Greens Books

Instead of repeating what others have said, I will summarize: 1) Great Designs and Patterns; 2) Incredible and Doable embellishments to make the purses/handbags attractive and desirable; 3) Romantic but also give a vintage-feel to the purses/handbags; and 4)GREAT Inspiration for all interested in fiber/fabric arts as these can be applied to other items, dresses, belts, scarves, hats, etc. IF you are so inclined. Compared to my other purse books, I will definitely refer to this one more frequently for inspiration than any other one, yet each purse design book does provide this to one degree or another. Enjoy!

Unless you've got a really nice collection of antique laces, trims and appliqués, these projects are going to be expensive, and probably not as scrumptious as if they were made out of original materials. When I'm in DIY mode, I'd rather not spend hundreds at a couple stores to make one purse, I want to use what I have on hand --and be able to make substitutions, even big leaps of substitution. This book tends to use the same materials (looped fringe for example), and if I don't have it for one handbag, I'm not going to have it for another either. So a special trip for all the materials in one handbag would be required.

Yes, the purses are awesome while serving their purpose: holding your stuff. But know that your project will probably be very expensive, and if you don't bother to spare the expense, you're going to be highly disappointed (if you have good taste.) Also, these are all busy, frilly, Victorian handbags, so don't buy it thinking you'll get anything but.

Very rich book with great ideas! It needs some experience because does not explain step by step process, but it is worth enough to get it.

Very good tool for the handbag designer. Love all the detailed instructions and photos. Easy to follow patterns. Fun designs.

The book has beautiful photos of purses which would inspire even the least creatively challenged. There are detailed instructions, a material list, preparation, and construction instructions, and there are patterns in the back of the book(which you need to enlarge). There are at least 14 bags, all beautiful and distinct. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wants to create a lovely purse.

Not that detailed but great if you are not going to sit down and read an involved design book. Quick tips.

Most of the books of the same kind, you'll find 500 pages just with theory, things that you should do and you shouldn't. This one is just plane and simple, if you are an expertise graphic designer, it will show you really cool and fresh ideas.
If you are a designer with no background education, it will guide you step by step in the process of creation.
For the price you pay and the content you get, this book is one of its kind.

I've read literally hundreds of design books and frankly find most of them to be long on theory and have precious little to offer by way of concrete learning and real-world usability. This book (and The Design-It-Yourself Newsletter also by Chuck - which I also own) doesn't overburden the reader with "fluff." It's a pleasure to find a book that tells me what I should know and need to know rather than what some "expert" wants to tell me. These books are practical, useful, clear, and easy-to-follow. Do yourself a favor and invest a very reasonable sum in this book (or any of Chuck's books for that matter), and you will be a better designer for it.

Who is this book for? Non-designers trying to design their own logos, letterheads & businesscards.

How good is it? It's the best I've come across. And I've gone through hundreds of them. This book helped me design a logo and stationary for more than one business, got my creative juices flowing, gave me a lot of ideas - that I would've never thought about otherwise - and to top it all, gave me STEP BY STEP instruction on how to achieve simple but very elegant, clean & professional results!

The design of the book itself makes you want to buy it the very first time you look at it - very well organized, simple, elegant. Inspires confidence.

Does it deliver the goods as promised? SURE!

Another of Chuck's books that I read ages ago and is highly recommended and valuable even today: The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book. It still sits on my desk/bookshelf, and I go back to it often to get new ideas.

Finally, Chuck's web site - ... - is equally impressive, a treasure chest of ideas & resources for budding or amateur designers exploring the world of design.

Request to Chuck if he reads this - please let us have more of these in a series - Design It Yourself Logos 2, 3, 4... etc. PLEASE!

Bharat Suneja

I recently purchased this book at a local bookstore on my lunch hour. It was so difficult to eat lunch with my new treasure and then have to return to work. Right after dinner that evening I sat down in a comfortable chair and just read and read until I went through the entire book. I just couldn't put this book down. It was wonderful, interesting and very informative. The recipes were great and I will incorporate their use in my at home graphic design business. I have been doing graphic design for about 8 years and cannot get enough to read on the subject. I am self taught and this is just the kind of book that will help those who are just like me, or even give fresh new ideas to those who are experts. Thanks Chuck! I need more of this -- got any more like this coming?

I read this book after visiting Arcata this summer. While there, I went on a BLM ranger-guided hike into the Headwaters, the "lush, mysterious, ancient, holy" (p. 82) subject of Dunning's book. I wanted to see for myself what all of the protesting was about. Enjoy this book, then experience the Headwaters' redwoods.

Dunning's book is about many things. Trees. Community. Redwood politics. Bearing witness. The destruction of "one of the most magnificent ecosystems on Earth" (p. 3). Saying "enough!" Non-violent civil disobedience. Protecting America the beautiful. It is also about Dunning's personal journey, or "metamorphosis" as she calls it (p. 239), from naturalist to activist. "What is an 'environmentalist'," she reflects, "but simply a citizen who has shed denial, who has opened his or her eyes and said, 'it does matter nature does not have an infinite capacity to heal herself, himself, itself . . . I am responsible'" (p.228).

Dunning's book reads like an insightful journal, in which she sets out to tell it like it is. "This book is not about happiness," she warns her reader on the first page. Rather, it is about "yielding to conscience. It is about a forest, and it is about us" (p. 1). She reveals that the destruction of old-growth forests like the Headwaters isn't someone else's problem, but our own. Dunning reports that in 500 years, we have destroyed more than ninety percent of our country's ancient forests, leaving only 3.5 percent to protect (p. 263). By saving the redwoods, we save ourselves. Dunning writes, "I want nothing more than to dissolve the polarity that plagues this county and this country, to bring us all back to center--the owls and the pussycats, the loggers and the environmentalists, the business community, everyone--to put us all in the same life raft, which is our Earth" (p. 61).

Dunning also reports that redwood civil disobedience is nothing new. We learn, for instance, on November 19, 1929, Laura Perrott Mahan (1867-1937) lay down in the area now known as Founder's Grove in California's Avenue of the Giants to halt redwood logging. Dunning also writes, and her collaborator, Doug Thron's photographs show that clear-cutting "is an act of violence that affects trees, rivers, air, water, earth, and every person, owl, toad, or human who lives there" (p. 88). "Our whole earth is suffering from the cumulative effects of a million minute daily actions" (p. 240).

Although much of Dunning's book is downright depressing, her real message is this: "Find a corner of the world and fix it" (p. 240). Turn your driveway into a garden. "For each of us," Dunning says, "regardless of where we live, there is a valley, a mountain range, a beach, a whale, a peregrine, a gnatcatcher, that if we merely give our time as a witness to the loss, will gradually unite the being of its existence with our own, will ground us by putting us in touch with what is wild and speechless, will empower us when we speak out in defense of the powerless" (pp. 14-15). (Those interested in how each of us can make a difference might also enjoy Thomas Berry's, THE GREAT WORK (2000), which I also recommend as one of my favorite books.)

In addition to Thron's amazing color photographs (note the cover photo), Dunning's book is also illustrated with her own drawings of redwoods (p. 17), salamanders (pp. 25, 174, 179, 260), a banana slug (p. 41), flying squirrels (p. 56), frogs (pp. 67, 187) and an owl (p. 103), among other subjects.

In our world of "Cars. Cars. Cars." (p. 124), Dunning's book triumphs in showing the value of silent, "dark, dripping, ancient" (p. 37) redwood forests, that tell us to "Be still." For its insights, photographs, and drawings, this book about the wonders of tall trees should not be missed.

G. Merritt

I learned so much by reading this book. Joan Dunning has a way of tackling difficult, cumbersome and emotionally charged subject matter and making it easily digestible. It's a compelling read and the photography by Doug Thron is extraordinary.

No book has ever moved me the way this one has, I have tears in my eyes as I write this. I've just read many of the other reviews, and I don't have the way with words that some do, but they tell it like it is. Joan tells it like it is. Books don't get any better, and this one will change your life, like someone said it isn't all about happiness, and I have become informed and aware of too much to not so something about what is being done to our Redwood Forests, and what is being allowed to be done to our envirnment and watersheds. It's a true story, happening right now, this book documents it succinctly with amazing one of a kind pictures. It will open your eyes. Something needs to be done about Charles Hurwitz from Houston, Texas and his company MAXXAM. He is savaging The last of the Virgin Redwood Rainforest in California. I cannot beleive the CDF and the department of Forestry are "letting him get away with it." Not to mention the way he "aquired" the land, which is explained in the book. Please read this book. This book will light a fire in you, and like me you will have to do something. There are several websites listed in the back to point you in the right direction. I beleive this book is THE BEST one on the subject and if you plan on reading only one this should definitely be it. It has the most facts, information, and insight and is so well written, I couldn't say enough. And 57 pages of priceless color pictures! I am buying used copies for people, I would give one to EVERYONE if I could, and I have only said that about 2 books, and I read alot. The book is priceless. Thank You Joan

I had the opportunity to listen to Joan read from this book. It touched my soul, and I have started to give it to some of my friends to read.

This book explains in simple terms the descruction that P.L unloads on our earth. We are all suffering from the greed of hurwitz. When they "take" a tree alongside a stream, the sun hits the water. Then the water becomes silted, and the water heats up. Then the salmon do not come anymore. Then the eagles have nothing to eat, so they leave. With no trees, no air is cleansed, and with bad air we die. Somone else needs to leave.

Even though I have read a number of books about ancient Mesopotamia, many of which are focussed on political and economic history rather than on beliefs and religious practices, I am was still very confused about who were the principal gods and goddesses, during what period of time and where they became prominent, and why they were worshipped. The uniformly positive customer reviews of this 192 page book were what persuaded me to buy it , and I was not disappointed.

When I buy a book, however, I do prefer to read it from start to finish, so reading a dictionary in this way is somewhat difficult and it is probably not the best way to read this one. The "gods and goddesses " entry in this dictionary indicate that more than 3000 names have been recovered, and while the book doesn't attempt to describe all of these, it does provide a significant amount of interesting reference material about the beliefs and religious practices of the peoples of Ancient Mesopotamia. Perhaps it would be better to use the term "ruler" or "the elite" rather than the term "peoples" since it is clear that nearly all the available information about the gods, demons, and symbols comes from inscriptions which were either from the rulers or from the priests of the religious institutions.

At the beginning of the book there is a useful author's note on the variant spellings of ancient names which explains the scholarly consensus on the probable pronunciation of the Akkadian and Sumerian languages. This is followed, by a concise introduction which provides summaries on the places and peoples of Mesopotamia, their mythology and legends, their art and iconography and the periods of the various dynasties and a helpful one page chronological table. At the end of the book there is also a short bibliography listing books recommended for further reading.

The bulk of the book consists of about a thousand entries (I didn't count them) on the different deities, religious objects, icons, symbols, and practices, of the peoples of ancient Mesopotamia. Most of these are quite short, although there are a few which run to three or four pages. At least half of them refer to one or more illustrations which are liberally sprinkled throughout the book, and this approach definitely enhanced my understanding of what I was reading. I did get the impression, though, that much of the information about the earlier period comes from the Assyrian kings of the 1st millennium, and while they were heirs to the Sumerian and Akkadian traditions, it is still not clear to me how much of a bias they brought into their inscriptions in order to better serve their own interests

There are 159 illustrations in all, which are a mixture of drawings and very clear black and white photographs. The drawings by Tessa Rickards, the illustrator, are beautifully done, elegantly simple, and in my opinion, bring out the essence of the object of the illustration. While most illustrations are embedded in the text close to the most relevant entry, there are a number which are referred to by several different entries. I found it was quite time consuming to flip around the book to find the references of those which were not close by, so I ended up by using book markers to speed up my search for the most important, which were the groups of illustrations on demons, monsters, and symbols for the gods, and the genealogical table of gods and goddesses. Perhaps there is no way around this, but I think it would have been helpful if there had been an index of the illustrations referenced by time period and page number. It may also have been easier to refer to them if they were included one place, perhaps at the back of the book.

Notwithstanding these minor quibbles about the organization and content of the book, I found that reading it the way I did, was an effective and time efficient way of increasing my depth of knowledge about this aspect of ancient Mesopotamia. It will serve as a useful reference tool for my other books on the civilizations and dynasties of Mesopotamia, and I certainly recommend it to other students who are focussing their studies on this particular subject.

This illustrated dictionary is excellant, and informative. The authors have a knack for noting out of the ordinary tidbits, which enhance their profiles. Unfortunately, they do not recognize that Mythology is 95%
Propaganda. Thus, Ea, called "favorable to man", is in fact the Ultimate
Architect of Evil, who along with his "two-faced" minister Usmu, and the
scribe Nabu, propagated a Revisionist Mythology, that has subjugated and
subverted the 5% Truth, ever since.

"Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia" (An Illustrated Dictionary) is the best resource on the Gods of the different cultures from that region that exists. Though they call it a dictionary, Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (editors) have put together an encyclopedia of knowledge on the subject. They cover Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hurrian mythologies, and touch on several more as well. This review is based off of the fifth edition of the book, which was published in 2003 by the University of Texas Press.

There is a lot of material here, and it would be easy to give this book five stars based on what it does provide. However, as I use this resource I often think about what more they could have done to make it more useful. One big thing would have been more visual resources. I would have liked to see a map section where it shows the various eras and empires and the extent of their control. There is one map near the front of the book, but it provides only a limited view.

A big area of improvement would have been to provide sections instead of including all the material together from A to Z. For example the maps mentioned above could have gone into a geography section which could have also shown the evolution of the city names as they spanned eras, including the modern names for those which still exist. Another section could have covered the kings, queens, and heroes for each of the empires. The section on deities could have covered the evolution of deities as they were adopted by the later empires, as well as the new deities which arose during the passage of time. You will find that some of this material is scattered throughout the resource, but it is not complete, and it is difficult to find unless you already know where to look.

Despite all the things I would have liked to have, I still think this is a very good reference, and one which anyone who studies the ancient history of that region will want to have in their library. It is easy to come up with ideas of ways to improve things, but the work that was done in putting together this reference was exceptional, and as with most things which whet one's appetite, it leaves the reader wanting more.

Excellent resource listing much more than the title would suggest. Black really knows his stuff and generously shares his knowledge. Much better than I thought it would be. Includes all kinds of definitions in great detail. Well written. Highly recommend.

I am saddened to see that this is no longer available. If you are interested in ancient Mesopotamian religion, then this book is needed. It is a perfect resource to get quick information, and provides enough information to conduct further research in the areas. If you are a student taking a class on Mesopotamia, a religious historian, or a Reconstructionist, then this will give you the facts you need at your fingertips.

Just thought I would redo my previous review. The main reason I got this book was because I got interested in Tom Green after watching Freddy got fingered. I think that film is possibly one of the funniest movies ever made, although I know quite a lot of people disagree with me on that one.

In my previous review I kind of referenced Howard Stern's private parts. In a sense they are somewhat similar. Both books deal with the theme of a somewhat ordinary guy rising to fame in a funny and lighthearted style. Green's book is a bit more personal though, dealing with both his illness, marriage and fall from grace.

There are some insider tidbits about other celebrities, although it is mostly nice stuff. The celebrities being painted the worst are probably Martin Short and Courtney Love. There is a segment about Courtney heckling Green's father during his speech at the Barrymore-Green wedding. I guess no-one would really contest the validity of that happening.

I don't think the parts pertaining Drew Barrymore are at all negative nor ill intended. Green's namedropping seem to not really be trying to capitalize off certain people's fame.

I think even people, even the ones that detested Green's other works, will find the book interesting. Especially if they would like to get an inside look at the Hollywood-elite's society. And the fans get an inside look at how some of the classic moments like i.e the moose humping and the bum bum song got created.

I couldn't be more pleased with the book, there's so much more depth to this man then most people realize. If you're even a casual fan of Tom Green's, this book is well worth picking up.

If you like Tom Green, read this book. If you hate Tom Green, read this book. Tom is a genuine talent. Amazing. I was riveted by Tom's story. I read this in one day.

Wow, this is now my favorite book, (Although that isn't saying much, I rarely read) It is a funny, but also serious book about Tom Green's life. I read this book in 1 day (I got home from a friend's house a 12 AM and read until 5 AM, went to sleep, then woke up and finished it) I just couldn't stop reading it. This is a great book whether you are a fan of Tom Green or not.

I was never a huge Tom Green fan, as I was a few years too old to appreciate his MTV show. I was intrigued by his story, which as I'd heard was that he was a small town Canadian boy who struck it big with gross-out humor and MTV.
After reading his biography, I have definitely changed any and all assumptions about him and his work. The insane rollercoaster of the best and worst luck in the world he experienced within a few years would be unbelievable were it not true. The decade of persistence that preceeded those huge years is in itself impressive. The anecdotes about giving a speech, a night with a rather wild woman, having and making use of a cell phone before cell phones were everywhere, plus so much more all adds up to one of the most interesting and captivating books I've ever read. Another point to mention is that in a world of gossip and salacious tales, Green gives more information and personal feelings than I expected, but never, not even once, uses the book to criticize anyone else or to try to make himself look like a hero. He shows a lot of appreciation and humility, and reveals an immense depth of character. I had intended to read this book over a period of time and started reading it on a four hour flight. As the plane landed I was only 30 pages away from the end. I exited the plane only to sit in the boarding gate and reopen it because I couldn't wait to finish the final little bit. It was that good. I highly recommend this book to fans, non-fans, and everyone else.

This book is a great read for someone who wants to learn about environmental issues in the home without the fear factor. It's factual and articulate, without being overwhelming or emotional in a way that makes you doubt the information.

This book had so much great information I could not believe it. It is easy to find virtually any subject matter that is related. While, during and after reading this book I went through my house and eliminated many bad things that I never knew could be harmful to my family. I has really helped us change our lives in a very positive way. If you have anyone you love in your home including yourself read this book and get educated for your own safety! I leave it on the kitchen counter and refer to it often. Some times I even shock a friend or two that visits with some of the information in there and they have gone on to change the way they live as well after having some very important facts given to them. Awesome and worthy of a read and the cost. This ones a keeper :)

This book covers a wide range of topics, from building/remodeling materials to cleaners and personal products. Mine is already earmarked, underlined and highlighted, and I've purchased more as gifts for family and friends. Debra Lynn Dadd is an expert and her work is also very readable; succinct and not dry.

This book had a lot of info in it. Worth the read.

This book was a real eye opener for me during my first read--EYE OPENER!. I went through every chapter with a fine tooth comb and to tell you the truth I was shocked. Shocked because I have been assuming, up to this point, that the products I was using, in my household, in my hair, on my skin (the stuff I grew up on, the stuff Grandma always used--oh ya during WWII maybe...) were safe. Now I know this is USUALLY NOT the case. I learned later on that most of the crap I was used to using belonged right in the trash can. That is where everything eventually ended up. The next day I decided to start from scratch. I have used this book as a continuous reference, a Bible if you will. I have also purchased a cosmetic dictionary to help me understand all of the chemical yahoo they put in body products as well. The best thing I learned to do is read labels--READ THE LABELS! Now I know that I am doing the best for myself and my family. If the FDA cannot protect me--by George I am doing something to protect myself and those around me! This book changed my life and gave me an excellent education about how toxic our homes and body products REALLY are. Now...I rather dislike the companies who make toxic cleaning products, makeup, body produts and food. My hope is that someday this world will stop supporting the bad stuff and move on to the good.

I am a professor at an Ivy League university who used this book in her undergraduate required IS course. After years of struggling to find an effective textbook for non-IS majors, I have finally succeeded thanks to Prof Piccoli's insightful and engaging text. I recommend this book for undergraduate and graduate courses. The mini-cases and conversational style of the text makes it easy for students to understand the value of information systems in business.

I used this book for my Strategic Information Systems course - and was glad to use have it as the course textbook! The book provides many (simple) examples, and is great for non-IT students as well. After using this book, I became more interested in reading Strategy materials (such as the HBR magazine). I would recommend this book to be used for IT and Information Systems courses.

The mini-cases in each chapter are also great gateways for class discussion! I learned a lot after reading the chapter and discussing the cases.

I will definitely keep this book on my shelf. What separates this book from all the other IT texts is the fact that it is written for business people not technology people. Anyone can understand the language used in this text and the book provides many business examples that will help non-technologically inclined individuals understand IT concepts. This book is best in breed for understanding information systems in a business context.

This is definitely the best Information Systems text book I have read. Apart from its use of plain, simple english it is also full of practical examples and business cases that describes the applicability of its teachings to real life situations.

Trust me, you dont want to pass on this one.

After having studied this very book for a semester, I cannot help but reiterate the earlier comments made about this book: it is extremely easy to read, entirely thorough, and highly informative.

Unlike most academic textbooks where only careful sifting and digging through masses of technical jargon will result in information actually sinking in, Gabe Piccoli's book is written is such a reader-friendly way that the information just "sticks" after a first read!

If you are studying or attempting to teach others why, how, and when managers should use IT & IS within their business, this truly is the best that money can buy ...

I've read Darryl's book twice and refer to it often. The entire goalsetting approach is particularly useful. The book is very well-written, quite easy to follow, and applicable to most any person. It is truly a gift from above.

I am a hair salon owner and author.My husband and I have been married for twenty-five years.We have two happy, productive children in college and one in high school. We thought we knew all there was to parenting. This book has helped us tremendously. Instead of running around in circles,we are now managing our time more wisely. This book is a guide for all families to follow. It is well written and very easy to understand. I find myself referring to it again and again.I thank God for allowing Daryl Green the opportunity to write this wonderful book!

If you are a single parent, a fresh young couple venturing out to start a family, or a family that continues to struggle with life's ups and downs...BUY THIS TAPE! I assure you that when this tape comes to an end, you will begin to feel better about yourself, your family, and life. Hats off to the Greens!...Ree

this audio tape is spectacular. I feel it is well written and very helpful for working families. this book really reaches the problems of working families and families in general. I would recommend this book/tape to anyone.

Anyone with a family needs to take a look at Darryl's work. We all need to set priorities and survive life, and Darryl offers families an approachable and successful method of family management, that is not overwhelming. If you are a parent - working,single, or just trying to get through the day, Darryl really gets you feeling positive and honestly makes you feel capable of achieving anything with your family. I take this time to thank you Darryl, your book/cassette has really changed my life.

Lash opens up this ambitious & fascinating work with the story of Hypatia, or rather the murder of Hypatia by a crazed Christian mob in the early 5th century C.E. It is a shocking story and a powerful opening salvo in this all out attack on the Judeo Christian salvationist program. More than this, it makes a strong case that gnosticism, usually associated with early Christianity, is an ancient mystic and esoteric, Goddess based traditional worldview. The gnostic material is even referred to as "gospels" by Elaine Pagels, the best known writer on the gnostic writings linked to the discoveries of ancient texts near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1947. Lash makes a case that the Nag Hammadi writings represent a mixed bag of narrative myths, poetry, philosophy and that they were hidden to protect them from marauding Christians. This is certainly a novel view of early Christians, persecuting the pagan mystery sites and the academic institutions that had grown up with them.

Lash essentially links the gnostic and Earth based religions to newer ideas about deep or sacred ecology. He sees a powerful link between these ancient, long hidden writings, and our current attempts to better understand our planet and its (her?) relationship to all life forms, including humans.

Lash also delves into the Dead Sea Scrolls, and links the Essene Community to Paul, Jesus, James and the early Christian community. This is a new and no doubt controversial portrayal of the Essene community, but it builds logically on the DSS. This is fascinating stuff, but difficult for a non expert to evaluate.

These are beautiful and powerful ideas, and Lash has written a book to provoke, inform and inspire.

This book, along with all the research the author has done, I feel, proves what I have know for years- that the Abrahamic religions had many lies, falsehoods that became imposed on the societies of the world. The truth exposed here could turn the christian religion on its ear.
It's up to each one of us to deprogram the deeply ingrained programming imposed upon us by patriarchy. It's an inside individual job that has to happen in order to change "out there".
I highly recommend this book.
K.W.

All though more "wordy" than I thought necesary, I found this book execellent! There was more information than I'd expected and found that I became grateful to the author for writing it. I have and will continue to recommend it. Also, because of this book I have and will look into material that the author recommended.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. John Lash is a treasure trove of information. He is an absolute expert in his field of religion, myth, and philosophy. After reading this book, I will never think of monotheistic religions as being benign and spiritual. This book is a real eye opener about life as it should be lived and how it once was before the good was wiped out of it by militant dogmatic beliefs. The concept of the Archons as an alien intrusion into our minds is also facinating. If true, it certainly explains how everything goes to extremes of evil before it is corrected. The missing link in warding off the Archons are the secret incantations that were lost because of the destructive behavior of the monontheists. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject.

I came to this book with high hopes, as there are all too few works which take full blooded `anti-Abrahamic' approach to the subject, preferring to try and amalgamate Gnosticism and mystery religions to some grand new age vision shared by Greeks and Jews, Hindus and Christians. And Lash starts off doing a pretty good job, showing just how crazy and evil the Jewish `god' is, along with his later Christian and Islamic transformations.

In his picture, (compatible with the approach of de Benoist and the other European neo-pagans, who are not mentioned in the text) the destruction of the Second Temple led to the creation of the Jewish mentality, in which temporal triumph (a la Rome and other normal people) is replaced by an eventual otherworldly triumph after the destruction of `this world' -- i.e., apocalypse. Like his hero D. H. Lawrence, he suggests that the Jews co-opted the personal transformation offered by pagan mysteries into an endlessly pre-empted national triumph and fleshly rebirth in a new world. His analysis of `the redeemer complex' is intriguing, as is his use of it to explain how Christianity `triumphed' -- by first violently destroying pagan cultures, "turning them into victims," then offering a "reformulated justification of the victim role" which promised that "they would ultimately be saved," a brilliant way to co-opt victims into future victimizers. And his suggestion that the origins of contemporary suicide terror lie in the Jewish Dead Sea cultists is profound, not cheap and easy sensationalism. As my friend Alisdair Clarke has speculated on his Aryan Futurism blog, is there not the suggestion of something deadly, radioactive perhaps, an ageless evil, almost Lovecraftian, sleeping under the sand of that quarrelsome land with its dead sea and endless tribal violence?

Alas, although I obviously endorse much of this book, I find that it fails utterly, when judged as a work of scholarship. Lash, whatever his real qualifications might be, writes like an autodidact, with all of the related faults. No wonder the King of Autodidacticism, Colin Wilson, contributes a blurb saying `Lash's historical and anthropological erudition are [sic!] breathtaking." I'm afraid that grammatical solecism is typical of the book's problems.

First, Lash exhibits the bad habit of citing only evidence that supports him, rather than dealing with (apparent) anomalies. Thus, he suggests that the patriarchal god arises from the Jewish patriarchal family, as if most, if not all, pagan societies were not. Tell that to the Roman pater familias!

More seriously, Lash avoids all discussion or mention (although I'm going by his unreliable index here, see below) of the mysteries of Mithras, even though this was an official religion of the Empire (before Christianity), gave Christianity a run for its money, and last left us the most extensive records of all the mystery religions (such as the famous Mithraic Liturgy, available in the Mead anthology Lash constantly refers to). Could this omission be due to the fact that the Mithras cult does not fit into his simple patriarchal Christianity vs. Goddess/Gaian mystery paradigm?

However, I lost all confidence in Mr. Lash after turning to his `suggestions for reading and research' at the end. First, I only found this at the back because Lash fails to include the bibliography I was looking for, thus making it impossible to track down what editions he's using. The page numbering of my Penguin edition of Lawrence is certainly not his, for instance. I might let that scholarly flaw pass, however, if the "suggestions" were not so flawed as to be insulting. I don't mind his self-described "idiosyncratic" approach to selection and evaluation. I mean that he fails the basic test of being correct about things I know about, thus raising the issue of what he's wrong about elsewhere, where I have to rely on him.

Thus, we read the following incredible claim: "Unfortunately, the sole existing English translation [is] by the English Platonist Thomas Taylor....' Now I have only to half turn to my bookshelf to see the pricey but available paperback of the Clarke/Dillon/Hershell translation, along with a number of works, such as Shaw's Theurgy and the Soul which give quite adequate accounts and many excerpts from Iamblichus. This is not buried in obscure scholarly publications. All Mr. Lash needed to do to verify this claim, or to find himself a better translation, was to do what I did: search Amazon.com! How lazy and incompetent is this guy?

Later, Lash asserts that Harold Bloom gives a "brief, sober, no discounting passage on ... entheogenic practices." Now this intrigues me, so I consult Lash's index to find what he has to say himself. No entries on etheo-anything! And yet, here is at least one right before me. Did it slip by, because Lash in fact never discusses entheogens elsewhere in the text? No, in fact, a few pages later is a whole section of "suggestions" on the subject!

And here is where I throw the book aside onto the `read when bored and nothing else is around` pile. The section is entitled "Entheogenic Theory of Religion" and states "There are hundreds of text-heavy sites and heady forums dedicated to entheogenics on the Internet, but, unfortunately [there's that word again, always a clue to a howler on the way -- Lash mistakes his laziness for empirical restraint], they are all orientated toward recreational use of drugs and sacred plants, rather than sacramental use."

All? All? Now in elementary logic, I learned I could refute an `all' statement by finding one counterexample. Again, is it some obscure site? Well, how obscure is something on the Internet going to be? Get on the Google, as our president would say, and 9 hits come up for "entheogenic theory of religion" (the title of his section, remember), two of which lead to Michael Hoffman's Ego Death website, where his epochal article "Entheogenic Theory of Religion and Ego Death" can be found, along with hundreds of pages of articles and links to similar material. And needless to say, all the really new and useful books are unmentioned as well. Clark Heinrich, anyone?

Alas, Mr. Lash, as Housman said of incompetent textual critics, "the world is no feather bed for the repose of sluggards." If you want convince anyone but the most credulous, or the already convinced, you will have to do more work than this.

Three stars, but only for the Hebrew-bashing!

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