some times the provocations seem to point at that), is also quite trying for the reader.

However, if you can stomach the religious dissertations in his very special saintly style, the reading is rewarding indeed. Doughty had the (undeserved, I think with envy)luck to find the remains of the Nabataean town of Hegra, which he describes in some depth, with sketches of the tombs and copies of the inscriptions he found there. Who doesn't dream of finding the abandoned, lost, ancient town, built by a mysterious half-forgotten people? His descriptions of life with a Nomadic tribe of those times, with its unbelievable hardships, due to the famine-level subsistence usual among nomads, are an etnographic work of first rank. His report of the abuse, threats and indignities he had to suffer at the hands of the nomads because of his refusal to deny his christianity are unintentionally funny, in spite of himself.

But it is when we see that Doughty constantly compares the nomads of the desert with the Patriarchs of the Bible, and we know he can imagine himself in the company of Abraham's or Ishmael's tribes, when we learn the extent of the religious significance that this journey had for him. The ignorance and fanaticism that he finds in these nomads, he imagines in the Patriarchs of the Bible. For him Christianity, his own faith, was the light and salvation that took people out of the pitiful and primitive state these nomads live in. In fact, his journey is actually a pilgrimage to invest his religion with a significance that maybe he had been in the process of losing from sight.

And it is this, the fact that this author had set out for a journey with the intention of profoundly despising the people he was going to live with, what makes me despise him as a person, even though I see the importance of his work. Although Doughty repeats, now and then, the common, admiring expressions that were usual and fashionable to speak about the nomadic Arabs of those times -all the usal "noble savage" stuff-, we can read between lines (and later on, directly) that he thinks they are repulsive, inferior creatures. He goes to Arabia thinking he will be a superior among primitives, and he leaves Arabia, two years later, convinced that this has, indeed, been the case. In my opinion, the one who comes out the worst from the experience, is himself, although I have to thank him for recording his experiences and so, giving me the oportunity of reading between lines and learning from that.

I would like to add that this is not a complete edition of Doughty's work, which I read in the Dover two-volume edition, with an introduction by T.E.Lawrence and translations (of the Nabatean inscriptions) by Ernest Renan, and with some beautifully drawn maps.

There are few travel books that can stand up to the depredations of time - indeed, travel literature by its nature tends to be ephemeral. We may peruse the Victorian travelers, but mainly to get a sense of the exotic, from a time when it still was that way.

Fewer travel books still can claim to have had a conscious impact beyond their own genre. One thinks of Stendahl's travels in the South of France, Radishchev's journey from Petersburg to Moscow, or Stephens and Catherwood in the Yucatan. But Doughty is in a class by himself.

This remarkably eccentric man with the remarkably eccentric writing style set off into one of the last fringes of society, to a world where the art of the word was cultivated and where a man's worth was set by his speech. He is not an easy read. Yet his writing reflects the sense of a major intellect from one culture confronted by a tradition which is very old, very venerable and yet totally alien from that in which he was raised. That he sought to explain it by creating a new way of writing is perhaps not remarkable.

Many writers of the last century have been quite vocal about the debt that they owe him; one sometimes wonders if this is honored more in the breach than we would like to believe. But try him on for size, but be prepared to be patient. You will find that his style will win you over if you are.

Doughty had reflected his belief throughout his journey and I am not surprised. He decreased the Bedw traditions and tried to link it completely to the teaching of Islam. He knew from the beginning that the Bedw tradition especially in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula has nothing to do with the teaching of Islam. It was basically their culture. He did used the Bedw to serve his purpose since he wrote this book only to the western readers at that time to capture their imagination of the Arabian desert and to lay down the first step toward the colonization period that took place 30 years later.
Doughty in his book has described the Bedew life with many details that have shocked me. Since he lived with my great grandfather (Tollog) during his stay on al Harra, I was able to tell how close he was to reflect the real life of my tribe.
If we ignore his belief's reflection in his writing, we can conclude that his book is truly a masterpiece in detailing the life of one of the most isolated part of the world in 1800 century.

After reading this work detailing the 1870s [mis]adventures of the legendary Charles M. Doughty, one comes to understand much better why T.E.Lawrence so admired the Bedu and mistrusted the Arab city dweller. Doughty's "travels" really amounted to being "driven" through hostile lands occupied by "fanatics," continuously handed off from one group of outlaws and thieves to another. "I found in them an implacable fanaticism," wrote Doughty. "All their life is passed in fraud and deceipt." Sacred oaths, swearing in the name of God out of mere habit, traditional mores of protecting the fellow-traveller in one's charge honored mostly in the breach. One friendly Arab acquaintance along the tortured path tells Doughty, "I hope that your life may be preserved: but they will not suffer you to dwell amongst them! You will be driven from place to place. As many among them as have travelled, are liberal; but the rest, no." Abdullah el-Kenneyny advised Doughty, "I am even now in amazement! that in such a country, you openly avow yourself to be an Englishman; but how may you pass even one day in safety. You have lived hitherto with the Bedu; but it is otherwise in the townships."

Early on, the strange language seemed humorous and distracting, but it soon grows on you. "Give me a hand" becomes "Lend me a grip of thy five." Robbed, stripped, insulted, the intrepid Doughty gives the evil-doers the back of his hand as often as he dared, many times with his hand on a revolver hidden under his robes. One bluff carried off successfully against fellow travellers, who were sworn, of course, to defend him -- "By the life of Him who created us, in what instant you show me a gun's mouth, I will lay dead your carcasses upon this earth."

Occasionally some paragraph seems to be the obvious inspiration for a like passage in Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," an exquisitely detailed description of how a camel comes to a halt and lies down being one of the most obvious examples.

A major feature of this work is the great care taken by the author to use and then explain the Arabic vocabulary for places and things unique to the Arab culture. Each and every page is peppered with these terms. There is a fine glossary, praise God, the Merciful One!

The first half of this collection of selected passages from the massive original work will give readers warm feelings for the Bedouin and sweet dreams of wandering amongst them at peace with God and nature. The second half will likely wipe out any such urge. Civilizations still clash, 130 years later. Extremists rear their ugly heads on both sides of a vast chasm. Will the next 130 years bring much fundamental change?

Mary Kingsley was a rare and remarkable woman - self-sufficient, brave, droll, friendly and open, with self-deprecating humor and a keen eye. Her writing conveys her strong character traits and makes for excellent reading. Travels in West Africa has a great sense of place; whether it's a coastal town, a slimy lagoon, a remote village or lake, Kingsley captures these places on paper and also renders striking sketches of all the people she encounters. Her writing is fluid and engaging and also has moments of great beauty; she was truly gifted with the pen. Her work is a mix of serious historical, cultural, and natural study, adventure tale, and personal journal.

Dressed always in the typical garb of a Victorian woman (which actually saved her life at one point) she taught herself to navigate a native canoe, collected fish and botanical samples from spots in the remote African interior, observed and labored to understand native ideas regarding fetish and spirits, and generally went about full of wonder and with an open mind. She was able to appreciate people, even the most violent natives, as they were. She also got into quite a few scrapes, but wrote about them later with understatement and tongue-in-cheek humor. In all, a worthwhile and memorable read.

Single and independent, with a small allowance after the death of her parents, Mary Kingsley decides to explore Africa. She sets off to the Congo, with no entourage nor special clothing and with no knowledge of the local lingo, knowing that this area was renowned for cannibals. Considering that Richard Burton set off to find the centre of Africa with an entourage of 600 bearers puts Ms.Kingsley's trip into perspective.
This is not just a wishful fantasy, she has an agenda to research the fetish cults of the natives and collect animal specimens, as well as fulfil the wanderlust that she had bottled up while looking after her parents.
She takes everything in her stride, beating off crocodiles - 'he was only a pushing young creature', wading through fetid swamps, falling into a staked animal trap and attributing her salvation to the benefits of a good thick woollen skirt!
She has a wonderful way with words; that dry, laconic humour that starts one into fits of giggling; the page-long description of 'Hubbards' sent out by well-meaning, misguided women in Europe for the use of the natives is absolutely wonderful.
She has excellent communication skills, getting what she wants from any native by offering him exactly what he wants - tobacco (reminding us of Xabicheh in 'Dead Man') - and if he doesn't want that, then he must need a hairpin to clean out his pipe!
I am awed by the determination, bravery, guts and chutzpah of this young woman; even more awed by her writing skills - which are definitely not in the Victorian mold, would that there were more of her books than the two she wrote (the other is 'West African Studies'), sadly this was not to be, as she died of typhoid in Capetown in 1900.
A book to savour - highly recommended! *****

In 1893 Mary Kingsley, a single Victorian woman, traveled alone to Africa. The sources of her interest in Africa are obscure. Possibly the tales her father brought back to England of his extensive travels lie at the root of her own interest. In any case her account of her travels in west and west-central Africa are a remarkable addition to our knowledge of the region during the early years of the colonial period. Kingsley wrote with a very outward focus. We hear little of her inner feelings, her comfort or lack thereof. Rather, she is consumed with a desire to know the land and its human and natural inhabitants.

We begin to taste the real flavor of Kingsley's experience in Chapter 2 in her account of the island of Fernando Po and its prominent people group, the Bubis. She then voyages down the coast, describing the lonely beauty of the great mangrove swamps that border the Bight of Benin.

Kingsley developed great respect, admiration, and even affection for the traders, black and white, whom she met in her journey. She traveled in their company and relied on them in what would otherwise have been impossible circumstances. Her views of other white colonials were less sanguine. She expressed mixed feelings about white missionaries, acknowledging the uplifting effects of their moral teaching while disdaining their confusion of cultural with spiritual messages.

One of Kingsley's central adventures was her trip from the Ogowe River to the Rembwe River. On this journey, she visited a series of villages each of which was reputed to be more dangerous and depraved than the one before. Her accounts of her lodging in these places are priceless. The difficulties of traveling through swamps and jungles, and across the great rivers of this region, were daunting. Kingsley's accounts of her determination to master the piloting of the native canoes are both funny and insightful. It took a lot for anyone to travel overland, and her perseverance marked her grit, her commitment to finish what she started.

The last third of the book consists of three long chapters on fetish customs. Although she lacks a systematic view of the role of fetishes and other spiritual tokens in the cultures she met, her depiction of their impact on everyday life and on funeral customs is enlightening. She delves into the afterlife beliefs of the peoples she encountered; in many of these cultures today, the beliefs she relates are still expressed in a form of syncretistic Christianity.

This edition of Kingsley's travel accounts is an abridgement of a much longer, multi-volume original that does not seem to be in print today. Since Kingsley herself prepared the abridgement, we can read it with confidence that it expresses both the details as she recorded them and the priority events or images that best characterize her travel experiences.

Gabon, Cameroon, and the areas around them continue today to rank among the wildest, best preserved areas of Africa, both naturally and anthropologically. Whether you visit these regions or not, there is no better introduction to them than these accounts by a Victorian original.

Mary Kingsley's "Travels in West Africa" has become a classic, and deservedly so. Her story is remarkable. In the 1890s, unmarried and no longer having to care for her parents, Kingsley decides she should travel in "the tropics" and sets off for "West Africa" (i.e., the West coast of Central Africa). She travels as a scientist, collecting fish specimens, and finances her travels by trading along the way--but mostly she travels for the love of adventure and to satisfy an appetite for the unknown.

Kingsley's book is a treasure trove of information about Atlantic-coast Central Africa in the late 1800s. But beyond its historic and sociological value, the book is just wonderful. Her descriptions are vivid, her insights interesting, and her understated humor is a joy. Anyone with a love of exploration and a good story would enjoy this book. Unabridged versions are highly recommended.

Readers with a particular interest in Gabon should also see the works of Robert Nassau, an American missionary who was in Gabon when Kingsley traveled there. Evidently they met and discussed all things African at length, though Kingsley makes little mention of him. Nassau wrote "Fetichism in West Africa", "In an Elephant Corral" and "My Ogowe", but doesn't get the credit he deserves. Also of interest is "One Dry Season: In the Footsteps of Mary Kingsley" by Caroline Alexander. Alexander visited Gabon in the 1980s and compared what she saw then to what Kingsley had seen a century earlier.

I bought this book because it was supposed to be one of the 100 greatest adventure books of all time. While it does have narrow escapes and Mary Kingsley was very brave, there is too much discussion of "the African mind". I found the constant reference to the superiority of the European colonists very offputting. Of course it was written in the 1890's!

From the files of FATE Magazine, the oldest of paranormal publications, comes this collection of True Mystic Experiences to set your mind aflame. I have personally always loved the "Believe it or Not" types of tales but have been on the skeptical side until recent years, and taken the stories with a grain of salt. However, this book, being from my favorite paranormal publisher, leaves no room for doubt in my mind. I know the practices of this publisher, being a writer who has submitted to them, and can attest to the fact that every story, such as these, is published only after the author has signed a sworn affidavit of its truth.

What a well-rounded collection is this! From guardian angels and premonitions of death, to psychic dreams and out of body experiences, there is something here to suit every curiosity. The stories come from everyday folks: soldiers at war, daughters in mourning, newlywed couples and more. Some are written in detailed prose, while others are more like a letter from home. But all exude a feeling of "Something wonderful and awesome has happened, and I was a witness to it."

Jennifer Spees has compiled a wonderful collection into chapters of the unexplainable. Whether you sit and read through it all on a rainy, snuggly weekend or savor it bit by bit in moments of peace, True Mystic Experiences will be a book you won't forget. The stories will haunt you and inspire you to look about for signs of your own mystic encounters. And what a wonderful thing to have happen!

This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. This book is full of fascinating real-life stories of spirits, ghosts, and strange phenomena. If you are really into supernatural unexplainable stuff, this book is perfect for you to read.

I've loved this stuff since I was a kid. Rationalism may be a nice security blanket for those who are scared of the dark -- but just because you've nailed up the closet door it doesn't mean the monster's not still in there! The personal experience of the invisible world is universal, and can't be explained away. These stories are great examples of that experience, and fun reading too.

Ignore the slightly cheesy cover...this book is great. We always had Fate Magazine around the house when I was growing up, and I later subscribed (although the current incarnation of the magazine can't hold a candle to the ones from the 60's, 70's and before). My favorite monthly segments were always "True Mystic Experiences" and "My Proof of Survival"...ordinary readers wrote in to tell their ghostly/paranormal/psychic experiences. It's great to have this collection of stories to take me back...and this has plenty from Fate's 50+ year archives. Hopefully Fate will put out a "My Proof of Survival" book next...I read this in a couple of evenings and want more!

After reading this beautifully compiled book of strange and unusual mystic experiences, the world was not the same for me. Jennifer Spees weaves together a scary, yet poignant fabric of unbelievably true stories, threaded with supernatural, paranormal, and just plain spooky undertones. This is a must have for anyone who has experienced the unbelievable, who has an interest in the paranormal, or who just wants to be entertained. Be prepared to be mystified!