Bernard Books

This item was delivered quickly and in very good condition. I would purchase from this company again.

This book is THE comprehensive guide that no Line man should be without. It is also an excellent source of information for anyone working with distribution and/or transmission system operation, construction, and maintenance.

A must have book for any and all linemen and groundmen. This is the book you use to measure how long you have been in the trade. You buy one when you start and keep updating till you die. It would be nice to see some other text books for this subject but they would have a tough time keeping up. It is the Bible for Line workers

This book was first printed in 1928, well after the trade first put on climbers. Since it's first printing it has been THE textbook for the lineman's trade. It has been used in virtually every apprentice program and was the companion of self taught linehands from the '30s on. Frequently updated, it remains the one place a linehand, beginner to veteran, can go for help. It has progressed with the technology of the trade, the regulations and codes, the materials, and the processes for doing very dangerous work in well thought out procedures that enable electric customers to maintain their service and even be unaware of the work of the power lineman.

I just want to say that this book touched the very depth of my soul..... Even though it happen out of an innocent proposition it led to the most romantic and timeless conviction that LOVE is deep and can last a life time......

Love in the 90s is an inspiring document of a true-life love story. If you despair of ever finding real love, if your view of love in the new Millennium is jaded, if you think romantic love cannot last longer than one full cycle of the moon, you must read this book. The wonder of it is that these two passionate lovers became passionate genealogists, too. They recognized the importance of documenting significant thoughts and moments on paper and handing them down to their progeny. Without that sense of history, these wonderful love letters might never have touched loves in the year 2000. Do read them and glory in the wonderful photographs taken of the Blakeys by their devoted granddaughter, Keri Pickett.

In this day and age of one-night-stands/casual sex, disbelief in a sovereign God, and divorce rates at an all time high (wonder why?) it's refreshing to read a book that reflects two people who truly were in love and as commited to each other, as they were to their relationship with God. I found it very refreshing and instills my strongly held belief that maintaining a strong faith in God, holding onto a higher moral standard, and having faith there is someone special out there (don't settle for less!) will result in an unselfish and loving heart and the morals and values needed to maintain and truly have a rewarding, long and satisfying relationship beyond our wildest dreams.

This is a beautiful dedication to a photojournalist's grandparents and the story of their enduring love. I read this book two years ago while working at B.Dalton and was in a rocky marriage at the time. I was very touched and moved by the power this couple had; through wonderfully written love letters spanning their courtship years and into the fifty some years of marriage, it is evident that B.B. and Jo found the kind of love we all want. Now divorced, this book remains an inspiration to me in the hope of finding true love. It makes a great gift for anyone who has ever questioned whether such a thing exists.

Context is important! Be prepared to write in the margins of this book. It is a primer on the Roman Catholic Faith, its enemies,its loyal son, Marcel Lefebvre, and those who stood by him. At times he appeared to be isolated and alone, and one marvels at his fortitude. Be ready for some surprising twists and turns as we come to know the fatherly Archbishop, begining with his earliest childhood.

Marcel Lefebvre's earliest formation in the faith was well established by devout Catholic parents. We follow him to seminary and on to the missions in Africa, where his outstanding administrative skills and catholic tolerance drew favorable attention and won friends. Sadly, we eventually see the rise of aggressive, well organized radicals during Vatican II, but they were in the shadows all along. Surpressed in the past, they made a comeback under a permisive pope, and effectively pushed anti-church attitudes through the use of ambiguous language; too, they used confusion to their advantage.

Open to some moderism, but nonetheless orthodox in his beliefs and dedication to the Priesthood, Lefebvre was caught unaware, and outside the power curve during VII. The Archbishop tried to make sense of sudden changes, the language of which were smartly infused into VII's documents. By the time he fully understood that a revolution based on the theories of the French Revolution was taking place, he failed to successfully ameliorate the effects of the revolutionaries with a small counter group.

The reader wants to believe Lefebvre's organizing skills would have successfully countered the revolutionaries. Unfortunately, his successes were marginal; as a result, he was targeted by Conciliar popes and their acting surrogates. He now was forced to ask: How could [he] keep the faith and still be obedient to the Conciliar Church? The reader learns how and why he ultimately answered as he did. His was a tortuous journey. For those who have wandered the desert these last forty plus years, his journey was ours.

Through De Mallerais's authentic narrative, we learn how Archbishop Lefebvre's faith shielded him as he traversed dangerous terrain and hurdles; hurdles which were designed by Machiavellian archetypes within and outside the Vatican. As events unfold, we eventually see who the Vatican power wielders were, and who appeared to be incompetent. Clearly, the Church formed by Christ had enemies from its inception. Those who wanted to retain the holy sacrificial priesthood were targeted for immolation as the Roman Church was overtaken again by stealth forces.

De Mallerais draws realistic word pictures with uncomfortable facts and we are not spared the reality of Popes who were dangerously deficient and idealistic. The reader is left to fill in the blanks.

Lefebvre, the good priest, manuvered this way and that in his efforts to keep the faith. By the Grace of God, he avoided terminal attacks by clerics and Heads-of-State-predators. Unfortunately for billions, he suffered a false "excommunication." In time, the enemies of the Church showed that it was their intent to kill the sacrificial priesthood forever; the faith would be lost - the one world order would then be established in the hearts and minds of Catholics. Finally, the Archbishop firmly, gently, and with few relapses of caustic verbage answered Christ's call, as did Anthanasius with the Arians.

As an aside, the reader is given insight into his priestly mind as we learn how gently and straightforwardly he dealt with the wife of a friend and her manner of dress. Some would say he was stiffed necked. This reader sees a man with a spine of steel who walked between heaven's fire.

A protagonist father figure, and adult change agent, Archbishop Lefebvre could not always identify who his enemies were; consequently, with Christ's sword of truth he simply addressed the problem at hand. Nonetheless, he wielded the Sword with regret, prudence, and gentleness.

It could never be said that circumstance was all about him. Lefebvre was neither a rebellious risk taker nor a "me" centered narcissist. He consistently cautioned his priests not to begin a premise with "I..." Quite the opposite: knowledge came from the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas and the eternal apostolic line. Armed with these beliefs, he then boiled problems down to the basics, turning to a higher source for answers. Nonetheless, perhaps because of his Franciscan orientation through the Third Order, we learn that he brainstromed with trusted employees, as well. If he could not identify all of the enemies of the Church or their motivation, he would address their effects with the help of his aides.

The Archbishop was not an advocate of Novelty and its many time-bombs. Nonetheless, he was a thoughtful,creative, and successful administrator. His Catholic pragmatism is well documented thoughout the book. If change was needed, he was at its forefront. Once certainty took hold, he was fearless. Nevertheless, it is clear that he preferred peace. However, when a non-negotiable point was reached, he drew a line in the sand. Mentioned earlier, the main problem as he saw it was that the threat, then and now, was aimed at the Sacrificial Priesthood, with Christ being the ultimate Priest and Target. In the face of this reality, Marcel Lefebvre would endure much and accept a bloodless immolation to save the Church and his beloved Priesthood, for that we are eternally grateful. What kind of man endures so much?

Archbishop Lefebvre's personality was mature and patient. Rather than confront when faced by dangerous walls and hurdles, he would creatively and successfully circumvent. Truth was his sword, and Christ had called for the sword. Our Lord appears to have chosen a gentle man for His mission. "The truth will set you free," Christ said. Marcel Lefebvre believed this totally, and when he was certain that he had it, he fought for the sacrificial priesthood and the Church. We are shown how obstacles were overcome by sheer will, fed by God's Grace.

His successes were numerous, and amply chronicled throughout the book. To his enemies,he was unpredictable, a thorn in their side. He played the political chess game well. When faced with a wall too high, he would truthfully and judiciously place his arguments in writing. offput, awaiting their anticipated check mate, one could hear the Vatican II popes and their master tactitians groan when faced with Lefebvre's unexpected truth-laden letters (paper trails). Invited to clandestine Vatican meetings, the Archbishop was too wise to be entrapped by false witnesses, whose actions (well established by past performance), were to paint him in false lights. Their attempts to commit him to persona non gratia status mercifully failed. This reader shouted a hurrah when Lefebvre checked his enemies.

Did Christ's warrior win every battle? No! His main weakness brought him to the point of heartbreak. Imperfect in his assessment of people. He was often disappointed when trust was misplaced, and his beneficiaries demonstrated a lack of discernment, wisdom, and courage. We learned that he lost priestly sons, and wonder if they now have regrets. We learned, too, that like Christ's fearful apostles, many abandoned him when he most needed them. In effect, he suffered similar outcomes as did our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I am grateful to Bishop Bernard Tissier De Mallerais for presenting the Catholic world with appropriate documentation; his expository style resulted in a balanced and well crafted picture of a man who was ordained by Providence to protect the sacred priesthood, and by natural extension the Faith.

So what do we have here? A saint; a consummate, practical, and successful administrator; a holy priest; a martyr for the Faith; a cunning and effective politician; a father figure, or a loyal son of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostalic Church? Paradoxically, he was all and more. He answered Providence's call, and saved the holy, sacrificial priesthood, as Christ must have envisioned it; moreover, Mother Church retained a remnant. It is up to those who follow to ensure their survival.

For Christ's sake, Lefebvre, like the Saints, suffered both physically and emotionally. The degree and kind, to the reader's dismay, was disclosed at the book's end. Now, we know that physical pain dogged him as he struggled to save immortal souls. Tears fell when the reader learned that the Archbishop suffered during his trials from large cancerous tumors. One day, I believe that he will be canonized by the restored Church.

A smile emerged as this reader remembered walking away from the Novus Ordo Church, in 1968, and began a quest to find the remnant of Mother Church. The good Archbishop must have asked,too, "Where have they taken my Lord?" May his sons in the Society of Saint Pius X loyally hold to the eternal faith, the holy, sacrificial priesthood, and their father, Marcel Lefebvre. As for the laity, true Catholic sheep know their Master's voice and His hiding place. When He calls, they follow. With God's continued Grace, it will remain so. Deo Gratias, good priest.

YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Church in the twentieth century, the Second Vatican Council, or the Roman Catholic traditionalist movement. It is a heafty volume,
but I could barely put it down. It is truly a
fascinating life, and Archbishop Lefebvre's holiness
is unquestioned if even the most sceptical person
reads it with an open mind. The most delightful thing
about this book is that the most controversial part of
his life, the portion that begins at around the age of
64, when he decides to found the SSPX, only takes up
less than half the book. Having heard so much about
this portion of his life, the greater part of his
apostolate as a missionary is not well known even
amongst traditionalists. This part of his life,
however, was a preparation for the work he would do in
the twilight of his years, and it was beautiful to
read about how he reached the point where he could
stand up to the hierachy and the world for the
traditional Faith.

Some points in particular stand out in my mind. One
could be titled: "Marcel Lefebvre: the innovator".
Being a missionary and introducing the Faith to pagan
peoples, Lefebvre had to be very "open-minded" about
how to effectively carry out the apostolate. Before
the Council, he wanted to propose his own ideas in
order to make the Evangelizing machine run more
smoothly (such as greater flexibility in
jurisdicitional issues). He was also not opposed to
some even radical liturgical reforms, at least at
first: he seemed to not mind at all the readings at
Mass being done facing the people and in the
venacular. (I have seen this practice done even in the
SSPX, though not in the U.S.) He did oppose it,
however, once he saw where the source was from and
where it was going. Another "innovation" that struck
me was his proposal while founding the SSPX of
abolishing the philosophy years in seminary, saying
that one cannot study of the nature of things totally
separate from the Light of the Faith. (Alas, this
proposal went nowhere since it was opposed by his
corps of professors).

Another category that is worth considering for me
is: "Marcel Lefebvre: loyal Churchman". While those
outside the SSPX only see a disobedient schismatic,
the biography paints a much more positive picture. He
was always obedient to the hierarchy and his
superiors, and exercised his authority with a gentle
firmness. The testimonies of all his former
subordinates at the Holy Ghost Fathers give a portrait
of a firm and even "close-minded" superior, who
nevertheless ruled with a gentle hand, was never angry
or tyrranical, and dealt with one in such a civilized
and courteous manner that one never left disgruntled.
(Some of these fathers still revere him to this day,
though they did not follow his cause). Neither did the
Archbishop ever resort to personal or bitter attacks
even in the heat of doctrinal battles with the
Vatican. It is very enlightening to see how meek and
reverent he was when dealing with Paul VI, even when
the latter was spouting off calumnies against his
work.

The third category I would contemplate is: "Marcel
Lefebvre: the holy Pastor". St. John Cassian, in his
Conferences, states that the highest virtue in
religious life is discernment. To know when to act and
when to hold back, when to struggle and when to give
in, etc. It is clear from the book that the Archbishop
had this gift. What was most touching for me was how
patient he was in two particular cases in waiting for
the grace of God to act, and trusting that it would.
One case was in Africa, in Gabon I believe, where
poligamy and other African practices often made people
shy away from the Church. Lefebvre in this case
created another option between Catholic, Muslim, and
pagan for these people: "the friends of the
Christians". It could be likened to a perpetual
catechumenate, it introduced people to the Church in a
good light, made them participate in its life to a
certain extent, and it did not compromise Catholic
principles. Only someone with a great level of
discernment could implement such a policy.

But the most touching episode for me took place in his
Econe days. A grandfather of a seminarian had fallen
away from the Faith, though he was still a great
supporter of the SSPX. The seminarian begged the
Archbishop to stop by his grandfather's house on the
way to another destination to talk to him. He did so,
and when he got back to seminary, the seminarian asked
him what he talked about with his granfather.

"Your Grace, you did not speak to him of converting?
Of making his confession?"

"Oh, no"

"Or of the four last things?"

"Oh, no, no, no," the Archbishop replied adamantly.

He explained, "You see, it's not worth it. The one
thing you risk is provoking him to refuse. And if
unfortuneately he were to be damned, you would only
have made his case worse. You would risk a blasphemy
and a positive refusal: and you must avoid that above
all."

But the Archbishop prayed for the man, and he
converted on his deathbed. Clearly, this devoted
missionary and pastor, zealous for teaching the Faith
even against the Pope himself, still knew that a human
heart can only be changed by the grace of God. It
takes a great trust in God and a sharp vision of Faith
to be able to see this clearly. The Archbishop clearly
had this, and it is a mark of a great saint.

I would like to close with an anecdote many of you
have undoubtedly heard before. Before the Council, a
mother took her young son to an episcopal
consecration. At the point when the bishops laid hands
on the ordinand, the child, who evidently could not
see too well, asked loudly to his mother: "Mommy, what
are they doing?" The mother replied softly to her
child: "Quiet, honey. They're removing his backbone."

Archbishop Lefebvre had backbone to spare and he used
it for the right cause. He did not squander his
episcopacy by sacrificing principles on the altar of
careerism. Truly, he passed on what he had received,
and the Church is all the richer for it. I am
convinced that one day the Church will canonize him as
a saint. I already revere him as one.
This book is a must have for any Catholic who is truly serious about the Faith.

Bishop de Mallerais' grand scale biography of Archbishop Lefebvre is a notably literate, well-researched, and beautifully intimate look at one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century. While generally ignored in so-called evangelical America, Lefebvre's spiritual legacy, in the once-Christian nations of Europe, has proven not only its accuracy of discernment, but the composite effect of its roots and flowering has arguably reached even to the unexpected election of Josef Ratszinger to the papacy. The official resuscitation of the Roman Mass, indeed, the now almost daily reawakening of the Roman liturgy in general, is positively a result of Lefebvre's spiritual acumen in a time of trial, but we might ask what is the vivifying kernel of that success. The life and work of Marcel Lefebvre answers: the truth of spiritual fidelity, indeed, the faithfulness of spiritual truth. In the end, standing virtually alone, Lefebvre affirmed that a thing which is cannot be called that which it is not. Having rushed to effectively devour itself during and following Vatican Council II, the Roman Church in the succeeding years has itself proven the truth of Lefebvre's affirmation, a fact probably as remarkable for what it illuminates as for what it condemns. This biography proves the positiveness of Lefebvre's actions, but no more forcefully than history itself. In that way, this book is a faithful transmission of the meaning of Lefebvre's life's work. Bishop de Mallerais' formidable finesse as a scholar and writer furnishes each chapter with details available from no other source. Especially welcomed is an appropriately generous study of the Archbishop's early family life, and his missionary activity in Africa - an aspect of Lefebvre's religious life that remains especially dear to those who have all along appreciated this churchman. Copiously detailed notes are included every step of the way, and a fine selection of photographs accompanies a genuinely effective, intelligent volume that consistently eschews hagiography, relying instead on the power of plain truth. I happened, the other day, to come across a press notice that brought to mind the very thing vividly expressive of the meaning of Msgr. Lefebvre's contribution: the 'Liturgy Chair' of the USCCB has frantically warned of his concern that Benedict XVI's recent decision to correct the universal mistranslation of "pro multis" in the Mass formula of Consecration would lead the faithful to doubt that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient to save all men! I reread the statement three times, making certain I hadnt blinked and misread. The conceit at the heart of that kind of manipulation stumbles and dies at the feet of Marcel Lefebvre. Let what they say, stand; let what you know, live. This is a beautiful book.

When I first came to Tradition, I was deeply disgusted with the Liberalism that has so permeated the Roman Catholic Church. After a lifetime of priests who would rather be your buddy than give you any guidance, I was filled with the milk of human bitterness. But most of all, I wanted to know, "How could this happen? Our Lord promised to always be with his Church? How could this happen?" THis book, while rather long, puts the answer to that question, in spades. More than a decade after his death, the name of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre can still spark arguments between Catholics, a fact I sadly know from experience with my own family. This book, with literally hundreds of footnotes, details the Archbishop's life from his childhood in northeastern France to his death in 1991. It also details the rise of Liberalism in the CHurch both before and after VAtican II, a Council where the right wing Bishops hoped to bury Liberalism and the leftist Bishops hoped to introduce the French REvolution, the Liturgical Movement, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man into the Catholic CHurch. Any one reading this will know which side succeeded in their aims. In the aftermath of the Council, Archbishop Lefebvre, as Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, waged a losing battle against the spread of Liberalism in his Order. Finally, he resigned. He wrote later that it had become impossible for him to remain in an Order that neither wanted or listened to him. When a group of seminarians came to him begging him to found a Traditional Catholic Seminary, he founded the Order now known as the Society of Saint Pius X. Ironically, at first he insisted on small novelties in the Traditional Latin Mass, only after his seminarians complained repeatedly did he stop. The book also details his hesitation about the famous (or infamous) episcopal consecrations in 1988, which shook the Liberals in the Vatican and caused Pope John Paul II to declare him excommunicated. What is very clear is that Archbishop Lefebvre remains very influential more than a decade after his death. In the year 2000, a group of Ukrainian Rite Catholic Priests, disgusted at the liturgical novelties being forced on the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, formed themselves into an Order called the Society of Saint Josaphat... and pledged their loyalty to the late Archbishop Lefebvre.

I came to read Meister Eckhart because he influenced Nicholas de Cusa and Jacob Boehme, two great mystics that I've read indepthly. I knew Eckhart was accused of being an heretic, yet I came into his thought with an open mind. I have since become a disciple, and I'll explain why. The main text of the book begins with "Documents Relating to Eckhart's Condemnation." In it are "A. Selections from Eckhart's Defense" and "B. The Bull 'In agro dominico'" (March 27, 1329), which is the Catholic Church's condemnation document that was finished two years after Eckhart's death. In "In agro dominico" the church basically twisted inside out many of the conclusions of the propositions that Eckhart syllogized, misrepresenting the perspective of them. Eckhart was writing from the perspective of God, not his own perspective. His inquisitors were basically ignoramuses whose prejudices were dogmatically driven. I believe you will, like I did, find him totally innocent of the heresies he was accused of. You may find, however, some of his thoughts boardering on heresy, but he never really crossed the line. For instance, he believed that we must "give birth to Christ" in our souls. It has a ring of Boehme's mysticism or vice versus. Boehme believed the way to Christ is through the core of the soul, so the similarities are obvious. "Selections from the Commentaries on Genesis" is a very revealing glimpse into the allegorical meanings of parables in the Book of Genesis. If you want to truly understand what "In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth" means, there may not be a better explanation ever written than you'll find here. His elucidation is superlative. "Selections on the Commentary of John," "Selected Sermons," "Treatises: A. The Book of 'Benedictus': The Book of Divine Consolation. B. The Book of 'Benedictus': Of the Nobleman. C. Counsels on Discernment. D. On Detachment" are also included. Eckhart's theory of detachment is taken directly from the parables in the Bible, such as "the poor in spirit are blessed" (Mt. 5:13). We must abandon all images in the soul, to become totally free of self-will as well as God's will, and truly become poor in spirit. Only then is true poverty of the soul realized. That is the Eckhartian path to personal salvation. It is very deep and meaningful. That is what transformed me into a disciple. In the front of the book there's a Preface, Foreward, Introduction with Key to Abbreviations, Historical Data, Theological Summary, A note on Eckhart's Works and the Present Selections. In the back Notes, Bibliography, and Indexes. I highly recommend this superb volume as well as the others in the series.

This is an excellent translation of some of Meister Eckhart's finest works and is highly recommended as is McGinn's in this series. Eckhart is one of the greatest apothatic Christian mystics and both Eckhart titles in 'Classics of Western Spirituality Series' are a great place to start to read His works. If you want all of His sermons then buy O'C Walshe's 'Sermons and treaties'. For a study of Eckhart's mysticism buy 'Mystical Thought' by Bernard McGinn.

Meister Eckhart comes to us with an somewhat shadowy legacy. He was charged with heresy, and while this was not unique (many Christian mystics were accused of heretical thought at some point and some even burned, like Margarite Porete), what is surprising was that Eckhart was what would now be a Professor of Theology.

Eckhart was in some ways like a religious Galileo. His mystical ideas are very often shocking, from his notion of the birth of Jesus in the soul to the Godhead beyond the Trinity itself. His ideas were in many ways (with their paralells to Sufi Islam and Buddhism) very far ahead of their time and like other great Christian speculative mystics such as Origen or Evagrius Ponticus, the charge of heresy is never too far away in the shadows. It is then not surprising the ecclesiastic authorities charged this man with erring from established truth.

However Eckhart saw himself as an genuine mystic afire with the love of God and sharing in the deepest possible relationship with him. Eckhart certainly was a mystical genius, and one of the most brilliant and profound spiritual teachers Christianity has ever seen. He certainly belongs in the same rank as Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, John of Cross and Denys the Aeropagite.

Eckhart's approach to God uses both the way of denial and the way of affirmation. God is both an incomprehensible darkness, a beingless One above all distinctions, an ineffable reality, and at the same time the highest good, light and reality. God is to be reached mainly through the innermost ground of the soul which Eckhart calls the 'ground', and sometimes as a little 'castle.' In an obscure way by encountering the divine there by shunning all thoughts, concepts and images we don't so much encounter 'God' (the being with attributes as we see in the Bible), rather the Godhead, or the Absolute as it truely is, as a One above all distinctions, divisions, concepts, and being. When we meet the Absolute here God is no longer the Trinitarian God of Catholic Christianity but the simple, silent Godhead, ineffable and quiet in itself, yet also the highest reality there is, and the source of all else, even 'God' himself. In this sense Eckhart seems to share a great deal in common with Plotinus or Buddhism and 'shunyata', the mysterious emptiness which is the changeless source of being. Indeed he sometimes says God is 'nothing', and at other times creatures are nothing, pure emptiness (when compared to the super-essential richness of God in terms of his giving being). While having much in common with previous Christian mystics, these ideas sat rather ill with the Church authorities who seemed to think he was denying some key Christian dogmas as well as affirming heretical ideas, such as Pantheism or reincarnation. Indeed, the same charges often occur today.

Eckhart was not helped by his students, who often took his mysticism to very unhealthy extremes. Suso and Tauler were his best 'disciples', but overall the irrationalism and antinominalism of German mysticism which followed Eckhart tended to show the decadence even the best mysticism can fall into, if not checked with reason and common sense.

Nevertheless Eckhart speaks immediately and profoundly to the soul, and whether you are Christian or not, he is certainly a great Christian mystic who deserves in my view better recognition for his insights and achievements than he has.

This is what is included in this volume: Introduction: Historical Data, Theological Summary, A Note on Eckhart's Works and the Present Selections. Part One: Latin Works: 1. Documents Related to Eckhart's Condemnation. A. Selections from Eckhart's Defense. B. The Bull "In agro dominico" (March 27, 1329). 2. Selections from the Commentaries on Genesis. 3. Selections from the Commentary on John. Part Two: German Works: 1. Selected Sermons. 2. Treatises: A. The Book of "Benedictus": The Book of Divine Consolation. B. The Book of "Benedictus": Of the Nobleman. C. Counsels on Disernment. D. On Detachment. NOTES, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEXES.

Indispensável, não apenas para os portugueses, mas também para os brasileiros e falantes do Português em geral.

Essencial to all portuguese speakers.

The poetry is cunningly crafted, but I am not sure how well the translation really stands up, as I read it in the native Portuguese.

Those who have never studied Portuguese history will probably rate this only a 2 or three statrs, but those who have studied Portuguese history in depth and have developed a sense for the sentiment of the nation will be amazed at how Pessoa has managed to capture the flavour and emotion of centuries of a nation's past into his clever verses.

I give it four stars as it is a translation. The portuguese version gets five and then some.

Indispensável para quem seja português

If you are wondering how the portuguese are like, Pessoa's book will give you a hint. Unfortunately things haven't changed much since the author's time. Once a great nation of sailors and of a great world wide empire, nothing remains but a dull far away memory of what we were. We tend to live to much from the glories of the past without ever thinking of the possible glories of the future. We live in the shadow of Camões's epic poem "Os Lusíadas" still thinking it was the greatest portuguese literary work ever written. On the 25th of April 1974 a new generation raised from the fall of a dictatorship of almost 30 years. But those who gave birth to the revolution are now those who perpetuate the social differences between rich and poor, good and bad, high and low. Ironic isn't it? As Pessoa, I still have hope. This people is made of hope although lacking some iniciative to actually make a difference... If something goes wrong, blame it on the government. If something goes right, thank God for it. The Fifth Empire hasn't arrived yet, and I hardly think it ever will.
Pessoa is one of the greatest portuguese writers of all time but he's not the only one. I also reccomend (if a translated version is available)Mário de Sá-Carneiro, José Saramago, Virgílio Ferreira, Eça de Queiroz, Antero de Quental. These are the so-called classics, just to get you started in the discovery of portuguese literature.

You must give this guy credit where credit is due. While his jesuit colleagues are buying up every box of crackerjacks in order to find "the good" in the free prize packet, Lonergan managed to stay on track and pursue more scientific methods in finding "the good." Although, I shouldn't lump all the jesuits together this way. There are some jesuits who continue to fill out the publisher's clearing house junk mail in the hope of being greeted at the door by a smiling Ed McMahon, embellished with a glow from the bright sun rays bouncing off his shiney white teeth as your eyes are taken aback by "the good" which he displays to your delight in his hands. So, as we see, some jesuits do try alternative methods in finding "the good." However, I think Lonergan's method in finding "the good" is far superior.

This book was introduced to me 14 years ago, in an undergrad theology class called, "Struggle and Transcendence" (at Georgetown). The class looked at the African-American experience and sought solutions to the concrete problem of living in that community and the human community in general.

At the time I was an international relations major. My friends and I constantly debated political theory, social policy, foreign policy, etc. We were wondering, What is the best way to live in this increasingly global community? Debates were heated. Often the debate came down to the question, How do you know? On issues from genocide, (neo)colonialism, and development, to abortion, welfare, medical care, different people emphasized different sources of truth: experience, reason, feelings, tradition, culture, scripture, science, love, faith, belief, imagination, experts, etc. When I read Method, I thought, the debate is over; this is how you know. Lonergan values all of the above sources of knowledge, and goes further to show how all of the ways are related and involved in anything we do, from playing soccer to doing theology.

The other thing I loved about Method was its emphasis on love. Studying the causes of international conflicts led me to think that the root of conflict was a personal lack of self-love, or a conditional ground for self-love. "I will love myself IF I have these people's respect, or this pretty wife, or money, or property, etc., or IF I'm better than this person or all people." We put other people down to raise ourselves up. I believed that right relations among humans needed to be founded on unconditional love, on a right relationship with God and oneself. In Method, Lonergan wrote that if one falls in love unconditionally, then that love becomes fundamental for one's whole life -- a new way of seeing the world and acting w/in it.

Method in Theology is rich in such insights. It is very difficult, but worth the work. Ultimately, the book is about the complex relationships of knowing, loving and service, and how these three things are applied to theology. My favorite chapters remain the first one on Method (knowing), and the fourth one on Religion (loving). The fourth chapter is so beautiful, that friends of a friend who are atheists incorporated parts of it into their wedding ceremony. The book begins and ends with the need for service, the communication of the Christian gospel of divine love, in both words and deeds.

Fourteen years after that introduction, I am still discovering new things through Method (while working on a dissertation on Lonergan and teaching theology and philosophy) and I probably will be for several years to come.

Many will find this book to be diffiuclt to read. The language is very rich and full of reference to various areas of philosophy. This book would be recommended for intermediate to advanced students of theology and philosophy. Lonergan, one of the greatest of the Jesuit philosophers of the twentieth century, has written this volume to give a "method" to understanding some of the major philosophical elements which give a structure to the understanding and doing of theology. Take your time in reading this book and reflect... it's the best way to understand it!

This book not only focuses on Theology as a science dealing with the concept and relation to God within different cultural matrixes, but clearly states concepts as human good, progress and decadence. Essential reading for everyone interested in philosphy, ethics or sociology. If you will be reading it by your own, I'd classify it as Master Degree level.

It is often the case that a new area of inquiry, comprised of elements from seemingly disparate disciplines, yields surprising insights. Zeigler's and Hammonds's effort is no exception. While linguistics has from time to time informed mathematics and computer science, to my knowledge little has been done to date towards the application of semantics and pragmatics to this type of data exchange.

The prose is concise, clear, and conversational. Given the complexity of the two topics and the more or less mutual exclusivity of their lexicons, readers whose experience has been acquired only in the one or the other of these two disciplines will nevertheless quickly become comfortable in this discussion. The authors provide many examples to illustrate their line of reasoning, all drawn from a wide variety of sources.

As an IT professional with 15 years' experience and an advanced degree in a foreign language, I found this book satisfying, illuminating, and provocative. While it is intended to address a specific engineering problem, its implications extend well beyond its stated purview. Heartily recommended for those who would like to think about the synergies of data engineering and pragmatics, and also for those who want to think about what might be beyond the horizon.

This book offers to the reader a thick and consistent theoretical background for dealing with ontologies (i.e., languages for describing "a state of the world".) Both authors merged very carefully their knowledge and disciplines [social and computer (engineering) sciences] in a complete and homogeneous framework.

In the new research area of computer-based problems, dealing with complex systems induces increasing efforts for building unifying modifiable ontologies describing the systems, data and communications. Large digital data are described and abstracted through more and more complex software. Computer-based problems need to have strong theories to map very quickly evolving technical evolutions. Developing such theories allows to build a common field for discussions and specifications to participate all together bringing tools and incremental concepts (concepts of concepts of concepts...) Always thinking of knowledge of knowledge (or metaknowledge) models can be constructed. Using such a philosophy, ideas become program-independent and right issues and perspectives are more easily identified. Knowledge can be organized to cognitively map real systems to computer-based models. This is what offers us this new book. But that's not all!

More than neutral/specifiable mathematical structures, this book provides precise mappings and discusses usual notations and current orientations (XML, HTML, UML, MDA, etc.) Actual generic large applications (geospatial sensor data, natural languages, hierarchical constructions, WWW, etc.) and a plethora of didactical examples are presented. Lastly, a web-based interface allows the reader to experiment his understandings.

Even researchers from the modelling and simulation field will find here a way to deal with digital input data.

According to me, this book is the starting point (and foundation) for those who intend to build soundly ontologies through computers in a modular, generic and hierarchical way: government agencies, developers, standards organizations, researchers, etc. They will find here the precise technical solutions they are searching for, as well as a common evolutive language to model data for dynamic systems. If all problems could not be grasped in one book, the latter will pinpoint major issues in such an abstract way that people are able to identify easily them and to find further solutions.

This book is definitely for those who intend to increase their knowledge on ontology, develop mental models and want to talk and search together in a controlled and original perspective!

Addressing the compatibility issues raised in sharing data between collaborative organizations that employ different approaches to representing data becomes a major concern in today's net-centric computing environment. Effective information exchange requires not only an agreement on the syntax and semantics to be established between data producers and consumers, but also a common understanding of the pragmatics, namely the intended use of the data in specific situational contexts. It is the development of a generic ontology framework called System Entity Structure (SES) to describe both static and dynamic world states and a set of openly available tools to support automated creating and testing of the data model, then, that is at the center of Bernard Zeigler and Phillip Hammonds's new book Modeling & Simulation-based Data Engineering.

By delineating the critical relationships that best structure a data engineer's domain of interest with the extra expressive power, the proposed pragmatic framework captures the exact intent of the data producers and consumers, which, in turn, allows for effective conversation and appropriate downstream processing. The SES framework is formulated as a labeled tree comprising basic elements and relations that satisfy a set of formation rules or axioms. With the supporting tools, it can be defined in a restricted form of natural language and subsequently be mapped into various computational forms, including eXtensible Markup Language (XML), Document Object Models (DOM), XML Document Type Definition (DTD), and XML Schema. A standard way of restructuring and pruning different SES representations is provided to improve representation utility and harmonization. The Pruned Entity Structure (PES) provides the basis for static and dynamic world state descriptions, efficient extraction of data, and more advanced form of information exchange. As the authors put it, "the SES together with the Discrete Event Systems Specification (DEVS) formalism offers a powerful system-theoretic framework for specifying families of dynamic services that can execute in simulated or real-time and interact with other services in a net-centric environment."

Throughout the book, a broad range of easy-to-follow examples, case studies, and exercises is provided to consolidate the concepts and methodologies presented in the text and to give readers significant hands-on experience. This book is addressed to all those who are concerned either with data engineering in general or with interoperability in multi-institutional collaboration. Any reader with a general knowledge of ontology and discrete-event modeling and simulation will be able to benefit from the authors' insights.

For those who are working on complex problems of data interoperability and reuse of data sources in distributed environment, especially GIG/SOA, this book provides rigorous and novel methods and framework approach to solve data harmonization and ontology integration problems effectively. The authors present the pragmatic frame concepts, ontologies, System Entity Structure (SES) framework, and modeling and simulation based data engineering, all of which are useful methodologies to achieve automated interoperability testing at syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels in a net-centric environment. The book identifies complex problems encountered in harmonization and testing and illustrates framework and approach to implement such solutions in software tools and services. The concept of SES is being implemented in a commercial software with some online support. It is a truly fine resource for data and system engineers who look for solid approach to solve complex real-world problems!

These are wonderful books and very thorough. This book is full of beautiful old New Orleans mansions, the pictures are small, but every discription of a home has a requisite photo. The text is highly informative and the book is well researched. New Orleans is blessed with so many beautiful mansions and many reside in this section of the city. Reading this book, reminds me how special and unique this city is, as well as how beautiful the city can be. Highly recommended.

I have read several volumes in this set and this one (vol. VIII - 1997) is the best.

This is more than merely a coffee table ornament. It is meant to be a poweful tool for equipping people to actively work for the preservation of the South's most architecturally rich and complicated city.

It is difficult to imagine a finer work of this size and scope.

First, the publisher (Pelican of the suburb of Gretna, LA) has spared no expense. Cover to cover, all 215pp. are packed with the highest quality photographs, maps and illustrations. The paper is glossy, sturdy, 8.5 x 11.

Second, the writing is uniformly precise and compelling, and moves at a good pace. rarely dry.

Third, the scope is manageable and makes good sense. The University Section, as conceived here, consists of the area around Tulane and Loyola, and extending south to the river. Thus Audubon Park, Hurstville, Bloomingdale, Burtheville, Marlyville, Greeneville, Friburg, etc. are all included. This includes from Lowerline and several streets west of the Park to Joseph and Arabella in the east, and from the river up to Clairbourne.

Fourth, the archtecture history is woven into the general history of the neighborhood and of New Orleans. Someone with no interest at all in the architecture would still glean much about the lager developments of the city, and of Uptown in particular. Politics, environment and social history are included.

Fifth, the maps and photos (hundreds of them) are used well to illustrate and make sense of complicated trends in the neighborhood. They are arranged in a very helpful and easily understood manner.

Hundreds of the homes are displayed, from the humble to the opulent, arranged by street address. Further, a chart is provided with the dates, architects, etc. of dozens of these homes and buildings.

An index is accurate and fairly thorough.

I have to really strain to identify any criticisms.
1. Wish there was a simpel modern map at the beginning showing the precise boundaries of this University Section, and all other sections in this series.
2. P. 16 shows a detail of a map from an Atlas of the City of New Orleans, leaving teh reader to wonder about the date of that work.

I would recommend, as a companion and supplement, Lloyd Vogt, New Orleans Houses (1985). Vogt gives even more exacting architectural detail, but does not provide nearly as much on the broader historical context.

This volume in the N.O. Architecture series by the Friends of the Cabildo is, in my opinion, the best of the entire series. Perhaps it is because this is the section of the city in which I spend most of my time, a place to which I've become rather attached. Anyone who enjoys architecture will probably like this book, not just New Orleanians.

Growing up in this section of New Orleans, I was pleasantly surprised to see several homes of my childhood friends. No other city in the U.S. has such distinct and diverse neighborhood architecture. Another great volume in a GREAT series.

this book is a work of art and is the primary source of all the biographies of Wilde. I particularly liked the last part of the book where Harris debates Wilde about male to male love vs. male to female love.Harris is plainly not intimidated by Wilde's witticism's and keeps to a serious vein without being rankled or becoming victimized by Wilde's ability to trivialize subjects with a veneer of parody. Among more of Harris insights is the statement that Bosie,(Wilde's "lover") and Bosie's father the Marquiss of Quennsbury are really 2 opposite ends of the same log.Harris biography seems more like a piece of literature and the life of Wilde,could even Dickens have thought up such a character as Oscar Wilde,I know Poe did!!

One cannot improve upon the remarks fore-mentioned of George Bernard Shaw's. Long before public figures of no talent were thrust upon us, literate minds instead of marketeers gathered around the chosen few as johnny-come-latelys and would rarely disappoint. This is a thrilling,gripping read.Style,tact and endless grace in words for a tragic,painful public artist run throughout this personal account.Much can be gained from savoring this moment in time if one aspires celebrity and fame and wants to avoid its dizzying pitfalls.

I picked this book up in a used book store for [money] more than when it was purchased new in 1960. The pages literally crumbled as I turned them, but I couldn't put the book down. I was enthralled with the life of Oscar Wilde. Now, this biography isn't one written years after the subject's death from scraps of information. No. This is written by a very close friend of Wilde's, Frank Harris. In being written by someone of such closeness, it lends credence to the harsh words the author had to say of Wilde. Harris calls him lazy and slothenly. Of course, Wilde caused quite a sensation in his time. He was imprisoned under other pretenses, but mainly because he was a homosexual in a time period when this was not acceptable. Oscar was one who did not care what others thought of him. He was determined to live a life of pleasure and to make money doing things that he liked: writing and speaking. However, he did a great deal of leaching off of others. There's no denying Wilde's genius. I have yet to read any of his works except for a short essay entitled "The Soul of Man Under Socialism." To me, the thoughts seemed profound. But Harris says that Oscar never said or wrote anything original; he merely took other people's thoughts, meshed them together, and said them in a more profound way. This is a biography that reads like a fine story. Harris is a great writer and has more first-hand knowledge of his subject than any other biographer that I've read. I'd reccomend this book to others without reservation.

"The best life of Oscar Wilde", said George Bernard Shaw after reading this book. I cannot but agree with him utterly. No unnecesary data is wasted, no long reflexions bore us. It's just an Oscar's very close friend telling us with great elegance and delicacy the story of one he has admired and loved so much, but without fear of saying the truth. Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas. Of course, the reader has to know Mr Harris is the true "lead actor" in the story he's telling us, always supporting the Truth and the Right. But one can easily forgive him for that in reward for the great moments un Oscar's life he's saved from oblivion and darkness. A wonderful work of art itself, this biography must be read by every admirer of that Prince of Charm Oscar Wilde was. X. Careaga

This story is cute - My daugher at age 4 at the time was in preschool and daily and I mean daily the boys would get this book prior to the girls getting it so it was a game every day to see who could obtain this book first...they never fought over any book but this one and the library had lots of books to choose from....anyways the girls and boys were fighting and pulling on the book one day that the book got ripped and the teachers had - really had enough of that book at that point and threw it away to teach the children a hard lesson in life.....meanwhile I had no idea as to what the teachers had done except for the fact that my daughter and her best friend came home crying that the book with the elephant and the peanuts got thrown out and why? the full explanation was there by them and they were devastasted..thinking that my child ripped a book so badly I immediatly went to Amazon and ordered it and sent it in with the two girls one day - the teachers look on their faces were priceless....every year both preschool classes always fought over the book and they were happy to finally get rid of a book that was always fought over ....and here we were bringing a new copy back....it was priceless an another year childrens will still be able to fight over it...tee-hee....I bought one for home and my daughters best friend....so now it is not a big deal if the boys get it right? We have our own copy....must have book really cute and the graphics are adorable.

We originally borrowed this book from the library and I decided to purchase it after my daughter wanted to reborrow the book several times. She loves to read the story and sing the words over and over. It is a cute book my children love.

I had to buy this book because my five year old daughter keeps checking it out of the library. When I told her she had to check out another book this week she said, "Why, Mom? This is a GREAT book!" That is definitely one to have on our shelf. The pictures are delightful and the repetitive phrasing makes it easy to read yet there are some tough words which she has mastered because she knows the phrasing. I wish every book I purchased would pay off so well. She also said, "Mom, if you look at the pictures you just have to giggle."

My 2 1/2 year old daughter LOVES this book. Every night before we go to bed, she asks to read "Peanut butter, Peanut butter". She's already learned the rhymes, I say a part, and she knows when she needs to chime in! I also love Nadine Bernard Westcott's illustrations -- I've begun to search for and buy all of her books! Truly enjoyable for both the child and the adult!!