Burns Books

Remember how in the 1960s and 1970s "human potential" was such a big deal, and people were digging around in psychic phenomena and roll-your-own religion, and then Uri Geller got busted on the Tonight Show and it all went away overnight?

Oh, wait, that didn't happen, did it? Hm. Well, you ought to read this then.

Published in 1981 as "human potential" gave way to "New Age", this is one of Martin Gardner's classic essay collections, a four-fifths-century update on the high weirdness that infected pop culture over the previous twenty years. It's a sequel of sorts to Fads and Fallacies, Gardner's seminal 1952 work that laid the grounds for future skeptical writing, and includes the original 1951 essay "Hermit Scientists" that led to the creation of the latter book. From there, SGBB covers widely varied grounds, not only the aforementioned psychic phenomena (in which a great many of the leading lights of paranormal research such as Rhine, Puthoff, Targ, Sarfatti, and others, are revealed as disturbingly credulous for experienced scientists), but magic, Sherlock Holmes, televangelists of the 1970s, Steven Spielberg (Gardner's review of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was incredibly negative and foresaw many future reviewers' complaints about Spielberg's perceived superficiality), and abuses of astrophysics and quantum mechanics that were directly ancestral to the handwaves of Deepak Chopra and others who invoke "quantum" as a thought-stopping cliche. Gardner, who has long held that knowledge of magic is critical to evaluating claims of the paranormal, provides some interesting hints of the world of magic (a longtime hobby of Gardner's) as background to many of the paranormal items, and extensive discussions of how honest researchers can produce bad science permeate the book.

Gardner has always taken the position that mockery is better than detailed refutation when the patently ridiculous is discussed, and does not at any point spare the snark. He gives many references for the reader experienced in periodical searches, and provides (as he did in "Fads and Fallacies") postscripts to update the subject matter to the time of publication, as well as rebuttals by many of the subjects of his essays (often followed up with counter-rebuttals from himself or others). Almost half the book is book reviews, many of which include extensive background stories relevant to the books.

This book remains in print almost three decades later, and with good reason -- much of the material it criticizes remains as strong as ever, within a culture that increasingly demands of its members more and more credulity for fear of being labeled as intolerant. Gardner's message, over his nearly 60 years of writing, has consistently been to remind people that evidence overrides everything -- be open-minded, but not so much that your brain falls out. If you must navigate today's woo, you must also know about yesterday's, and there is no better book than this for the woo of the '60s and '70s.

There is little I can add to the excellent comments already presented here. The only thing that could have improved this volume would have been a bibliography.

Gardner, in his usual fine style, tackles biorhythms, ESP, quantum theory, black holes, faith healing, and much more. The collection also includes letters from readers and the author's replies, which make the book especially intriguing. A large collection of fascinating topics.

Great book. Kept me fascinated throughout. Prefer Michael Shermer, but I loved this one nonetheless.

I first read this book almost twenty years ago and even though some of the events and principals have faded into oblivion, the basic theme has not. While there are some negative consequences of science, in many ways they are secondary to the enormous benefits. The number of ways in which the scientific approach has benefited our lives are clearly too numerous to mention. And yet, there are those who, largely for personal gain, choose to ignore it when it is advantageous to do so. When that advantage is financial, we can at least understand them, even while we consider them despicable. The saddest of all are the ignorant masses who fall victim to the nonsense that the charlatans dispense.
In this book, Gardner primarily takes on the purveyors of pseudoscientific nonsense rather than the followers, debunking ESP, UFOs and other views that fly in the face of mountains of scientific data that has been painstakingly accumulated and repeatedly verified. There are simple, effective counter arguments against most of the areas of pseudoscience, and Gardner quite effectively makes them, at times properly separating the arguments when they need to be separated. For example, the idea of life after death and mediums communicating with the dead are two separate issues. One can expose the false medium without proving that there is no life after death. It would be so simple for any departed spirit to send a special message that would be conclusive proof that they were alive, and yet no medium has ever managed to do it. The best that is offered is a general "all is good here" style of drivel, which means nothing.
My favorites in these stories are always those that invoke the giant conspiracy explanation of events. Especially hilarious are the proponents of UFOs who firmly believe that the U.S. government has conspired for over fifty years to hide information about crashed alien space ships. I am the first to admit that governments lie to the people, but to believe that such a secret could be kept for so long is ridiculous.
The entire scientific world owes a debt to Martin Gardner for his courage in taking on those who are either very gullible or who are willing to prey on the gullible, all in the name of pseudoscience. To me, the wonders of science dwarf the petty "accomplishments" of the crackpots and sleazeballs he writes about in this book. Much of it is human nature at its' worst.

This book, as well as Joe Burns' other Goodies titles, are wonderful, down-to-earth instructions for "common folks" to learn how to create their own website. The only bad part of any of them is that many of the links listed in the books are obsolete and don't work. Time for a new edition, Dr. Burns!!! If you want to make your own website and know nothing about it, these are the books for you.

This is yet another great book by Joe. Joe Burn's is a unique technical author that writes as if he is talking to you. I recommend this book to anyone-that includes the non-technical folks--interested in setting up his/her own website. WHY? Because this book IS for beginners. It is written in a simple to follow, easy to read style. I wish more technical authors would follow Joe's simple style for their writing. Highly recommended!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

PS this book helped me open my own website!

Joe Burns has done an incredible job putting together the most useful information on creating your site. The first few chapters are so useful, I cannot believe I did not do all of the recommended things before.
Now I am much more confident the site I am working on will be more appealing, and target the visitor, their needs/wants, and not what I like.
This is a must read, if you do nothing else, read his chapter Two, on, "Before you write a Word". If more people read this book, there would be a lot more GREAT and SUPER web sites, as opposed to the spattering of GREAT one's now. It is worth taking the time to stop doing what you are working on, and read this book.
He is a bit opinionated, however, 95% of his thoughts are right on, and I have already seen it work on my new site.. You will not find chunks of code, or cookie cutter templates here, but you get the design concepts, and how to make your pages stand out and get visitors that want to come back.

Web Site Design Goodies is a pefect book for beginners but not for novices and experts. Some of the pros of this book is that it contains many critiques (not reviews - it offers as much advice for imporvement rather than just ridicule) of websites and lists some of the common mistakes beginners make. I also found his chapters on site identification and promotion quite useful. Some of the cons on the otherhand is that it does not cover advanced topics such as transparent gif tricks, complex tables, etc, and that the author repeats himself on certain subjects far too many times. Bottom line: get it if you are a beginner, don't get it if you are anything more than that.

"Not returning an email is the Web's equal to being ignored by a clerk. I don't mean setting up a program that sends a nice form-style thank-you-for-writing letter. Users want an answer from you."

Yes, and I'm a bit behind this week. :> I also hate those form letters. arrgggg

This is a great book for anyone who is starting out and wants to try to figure out who their site is for and why people will want to visit their site. This was the first thing I thought about when creating mine, but often people just have an idea and run with it. With the advice in this book, you can :

Plan your site for your audience
Create meaningful text and navigation
Add images and other visual enhancements
Communicate with your visitors
Find the best ways to promote your site

Joe Burn?s has a HTML Goodies Web site and there you can learn HTML, JavaSCript and other website creation tools. He has been creating websites since the first version of Mosaic was released. Since then, he has taught thousands of people to build great websites. Including me. ;) Well, I do the best I can.

A lot of people think building a website is very difficult because they think you have to know HTML, but the truth is, if you get FrontPage, you don?t have to know very much.

The Contents Include:

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
Before Your Write a Word
Begin the Design
Your Site and Your Server
Text and Color
Links, Links, Links
Images and the Visual
Hello? Anybody Here? How Many?
Outside HTML
Promoting Your Site

There are great ideas like looking at who your competitions is, finding out how you want to design your template, choosing a font that can be read and making your site more well-known by word of link.

The author is also "so" correct about his ideas on "critiquing" other sites. That is a great idea because then you learn what you like and don't like. One of my main concerns was navigation.

There is also some great advice on domain names and what you should avoid. I guess using "the" in my one name isn't suggested, but then again, it has worked for me.

While I'm not so concerned about how to read HTML, I do like having a basic understanding. There are some tags and their functions listed on pg. 140.

For the longest time, I had no idea what the difference between a "hit" and a "visitor" was.

I just purchased my own URL for another 9 years. I'm in this for the long haul! People say they sometimes get lost at my site in a good way, so I think this book helped me.

It is strange, but when I first put up my site, I had webmasters arriving from who knows where telling me what I was doing right and wrong. It was the best thing to ever happen to me in regards to my site. If you are willing to take constructive criticism about the construction of your site, you will find people are very willing to give great advice. Of course if they tell you to change the background on every page, run, run, run quickly.

Well, the way I've built my site, I have no idea how that would be done unless I go to every single page. I assume there is some logical secret, maybe just changing the one image would solve the entire conundrum.

Great book for anyone just getting started. This has lots of the basics. You can also visit his site for added information.

~The Rebecca Review

I thought this was a well written, well researched book about a topic that means quite a bit to me; mainly football and Barcelona. I love the sport and I love the city. If anyone has an interest in football and history, I would recommend "Barca" to them. (Also, a funny picture of Jose Mourinho when he was assistant manager there in the 90's, during the short time Ronaldo was there). Catalunya is like no place on earth in the way its football is played and coached, followed and loved by the people of the region who live their lives in support of their football club.

Let me first say that I am very bias. I've been an FCB "soci" since 1981, played in their youth system for a couple of years, and by and large am one of the many fans that buys into the whole "Mes que un Club" mantra.

So understanding that, let me just say that Jimmy Burns has done a fantastic job helping the reader understand how history has shaped the meaning of "Mes que un Club". Part history, part sociology, Burns discusses the club's history, both real and invented, that pushed FCB into being the opposition to Real Madrid.

Keep in mind this is more than a book on the Club. Burns adeptly weaves the Club and the sport with Catalan politics and identity. Always balancing the passions of "Cules" with the machination of the member's of the board, one truly gets a sense of the depth of history and passion behind the Club.

The reader learns some of the details behind some of FCB lore, from the Di Stefano controversy, the Kings Cup match against Real Madrid after the Civil War, to the famous field invasion that erupted into a pro-Catalunya demonstration toward the end of the Franco regime. Some of the myths are debunked, but in all, the Clubs history is given a fair shake.

Keep in mind - On the downside, Jimmy Burns does favor the Catalan club, more times than not. He doesn't approach the topic dispassionately.

As a follow up to A Peaople's Passion, another great read on Spanish football can be found in Phil Ball's excellent book, Morbo. It touches upon the unique history of Spanish football from it's roots in the mines of Huelva, through the use of the sport in identity politics, particularly in the Basque Country and Catalunya.

Reading this book is simple amazing. I bough it because I am a truly FC BARCELONA fan, however this books goes beyond that, it explains very well the relationships between Spanish recent history and soccer, finally I am able to understand the frivolity between this winner team and others, more related to social and political issues than only sports.

Very well documented, fair, balanced and a treasure for anyone who really wants to learn how important soccer is in many countries. Highly recommended. Congra and my appreciation for your work Mr. Burns

I highly recommend this book for Barca fans and for general football fans alike. Not only does Burns write about the great players and personalities of the club, he also places them into a historical context.

This was one of the great surprises of the book. He spends considerable time placing Barca's history into the context of the Spanish Civil War and resulting Franco era. Students of Spanish History would do well to read this book.

Overall, I enjoyed it greatly, and hope to read more of Burns' football books.

This book provides a great overview of the history of the club, its stars, the machinations of its ruling junta, and the passion of the cules, all against the backdrop of Catalonia's political struggle for identity and independence within Spain. Burns provides some nice historical details and great anecdotes, but, as is to be expected considering the hundred year focus of the book and the complexity of 20th century Spain, necessarily deals with some of the political history in a less comprehensive manner.

Although it at times extremely well-written, the book could have done with tighter editing (hence, 4 stars). Burns repeats his descriptions of individuals and events in subsequent pages and at time his prose is florid and unfocused. Pretty minor complaints, however. Although not uncritical, Burns clearly appreciates what Barca have achieved. He also questions how the club will adjust, or might be changed, in the new century. Overall, the book is an excellent read, and continually succeeds in portraying the people involved as just that, people with passions and short-comings. At the end, you understand why the club embodies true football, why it inspires such passion, and why it's such an important part of Catalonia. Forca Barca!

Lily's life becomes a nightmare when her baby daughter suffers terrible burns from a household accident. Suddenly, she is treated with suspicion and the state charges her with child abuse. Their daughter is taken out of their custody and she and her husband Jack begin a battle to prove their innocence and get her back.

The book deals with the results of this crisis on a typical family. How they pull apart from each other and how they learn to grow together again. It also tells of the effect on the 2 other children at home and what needs to be done for them.

At times the book is frightening as we realize just how quickly things can change in our life but we also come to realize the great power of love.

This is one of those books that you just won't be able to put down!! It is emotional from so many angles- the reader can't help put feel for all those involved equally at the same time. And, on a very different note, for anyone who knows the passion that can surround the art of cooking and restaurant life-you will surely enjoy this text. Ms. Basch nails down well the romance that surrounds the creation of wonderful foods. (You're all going to want to take cooking classes!) Somehow she brings together the sorrow of this family with the eroticism of food and makes it work very well. Enjoy!!

I literally couldn't put this book down. I read it one sitting, staying up late into the night to see it to its conclusion. As a parent, I was horrified at how the wrongful allegations of abuse affected this family and by how difficult it was for them to defend themselves. At the same time, I was moved by the complicated nature of a mother's love for her children. The descriptions of familial relationships in this book (husband/wife, mother/child) ring so true. What a great novel. I can't stop thinking about it.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. One of my own personal parental fears is having my child taken from me by the state, so I often found it an unsettling read. While the characters of the children could have been developed a bit more, this is a minor point in what is a thoroughly absorbing story. In addition, I found the author's observations about marriage, spouses, and family to be quite insightful.

This story went straight to my heart and hit a deep nerve. I couldn't believe what this family had to endure--one of my greatest fears that everthing wonderful about my life could go sour in the blink of an eye. Well written and thought-out. There was one thing that bothered me: when the mother was warned that Ben was very upset and needed counseling, why didn't she immediately act? Otherwise, worth reading!

It was an OK read, however, I would have liked more stories about her job instead of her.

This book has very accurate illustrations. It is very helpful for people who are interested in fossils, and everything that has to do with collecting them. It is easy to understand, and interesting to read over and over.

Discovering Fossils: How to etc
by Frank A. Garcia

Frank Garcia is not what anyone could call a conventional hide bound paleontologist. Garcia writes with the flair of an impromptu comedian and when it comes to paleontology he has a child like wonder of the natural world that is very infectious. While this work is a fairly basic guide to fossil collecting it covers several different areas and numerous types of fossils that are relatively common. If your planning an outing with your family and kids, (or in my case grandkids), and you & they have an interest in the hobby, this is an excellent, informative guide. Many relatively easy to find types of fossils are shown. The last thing Mom or Dad need is to take the kids collecting and not find anything. This book covers all the basics, has tips for new collectors and is entertaining besides.
I don't know if Frank still does site trips any more but if he does, I highly recommend going on one. You will learn more about practical paleontology in two days with Frank Garcia than you will sitting in a class room for a semester. Whether its spotting a rare valuable sharks tooth at 20 yards in Bone Valley or while moving at a dead run pointing out a 4/5's buried saber cat skull in Nebraska, Frank has bionic eyes. A word of caution, never, ever let him show you a mastodon.

In Frith,
Spence The Elder

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc"
M. Addams

Frank Garcia pierces the veil of paleontology and brings you right down to the surface of your own dig.

This book is the best fossil reference book for the casual collector as well as a great addition to any science or teacher's library where geology and-or paleontology are included.

Written in a very down-to-earth style, the book walks you step-by-step through the basics of why fossils exist, where you will find them, how to properly (and safely) collect them and what to do when you get them home or back to the classroom.

Any family that includes fossil-hunting in their vacation, home-school or travel plans should pack this book along for the added benefit of the wide range of fossils identified within.

Any teacher who brings students to potential fossil or geology sites on field trips should include readings from this book BEFORE heading out as well as keeping it handy while in the field.

There's enough packed into this book that every school library science section should include this volume if budgets restrict purchases.

It's a great gift for the budding fossil collector and an excellent addition to a serious collector's library.

The soft, but protected cover, makes it safe to handle in the field.

Take my advice - purchase two: one for the field and one for the desk or prep table.

A very good guide book to get started in collecting fossils. Great advice on equipment, locations and methods for collecting. The illustrations of typical specimens are extremely helpful in identifying finds. Mr Garcia writes with a great wit and a genuine love of science. His matter of fact story telling coupled with the excitement of discovery makes it obvious that to him, science is a verb.

The identity "Europe is the faith and the faith is Europe" encapsulates this narrative, which reveals the combined threads comprising the tapestry of European national and eccelesiastical history.

I greatly enjoyed this book and it really helped me make sense out of Roman Catholicism, European cultural diversity and subsidiarity, and where things went wrong with the Reformation.

I highly recommend it to readers, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and atheist or pagan all alike, who desire a more full understanding of our ancestral faith, culture and origins. However I think Americans will benefit from reading this most of all since it explains a lot of things one would never know about European culture growing up here in the States.

This is a look at European history from 20,000 feet. Belloc describes four major transitional periods:
1. From pagan to Christian Rome during the Empire.
2. From Empire to Dark Ages.
3. From Dark Ages to Middle Ages.
4. From Middle Ages to Reformation.
Among the important themes Belloc highlights:
1. Roman tradition and influence runs deeply and continuously through European history. By so demonstrating, he debunks the myth of the "master race"--a popular theme among his intellectual contemporaries. Pity so few listened to him.
2. It was the Catholic Church that held Europe together through the centuries, the glue of our civilization. In his own words, "Europe is the church, and the Church is Europe."

I found his analysis of Empire to Dark Ages particularly helpful. Belloc makes good sense out of the period's confusingly intertwined barbarian and Roman influences and its complex political and military dynamics. Bottom line: the Roman Empire was never conquered from without; in reality, it changed gradually but profoundly from within, all the while retaining its vital social and spiritual roots.

Belloc's review of the Reformation, especially Britain's leading role in destroying the Unity of Faith, makes for sad, surprising and sobering reading even today. (For a much fuller and yet more moving treatment, read Belloc's "How the Reformation Happened.")

For Belloc, the European ideal came during the Middle Ages, when people were unified in faith and hungered for truth more than riches. By his day, Europe had reached new lows of disunity, sophistry, and capitalist greed. Belloc was one of the few prominent thinkers to see these evils early on and predict their awful consequences. Although his subject was history, I think Belloc was writing with an eye to the future, in the hope that we might understand the errors of our past and correct them before too late.

Hilaire Belloc's EUROPE AND THE FAITH is a concise historical account of how the Catholic Church authorities and teachers helped save European Civilization through two "Dark Ages" and perserved Ancient Greek and Roman Civilization. Belloc briefly explains how Catholics enhanced that civilization and kept Europe relatively stabilized.

Belloc explains how the Europeans still benefit from Catholic institutions and thinking. He gives readers an insight why the Ancient Romans, for all of their faults, were important to European civilization. The Romans taught "Europeans" civil engineering, law, letters, administration, etc. One should note that the Catholic Church preserved such achievements once the Catholic authorities were recognized and acquired some political control.

Belloc's explaination of the "Fall of the Roman Empire" is interesting. The Roman Empire did not collapse via barbarian invasions. The fact is that those men whose armies defeated other Roman armies considered themselves Romans. These men may have had Gothic or Germanic names but considered themselves Roman. These were men who were recruited by the Romans, and these men considered themselves Roman. For example, Alaric whose soldiers looted the city of Rome c. 410 AD, was a Roman commanded whose troops stopped an invasion of Germans. When Alaric and men were not paid, he looted the Rome to satisfy what was owed. Roman commanders whether they had Latin, Gothic, or Germanic names, would have never considered attacking the "empire." They would and did fight for control within the Roman Empire. Belloc makes this very clear.

One should note that when Atilla the Hun (c.450-454 AD)and his forces were defeated at the Battle of Chalons in 451, there were Latins, Goths, etc., who fought against the Huns whom they considered as outside invaders. Again, these men who fought against the Huns considered themselves Romans.

During the first "Dark Ages," (c.500-800), the Ancient Roman Empire did not collapse nor was invaded so much as local rulers of the Roman Empire carved areas of control for themselves due to lack of a strong central government in Rome. The men of this era known as "The Dark Ages" kept Roman Law, the Latin language, Roman administration, etc. The Catholic monks and authorities kept these united to a limited degree because these men were or became Catholic. The earliest Catholic monks preserved old Roman learning which is why European Civilization survived.

Belloc briefly describes the situaiton on the British Isles whereby the Irish adhered to the Faith which they helped to extend to England. The other impact of the Catholic Church in England in the sixth and seventh centuries came from the European continent and from the Papacy in Rome. The latter influence dominated the Anglo-Saxons for centuries.

Belloc gives brief mention of the importance of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages (c1000-1350). The Crusades galvanized Catholic Europeans against the force of Islam. The Moslems were culturally advanced, and they were successful in expanding the religion of Islam. Belloc contends that the Crusades were a continuation of previous clashes between Europeans and Moslems which is accurate. The Crusades put the Europeans on the offensive and protected the Europeans.

Belloc gives a short explanation of Medieval Universities and the rich use of reason in Scholatic philosophy. Brief mention if given to the work of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)whom Belloc gives high praise. This may have been the acme of Catholic thought. Contrary to popular notions, Medieval teachers and students were intellectually active. One should know that the Popes and other Catholic authorities were unusually tolerant of these men.

Belloc's explanation of the Reformation is solid. He is clear that the Catholic authorities made a bad impression on the faithful. Belloc cites the sterility of fifteenth century teachers and students who were often referred to as Nominalists because of their concern over "names" rather than ideas and important issues. Such intellectual sterility and corruption was bound to cause a protest. The Catholic authorites had faced such challenges before, but during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, they remained immune until the time was too late. Belloc also mentions that the religious enthusiasm and the desire of men to loot the Catholic Church were the reasons for the Reformation.

Belloc's explanation of the English Reformation is useful. The English monarchs, beginning with Henry VIII (1509-1547), had no idea of breaking with the Faith. However, once they did, the English nobility and middle class took advantage of the monarchs' weaknesses and manipulated them to their economic advantage at the expense of most Englishment.

Belloc diagnoses the results of this. One thing that Belloc makes clear is that there was/is no Protestant creed. In fact, the Protestant "Reformers" hated each other as much if not more than they hated Catholics. This is the reason the Protestant crowned heads made theology to avoid internal dissention. This lack of a creed has resulted in loss of values, economic averace, skepticism, and loss of coherent thought. In effect, many Europeans have lost direction and their civilization.

Belloc's book is highly recommended. His book should be on the shelf of every serious Catholic. Belloc should have given more emphasis to the Catholic Counter-Reformation and especially St. Ignatius (1491-1556) and the Jesuits as an example of Catholic renewal. Yet, this book is well worth reading and is thoughtful.

Throughout Hilaire Belloc's wonderful essay, he returns to his thesis: The Faith is Europe. And Europe is the Faith. Writing in early twentieth century England, with Europe the center of civilized consciousness, his thesis certainly rang true. Nearly a century later, his work and its theme still have profound relevance. For it is likely only a return to the Faith that can now save us.

Reading Belloc is a joy, whether you agree with him, or not. His writing reflects a scientist's precision, a philospher's discernment, a kindly friend's good humor, and an artist's awesome talent.

There is perhaps not a better overview of the history of European and Western Civilization extant than Belloc's "Europe and the Faith". Its truths are timeless. And its presentation is savory. But a certain caution is required. Reading Belloc can be addictive. However, as addictions go, "Old Thunder" is a good one. Read Belloc, and be prepared for a wondrous ride. For the Faith is Europe; and Europe is the Faith.

The subject says it all. Belloc is a master with words; I love reading him no matter his opinion. It is like sitting down listening to a friend who can express himself quite well.

His speculations are quite interesting, such as his idea about the fall of the Roman Empire, that it was simply a transition and not a fall. Many have tried to make the case but few so eloquently, albeit unsuccessfully. His assertion that the Roman Empire "in its maturity accepted the Christian faith" is breathtaking in its brashness, if not borne out by the facts. Oh sure, the people of the empire eventually "accepted" Christianity in place of their traditional faiths, accepted it being imposed by the point of a sword and law. There weren't many willing conversions of the heart after Constantine (and before Constantine the number of Christians in most parts of the empire were negligible).

This leads into why this book only receives two and a half stars. Belloc is an apologist, not an historian and he doesn't let little things like facts get in the way of his positions. He gets so many things wrong about the ancient world that I was forced to wonder how much he got wrong about the later periods that I'm not as well versed in. I found the latter parts of the book much more convincing perhaps for just that reason, he just didn't know his history of the Roman empire that well or chose to overlook things (actually in another of his works that I've read he says the apologist SHOULD overlook inconvenient facts).

Belloc's thesis is that the Catholic faith is Europe and Europe is the Catholic faith. He also claims that Rome is and was the bedrock of Western civilization even before Christianity was imposed on it. He makes the latter point--the importance of Rome--much more convincingly than he does the importance of Christianity to Western civilization. Europe, Rome and Western civilization existed long before Christianity. It now appears we will find out if it will survive without it.

Ancient Rome rapidly crumbled without its ancient "pagan" faith in the latter 4th and 5th centuries. It remains to be seen if we will do the same and crumble without our former faith or if we will find another way. Belloc's work is interesting if you view the situation with such a long-term view, albeit not one he would approve of.

This is the weakest of Belloc's books I've read--the Crusades is the best and deserves 4 or 5 stars (if I get around to reviewing it). This clearly rates two to three stars. I probably would have gone with my initial instinct to give this three stars but after reading the uncritical reviews others wrote of this book, two stars it is for balance. Read Belloc by all means but don't take him entirely seriously.

Christopher Klim delivers a suspensful, intriguing storyline through Boot Means' investigation of a demented arsonist. The reader becomes engrossed by the depth of the destructive twisted desires of the arsonist, as well as the human emotions of his victims. The search results in a climactic ending. I was surprised by this book, and can't wait to read the first novel, Jesus Lives in Trenton.

A. Tuzzolino, Howell, N.J.

Klim's suspenseful sequel to JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON kept me page turning until the end. Klim has clearly done his homework on pyromania for this book and lets us see what is in the mind of someone possessed by this twisted obsession. All of the characterization in the novel is excellent and the reader is immediately caught up in Boot Means' world. A good author makes the reader care what happens to the characters in the story and Klim clearly accomplishes this. If you're looking for a change of pace from the "standard" novel, this is the next book you should pick up.

If you like mysteries and thrillers, Everything Burns is a great read. It is a page turner and will keep your interest to the very end.

When I read and reviewed Christopher Klim's first novel, JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON, it was the title that grabbed me. After that I was hooked on its unlikely hero, Boot Means, and looked forward to the next book in the series. EVERYTHING BURNS is a surprising sequel in that it retains the streetwise humor of the first book while exploring a much more serious theme. There is no light side to arson that results in the death of children. Yet Klim manages to integrate wisecracking characters and dramatic action without confusing the reader. Though not an easy task, he has employed the same engaging combination of contrasts that we enjoyed in such shows as MASH and NYPD Blue.
At the end of JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON, Boot Means met his long lost Father, Charles Goodman, a wealthy Texas businessman who is eager to make up for his past neglect. Boot has a difficulty finding forgiveness in the heart that was broken as a child. A child who grew up knowing that his Father had left his pregnant Mother and that she later abandoned her infant to the foster care system. He grows up with a poor self image and his lack of self esteem contributes to his lack of success. Neither of which does much for his attitude. Yet, there is that phenomenon that causes a child to want to know his parents, no matter what. So, when things go bad in Trenton, Boot has a good excuse to head for Texas.
In the town of Concho, about an hour distant from his Father's ranch, our n'er do well photojournalist is once again seeking a permanent spot on the local newspaper. As he works to prove himself to Shep Newell, cranky editor of the Concho Democrat, Boot finds himself in the midst of mayhem caused by a serial arsonist. Though he establishes a comfortable camaraderie with Fire Marshall Ryan Galloway, "Gally" never lets him forget who is in charge. Boot observes, "I understand that if there existed infinite ways to phrase a sentence, Gally picked one that pissed off the most people."
Oscar Van Hise is revealed to the reader as the arsonist who is systematically working out his vengeance on the town and the people that he holds responsible for his screwed up life. He is portrayed as psychotic but not sympathetic. We don't for a minute buy any of his perverse justification for what he is doing despite his real or imagined suffering. Klim writes, "For all of his genius, he possessed the power to change everything but the past." And it is his past, greatly exaggerated in Oscar Van Hise's malevolent mind, that obsession festered and grew and will not cease until he completes his final masterpiece, an elaborate electrical fire designed to destroy the Concho Art Museum.
Despite all odds, Boot dogs this lunatic arsonist to the exciting climax. Regardless of barriers and betrayals, Boot Means emerges a hero. Not because he catches the bad the guy but because he does the right thing.

Is there a happy ending? Does Boot get the job? Does he get the girl? Will he be united with his Father? You'll just have to find out for yourself when you read, EVERYTHING BURNS by Christopher Klim.

Everything Burns is not the kind of book I read ordinarily. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover how much I enjoyed the suspense,compelling characters, the author's clever use of language, and exciting action in a good story.
Mr. Klim's knowledge of pyromaniacs and their psychology, and of electrical wiring is impressive. And of course, Boot's own story kept me reading, eager to discover what befalls him in the end.
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I was fascinated by the analysis of the early Christian house churches in Rome and by the fact that the office of a monarchical bishop developed relatively late (in the second half of the 2nd century) in the city of Rome. The social world of the early Christians and Jews in Rome becomes very much alive.

Being fairly ignorant of the early history of Roman Christianity, (or any early Christian history for that matter), "From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries" was just begging to be read. The book did not fail to impress or keep me interested.

Let me just say to begin with that Peter Lampe is very thorough in his approach and the scope of his study. Through this book, he looks into a variety of aspects within the Roman Christian community, using many different sources. Lampe looks at the locations within Rome where Christians tended to live, using a few different criteria. He also covers aspects of economic well-being within the Christian groups, and also what he calls "social stratification". Lampe also traces the origins of Christians, and tries to show where they tended to come from in terms of background and geographical origins. Lampe additionally looks at individuals, and how indicative they are of the community as a whole.

Lampe's use of different sources is impressive, and he is very thorough in this respect. Sources include literary sources, (Jewish, Christian, pagan, philosophical, etc), along with archealogical sources from the catacombs to quite detailed discussions on grave sites around Rome and more. Lampe also uses computer-compiled lists of names found in the region, as well as other scholar's work. Lampe also makes use of the New Testament, though is is far from uncritical, and he is quite cautious and careful in his application of its data. Overall, I have found Lampe to be a careful and methodical scholar in his use of sources.

Lampe also uses a lot of sources from Latin, Koine Greek and some other languages, (including French). While laudable, Lampe does not always provide translations in English, which can be somewhat frustrating at times. His quotations in Greek can be a paragraph long, and if you can't understand the language, you may miss out on some of the details.

Peter Lampe also has some interesting chapters on individual people, including Marcion, the woman in Justin's "Apology", (some interesting theories here from Lampe), the author of "The Shepherd of Hermas" and others. I personally enjoyed these aspects of Lampe's study immensely, as he was able to throw some light onto the more individual and personal aspects of early Roman Christian life.

Apart from the point about untranslated languages above, I found this book to be both informative and dynamic. At times, it can get a little swamped in the details, (such as tracing phrases and common motifs through various sources), but this is a rare thing. Usually, the book covers a lot of ground with flair and skill.

For a look at Roman Christianity as the evidence seems to point, Peter Lampe's book is very good and it is very thorough, with lots of references and good, generous helpings of footnotes. I am rather glad that I read it, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

This is clearly one of the best books about early Christianity and ancient social history that I have read.

On the basis of inscriptions, ancient texts and archaeological results the author paints a picture of early Christianity and its social world in a brilliant and solid way.

A great book, pathbreaking, and based on solid evidence.

This book will satistfy your spiritual thrist to understand the Blessed Virgin Mary. This book is a little difficult to read if you are new to Marian Devotion. This book is great if you are interested with the theological side of Marian Devotion (like myself). It is filled with devotions and prayers.

Reading this book brought me back to the Church. This book made me a devoted son of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

If you want to read a masterpiece and don't mind the theological part. Buy this book!

Maria Numquam Satis

This was one of the most fascinating books I have ever read on our Immaculate Queen, The Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Alphonsus Liguori crafted The Glories of Mary as if he were speaking to Mary as he wrote this magnificent creation. Mary comes alive in this book as St. Alphonsus quotes the many Saints who speak so glowingly and lovingly about the "treasure" we have in our Blesed Mother.

Mary, the Immaculate One is the most powerful Saint in Heaven who has saved, from eternal damnation, countless individuals who were devoted to her during their life times. You must read this book to discover how our Blessed Lady protected her loved ones. This book is for those who know little about Mary Immaculate and for those who would like to know more about our Immaculate Queen, the greatest Advocate in Heaven and on earth. I hard such a difficult time putting this book down to complete other duties. When I was reading this book, I felt such peace and joy that continues to remain with me.

I underlined so many important events, quotes from Saints, incredible descriptions of how our Blessed Lady saved her children. St. Alphonsus mentions in several locations the importance of praying the holy rosary to become closely attachd to Mary, the Mother of God! More than a great book, a masterpiece!

Chock full of heresy and blasphemy. If you want to attain Heaven, avoid this book.

If you are looking for great spiritual reading, you just can't do better than St. Alphonsus Liguori. And for all of his fantastic writings, you just can't do better than The Glories of Mary. Profound meditative fodder abounds on every page of this book! The Hail Holy Queen prayer, while beautiful, is a little obscure and hard to understand in our day, but you can count on St. Alphonsus to make this beautiful prayer fill your heart with love for Our Lady. He also writes about the Sorrows of Mary, the Virtues of Mary, the Marian Feasts, and also some prayers and special devotions to the Blessed Mother. This book is a treasure!

This book is a great source of meditation on the BVM. Unfortunately, it is an abridgment of Liguori's full work. Nevertheless, it does not disappoint, and provides a useful and complete mediation upon the Hail Holy Queen.

I self-published this book in 1994. Most independent reviewers, such as the New York Times, won't review self-published books. However, I did manage to get two independent reviewers to look at Hot Planet. Here is what they said:

"This is a tight, well-crafted novel about decades of environmental pollution overloading the ecosystem so much that runaway global warming is triggered in the not too distant future. Much of the action takes places in Arizona and California as radical environmentalists clash with the U.S. Government during a global heat wave that melts the south polar cap causing rising oceans and global catastrophe. This self-published novel is worthy of mass market distribution."
Books of the Southwest
Number 431, November 1994

"In a blistering novel with a penetrating 'what if' Burns carries readers through global implications of modern technology. The premise is likely, the threat imposing. A planet with melting ice caps, rising oceans, threatening coastal cities worldwide. In Tom Clancy-fashion, Burns briskly moves the reader through time and location, with generous use of scientific and government equipment, aircraft, ships, personnel... Apocalyptic plot, riveting prose, exciting read. Would make a terrific movie."
The Book Reader
Spring, 1995

More than ten years have passed since this novel was first published. Now, with heat waves occuring at more frequent intervals, more people believe in the concept of global warming. Hot Planet is a story that will never go away. Why? Because it's all coming true--everything I wrote about when I started this novel in 1990. Global warming will only get worse. Much worse. Indeed, Americans have no idea how bad things are going to get...

Michael Burns

I completely sympathize with the message of this novel: global warming is an urgent problem which people and governments -- especially in America -- should seriously address. But the novel doesn't work as fiction. The characters are wooden and lack credibility; the dialogue is cliche-ridden and unconvincing. It reads exactly like a political tract masquerading as a novel. I never had the sense that the writer got INSIDE his characters and really felt them as individuals with unique desires and histories and quirks. I never got a sense of ANY of the characters really FEELING the horrifying and sad reality of what a runaway greenhouse effect would mean. Instead, it was as if they were all mouthpieces for the author. But if that's all they are, it would have been better if Burns had simply written an essay or nonfiction book.

This is a novel about "Global Warming", a worst case senario. It's intelligent, captivating, educational one of those books that really makes you take notice of the luxuries we take for granite.

This should be required reading in schools for all ages. Read this book, change your ways and pass it on to a friend. Thank you Mr. Burns.

A friend of mine knows the author and the guy that did the cover artwork. He said I just had to read this book if I read no other all year. I read it and I was moved and enlightened beyond words.

Man what have we been doing all this time that we haven't even taken the time to realize what we're doing to our planet? We need to STOP, THINK, and PLAN for our future. This book really makes you open your eyes.

It has a great story, characters and plan of action. The cover art work is way cool as is the story. Si-Fi NO WAY! Action/Adventure, most definitely! Read this book, then have a friend read it and keep spreading the word. Time is of the essence.

You want a hot, seat of your pants read, then this is the book! It starts out a little slow but well worth it in the long run. Great story, great characters, food for thought.

Don't miss this book, we the people need to realize what we're doing to out planet and fix it. We can't wait any longer. Read this book for yourself and your family then tell everyone you know to do the same. Mr. Burns has true insight. This is not a Si-Fi book it has been misclassified by Amazon, it should be under Action/Adventure.