Adamson Books

As a mother of two young children, I was trying to decide what Christmas traditions I was going to establish for our growing family. I wanted to celebrate the true meaning of the season, and didn't want the secular to overshadow the spiritual, but I didn't want to be 'Anti-Santa', because of how imporant Santa was to me as a child.
My mother-in-law then sent us this book for Christmas, and it beautifully connects the symbols of Christmas - focusing on Santa - with the true meaning of Christmas. It was just the answer I was looking for. Reading this book is now an important part of our family Christmas tradition.

For me this book is just not worth the money and had I been able to check it out at the library for a preview I probably wouldn't have bought the book.

This book should be mandatory for Christian families with children! It takes the symbols of Santa and Christmas and merges them with the symbols of Christ in such a simple way. Children (and adults) feel edified and are reminded about the real reason for Christmas. The artwork is beautiful too. It's such a great book that I keep buying it every year as gifts for others.

This book has been part of our christmas traditions for many years. This year our 6 year old granddaughter memorized the story and shared it w/us on Christmas Eve. On Jan 2nd her grandfather paseed away. At his funeral she recited the story. It was very touching because as long as she can remember her "Papa" played Santa for our family and many others thru the christmas season. This story has truly taught her that Santa and Jesus are very real and love us all. Sandy Williams

This book beautifully portrays how Santa Claus is like Jesus Christ using Christmas symbols every child will recognize. It is simple but profound and the art is just right for little ones. I love it because it teaches the true meaning of Christmas and we can still have Santa be a part of it.

Book purchased for my daughter who has a new puppy. She has found the book to be very helpful in training and getting acquainted with her puppy. Great price and customer service, that you...

I have bought this book as soon as I've bought my labrador, and she is still alive... I'm just joking... I have the female labrador and this book really helped me to teach her some manners and right now I have a great dog that can be with me wherever I go. If I go to the coffee shop she is with me, if I go to the beach she is with me and I have no problems with her.

Cool book. I'm a lab retriever owner and loved the information from the book- brought me up to date on everything I should know about this breed...

This book was easy to read. It had a lot of general information about all dogs. It had really good training tips.

When I bought my little yellow lab puppy, I searched the internet and scoured reviews to buy the best book to prepare me for my new endeavor. I purchased this book, and I am sad to say, I was a little disappointed. It barely skims the surface of each topic, and did not prepare me to be a first-time puppy owner, or a first-time lab owner. I highly recommend Barron's "Training Your Labrador Retriever". I just bought it (my puppy is three months old) and I wish I had bought it first - it has much more information on how to handle your new puppy!

I read this book when it was first published, in 1988 when I was in 5th grade. I don't rember the details after all this time, just that is was 2 brothers sharing a room when one is neet and the other messy, and they get mail order seeds that grow into "carnivor" plants (socks are cotton, ie, a plant, and the plants eat socks) and the boys use them in a sciene fair, get famous, and I think a soap company is involved somehow?

Basicly, I wanted to say that even if its not a "classic" Its a story that you or your kids will think about years down the road. I would classify it along with Chocolate Feaver, and How to Eat Fried Worms as good stories that will capure your imaganation and hold it, helping you grow through the years.

The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks is a great book! It's about two kids that get seeds in the mail. They plant them, and a couple weeks later, they turn into mutant plants that eat socks. If you like the first one there are other ones. This book will put you in suspense and it will make you laugh.

The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks Goes Hollywood

If you like a humorous story, this book would be great for you. For example: Fluffy's Schlurrrp! And Burrrpp! Were followed by a noise that sounded like an "ex" because Norman tried to teach his plant to say excuse me. There are a lot of adventures. You'll never guess what will happen next. Or do you like dirty and disgusting? You would then love this book either way. Especially... never mind, I'll let you find out by reading this book.
The author's craft I noticed in this story is dialogs. Guess what, she made the plants talk to each other! If you're interested in what I just told you, you would sure like to read this book. Check out The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks By Nancy McArthur.

I first discovered The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks series when my boys were still young enough to be read to aloud. They howled with laughter. As they got old enough to read chapter books to themselves, they both devoured the entire series. This series ought to be on every elementary school library's shelf as it is a good series for engaging reluctant readers. Struggling middle school readers would like the series too.

This book that I am reading is "The plant that ate dirty socks." It's about a boy that is very messy his name is Michael and he's brother is a neatness nut because he's room is very clean I mean very clean but Michael is very dirty like he's room is like a dump.
This book that I rate is #3 stars because the author didn't write that good and didn't use good words but the character is cool because Michael his room is like a mess and his bro is very clean like my sister. I just like the middle parts and the start but the ending I can't tell what is going to happen in the ending but if you want to figure out by your self, you are going to have to read it for your self!

The spiritual philosophy of Nisargadatta (hopefully I have the spelling right) and "Sailor Bob" could not be any clearer than it is presented in this outstanding volume. I did not give it five stars because starting around page 180 the reader has pretty much heard it all and I'm being a little charitable on the page count. It is, nonetheless, a terrific presentation of these ideas...as clear as I have seen anywhere else and I have read broadly within this category. Very strongly recommended.

Quoted from the book :- "Please keep in mind that non-duality is, essentially, a viewpoint and appears to clash with other viewpoints regarding spiritual truth. The core of non-duality is presence awareness. The key to our true nature lies in the present moment-the right here,right now that have always been and will always be".The statement is concise and clear.
This book 'Living Reality' makes an excellent reference book on non-duality.

The purpose of this book, the author says, is "to share nonduality with you. ... to expose the personal reference point - the `me' - for what it is: a phantom created by the mind. My hope is to do for readers what Nisargadatta Maharaj, the great Indian sage, did for my teacher, Sailor Bob Adamson, and what Sailor Bob did for me. And that is `to take the seeker beyond the need for help.' If, after reading this text, you are able to see clearly that the `me' you have live with your entire life is a false creation of the mind, you will never need help again. You will know your true nature and the real meaning of understanding."

There may be other books that share nonduality as satisfyingly as Braha's does, but probably none surpass it. And perhaps no other book in the nonduality genre brings a living sage, in this case Sailor Bob Adamson, so close to you, in a physical and "real" sense, in the way this book does.

The dialogues are realistic talks with a group of nice people with Bob Adamson at the center of attention and including Bob's wife Barb, who contributes sagely to the dialogue as well. The tone of the dialogues varies from serious, to wildly free, to nearly silly, but is always kept genuine by the presence of Bob. Of course the author has to be commended for selecting the most lively and meaningful portions of discourse, and for revealing what it was like to be in the company of Bob Adamson.

Numerous topics are covered in the dialogues: Buddha, good stories about Nisargadatta Maharaj, the Now, Muktananda, infinity, the mind, thoughts of torture, reality, karma, religions, desire, reincarnation, and of course nonduality, and others. But there's really only one topic: "Life is awareness constantly seeing awareness," says Bob. Other quotations could be given basically saying that no matter what topic is addressed it comes down to awareness or present existence (or nonexistence), or getting the mind to stop.

A very important part of the book is the writing by James Braha himself. His writings make up about one third of the entire book. Braha's writings consist of introductory chapters to the book as well as a conclusion. James's commentary precedes each of the dialogues with Bob and prepares the reader for them.

In James's chapters he talks about his own experiences with nonduality, his developing spiritual life, until near the end when it becomes obvious that there's no point to speak of such things as a spiritual life or stages of understanding. They are imaginings. Also in Braha's chapters he talks about Bob's visit, how it came about, how it progresses, Bob's arrrival. James brings the reader into the events as they unfold, so we feel we are with Bob and the rest of the gang when the dialogues are taking place. James also talks about nonduality itself in the chapters he writes.

Braha's writings are as significant as Bob's utterances. Thus this book transcends Bob and Braha and becomes about waking up itself. As well, this book includes all the elements readers want: a sage, a seeker or two, the sage's wife, story of a physical journey, story of a spiritual journey (or two), dialogues with a sage, a collection of friends and others, color photographs, a sense of warmth, family, humanity, solid and identifiable beginning, middle, and end. The writing and editing are professional. Thus this is a great book. This book must be recommended along with the very best books on the teaching of nonduality.

I like the dozen or so clear, color photographs very much, showing the main people in the book. They make for a special inclusion, unheard of in other nonduality books. With all the names, subjects, concepts, themes, this book could use an index. I wanted to find all the places in the book where Barb, Bob's wife, was mentioned, because I thought she was so cool, but I couldn't. On the other hand, I can understand where indexes enforce searching and encourage avoidance of the message of nonduality which is found on every page of a book such as this, and needs no looking up.

Jerry Katz
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality

I love this book. I am currently on my third reading. It is about someone who was a seeker, the same confused schmuck like rest of us with all the same false expectations and dumb questions, who becomes a finder through the kind help of Sailor Bob. Happily he recorded most of the conversations so we could come along with him during this process. It runs the gambit of all questions and concerns leaving no loose ends to have reservations about. I also liked that it was a account of his time with Bob and contains personal observations and history. It makes the material more real and interesting than anonymous dialogues. I feel this is a must read for anyone interested in the subject of enlightenment or nonduality.

I can't believe anybody takes this seriously. I just read in there how "Bob" assured this Braha guy there is no individuality after death. Too bad Braha is AN ASTROLOGER! Ha! How does he think vedic astrology is supposed to work if not by tracking an "entity"?

This stuff is rightly called "neo advaita" to differentiate it from real, historical advaita. It's the ultimate in egalitarian--they're defining enlightenment downward so we can all have it. Thank goodness! I was afraid I wouldn't get it. Next we can redefine being a millionaire as anyone having more than ten thousand dollars so we can all be millionaires, too! What a relief! I was afraid that first million was going to elude me forever! Gee whiz and golly, too!

I think what this whole "lineage" is doing is what the Tibetan dzogchen practitioners call giving out "pointing out instructions on the nature of mind." They are validly pointing out something about the nature of your consciousness you might not have noticed on your own. But the great part is they're relabeling it as enlightenment.

In case your mind is wandering real enlightenment is sometimes called "liberation" as in liberation from suffering, liberation from fear of death, etc. How they think that just getting the pointing out instructions will actually help you in the face of terminal cancer or something is beyond me. It's the ultimate baby boomer chicken sh-t development. They've had everything else handed to them and now, darn it, they want enlightenment. Along comes one of these guys like sailor bob or ramesh balsekar, claiming to be the oracle who knows all the answers and, presto, the baby boomers got enligthenment, too! And they don't even have to do any real work! In fact, work might get in the way! Wowee!

This is a flash in the pan that will be completely forgotten in thirty years after everyone wakes up with a terrible realization that this kind of elightenment doesn't actually function to lessen your fear of death at all.

Boy, america is a funny place.

By the way I've hung out with several of these people so don't try to tell me I haven't met them. I have. Next?

It makes me feel like we are all idiots just from reading this book. Meditation has so many benefits that it should make anyone wonder why we aren't all meditating!

Well, until I read this book the answer seemed pretty clear: no time, no patience to sit down, not exactly something pleasing to do, not a suiting lifestyle, etc... This book completely breaks those barriers - it teaches so many techniques and methods that is hard not to find one that will suit you.

It is a great introductory book but takes things much further. Joan and Eve explain things, actually explain them, instead of just saying "Do this", like so many meditation and self-help books. They do rely on some outdated scientific information and should be more cautious when talking about herbs, but that doesn't take any merit from the book (that's not what it is about!). It also has so much information that it may be a little confusing for a beginner, but if you take it slowly it is quite pleasant.

So, if you are looking for a book on meditation this is the one - it will not only teach you and motivate you to meditate, but will make meditation a way of life, putting you in tune with yourself and with the rest of mankind and even the planet (I'm not getting "new-agy" here, the book really has techniques aimed at this kind of objectives).

In one sentence, my review would be "Buy it."

There are many books on meditation, and I bought this one and Meditation by Sri Chinmoy. Main reason was that all the reviews were excellent. But Chinmoy's book is superior in every aspect. This book is more a dictionary or overview on meditation and technique than useful practitioners manual. Plus it contains misunderstanding of some basic classification of Yoga styles and separating one and the same thing in different groups. To give you easily understandable example if Biologist gave you a list of life forms that goes like: Animals, Plants, Carrots, Bacteria, ... you would question his knowledge.

There's something paradoxical about the idea of an "Idiot's Guide to Meditation." Describing the outward forms of meditation is easy but describing the subjective experience is harder, as is actually doing the meditating. There's real discipline involved in developing mental focus through meditation. Somehow, with all the jumping around from one topic to another in this book, that seemed to get lost in the mix.

Myabe that's where my problems with this book come from. There is so much information given about so many different methods that the basics get buried. The authors throw in various traditions, terminologies, positions, theories, and a few women's magazine quizzes were thrown in, not to mention frequent "Bliss Bytes" and "From A to Om." The book seemed scattered and a little too New Agey for my tastes. Personally, I found Lawrence LeShan's classic "How to Meditate" to be better grounded, more instructive, and a more helpful guide for this idiot.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation, by Joan Budilovsky and Eve Adamson, will answer every question you have about meditation, as well as help you find the kind of meditation that is right for you.

Budilovsky and Adamson have teamed up before with books on yoga and massage, as well as writing independently about holistic health.

They write that "meditation can teach you to live in the now, to know yourself--body, mind, and soul--better, and to find the life you need." They first explain how meditation reduces stress and helps in healing, then discuss how "meditation will lead you to a consideration of life's bigger questions. . ." before getting into the actual techniques for successful meditation.

They emphasize throughout the book that meditation does not conflict with any religious or spiritual beliefs.

Instructions start with how to prepare your mind and body for meditation, then explain the different seated, walking, and moving meditations. The authors discuss how to use mantras, mandalas, and visualization techniques to enhance meditation. They also review the basics of yoga, T'ai Chi, and QiGong as relaxation techniques.

Readers are taught how to adapt religious traditions to "create your own profound meditative exercises." They also learn how to perform "body scans" to determine what their bodies are telling them about their physical health.

Definitions of unfamiliar terms are included with the text, making it easy to understand the information presented. "Mindful Minutes," meditation trivia and anecdotes, are scattered throughout the book.

Budilovsky and Adamson say that with a "few simple techniques, you can harness the awesome power of your own mind-body." In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation, they show you exactly what those techniques are and how to apply them in your own life.

I checked this book out at the library and enjoyed it so much that I had to buy it for reference. It's packed with good information on all aspects of meditation, including myths, history, a wide variety of practicies and excercises for the beginner as well as the more experienced meditator. I recommend it especially for the beginner.

This is another rehash of the great writing of Napoleon Hill. They say it's by Napoleon Hill but very little is Hill's writing. They just write something for each week and reference TAGR. This book is actually written under the Napoleon Hill Foundation. They are just using Hill's name to generate and sell more products. They don't seem to be about promoting Napoleon Hill, just products they put his name on. The only thing actually buy Napoleon Hill will be some of the quotes and stories lifted from Think and Grow Rich.

Though the title says "Grow Rich" and most people will instantly think in financial terms, this book really gives you nuggets of wisdom to bring you all of Life's "Riches", from better values, better relationships, better self-confidence, etc.

I loved the chapter formats meant to be one lesson per week for the year, though I read straight through the book. I still go back to the book often and read just one or two of the chapters just to keep it fresh and remind myself to stay on the right track.

I read the weekly content every day for the whole week, which gives me time to reflect on what I've learned as part of my daily critical thinking exercise. Although I am only up to week five, I am extremely excited to see what unfolds in the remaining 47 weeks. The content each week is only 1 1/2 to 2 pages long and takes less than 5 minutes to read. Each day I glean something new from the material and work it into my daily living. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to achieve a greater understanding of success - not just financial, but all areas of living.

**** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ****

This book is not about money but I can certainly see how people who would incorporate the knowledge in this book could get ahead. For me this was a book of "Golden Rules", which if followed, would definitely bring riches to ones life. I don't know of a single person I wouldn't recommend this book to. Get it, you won't be disappointed.

Highly motivated people will love this book. It is a must read for anyone that I meet who wants a little more out of life. It is hard not to get bogged down with all of life's challenges - and to loose sight of what we all want. This book will put things in perspective. It will also provide you with a guidebook for success that can be used over and over.

I've read the book several times now, I find value with each reading. One note, I get so motivated by reading it, that I cannot read just one passage a week. It is broken down into 52 segments to be read at different times through the year. I simply could not do that, I had to read it in one setting.

I hope you will find as much value as I did. It forced be to get up and do something magnificent with my life. I sincerely hope that you will find motivation from the text - go out and achieve something remarkable.

This book is similar to "Richistan" in nature in that it profiles many wealthy people and how they obtained and spend their wealth.
It's quite a bit more detailed in terms of comparisons, statistics, historical information than Richistan, however.
But again, if you are looking for explicit and detailed information of what you should and shouldn't do to obtain your own wealth you'll want to look elsewhere.
It does give examples of how some of the super rich got their money but that's a fairly small part of the book.
To summarize, the rich got rich by taking advantage of underserved markets by creating businesses, inheritance, finance deals, and sometimes just plain dumb luck.
If you want to know about other rich people and what you can do with your money once you have it then this is a good reference to have.

Very well written and researched. A good insight into the lives of the Forbes 400, how they got there and how they spend their money. Great book if you have a business that targets these people as customers!

I must say this book is also a lot better than those books about how to get rich, this book tells REAL stories. If you are thinking of buying this books have a look at the book RICHISTAN too. They go along very well together!

I have always been fascinated with wealth, and have enjoyed reading about the Forbes 400 for years. "All The Money In The World: How The Forbes 400 Make - And Spend - Their Fortunes" by Peter W. Bernstein and Annalyn Swan was an extremely fascinating and enjoyable read. If you are interested in the superrich, this book paints a revealing portrait of the wealthiest of the rich and shows how they succeed, how fortunes are made in various industries, and how, once made, they are saved, enhanced, and sometimes squandered.

This thoroughly researched book provides abundant anecdotes and insights as well as compiled data in illuminating tables, sidebars, and factoids. Did you know that Bill Gates comes in as the thirteenth richest American if you converted past riches into today's dollars? (Actually 2006 dollars when the book was being researched) John D. Rockefeller's wealth would be 305.3 billion dollars when converted to 2006 dollars. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined don't make a third of that. Did you know that in 2006 the average net worth of 400 members without a college degree exceeded the average net worth of those with a degree by a considerable margin - $2.8 billion? That's partly due, of course, to the Gates factor. Did you know there were 97 immigrants from 34 different countries that made the Forbes list over the last twenty-five years? The book is filled with so many interesting stories and facts.

The book also shows that money is not everything. The superrich have problems just like everyone else, and sometimes those problems are at a greater scale. So while this book describes those that may seem unobtainable to most, you also realize that they are still people just like everyone else. Well, maybe not like everyone else, but they are still people.



Chapters include:

Part One: What It Takes
1. Education, Intelligence, Drive
2. Risk
3. Luck - and Timing
4. Winning Is Everything

Part Two: Making It
5. Blue - collar Billionaires
6. West Coast Money
7. Entertainment and Media
8. Beyond Wall Street

Part Three: Spending It
9. Conspicuous Consumption
10. Heirs
11. Family Feuds
12. Giving It Away
13. Power and Politics

Afterword: Money and Happiness

Appendix: The Forbes 400, 1982-2006

This is a vastly entertaining behind the scenes look at the superrich. I found it fascinating to read about those billionaires I was familiar with, but also those extremely wealthy that you never really hear about. It made me feel good to read about the money these Forbes 400 members give away to help others, and then sometimes shake my head wondering when you see what some of these people spend money on. Forget about the enormous cost of purchasing a yacht, but think about the upkeep running into tens of millions of dollars a year and you may wonder as I did why Paul Allen wants to own two of the top ten U.S. owned yachts. Octopus at 414 feet is number two, and Tatoosh at 301 feet 8 inches is number four. If you are wondering, Larry Ellison's Rising Sun at 452 feet 8 inches is number 1, and no one knows who owns number seven's Laurel at 240 feet and number nine's charter yacht Reverie at 229 feet, seven inches.

If you want to read an extremely interesting and fascinating book about wealth and those that have accumulated the most of it, read "All The Money In The World." Besides being entertained, you just might learn some insights to help you accumulate more wealth yourself. After all, you will see that if these people can do, so can you or anyone else.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.

This was a satisfactory read, although if you are a diligent reader of Forbes and Fortune as well as WSJ and FT there probably won't be much in here you didn't already know. I did enjoy the sections on Family Feuds and Blue-collar Billionaires but got a bitter taste in my mouth while reading the Conspicuous Consumption section. All in all it was a decent book, and what you'll learn is that if you want to have billionaire status you need to have drive and determination as well as be a workaholic.

I was particularly interested in Part One; 'What it Takes'. A fantastic chapter on Education, Intelligence, Drive, Risk, Luck & Timing. The essence is that 1) if you don't inherit money, you have to take a lot of risk and 2) not everybody can become a billionaire, but a billionaire can come from everywhere. Particularly interesting is that Forbes 400 types have often a different perception of risk and often sink their money into deals that are the opposite of what conventional wisdom deems a prudent investment.

Astonishing 70% of the Forbes 400 list in 2006 were self-made. A lot to learn on financial success incl. people like myself who never ever aim at become a billionaire.

I guess no one can say Al Adamson made any good films but don't let that stop you from reading this book. It's an interesting look into the world of lowbudget exploitation filmmaking in the 60's and 70's and it's a must for people interested in filmhistory in general and especially for those interested in old exploitation films. Interviews with Al himself, Sam Sherman and others with lots of anecdotes. It's all great stuff, this book is a must.

This biography of schlock director Al Adamson is a friendly introduction to his work, if not a a thorough exploration of it. Reading more like an extended fanzine article than full-fledged bio, author David Konow gives readers an engaging tour of Adamson's career as a director of low-brow, low-budget movies that his partner Sam Sherman (whose recollections make up the bulk of this book) booked in drive-ins during the 1960s and '70s. Konow's affection for his subject is contagious as he giddily tells of the making of "Satan's Sadists," "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" and the incoherent "Blood of Ghastly Horror" (essentially three different movies patched together). Self-identified horror fan Konow gives short shrift to Adamson's forays into sexploitation and blaxploitation, however, offering anemic two and three paragraph synopses to such films as "Angel's Wild Women" and "The Black Samurai" and very little background about the making of these movies. In fact, "Schlock-o-Rama" offers very little insight to what made Adamson, who was murdered in the mid-90s, tick. Konow includes a lot of redundant quotes, "sidebars" that could just as well been part of the main text and is overly fond of exclamation points. But while his writing lacks sophistication, Konow's enthusiasm for the amiable director who loved Kentucky Fried Chicken and his wife and frequent star Regina Carrol, makes "Schlock-o-Rama" a worthwhile textbook for all fans of trash cinema.

Being that this is the only biography on Al Adamson to date, his fans really don't have much to go by. Thankfully, this book is a fantastic resource, as well as extremly funny. Konow started writing this book when Al was still alive, so its not written by somebody trying to exploit Al's tragic death, but rather a fan. If you're into Al Adamson's movies, you have no reason not to purchase this book. Since the other reviewers have already done a great job at commenting on this book, I'll leave well enough alone.

David Konow gives the fans of Mr. Adamson what they want in this book. He was able to meet Al and set his story straight and put it in a good-looking-easy-to-read fashion. I recommend this book to fans of not only Al Adamson but to movie fans in general who would like to know more about film industry and it's peaks and valleys. My favorite book.

The films of product-oriented auteur Al Adamson (and, significantly, his producer-collaborator Sam Sherman) have deserved a book-length explication for some time now. The golden age (ahem) of micro-focused film studies, outside of the ususal high-budget/high-gloss realm, is in full swing, and Adamson's films can lay some claim to personifying the basis of such writings. Sure, this critical sub-genre is motivated as much by nostalgia as anything else, but it has a place in the body of work detailing film history. So does Adamson.

Konow's book, a work of clear adoration, sidesteps overt critical intent; the author presents a combined personal reflection and verbal history of Adamson's movies and his era. It works on a sheer fan basis, and fans (I'm one) will appreciate the glee and the inside information. If we leave wanting more, we must ask ourselves: Does the world really need two books on Al Adamson? Well, sure - why not? The only thing we have to lose is... paper. Thanks, Mr. Konow (and Lone Eagle Press), for this book, and its blatant heart.

Bob Adamson was a student of Nisargadatta Maharaj in the 70s. He saw what was being pointed out then, and he has subsequently been living it and talking about it for forty years. He deftly communicates this understanding in a way that allows the ready ones to hear what is being pointed out, and to get to the bottom of the nagging spiritual dissatisfaction that plagues them. Bob cleanly cuts to the core of false assumptions and allows one to recognize the freedom that is always present and always has been. If you are ready for the search to be over, you've found a great guy to help you.

Bob Adamson is a living sage and a true shining beacon for those who are tired of seeking. Find out for yourself.

Don't allow your mind to be put off by the "Sailor Bob" moniker. He is the real deal. Over the years, I've read what seems like hundreds of books on higher consciousness and spirituality. Very few have offered the clear and direct message contained in this little book. This is the essence of, That I Am. Some may dismiss it as being over-simplistic and feel the need for a sledgehammer approach. Not necessary, or helpful. Do yourself a big favor and read the book. Then Stop, and be what you are.

I had run across the author a few years earlier on the internet but his words did not reach out and grab me at that time. I rediscovered Sailor Bob through his student, John Wheeler, and find them both to be bearers of the distillation of truth concerning man's essential nature. Whether their books would have saved me 25 years of searching or if they are just confirmations of all that necessary groundwork, I can't say. All I know is the journey is over and they were there when it happened.

This is a book of transcribed talks by 'Sailor' Bob Adamson.

Bob has a gift for using words to point to that which is beyond all words and concepts. As he says - "the word is not the thing - you can't drink the word 'water', the word 'fire' cannot burn you"

This book is like speaking to Bob directly - nothing is lost in the translation. The clarity of Bob's confident understanding comes through brightly on each page.

If you are a "seeker", this book is priceless. If you can read only one - you won't find one clearer than this one. If you're ready to "finally" know what you are beyond all doubts, if you're ready to see through the mind, through all concepts, through your "life story" - get this book. You may not ever "need" to read another.

Bob is truly a gift.

Sailor Bob's teaching, like Nisargadatta's, is to expose ground of being. Bob's teaching is always showing that the nature of mind is to divide, that "understanding is all" (to quote Nisargadatta), and that understanding arises out of direct experience: right here, right now, full stop, presence awareness.

Interestingly, while reading the book I kept expecting and even looking for a personality of Bob to come through. I can't say I ever found it. I think that that's a rare quality, that clean effort. A person can read this book and not feel the impress of a 'guy', so to speak, even though this is a book of talks consisting of questions and answers. This tells me there is no 'Bob' there. Hence the reader is shown a place where there is no one, either.

Jerry Katz
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality

This book was selected by the teacher (American Lit) for my son's summer reading. I was flabbergast by the name but as I read a few pages, I get to find out the APE is a replica of the real "working world" we're living in. I encourage everyone to read it along with your children...you/they will learn alot through this book. Enjoy!!!

This is a well written and humorous take on comparative psychology. The author gives many examples of similar behavior among all primates and even lesser animals to illustrate recent developments from studies of human and animal behavior.

I liked this book so much I did an interview with the author on my podcast, The Invisible Hand.

This book would have done even better if the publisher hadn't decided to put a photo of an ape in a suit on the back cover. The title suggests a critique of corporate executives - more like a diatribe or light-weight commentary. Unfortunately comparing people to apes comes across as an insult (to put it mildly) rather than as a scientific statement about the biological basis of behavior.

In fact, the book draws on published research to explain why people behave as they do in the workplace. Conflict and day-to-day hassles just go with the territory. Conniff doesn't give us a lot of guidance for handling sticky situations, but I think many people will benefit from understanding that their own situation is hardly unusual.

As he says, we tend to focus on what's negative, and we tend to behave dysfunctionally. Some examples are chilling: the consultant who went oout of his way to scare a junior consultant just before a big meeting and the angry rant of Andy Grove at a big Intel meeting.

Definitely recommended.

I've seen Conniff's work before in some documentaries he did for National Geographic. His loving look at praire dogs being sucked into giant praire dog sucking machines, all seen through a special 'dog cam' inside the machine, should give you some idea of his sensibility. It's all true, it's all facts and it provides a perspective on the larger world- but it's also hilarious. He balances the right mix of anecdote with hard facts to produce an accessible and breezy book that says some very disturbing things about our close relationship to the animal world, and what we're really doing in our day to day interactions at the office. But if you are in fact a monkey, my friend, the gig is up.