Anderson Books

I heard this book was excellent! I can't wait for it to arrive. I've been told that it is well worth the wait!

Paco El Taco will delight young readers, as they travel with Paco, the little taco, while learning Spanish phrases and words. Fun and catchy, with adorable illustrations, your children will want to follow Paco as he searches for the perfect burrito, and almost ends up as a meal himself! My kids ask for Paco over and over, and learn valuable lessons in Spanish while having a ton of fun! This one is a keeper!

This is such a great read, interesting and well written. Hard to put down and NOT a journal type account. If you are interested or thinking of adventure touring you have to read this excellent Canadian journey.

PARTNERS IN GRIME
252 pages
Escaping the Rat Race
Cycling Across Canada
by Neil Anderson
$18.95 US/ $28.95 Canada
www.cyclelogicpress.com

If Bob Hope had ever done a "Road" movie about bicycling, Partners in Grime would have been it. Sharon and Neil Anderson are the adventurous duo who toss 21st Century amenities to tour across Canada. Like layers of skin, The Andersons shed belongings, their home, jobs and cars--but thank goodness, not their bicycles. And in doing so they come to the heart and soul of whom they are.

And just who are they? Two young married kids who go questing for an exciting and different lifestyle. But they discover (rather quickly) that riding a bike exposed to the elements is not as glamorous as they envisioned. Searching for safe places to sleep, decent food, fending off traffic and animals are all part of the outdoor experience.

Like many cyclists, the Andersons revel in the kindness of strangers who are inspired by modern day explorers. People put them up in farm houses, their own homes, in back yards, but there are plenty of times when sleeping on the ground is evident and described. For example, Sharon wakes up one morning and asks the eternal question of every cross-country cyclist, "Is it possible to wake up more tired than when I went to bed?" Yes.

Neil Anderson's writing is fresh and honest. He doesn't paint a pretty picture, though the book is sprinkled with gorgeous photography. It is one of the first books on cross-country touring that doesn't distort reality. Two of his quotes are right on--"The next bike I get is going to have air-conditioning." And politically astute: "Canadians have a small Canada flag on their backpack. Americans have a large Canadian flag on their backpack."

This is a truthful book about what it takes to cycle long distance. It doesn't promise a hot shower every day, a warm bed and forget about fine dining. But what you will gain is something money cannot buy, which is the exhilarating bicycle ride of a lifetime. The Andersons are no doubt deeply bonded through their cross-Canada trip, and others that followed. By the end of the book they have landed in France!

Travel with the Andersons through every village, climb the hills and coast the descents... feel every bump in the road. Their adventure will knock you off your seat and back on the saddle. To ride the open road takes determination, stamina--and it helps to be Partners in Grime.

Gianna Bellofatto Reid, writer, "Life is a Bike."

Superb work of Marxist historiography. Not a history, strictly speaking, but an essay on state forms in transition from the ancient slave societies of Greece and Rome to the fragmented monarchies of early medievalism. Stunning sweep, and a masterpiece of contemporary English prose which I believe will one day rank with Newman's Apologia Pro Vita Sua as a milestone in the evolution of literary English.

Perry Anderson is a leading editor of 'New Left Review' and well-known Marxist historian. This book is the first volume of a two part work. The second volume is 'Lineage of the Absolutist State' Those two volumes cover the whole history of pre-capitalist Western world from Greco-Roman antiquity to Absolutist monarchies. It's incredible how one research could cover that range of time. Moreover, he maintains his distinctive perspective throughout two volumes. His problem is the same one as Marx and Weber posed: the formation of capitalism. But Anderson's problem is somewhat narrower: why did the capitalism emerge in Europe rather than in more advanced China, India or Islamic world at that time? To answer the question, he traces back to Greco-Roman antiquity. His answer in the first volume is this: it's because the West was formulated through combining antiquity and feudalism. It doesn't seem distinctive at all. But he questioned in the line of Marxist tradition and his answer could have meaning only in that line. his terminology is different from traditional Marxist one. He recasts the conventional definition of antiquity and feudalism: he contends that the antiquity and the Western feudalism had idiosyncratic modes of production. For example, the slavery itself, which was the dominant mode of production in antiquity, could be common in that time. But outside Greco-Roman world, the slavery was not dominant mode of production. Moreover, the Western feudalism was formed through fusing totally different modes of production: a synthesis of Greco-Roman society and German society. So features of Western feudalism are restricted to its own context, not catholic ones. If we treat it as universal, Anderson argues, we can't explain why the capitalism merged only in the West. To prove his proposition, Anderson compares the different paths Western Europe and Eastern Europe followed. Furthermore, he redefines the relationship between superstructure and infrastructure. As Braudel maintained with his jargon, longue duree, Anderson asserts that components of superstructure, such as the state, religion, value, law, convention, also affect the mode of production.

This is a monummental work in the study of world politics. Those who want to go beyond text book knowledge of international politics should read this book. In it, Raymond Aron combines theory, sociology, history, and praxiology with profound insight and encyclopedic knowledge. Although his analyses can be difficult for American sudents far from 'philosophizing social science,' must teach you how to think of politics among nations. Profound, brilliant,insightful, marvelously written, in short, this is the most important book in international relations.

A work of impressive scholarship by political and social theorist Raymond Aron (1905-1983), and featuring a new introduction by Daniel J. Mahoney (Associate Professor of Political Science, Assumption College) and Brian C. Anderson (Senior Editor of "City Journal"), Peace & War: A Theory Of International Relations develops and presents analytical tools necessary for prompt, clear, cogent thinking about the stakes, conflicts, and possibilities of contemporary international relations. Denouncing the idea that a simple "science" can deterministically and inflexibly predict the complexities of international relations, and rejecting both the amoral view of Machiavellians and the naivete of political idealists, Peace & War: A Theory Of International Relations is an absorbing, informative study of human behavior on a grand scale which is very highly recommended for International Studies, Political Science, and Multinational History reference collections and reading lists.

When I first received the book, I read it before my six-year old granddaughter arrived so I would be able to do a good job of reading it to her. After finishing it I couldn't wait since I knew she would like it very much -- and she did! Bingo Borden and her magical friends are just right for the elementary grades(K-5). Al Anderson has developed an intriguing plot and cast of characters for the age group. The accompanying CD is a real bonus as Mr. Anderson does a masterful job of narrating the tale. We keep the book at my house but the CD goes with the granddaughter who listens to it in the car. The story is her favorite of all.

As a former elementary school teacher and as a grandmother, I greatly appreciate "Pegasus" by Al Anderson. It is a charming story filled with magic and mythical illusion. The descriptions are spiced with a rich yet child approachable vocabulary. I suspect young readers will remember words and concepts mentioned here when they confront them again at a more sophisticated reading level. Best of all, is the character of Bingo Borden, the story's heroine. She is brave. She confronts her fears and challenges calmly and with common sense. She is resourceful. What a good example for our youngsters!
The 2 CDs that are included feature Al Anderson as story teller. His comforting and grandfatherly wise delivery extends the appropriate age group. I would recommend it to non- readers and readers alike, ages five to ten.

Dorothy Carpenter

All of us go through a phase of doubting whether we should adhere to the genre. This provided one of my most compelling reasons to continue. Forthwith is the "blurb" from the 1982 Signet back cover.

"THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND Wherever the borders of the Terran Empire and the Ythrian Domain touch, there is the possibility of war. Caught in the middle of this galactic power struggle is the Ythrian colony planet Avalon, a world inhabited by Ythri and humans alike. But Avalon has formed a culture all its own, which it will defend against all comers - including the two most powerful empires in the universe...
THE DAY OF THEIR RETURN Back under the thumb of the Terran Empire after an almost successful rebellion, the Aeneans were looking for trouble - and finding it. A fanatical religious movement was spreading like wildfire. There were rumors of the fabled Elder Race's return. Aeneas' leader was hiding from possible retribution at Empire hands. And agents from the Ythrian Domain and Merseia, Terra's ancient foe, were abroad in the land..."

This may be Anderson's best work. The interplay between two races, the flying carnivorous Ythri and the human Terrans, in the midst of a powerful space attack, makes for an interesting study. The book is also important because it is the bridge between two, originally separate, future histories. A descendant from the chronologically earlier history plays an important part in the later one.

This book was not required but highly recommended by my professor for my class. It's worth the money. Easy to read and understand. Get this book if you want to learn about nutrition (whether in a nutrition class or not) in a clear and understandable manner!

This book is a must have. It dispells myths and has current up-to-date information on diets, using sugar sweetners (splenda,aspartame etc) great ideas on how to lower cholesterol, foods that are high in carbs, vitamins, fats, minerals etc. Great to use for teaching purposes as well.

Professor Anderson's tightly researched history will stand on its own as the first rigorous history of Behrens. It is beautifully supported by the illustrations and book design (which I hereby, arms waving, nominate for a Graphic Design Award). More than a history of Behrens it is an example to architecture and art historians whatever their subjects; a model of historiography and academic care. Architecture history in particular needs the kind of attention Professor Anderson has here applied to it.

This is a lengthy, superbly written book about the life, work and cultural milieu of one of the most interesting architectural, industrial and graphic designers of the 20th century, better known for having influenced three famous protégés (Mies Van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius) than for his own contributions as designer of his innovative Art Nouveau home in the Darmstadt Artists' Colony; as director of the Kunstgewerbeschule at Düsseldorf; as a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund; and as corporate designer for AEG, the still extant German electrical firm. Before his death in 1940, he played a brief and minor role in Albert Speer's plans for redesigning Berlin. The text is unrelenting in its attempt to identify Behrens' own influences and trace the sequence of his thoughts. It is assuredly richer because of the accompanying 250 illustrations, and, especially, the thoughtful and fitting design by Yasuyo Iguchi. (Review copyright © 2000 by Roy R. Behrens from Ballast Quarterly Review 15, No. 4, Summer.)

These recordings bring the dialogues to life! The Ion is a discussion between Socrates and Ion, an interpreter of Homer, who tries to argue that he knows everything in Homer's work, but Socrates shows that only experts know about what Homer writes. The Meno is a discussion about virtue, and whether it is teachable. This dialogue contains Plato's famous doctrine of recollection and Meno's Paradox about knowledge. Socrates ends by arguing that virtue is not teachable, but instead is a divine gift. You owe it to yourself to listen to these the way the Greeks talked about these timeless philosophical issues - we haven't solved these issues yet!

These recordings bring the dialogues to life! The Ion is a discussion between Socrates and Ion, an interpreter of Homer, who tries to argue that he knows everything in Homer's work, but Socrates shows that only experts know about what Homer writes. The Meno is a discussion about virtue, and whether it is teachable. This dialogue contains Plato's famous doctrine of recollection and Meno's Paradox about knowledge. Socrates ends by arguing that virtue is not teachable, but instead is a divine gift. You owe it to yourself to listen to these the way the Greeks talked about these timeless philosophical issues - we haven't solved these issues yet!

This is the best way in which to experience this dialogue! I would recommend this to ANYONE who is interested in Plato (students of every level, and even if you're an expert in the area). I am an expert in Plato, I have every one of the Agora Plato Audio CDs, and want every one of Plato's dialogues to be done in this format by these performers! The great part of the Symposium Audio CD is that they use a woman for the part of Diotima, so it is always very clear whether Socrates (who is relating what Diotima supposedly said to him) or Diotima is speaking. The other performers are excellent as well - they truly bring the text to life. This is Plato as Plato intended!

.... May I also say that I am absolutely delighted at AGORA's dramatization of the dialogue, and that I shall not only instruct our Library to order a copy for the students, but also recommend it - and the Gorgias, which I am teaching this term! - to the students in my Plato class. I hope that AGORA will be able to adapt further Platonic dialogues to the audio format, and that Mr. Sigalis can be persuaded to continue as Socrates, too....