Douglas Books

This is the second book by this master storyteller that features the adventures of U. S. Marshal Oscar Schiller. The story is set during the early 1900's in the Oklahoma Indian Territory and Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is replete with the author's vivid characters and graphic situations. Jones also sprinkles much colorful history throughout the story and this adds to the reader's enjoyment. His imperfect principal character and the period chosen for the plot have a close similarity to the PINKERTON EYE. The only negative factor in the book is that it's editor repeatedly substituted "Marshall" for the correct form, "Marshal." The author, Douglas Jones, died during production of the book and probably was not involved in reading proofs. I enjoyed every page of this book and enthusiastically recommend it to others.

What a masterpiece! This book is truly magnificent. Someday critics will review this historical fiction and recognize it for the great literature that it is. The audio version with Ed Sala's narration is perfection itself. Please read or listen to the audio version of this book. Great writers like this must be appreciated.

I love this book. It gives wonderful ideas on working with groups as well as individual enlightenment.

This book is full of practical suggestions for ways to think about, discuss, and reflect upon one's spirituality. As a bereavement coordinator at Hospice I will use these exercises to assist families as they grieve the death of a loved one and I will also use the exercises as training tools for those learning to care for the seriously ill and the bereaved.

When most westerners hear the term Tantra, they typically think of Oriental erotic sex using secret rites. In reality (a strange word to use in this context), the Tantra is Sanskrit and means to expand, spread like a universal "cosmic weave". Tantra deals with a spiritual sex that when applied correctly expands the horizon of the individual and subsequently that of society.

Nik Douglas, renowned for his previous works on erotica and the Orient, provides the definitive work on the Tantra with this intriguing work. The book provides a historical perspective, but is not limited to just the east or the ancients from which Mr. Douglas affectionately provides information. Instead readers are also guided through the interface of sexuality and spirituality in the Judeo-Christian philosophy, and in other western thought. Mr. Douglas also provides more fresh insight into spiritual sexual topics than this reviewer or her spouse has ever seen in any book, including college social science courses. Finally the book provides a section for those readers who want to delve deeper into this concept with a comprehensive list of other sources.

SPIRITUAL SEX - Secrets of Tantra From the Ice Age to the New Millennium is an intriguing nonfiction work that is clearly not for everyone. It is for anyone either interested in the New Age, Oriental philosophy that wants to set their spirit free, or is just plain curious about an intriguing new concept. Not only will they want to read this book, they will find themseves opening their psyches to an radically different but believable mindset. One warning : although sexual topics are graphically pictured and described, this is not a pornographic book. Those looking for a quick thrill, need to turn elsewhere because this nonfiction work is a serious tool designed to enhance the mind and body of the reader.

Harriet Klausner

A liberating and fascinating introduction to the historical evolution and practice of Tantric sexual ecstasy. This book goes a long way toward promoting a healthy understanding between men and women of their differing sexual personalities. Intriguing and candid, Nik Douglas' "Spiritual Sex: Secrets of Tantra from the Ice Age to the New Mellennium" deftly explores how the concept of consciousness expansion, human sexuality and spirituality are intricately bound. His detailed review encompasses not only the historical origins and nature of Tantra, but also its diffusion and practice in the Judeo-Christian sphere. The author's thorough presentation of Tantric sexual techniques, culminating in "The Tantric Great Rite of the Five Essentials", offers a no-nonsense guide for serious seekers of sexual ecstasy. The abiding relevance of "The Science of Tantra" and "The New Tantric Sexual Paradigm" is clearly articulated in the closing chapter. The works useful "Chronology: People and Events Pertinent to Tantra, in a Historical Context", its exhaustive bibliography and comprehensive listing of germane Internet sites render this scholarly book an invaluable reference tool. Highly recommended reading.

One of the best books I have ever read! It will be in my heart forever. I just didn't want it to end and can't wait to get my hands on "A Squirrel of One's Own". It is really a treasure.--Lee Ratcliffe, Portland Oregon2002

I had seen reference to the book "A Squirrel Forever" many times in my quest for information on squirrels...

I had NO IDEA that this guy is such a FANTASTIC author...I laughed, I cried, I LOVED the book so much, I was following people around reading it to them.. It was as if I had written the book myself...

I was a little partial to the book though as I too had a baby squirrel in my house... The book is hilarious, educational, and somewhat scary... His other book "A Squirrel of Ones Own" is also excellent

2 thumbs up!

Unless you speak/read German, this is as good as it gets. Not only is this most comprehensive compilation of relative values of German States issues, but the other information helps with the overall history lesson. This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST for anyone at the German coin beginner/intermediate level of collecting, and I suspect it has become quite useful to the advanced collectors/dealers.

Krause Publications has brought under one cover the vast numismatic production of the German cities, states, and colonies from 1600 to date. Every serious collector of German coins needs this book. This book is a real bargain because it eliminates the need for the German coin collector to purchase Krause's regular world coin books that are now broken down into different centuries (this single volume pulls information out of the four volumes that would otherwise be required).

Here are some good points:

1. Collectors of Thalers will be pleased to see Davenport numbers incorporated in their favorite areas.

2. Numerous illustrations aid the collector in identifying unknown coins.

3. Prices appear in at least four grades for each coin.

4. Helpful sections include an "Instant Identifier" with illustrations of various coin designs specific to a particular area, and "Legend Abbreviations" which give the collector a big leg up in identifying coins based on the legends alone.

5. A decent attempt is made at listing Pattern pieces (those coin designs never officially adopted).

Here are a few areas where the book could be better:

1. Prices appear to reflect the American market for German coins which, in many cases, is substantially lower than the German market for the same coins.

2. Some of the States higher in the alphabet (Saxony, for example) seem to be lacking data on the earliest coins.

3. I'd like to see the Pattern section expanded and possibly include the numbers from Schaaf's reference book on this area.

4. Cross-references to Jaeger (the German "Guidebook") would be helpful to our friends across the big pond.

Lest I appear too critical, let me state that the positive impact of this book and the obvious time and effort that went into its production are immensely important. No other reference on German coins comes anywhere close to matching the sheer volume of information contained herein. No other single book opens up the world of German coins like this book does. Thus, whether you're a beginning or an advanced collector, this book should be an essential part of your reference library.

Douglas Cooper's Steel Shadows is a gem. Although it is specifically about Pittsburgh, it is really about how we see, portray, and interact with the landscape around us, urban or rural. Cooper is first a wonderful visual artist, and has allowed us a rare glimpse into his methods here. Rather than look far afield for his subject matter, he has taken on the challenge of visioning his native city, in immense and powerful murals, which are remarkably well re-produced in the book. Cooper can also write, and illustrates with his words the process of producing the murals and the logic behind them. Together, his drawings and text serve to usher us into the world of Pittsburgh, that singularly muscular and angular American city, and to cast some light on what it is to be an artist at the top of one's game, working hard to make that art - in this case drawing - relevant and useful in a changing world. A very pleasing, entertaining, and thought-provoking book.

Imagine you are standing at the top of a cliff in a hilly city or on top of a skyscraper in a flatter one. Slowly rotate 360 degrees, taking in all that you can see as you turn. Then imagine doing the same thing 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago and work older landscapes into your contemporary ones. Then imagine wrapping all that you see and imagine onto a flat surface. I don't think I could actually do that - but Douglas Cooper can and has. Cooper's new book, STEEL SHADOWS, does three distinct tasks. It offers an insightful autobiographical sketch on how Cooper, an architect/professor at Carnegie Mellon University, came to draw the way he draws. Writing in a naive style, he recounts 2nd grade experiments on perspective, his education at Carnegie Tech, his sojourn to Europe to study buildings, and the evolving style which puts myriad angles continuously onto a flat piece of paper in a way which makes sense - to the viewers as well as to Cooper. The second task is to help the reader fall in love with the landscape of Pittsburgh as Cooper did, first as a 6-year-old enamoured of trains. Cooper's drawings in STEEL SHADOWS, excellent reproductions of the massive murals installed permanently in a variety of sites in Pittsburgh, give one the feel of the steep mountainsides, winding streets, and crumbling industrial landscape of the city. Cooper seems to love it all, and his amazing drawings draw us into his love affair. The third element of STEEL SHADOWS is an illustrated collection of writings on Pittburgh including excerpts from architectural historian Franklin Toker, poet Peter Blair, writer Annie Dillard, historian William Serrin, and novelist Marcia Davenport. My favorite excerpt in the last section is actually by Cooper, himself. "Living with Meg across from Forbes Field" allows him to indulge in his second passion after Pittsburgh: baseball. Along with stunning drawings of the old ball park, Cooper tells us of the neighborhood of South Oakland, life in the bleachers in Forbes Field, and his life as a young married man sitting on his porch directly across the street from Forbes Field waiting for foul balls to be hit out of the stadium and to him. One might question whether this book would be interesting to those who are neither artists nor Pittsburghers. I am not an artist, but as a longtime fan of Cooper's work, was intrigued with his thoughts about how he came to draw the way he does. His writing is simple but not simplistic; even technical sections were clear to me, a layman. I am a Pittsburgher, so cannot state how one from another city will enjoy STEEL SHADOWS. Cooper's drawings, though, transcend the specific place he portrays. His urban landscape and his vision of the ways in which places and times come together have universal appeal. It is Pittsburgh that he draws, but it is Cooper himself as well as his city that we see.

Some 39 of the best Texas writers get a chance to tell about themselves with essays about favorite meals, stories about growing up, and recipes that have special meaning. It's a wonderful way to showcase some of the best writers in the country -- letting us have a slice of their personal life. Entertaining stories from Kinky Friedman, Liz Carpenter, Naomi Nye, Robert and Jean Flynn, Molly Ivins and many others. And some of these folks can actually cook. The author, Deborah Douglas, writes witty, insightful essays as introductions to each of the writers' pieces. There's even a web site for the book.

This is a fresh look at some (most?) of Texas's most talented literary sons and daughters. Whether you're following Cindy Bonner's recipe for Bohemian Kolaches or soaking up some of Clay Reynold's Texas attitude, this book is an easy read. And Deborah Douglas's intros are insightful and funny.

I was floored when I finally got my hands on a copy of this book. The number and quality of the pictures is outstanding. Though there are both photos and drawings (I usually prefer photos) the level of detail in each hand drawn illustration is first rate. Illustrations are of recovered artifacts, both those with a known purpose as well as some who's purpose is as yet unknown. Descriptions and additional pictures of the use of the tools/artifacts makes this book a fine addition to any bookshelf.

It's been awhile since I picked it up, but I was impressed by the ease with which a layperson could understand the intricacies of the lore and ethnology of the Native Americans. The photographs and drawings are beautiful, the information about artifacts and culture are accurate.

In Straight Talk: Turning Communication Upside Down For Strategic Results At Work, Eric Douglas draws upon his considerable business management expertise to show how anyone can identity their own communication style, as well as that of others, and modify that style for improved strategic results. Highly recommended reading for business managers at all levels of responsibility for corporate affairs, Straight Talk offers exercises, surveys, and real-life case studies to enhance the reader's telecommunication skills and effectiveness, and demonstrates how competent communication can play a significant, vital role to solve today's most urgent organizational problems and difficulties.

The author skillfully weaves case studies with practical tools to give you a very complete look at strategies and techniques for guiding group communication. For couples it's also great, because the Communication Styles Survey gives you instant insights into your relationship. Highly recommended for anyone in a consulting role.

This book is a good survey of modern religions and how they work in history as they "flew" out of Zoroaster's nest. I wish everyone would read this book but most people of faith hide their heads in the sand. The author does not deal with the legends that are ascribed to prophet messiahs - being gods, virgin births, and other miracles - her concern is the teachings of Zoroaster's and how it evolved and how it has shaped the religions that followed.

Ever wondered:
What is a "revealed" religion?
How the world's religions are related?
If religions change over time?
What would someone from another intelligence think about today's religions?
What relevance religions have in our modern world?
& who was Zarathustra?

STRANGE BIRDS FROM ZOROASTER'S NEST is one beautifully written, strange read! Strange as in exciting! Laina Farhat-Holzman covers, in accessible & witty language, the millennia of our expressions of faith, & our need to make predictable/perfect the random/chaos of our existence.

Any book that explains The Mystery of Human Religion in under 300 pages while offering some of the Biggest Thoughts we mortals have posed, is worth reading.

If you have ever heard of or wondered about Zoroastrianism, then this is the book for you.

RebeccasReads highly recommends STRANGE BIRDS FROM ZOROASTER'S NEST for everyone wondering the how & the why of the sources of our religions, & their influences in today's world.