Brian Books

The Author- Brian E. Payne; the book- Exposing Christianity--- are absolutely painstakingly POWERFUL. Regardless of your fears, faith, and spiritual journey- both before and after the read- this commentary will be forever seared into the psyche. This is one bell that simply can't be `un-rung.' Great read!

Exposing Christianity offers an enlightening alternative to what most Christians have traditionally been taught in church. Mr. Payne does a wonderful job of conveying another perspective for Christians to consider, a perspective that makes a lot of sense and is presented in a manner that challenges the reader's traditional thinking. I have previously thought about several of the issues he addresses. While reading the book, I found myself saying "that is so true" or "that makes so much sense".

I enjoyed the personal aspect of the book as well. It enabled me to connect to the writer as a person who possesses similar thoughts rather than seeing the information as just black words on white pages. Mr. Payne has done a magnificent job of sharing his soul with the reader which speaks volumes about him as a person. Sharing opinions that will be immediately dismissed by many because they differ from traditional Christianity and only accepted by a few who are willing to have an open mind is extremely difficult, however he was able to do this and do it well. Those that will allow themselves to have an open mind while reading this profound book may find that living a spiritual life is not as complicated as one has been led to believe.

Exposing Christianity is a superb read! Mr. Payne does a brilliant job of taking the reader on an intense and enlightening ride. I humbly suggest that each reader read this book with an open mind. Read this book as if everything presented within the text is true. If you would allow your mind, heart and soul to be open and clear to the perspectives outlined in this book it will lead you to an oasis of newfound freedom.

Within each page of this book, the content Mr. Payne presents challenges the reader to critical and deliberately digest each concept as being TRUE. I am a Christian and was not offended by the material shared within this well thought out combustion of controversial yet practical material. On many occasion I agreed with Mr. Payne's analysis.

After riding this spiritual roller coaster, the sheer excitement of starting anew was breath taking. The ability to start a new journey, the road less traveled that yellow brick road that leads to Freedom. I am talking about that Freedom that comes from within. Freedom that God has given us ALL by allowing ourselves to open and walk through many doors that were once closed. And, close several doors that were once opened. I actually have a renewed sense of purpose, passion and that "Peace that Passes ALL Understanding!!!"

I finished reading this critical and controversial documentation of one man's attempt to share a different point of view other than the norm with the world by asking myself "Who Am I and What Am I Here To Do?" And most importantly, Examine my own Heart.

Brian, outstanding work. Especially your sermons. Please keep it coming!

-Freedom M. Taylor

I just completed your book. You raised questions I wish everyone would explore concerning the church and traditional Christianity. The fact that you have done so gives me hope. Yes, there will be those who will hate the book and declare the devil has take you over. I am confident, however, there will be others who will have an "aha" experience and recognize the questions you have raised as their own inner thoughts. Your book will finally free such persons to further explore however they choose.

Your personal stories let us know you are writing from your soul and have given real thought to your concerns; you are not just intellectualizing. Your sermons provide a nice balance so that we understand you are aware there is "something within" ,regardless of what we call it. I hope the sales go well. I would like to see more of our people set free from the limited thinking fundamentalist churches have imposed upon us. Just the fact that you have written such a book is a sign for me we are on the way to genuine spirituality. It may take another decade or two, but we are on the way.

This is, by far, the best treatment of the Seven Days since Clifford Dowdey's best book, "THE SEVEN DAYS: THE EMERGENCE OF LEE" (1964)...since re-released under a different title, "LEE TAKES COMMAND." Considering that these two titles are separated by almost 40 years, that says volumes about how Dowdey's book has stood the test of time and how Burton's modernizes the scholarship of this most important campaign. Anyone studying Lee's first campaign should own this book, and read it in conjunction with Dowdey's treatment.

The 16th Michigan from Dan Butterfield's brigade headed to the breach but was stopped thanks to quick thinking by Col. Micah Jenkins of the Palmetto (South Carolina) Sharpshooters of Anderson's brigade. One of Jenkins men who had sprained his ankle during the charge saw the Michiganders marching up. Limping over to Jenkins, he reported what he had seen. Jenkins was skeptical, but said, "I shall see who they are." Stepping forward , he asked the marchers what unit they belonged to. When the answer, "Sixteenth Michigan," came back, Jenkins ordered his men to fire. Captain Thomas Carr fell dead, the first man of the regiment killed. The Yankees and rebels had a back-and-forth battle until enough Confederates joined the fight to force the 16th back and capture its flag.

I approached this book with the high expectations of a readable and thorough account of the Seven Day's battles, and mostly I think that Mr. Burton has succeeded. However, I found that it really wasn't quite as readable as I had hoped. I tended to get bogged down in the details of the book, especially in the battle scenes, which I really had high hopes for. Instead of the "you are there" realism that authors such as Gordon Rhea provide, I instead was struck by the way that the writing almost obscured the action.

Burton tends to fill his tactical descriptions with somewhat too much information, such as the location, movements and name of every single regiment on the field. Now while this is of course necessary for a good understanding of a battle, in this case it tends to overwhelm the actual fighting, leaving the sense that it is more a recitation of troop movements instead of the exciting details of a fight. The end result, at least for me, was confusion, coupled with the desire for a more intimate explanation of the battle. There just isn't a good balance between action and analysis. After having visited the battlefield, I longed to read of the breakthrough at Gaines Mill in a personal, action-oriented manner. Instead, I came away with a pretty good idea of who was where, but no sense of just what they had accomplished. The emotion is simply not there, just the facts. Perhaps emotion just tends to obscure the truths of a battle, but I like the sense of "being there", and of knowing what the soldiers were experiencing first hand. While Burton does make use of period accounts, they just aren't as effective as they could be.

To me, the whole book seemed to be geared more towards strategy and troop movements, with a minimal emphasis on the actual fighting. In this respect, it does a fine job, and is actually an entertaining read in that respect. I was just left somewhat unfulfilled that the tactical side of the book wasn't as good.

As the previous reviewer mentioned, this book is not for the beginner. A moderate knowledge of the war seems to be assumed, and provided you are a Civil War buff, this should not be a problem.

Overall, it is a pretty good book. I don't know that I would call it the definitive account of the Seven Days though. Maybe so, if you are mostly interested in the strategic side, but the battle descriptions just lack the "spark" that makes you a part of the action. If you like the writing of such authors as Gordon Rhea and John Hennessy, you might come away feeling a little unsatisfied, as I did. I would recommend this book as a good analysis of the strategy and command decisions of the campaign, but perhaps Sears' "To the Gates of Richmond" is better at the human aspects of the action.

I liked this book a lot. Finally the Seven Days' fans out there can sit down and read a very good book dedicated solely to these battles. The only thing better would be an "Ed Bearss Vicksburg Campaign" type treatment with 3,000 pages and 3 or so volumes. I know, it's a long shot, but I can dream can't I? For now, though, at least we have this book, and it's more than just a good start. The maps are extremely good and there are plenty of them! Aside from Clifford Dowdey's book, this is the only one that concentrates specifically on the Seven Days. Burton does go down to the regimental level in many cases. Since this is my favorite campaign in the whole ACW, I was extremely happy when this one came out. 534 pp., 21 maps

The way to win is just to face up to your fears, and do your very best. That's the message of this sequel to Irene Livingston's delightful Finklehopper Frog. The lively rhythms, endearing animal characters, child-friendly language and gorgeous full colour illustrations by Brian Lies should make this latest Finklehopper adventure an instant favourite with the read-aloud-to set.

My son and I both like this story. He's 18 months old so I have to read it to him and I really enjoy reading it. The poetic style is fun and easy to read. It has a really good lesson. It's okay if you don't win all the time. And the artwork is great! It's really detailed and realistic looking. My son likes to point to all the characters. Very pleasent to look at. Buy this book! You'll love it!

This is such a fun book to read. Finklehopper Frog and Finklehopper Frog Cheers have great messages of inclusion and doing what is right. The illustrations are fantastic. Bright, vibrant and include small details that make you really examine each page to take it all in.

This is a great book.

Finklehopper Frog has a terrific sense of style!
In a time in which my 2 and 4 year old girls are bombarded with images of princesses, its great to read about "real" characters with real feelings.
Finklehopper and his friend Ruby are willing to try the very things that frighten them. They take a risk that doesn't pay off in the usual sense (she loses the race) but pays off big in the lesson learned sense.

This is a really cute story with several terrific messsages! I love to read the witty, poetic lines outloud to my children.

My girls have replaced Barbie with a new favorite!

I didnt buy this book to learn about flash coding, or web development. I bought this book because I am interested in Software rendered graphics. That is, applications that dont utalize OpenGL or Direct 3D for rendering to the screen. I bought this book for the techniques it discusses in "faking" 3d, and also producing real 3d. So far it has done a perfect job in giving me ideas and techniques that I can use in my applications. For anybody interested in producing anything that is real time, and 3d, I would reccomend this book.

This is the best book I have read in years! If you know the basics of ActionScript and you know sine and cosine, this book opens up whole dimensions of possibilities for both games and business applications of Flash.

It is clearly written and reads more smoothly than most programming books. While it does assume a basic literacy with ActionScript, it does not leave you flailing with complex 3D concepts. You may have to pull out your definitions of sine and cosine, but beyond that, it is pretty light lifting.

The genious of the book is that it violates commmon assumptions, and this results in simple, elegant techniques that are also powerful for a wide range of problems. The common assumption is that Flash doesn't do 3D. Don't believe it anymore. If you are willing to use some basic limitations to your application (such as keeping your polygon count down), you can have some smoothly flowing, useful 3D applications with relatively little effort. And unless I'm mistaken, those applications will run equally well on a browser running on a Mac, Windows or Linux.

The solutions are simple and eclectic. The authors have created a variety of 3D engines - each optimized for a given purpose. The engines are simple enough that (in theory) you can take the source and enhance it to your needs. Each technique is backed up by source code that you can download from the publisher's web site. But don't shortchange yourself with only the sample code - the explanations in the text are worth the cost of the paper book.

Here are my favorite techniques:

* ch 8 (P 195) - Drawing API and Math for 3D - here they explain and provide a working polygon 3D engine. The demos work smoothly (at least 20-30 frames per second) on my cheap Dell laptop. The demos include a oragami bird and a rocket ship with at least 10-20 polgons each. It doesn't support bitmapped textures, but it does offer fill color and shading support.

* ch 9 - 3D Slice Engine - this is the more clever, powerful and non-obvious technique of the book. Check out "dad.swf" in the binary samples from the web site to get an idea of the power of this approach - the author has made a 3D talking head of his father from a photograph! The idea here is that if you can view your 3D world as a topographical map, then you can model it with a set of parallel planes, where each plane represents a certain cut through the entire 3D model. This approach, though not immediately intuitive, is extremely powerful in Flash because it plays on the strenghths of Flash. Each plane is represented by two "movieclip" objects, with one embedded in the other. The first one handles scaling, and the second handles rotation, within the scaled clip. The hidden surface problem is finessed because the planes are parallel - so you only reverse the rendering order once every 180 degrees of change in viewer angle. This enables you to handle full bitmap detail of your scenes, and the result is pretty dazzling! The basic rendering engine requires only about 50 lines of ActionScript!

* Ch 6 - Parallax Scrolling - This name is misleading - it really goes beyond a scrolling 2D game model. In the Wyvern's Claw" example, it explores the idea of building a 3D world like a movie set - with a set of strategically placed flat surfaces (like the fronts of buildings in the studio sets). Each surface is a movieclip, and your script manages the proper scaling and shading as the viewer moves through. The demo then shows an animated walk-through of a small town rendering in such a way. This seems very cool for a potential game.

I'm already using the Chapter 9 slice engine for a work-related project - multidimensional data browsing. So for me, the book was not only stimulating to read but valuable!

TOC:

Chapter 1 Introduction to Flash 3D
Chapter 2 Light and Shadow
Chapter 3 Scaling for 3D
Chapter 4 Isometric 3D
Chapter 5 Focus and Depth of Field
Chapter 6 Parallax Scrolling
Chapter 7 Text Effects in 3D Space
Chapter 8 Drawing API and Math for 3D
Chapter 9 3D Slice Engine
Chapter 10 Departure Lounge: Moving beyond Flash 3D

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10 don't require a trigonometry
background. One of Chapter 6 topics uses XML though.

The best chapters for me were 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.

I gave the book 5 stars because it has something for everyone.
Some people use Flash to create digital art while others use it
for practical purposes. This book delivers to both people.
Unfortunately, I belong to the latter kind and some of the topics
aren't for me.

I also think that some chapters are impractical unless you're
really a math geek. For example, I think Chapter 8 - Drawing
API and Math for 3D -- is unnecessary because you can import
Swift 3D files.

Some of the authors also show you Actionscript without really
explaining what it does (I think they assume you do know trig).
I work for a software engineering firm (not as an engineer
though) but I do know that it's bad practice to embed magic
numbers -- literals that don't have apparent meaning -- in
any code. It's better to put them in constants.

One of the authors (the Chapter 4 author I think) said to get
a good book on trigo. I don't think I will because there are
plenty of free trigo tutorials on the web. I agree though that
to get the most out of Flash and this book, learning trigo is a
must.

This has to be about the best book I have ever seen. The 3D cheats in it are amazing -- and you surely wouldn't know you were cheating. There are some incredibly insightful techniques, and some more staple things if you're not quite steady on your feet yet.

I think I am, but this book showed me how much more there was to know!

This is the best butterfly book out there. It shows detailed photos of both adult and catepillar stage of almost every Florida butterfly.

I would like to say that I am extremely happy with this book. This book has taught me that moths are beautiful too. The pictures are huge and are printed on extremely high quality glossy paper. I would recommend this book to all butterfly lovers no matter where you live. The cost is so inexpensive for such an excellent book.

As a beginning butterfly gardener in Florida, I found this book to be an essential tool near my window. The beautiful, large photographs always helped me identify the beauties that visit my backyard. The book also helped me identify the eggs, caterpillars and pupas in my garden. The text is also very interesting and includes information about butterfly habits and food. This is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about the butterflies in Florida.

This book is a must-have, even for people who don't live in Florida. It is filled to the brim with wonderful photos and information on many types of North American butterflies. Just the photos make it worth the purchase! We're adding it to our butterfly library for reference work.

Having trouble with understanding the contracts that are required for successful entry into the music industry? In a tight spot with those late contracts? Don't worry this guide is here to help you, with real life examples and an extensive collection of templates for business contracts, each explained in the tiniest of detail. don't miss this 2-in-one book, a title that combines clear examples, good theory and an easy structure into a mega bundle that will help you sleep without worries at night

Coming from a record label's perspective, this book is absolutely a must-read for anyone in a band, whether a beginner or a seasoned veteran. I like how the contracts are picked apart and rewritten in layman's terms; it clearly explains what a band is in for. I recommend it to any band we work with BEFORE we give them a contract!

The author is concise, articulate, yet completely unassuming and, dare I say amusing, while driving home the reality of the industry. I cannot thank him enough! I just wish more bands would read this work before filling their heads with unrealistic expectations! It would save a lot of problems down the road.

A great place for anyone to research the music industry. The book has clear, clever and concise interviews with heavy hitters and good sample contracts. A must for anyone starting out in music.

Clear, comprehensive, practical, helpful, and pretty darn funny, this book lays out in detail the ins-and-outs of the music business. It's got sample contracts, interviews with pros, and solid advice throughout. If you're in a band, a songwriter, or want to get into management, you should have this book tattooed to your brain before you sign something that turns your music career into nothing more than disaster fodder for VH1.

Brian Fagan first published this book in 1987 and an undated version was published in 2004. You want the updated version as it summarizes new developments and changes in thought in an introductory chapter.

What has not changed is the eternal dispute about when man first arrived in the New World. The conservatives, among whom one could probably include Fagan, say less that 15,000 years ago. The dissenters say 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. In a book for the general reader Fagan undertakes a careful summary of the evidence. He looks at the spread of Homo sapiens from their place of origin in Africa to the rest of the world. He examines the archaelogical evidence for man in Siberia -- the jumping off place for the New World -- and in Beringia, the now vanished land that linked Siberia and Alaska during the last Ice Age. He evaluates migration scenarios for paleo-Indians from Beringia south to the Americas and the archaelogical evidence from a multitude of ancient sites. Along the way, he illustrates the relevance of things such shovel-shaped incisors and linguistic theories. A thoroughly fascinating presentation!

The author has no ideological axe to grind but the weight of the evidence he presents supports the conservative view of a Paleo-Indian arrival in the New World about 15,000 years ago and a rapid dispersal reaching as far south as Chile by 13,000 years ago. But the evidence is thin and dissenters will find theories more to their liking also evaluated by the author. My opinion hardly matters, but I stand among the conservatives, However, I have a nagging doubt. How did those people get to Chile so fast? Is the famous Monte Verde site there mis-dated? Does hope still exist for for those who believe paleo-Indians arrived in the Americas 20,000 years ago?

Unlike many archaeologists, the author doesn't get lost in fascination with pottery shards or chopper blades, but keeps his eye on the goal of presenting a comprehensible, reasonable, scientific, and interesting tale of how the Americas may have become populated.

Smallchief

I enjoyed this very readable book. I first read it in 1988 and after doing so, actually went out and bought the thing. The author has some very nice theories as to the peopling of North America and is quite well able to back them up. The book is easy reading and logical. While not all may agree with the author's explanations, they do give food for thought. Recommend you add this one to your collection.

I first came across this book in 1990. I have read this book 4 times since then. The book is very easy to read and comprehend.

The saga of how Asians came across the land bridge following the mega fauna is very interesting. Based on speech and dental patterns, the history of at least two waves of people moving into North America and southward is unfolded.

Fagan explains how the evidence of the nomadic cultures was discovered and how this evidence shows how these people survived. From this discovery of Clovis points to group kills of now extinct species, Fagan tells a fasinating story of how the native Americans arrived here.

The extinction of the mega fauna, the land bridge, and ice age's impact on the peopling of North America are interwined into a good reading book.

I wish all anthropolgy books could read so smoothly!

Updating an older book on a broad and varied topic is a risky enterprise. If much work has been done in the ensuing years, a complete rewrite is usually in order. Too few results can fail to justify the reprise. Fagan's original effort on the peopling of the Western Hemisphere was an excellent survey. This edition is essentially that first account, with an explanatory chapter inserted at the beginning of the book. That technique has the advantage of warning the reader what to look for while going through the text. And while much new information has come into view, Fagan reminds us that the underlying questions about where "Native Americans" originated, and when, remain unanswered.

The human diaspora begins in Africa, some five million years ago according to Fagan - [recent finds emerged too late to appear here]. Unique among migratory species, Homo sapiens sapiens moved in but one direction. From our origins on the savannah, the author traces our path into north-eastern Asia. When conditions permitted, glacial ice having trapped enough water to reduce sea levels some 300 metres, these ancient Asians moved onto a lost continent now named "Berengia". This link between Asia and North America must retain evidence of human occupation, but retrieval from the sea bottom is difficult. Fagan describes the intense research into climatology, palynology and other fields to explain how the data has been accumulated over many years.

Hidden evidence provides opportunities for speculation and controversy and the studies of ancient Americans is rife with both. Fagan describes what research has revealed and reviews the suppositions drawn from the scattered and inconclusive evidence. Fagan examines the various theories of when humans entered the Americas and what dispersal paths they followed. He lists the dig sites with the opinions derived from the evidence, weighing the contending arguments with care and a considered detachment. Where dating is flawed or suspect, he resists ill-considered judgment, calling for further investigation. A few anomalous sites, such as Monte Verde in Chile and Meadowcroft in Pennsylvania receive extra attention. He's quick to praise diligent methods while readily disparaging hasty proclamations. The Pedra Furada site in Brazil, once extolled as "challenging ideas on the First Americas", is given a lengthy description, but is dismissed as poorly investigated and reported. As Fagan notes, tracing the movements of humanity in ancient times is a detective's work, with clues assessed only with extreme care.

Some points of contention the author passes over with summary evaluation. After his presentation of Paul Martin's thesis that the disappearance of large mammals was due to human predation, Fagan dismisses it. Climate shift, he states, changed the nature of plant life leaving these prey species bereft of fodder. Yet Tim Flannery, in two books published since the original edition of Great Journey, demonstrates that browsing and grazing species would have adapted to climate change. The timing of human occupation and megafauna extinction is too proximate to be ignored. The prime example of Maori hunting of moa species in New Zealand is symptomatic and well documented. Martin may have been wrong in details, but his basic thesis has withstood criticism.

These flaws don't negate the exceptional worth of Fagan's achievement in this study. It's a powerful and informative narrative of Western Hemispheric archaeology, its practitioners and their results. Starting with early views of the first European invaders, he explains how improved scholarship, better technology and disciplined approaches have clarified the picture of Native American life. Fagan provides photographs and maps for additional support of the text. This remains a valuable book, easily read and understood. It has not been replaced and will keep its well-earned reputation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This guide has everything you need to know about the 2007 wolverines. Great pictures, great articles. I highly recommend it. Go Blue!

You get excited when you see the maize and blue helmet on the cover of a magazine. Then you quickly read through the 2 page review on Michigan.

Then you realize the rest is about Texas P&Q university.

Now imagine the whole magazine was on Michigan - well imagine no more - this is that magazine. Keep a copy by the toilet, at your desk, by your bed, on the beach.. wherever you like to read.

Plus - you are supporting MGoBlog - the best blog site on the net.

Brian has the PhD in Michigan football. Brilliant analysis combined with humor make this THE book to read.

Brian Cook knows Michigan football -- backwards and forwards. If Fielding Yost were alive, he and Brian would be trading notes. The section on the stretch play alone is worth the sales price. Anyone who doesn't own this book can't seriously claim to be a Michigan fan.

Overall, this text is an excellent resource for the aspirant on the path of yoga. I highly recommend this text; along with an in depth study of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

I spent a few months reading the Sanskrit, the English, and discussing the content of this short text at the Yoga Society of San Francisco with a world-renowned scholar of Sanskrit. We not only used Akers translation, but we also used 2 other translations. Of all the translations I have read, I have found that Akers translation is the most accurate. However, the only drawback of this text is that it doesn't have the transliteration. It goes from Devanâgarî to the English. Thus, folks who cannot read the Devanâgarî of Sanskrit will find it challenging. But if you have no interest in reading Sanskrit and just want to read the English you are fine. My only advice is that before you perform the exercises in Chapters 2, 3, and 4, I suggest you seek out a guru who is a master of these practices. Because like most exercise routines they may vary depending on one's unique constitution and where one is on their spiritual journey.

If you would like to learn more about this text feel free to contact me at anthony@urbanyogis.com.

Review by Nârâyaa (Anthony) Biduck, Co-Creator of Urban Yogis [...]

Ably translated into English by Brian Dana Akers, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is the classic sourcebook on Hatha Yoga, written by an East Indian yoga master named Svatmarama in the fifteenth century C.E. to preserve for future generations his own experience and the wisdom of older works now lost. This faithful reproduction of the crucial text features the original Sanskrit side-by-side with the exacting English translation. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika reads as a selection of individual phrases describing the hatha yoga poses and giving insight into the spiritual nature of yoga. Black-and-white photographs illustrate several of the poses. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is an impressive and highly recommended reference for students and devoted practitioners of Hatha Yoga.

This is a unique translation of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Sometime in the 15th Century, Yogi Svatmarama put down his principals of the practice of Yoga. Many of these include the mysteries of Kundalini --the coiled center of energy close to the base of the spine. But there is a lot more here for the student of yoga, including photos of the various "asanas" or positions, health, diet and mental hygiene. If you read Sanskrit, this would be a treasure. If you don't, you still have a line-by-line translation of this ancient and honored work. It's like listening to the yogi himself as he lectures his disciples. Fascinating reading--and if you are a practicing yogi or yogini, you'll find this insightful.

The two best known English translations of Svatmarama's classical text on yoga from the Fifteenth Century are by Pancham Singh and Elsy Becherer. The former is 87 years old and the latter is a translation (with commentary by Hans-Ulrich Rieker) from the German, and is therefore twice removed from the original Sanskrit. Both books are out of print. Surprisingly there is virtually nothing else in English despite the fact that the hatha yoga teachings found in popular works, including B.K.S. Iyengar's celebrated Light on Yoga, are in no small part based on Svatmarama's text.

Brian Dana Akers brings us a new translation set with the English following the Sanskrit verse by verse. His style is straightforward, clear and elegant. He does not make the mistake of trying to translate yogic terms that are really not translatable, e.g., "nadi," "prana," "bandha," "mudra," etc. Instead he invites us to use a dictionary of yoga. He also makes the sly suggestion in his brief but graceful Introduction that "the scientifically minded do some empirical research. In a peaceful country, in a quiet place, free of all anxieties..." (p. xii)

Well, I have done some small research and I can tell you that Svatmarama knows whereof he speaks. I can also say along with Akers that I do not recommend some of Svatmarama's practices, (some of the "cleansing" mudras are unnecessary today; indeed they are dangerous) and clearly the old master exaggerates. However, his intention was not hyperbole. He spoke instead in what is called an "intentional language" that would guide teachers and advanced practitioners without confusing or revealing too much to beginners. This way of speaking is also called samdhya-bhasha ("twilight language") according to Georg Feuerstein. Thus a practice that allows one to become "young, even if old" may be distinguished from another practice that "destroys death," which in turn may be distinguished from one which leads to the place where "time is not."

Even though I first encountered the text almost 25 years ago and have read it several times, I did indeed find a dictionary helpful. I used Georg Feuerstein's definitive The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga (1997), but could have also used an English-Sanskrit dictionary to explore the more secular meanings of some words, which might have given me a better feel for some of the nuances of expression used by Svatmarama. To really appreciate Svatmarama's text perhaps this from Feuerstein might be helpful: "Language has the curious capacity to both disclose and veil the truth, and since ancient times the masters of India's spirituality have been especially sensitive to the possibilities and the limitations of linguistic communication." (Opus cited, p. 167) Rather than throw himself into the briar patch of Svatmarama's expression, Akers has wisely stepped to the side and let the text speak for (and against) itself.

But what is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? It is simply a course in how to obtain samadhi, or liberation or freedom from the pairs of opposites that dominate our lives. It begins with asana and pranayama and ends with transcendence. All of the postures so familiar to us, and all of the breathing exercises have but one purpose: meditation leading to pushing aside the veil of ignorance that characterizes ordinary existence. It takes a long time to get there. The "empirical research" that Akers recommends will be a project of years (unless of course one is particularly gifted).

What is not mentioned in Svatmarama's delineation are the ethical and spiritual considerations called the yamas and niyamas that we find in Patanjali. I recommend that the Hatha Yoga Pradipika be studied in conjunction with Patanjali's celebrated sutras as aids to your practice. They have much in common, but there are some significant differences. Svatmarama makes no concessions to political correctness nor to social or religious considerations. His text is indeed striking in its terse and single-minded, even profane, ambition. Quite simply there is a problem: bondage to samsara. And there is a solution: hatha yoga leading to raja yoga leading to liberation.

Brian Dana Akers and the people at YogaVidya are to be complimented for bringing this text to the general public and for doing so in a most attractive manner. This is the book you want after you have finished with the popular texts.

This is truly a masterpiece of editing. The author has truly done an outstanding job. This is a MUST book for any serious Higgins collector as well as anyone who enjoys beautiful glass. The author is certainly to be commended for this one of a kind work.

A "Must Have" for any serious Higgins collector. There is an almost overwhelming amount of information presented in a most organized manner. So many wonderful color photographs that I went into sensory overload. Loads of great, historical information and imagery. The only down side of the book is that the price guide is not representative of current market values but if looked at properly will still give you a good idea of how one pattern will relate to another in value. I wish other collectable genres had reference guides of this caliber.

this book starts to do justice to the wonderful inventive genius of michael and francis higgins, craftsmen and artistis, and the developers of advanced fused glass techniques. The book is steep at $60, but it's worth it for the great number of color plates. . . and if you know higgins glass, you'll know that a great many photographs were needed!

the only downside might be that the authors focussed too much on the dearborn years of mass-produced fused glass goods. This neglects somewhat the great variety and depth of studio work done by the higgins. But perhaps this is an apt subject for "adventures in glass, volume II".

If you want to collect Higgins glass, this book is an absolute must-have. The prices are outdated; with the recent death of Michael Higgins, I have seen pieces sell for double or triple the book's values. This is much more than a price guide, though. This book details the history of Higgins glass, their techniques, and how to identify what is and is not Higgins glass. There are several beautiful color pictures on almost every page, and I enjoy looking at them almost as much as I enjoy looking at the pieces in my collection.