Henry Books

I loved this book. It starts with Henry being chased by the mob because of an article he wrote on Bugs Moran. The place is Chicago 1928. The action does not stop from there. Henry escapes to be offered an adventure to accompany Kate Prescott to the jungle to find her missing brother who went to the Brazilian Jungle and never returned. He did send letters home in which he mentioned looking for a Lost City. So of course Henry Wolfe the adventurer extradnoaire is intrigued. Along for the journey is a variety of characters including one of Henry's old friends Max. One of my issues with the book is it refers to a previous adventure which implies there is a book one which there is not. Through twists and turns this book holds onto you. I cannot wait to read another Henry Wolfe adventure so Travis Thrasher please hurry up and write. ;)

"Out of The Devil's Mouth" is Travis Thrasher's latest literary triumph! Thrasher himself tells of his resistance to be put into a box as an author and his newest tome definitely prevents that from happening. Within the circle of Christian writers, Travis certainly tests the boundaries. Out Of The Devil's Mouth is a fantastic tale of action and adventure in the tradition of Indiana Jones. Thrasher's hero, Henry Wolfe is every bit as likeable and humorous. The story takes place in 1929, starting with the infamous writer cum adventurer being dragged off by Italian mobsters in Chicago to meet his death for a story he wrote of their crime boss, but should that keep a good hero down? No, he successfully escapes to find he is wanted for hire for a dangerous excursion to the Amazon by the wealthy Prescott family of New York to find their missing son,Louis, who went to find a lost city that natives believe to hold secrets to eternal life. On a side trip, he is to travel to Key West to find his mentor and friend, French explorer, Max Joubert ( I couldn't help picturing a young Sean Connery in the movie role, haha, this would make a great flick!) Embarking on their journey is also Kate Prescott, Louis' feisty sister, some area natives, a doctor and sure fire Italian protector. What ensues is mystery, mayhem, terror and grand adventure, death for some and near-death for major players....will Max, Henry and Kate find Louis and escape impending death?? Can Kate's faith overcome Henry's disbelief?? Answering those questions would give far too much fun away! For all those who feel that Christian novels might be too preachy and a forum to push religion, I beg you to try Thrasher's novels,he is a strong talent producing unforgettable characters....I could NOT put this one down, it is his strongest effort to date and I eagerly await his thriller "Isolation" coming out later this year! Travis Thrasher is an unbelieveably wonderful, yet somewhat overlooked, gem of a writer, I have gone out and bought his whole collection and let me tell you, it was worth every penny! He should be noticed up in the ranks of Clive Cussler, Stephen King, and James Patterson: Travis Trasher Rocks!!! If you read only one author this year, make it Thrasher! I am hoping that Out Of The Devil's Mouth is only the beginning of a series of stories about Henry Wolfe! I LOVE this character and hated to see this story end! PLEASE do yourself a favor and read this great book! you willl NOT be sorry!!!! A++++++++++++++++

Writer/adventurer Henry Wolfe has a knack for getting himself into trouble. As Thrasher's adventure tale opens, we find Henry on the run from the mob in Chicago in 1928. After a narrow escape he flees to New York where he is presented with an opportunity. The elite Prescott family wants to hire Henry to search for their missing son who was last seen on an expedition in Brazil. Henry accepts the deal eagerly anticipating the bestseller potential in this latest journey. Now teamed up with his old mentor, a beautiful young woman, and a handful of guides and natives, Henry heads into the unknown where terror and danger plague them at every turn.

Travis Thrasher never ceases to amaze me with both his quality of writing and his ability to write in any genre. Thrasher has published a wide array of suspense and love stories and this time around he tries his hand at adventure. This story has the elements we expect in such a tale: plenty or suspense, edge of your seat action, unexpected terrors, and a multitude of life-threatening scenarios. Of course none of these elements are new, but Thrasher's unique writing voice brings a level of freshness to a familiar genre. No adventure story would be complete without a hint of romance and Thrasher doesn't disappoint in this area.

Henry Wolfe is the real strength of the novel. He is an engaging and endearing character that is both tough and sincere. His journey of faith is explored effectively, never in danger of being heavy handed and always remaining relevant to the story.

Travis Thrasher proves once again what a talent he is and I can only hope more and more people discover this great voice in Christian fiction. Out of the Devil's Mouth will no doubt have readers begging for more Henry Wolfe adventures. Up next Thrasher tries his hand at horror with Isolation and I can't wait to see how he handles yet another genre. If this one is any indication I know it will be something special.

I have read all of Thrasher's books, but this is by far one of my favorites. From the first page, I couldn't put the book down. Full of excitement, adventure, love and surprises. I didn't want the book to end because I just wanted to know more and wanted to stay in the adventure forever. I guarentee you will love this book. Thrasher has again outdone himself. I look forward to his next book in September!!! Keep 'em coming!!!!!!

"The Party of the First Part" is an erudite, hilarious tour through 21st Century American legalese. Alan Freedman leads us through the ankle-grabbing underbrush of redundancy, dead phrases, faux Latin, and mindless obfuscation into which every reader - and writer - of legal documents eventually must stagger.

Freedman is a sure-footed guide who knows the territory. Time and again, he yanks up a hoary word or phrase and shows us its tangled roots.

Sometimes we find, clutching a root with a deathgrip, an advocate of the so-called "Precision School" of legal drafting. These lawyers and profs fear that awful chaos would result if lawyers quit using ancient Anglo/French/Latin phrases, in favor of words used by 21st Century Americans in everyday life. Chaos? Well gosh, people might have to *sue* if they can't agree what a word or phrase written in 21st Century English means. Uh-huh, thinks I: as if they aren't already suing by the thousands over the meaning of Roman-numeraled legal documents bristling with boilerplate clunkers such as "witnesseth," "hereinabove," "aforementioned," "covenant and agree," and "hereunto."

This book should be required reading for every law student, law professor, judge and lawyer in the United States. It encourages those among us who want to write clearly when drafting legal documents. I hope it will at least give pause for thought to our colleagues who never met a hundred-word clause in the passive voice, that they didn't like.

Mr. Freedman's "The Party of the First Part" is a much more humorous review of Law School. Freedman covers Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates and a multitude of other subjects that can even confuse some of the most academically gifted among us. I for one spent Law School in a haze because I felt like I was not getting the big picture. However, when I realized that the `law' does not have a big picture, I felt much more relaxed. Our Anglo-Saxon, Franco-Norman, Old English influenced law, as Mr. Freedman demonstrates, is a series of compromises and half-measures and it has always been that way. `Legalese' can be used as both a sword and a shield. For instance, Wills can be written in a way that makes sense to people, without any mention of the words "rest" "residue" or "remainder." But since these sounds good and lawyerly, it keeps showing up in Wills and Testaments. (Testament also being a redundancy too as Mr. Freedman demonstrates.) Thus, the odds of challenging a plain English Will and winning is much greater then one that packs more and more legalese in. Since legalese protects not only the lawyer and the client, legalese can also be used as a sword. For instance, why hire a lawyer if you could understand the documents that you are reading and signing? I encourage anyone to read this book to get a humorous side to a very dry topic.

A book about legalese? I was skeptical, but this book grabbed me from the start. As a lawyer and an English major, I've always wanted to know where legal language took a wrong turn. As Freedman explains, legalese got to where it is today by taking lots and lots of wrong turns. Like the legal tendency toward redundancy: "will and testament" "fit and proper" "breaking and entering." These phrases developed after the Norman Conquest when lawyers and clients switched back and forth between Anglo-Saxon and French (in each case, one word is Anglo-Saxon and the other is French). Not only is the book informative, but it's also laugh-out-loud funny, especially when Freedman describes the bizarre resistance of lawyers to using "plain English" in place of their cherished legalese.

Poking more than a bit of fun at the "worrying gap" - the distance between the language of the public and that of the legal profession, 'Legal Lingo' columnist Adam Freedman takes a humorous swing at the "Precision School", which holds that the complexity of legal language flows from the need of lawyers to be super precise. A position that challenges the "Plain English" camp, which advocates that ordinary citizens ought to be able to understand the laws they live under and the contracts they sign.

Demonstrating a wit and humor that may be lost on some legal scholars, Freedman traces the origin for the distinction between "libel" and "slander" while providing an ample supply of one-liners for use during your next meeting with legal counsel. If that is not enough, you may be interested in knowing that the Texas Cattlemen's suit of Oprah Winfrey was done under a "Food Disparagement Law" - statutes meant to protect agricultural products; veggies are a group with especially tender feelings, you know. His discussion of "boilerplate" language notwithstanding, I found the book to be riveting reading. From now on, I will "know all men by these presents," boilerplate is contractual and may require one to accept that there is a 'Sanity Clause'.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

Dr. Hess has an expertise and passion that makes him a unique advocate and guide to women all over. His pursuit of the disciplines of Chemistry and OB-GYN blended with solid knowledge of natural therapies and a passion for helping menopausal women gives him an unorthodox yet very balanced view of menopause and women's options at its onset. For women close to or at the onset of menopause, this book will help them make informed choices that suit their unique individual circumstances.

The book's tone is informative and balanced without sacrificing verve or enthusiasm. The passion isn't over the top, and thus has an honest voice when encouraging women to find the right treatment and regimen for them. The information is copious but compact---just the right amount of important information women will need in order to focus on key factors that will help them make informed choices. The balance that the reader detects from the book's tone is fueled by open-minded prudence---despite pointing out errors and seminal discoveries of past researches, discussing new findings, mentioning cutting-edge research, and touching on radical discoveries and options, the book always returns to central themes: new studies shed new light, findings of past studies show more implications if scrutinized more, and the reader should always remember the possibility that "the answers have changed."

The book begins with explaining key concepts needed to understand menopause, then it dispels certain myths that have been held about the menopausal condition. It moves on to focus on key studies and treatments that have been crucial in shifting perspectives about menopause and opening up options for women today, and then it takes time to clarify definitions of current available treatments in order to minimize confusion surrounding them. All this information can be considered crucial preliminaries--Dr. Hess is arming his reader with the necessary background knowledge before he introduces them to the seven steps of what he believes is the Perfect Menopause.

As Dr. Hess armed his readers with key concepts and information about menopause in general, so he reassuringly begins his seven steps to the perfect menopause by arming women with the means to gather vital baseline information about their own particular menopause experience. By discussing the key events of a full ovarian cycle (its hormonal implications, salient features, and the unique implications of removing the uterus or ovaries), Dr. Hess gives women a very helpful backdrop that allows them to discover where they are in the cycle. His first step provides information that makes for an enlightening "you are here" map, to help women discern the stage they are in, the symptoms they are experiencing, and anything they feel that seem apart from the norm. Once armed with the knowledge of their individual menopause experience, Dr. Hess then guides women through choosing their treatment goals. In this second step, the discussion of the different kinds of treatments available allows women to either choose a treatment (one that will address several symptoms and alleviate most if not all of them, or one that the woman feels is the best match for what she knows of her overall needs to manage her menopause), or prioritize the symptoms they feel in order to determine which ones need to be addressed by treatment immediately. Again, Dr. Hess presents these options in a very open-minded manner.

Steps 3, 5, 6, and 7 deal with addressing major symptoms of menopause. I group them together not because these steps are similar--it is actually only step 3 that is called "Manage Major Symptoms": steps 5 to 7 tackle aging and dryness, sexual desire, and sleep respectively--but to show Dr. Hess's ability to convey comprehensive information in order to give readers a chance to make intelligent choices. Despite these being common to most women going through menopause, customizing how to address these symptoms to fit one's situation is possible. Dr. Hess tackles each in detail, sharing information, giving options, and for those completely at a loss, conveying recommendations that are worth trying to see if they work. I choose to highlight step 4 ("Get to Your Perfect Weight") last because the chapter's flow represents for me the commitment Dr. Hess gives to his readers through this book. After conveying information on how preventing weight gain is beneficial during menopause and discussing the various options for weight loss, Dr. Hess recommends an action plan in order to get to one's perfect weight--the plan he recommends is practical, requires commitment, and asks one to be responsible for one's goal as the plan is executed. Dr. Hess conveys himself to the reader in the same way: the help he extends is valuable and practical, with the reader receiving a windfall of solutions--IF they take ownership for seeing to their needs, and IF they commit themselves to executing their chosen plan or treatment.

I feel that through this book Dr. Hess achieved his hope of empowering women to make the choices that address their individual, unique needs for their menopause. He will cite preferred studies, treatments, or service providers, but he always stresses the need to choose the best option for oneself. He guides, he informs, and he weighs the pros and cons for his readers, but he always leaves it up to the person to customize the information to suit their needs and lifestyle. He clarifies what to look for, what is important, and what to be concerned with, and then points the reader to numerous resources that help them implement their chosen goals. My best wishes to Dr. Hess and all the readers who use this book to help themselves or their loved ones--it is a good guide, and at the end one feels in control and able to manage the changes happening.

This is an important book for woman and men no matter what their age because there's not only a lack of information about menopause, even among physicians and other health care providers, but also there has been an astounding amount of mis-information recently which could result in serious consequences for those who are mislead by it. Dr. Henry M. Hess is a gynecologist, chemist, natural therapist and menopause expert who has spent the past 25 years traveling the world learning and teaching about all aspects of menopause therapies as well as helping patients in their search for relief from menopause's symptoms. (Apparently most medical schools and reputable OB/GYN residencies provide very little teaching and experience on menopause). I love the title and the tag line: "7 Steps to the best Time of Your Life." This is a promise on which the doctor delivers, spectacularly.

The book itself should be an inspiration to other authors. Written with Tiffany Farrell, a medical writer specializing in women's health, it is clear, concise, identifies and addresses reader concerns plus provides charts, questions, schedules and case studies that make the subject immediate and real. "Your menopause is not your mother's menopause," Dr. Hess writes, "or even your sisters. So much more is known today about all aspects of menopause than even just a few years ago..." My own wife went through menopause five years ago and I now feel I understand it in a way I wish I had back then. Some facts: "The average woman will spend one-third or more of her life in menopause," "Before 1900, most women did not live long enough to experience menopause," "Hot flashes and night sweats last for 4-5 years for most menopausal woman; for at least 10% of women, they will last for the rest of their lives" and, very significantly "The famous hormone study of 2002 showed that estrogen causes breast cancer, but recent analysis of this data and additional new studies, show that estrogen use may actually prevent breast cancer for many younger postmenopausal women in at least the first five years of use."

There are three categories of therapies for menopause: natural therapies, medicinal therapies and hormone therapies. This book addresses the pros and cons of each type. It answers big questions, such as, "What are the differences between natural, synthetic and compound hormones?" and equally important smaller ones, like: "Is a patch a better means of delivery than taking estrogen orally?"-- it is. We also learn that "natural" does not necessarily mean safer. Permarin is advertised as a natural hormone because it comes from an animal source (pregnant mares' urine) but that doesn't mean it's natural to humans. I really admire Dr. Hess's honesty. About proper eating habits: "Most of us really don't know the elements of a healthy diet, even though we think we do...and the medical profession's new understanding (of nutrition) has not been effectively translated into practice." And with regard to sex: "A stale emotional relationship and/or a stale sexual relationship is one of the most significant causes of female sexual dysfunction at any age!" Yes, there is an excellent section on male menopause too.

Like any map, there's more than one way to reach a goal. Dr Hess presents all of the possibilities in this single, easy to understand book. It is exactly what we need to know.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/08)

Dr. Hess' book "The Perfect Menopause" carries an intriguing subtitle - "7 Steps to the Best Time of Your Life." Speaking to women around me, I have to admit I've never heard the words `menopause,' `perfect' and `best time' mentioned together, in one sentence. Needless to say, I was curious and more than just a little skeptical...

Dr. Hess approaches the subject of menopause with a holistic and very much no-nonsense approach. It became immediately obvious to me that he has done extremely extensive research and that he evidently keeps informed about the current research and the numerous updates in the field of menopause management and treatments. While clearly expert, his writing never becomes too technical for an average reader and he never sounds condescending, which is something I've noticed in certain other books from the medical field. Dr. Hess sounds like somebody one would love to meet and have for a healthcare provider.

While guiding women through the sometimes very confusing data on menopause, possible treatments, treatment goals, symptoms management and general improvement in all of the related areas, Dr. Hess shows extreme respect for other people working in the field of menopause research and treatment, whether they are medical experts or simply women who have experienced it and decided to share their insight with others. While cautioning the reader to be diligent when deciding for certain treatments, Dr. Hess does not discount simple remedies, herbs, exercise and other, possibly less traditional ways of managing one's symptoms. He also clarifies the immensely confusing issue of hormonal treatments, clarifies the results of past studies and offers the readers a comprehensive overview of hormonal treatment options.

I have no doubt that "The Perfect Menopause" should be present on the bookshelves of women in any stage of menopause, whether we are just entering it or are well in the midst of it. It should prove to be invaluable in gathering information as well as facilitating the future discussions with your health provider. Written in a clear and very upbeat voice, this is a great companion on the voyage through a certain unavoidable life stage. And with it, the journey should be considerably more pleasant.

First off, let me say that the compassion and true caring for women and their experiences coping with Menopause shines forth from every page of this book with each word written by our author, Dr. Henry Hess. Now that in itself is a wonder, as I'm sure you feel as I do, that we at times are simply given a pat on the back, a patronizing smile, and sent on our way while we desperately search for answers during this time in our lives. Well, ladies, the search is over.

Inside the pages of this outstanding book, Dr. Hess unravels the many misconceptions about Menopause, the treatments available, and the myths that simply are not true. I was shocked that a man could understand the deep emotional and physical challenges women face during this time, and give such knowledge and insight. Amazing.

I'm telling you, you will close this book with a smile on your face and the complete satisfaction that finally you have found the answers you were looking for and the compassion you so desired. At the conclusion of the read you will finally feel as though you are armed with knowledge of what you are going through and where you will end up. This is a wonderful book, a must have for all women, one that could simply be life-changing. Thank you ,Dr. Hess for caring and sharing. I wish we all had a doctor like this in every town.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006
"Playing God - Seven Fateful Moments When Great Men Met to Change the World" by Charles L. Mee, Jr.,
This is a very good history book. It takes the events and puts humans in them. It is not just dates and people. it all ends up that nothing we do to learn from history is of any real value. The real value is in making choices and sticking with them and praying that it will all come out okay. It is odd and I am sure that he really did not intend to end up like that, after all, he is a historian.

Mee is a playwright and a historian, among other things, and I found his view and dramatic, descriptive powers to be very useful in re-enacting these events.

I bought the book because of a debate with an intellectual friend about the aftermath of ww ii in eastern europe, thus I was focusing on the chapter on the conference at yalta. It is particulary interesting that Mee subtitled this chapter with reference to the problems of unintended consequences (the inevitability of which is the foundation of the libertarian tendency toward minimalism in government -- and in foreign policy, for that matter).

Not only did the yalta chapter teach me much more about yalta than I expected, each of the other 6 crucial moments were richly rewarding.

The only two quibbles I have are with the sub-title. Being a zeitgeist believer, I don't believe out-of-hand in "great men," even when churchill and roosevelt are involved. Somewhat contradictorily, I don't believe in the idea of "fateful," so much as crucial. And from reading Mee, I believe he would let me edit the sub-title accordingly, once he got to know me better.

Forelle's Filosofy -- http://forellefilosofy.blogspot.com

Mr. Mee is a fantastic writer. As another reviewer remarked, Mr. Mee definitely brings history to life. The meetings described in this book make for great, enticing reading material for junior high school on up.

Mr. Mee is an excellent writer and truely brings history to life. I recommend this book to anybody that wants more than "light reading", has an interest in human-kind and is not a real history buff.

_A Pluralistic Universe_ is a republication of the Hibbert Lectures at Manchester College on the Present Situation in Philosophy, given in 1908 and 1909, by American psychologist and philosopher William James, by University of Nebraska Press. William James (1842-1910) was an important figure in American philosophy and psychology. James is perhaps best known for his writings on psychology (cf. _The Principles of Psychology_ which established the school of functionalism in psychology), his lectures on religious experience (cf. _The Varieties of Religious Experience), and for his advocacy of the philosophy of pragmatism and pluralism (as seen in these lectures and in the work _Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking_, a pragmatism along the same lines as that advocated by the American thinker C. S. Peirce). In these lectures, James writes against those who maintain the reality of the absolute (beginning with Plato and Aristotle and culminating in the philosophy of the absolute idealists) and opposes all intellectualizing in philosophy. In opposition to this, James suggests that the world is not a uni-verse but a multi-verse, in which the human experience of manyness and disconnection is made apparent. This leads James to suggest that philosophy should be both pragmatic and empirical. Pragmatism in philosophy aims to enable man to cope with his own finitude, and according to the theory of pragmatism the value of a truth depends upon its use to the individual who holds it. The empiricism advocated by James argues that whatever is experienceable is real and whatever is real is experienceable.

The first lecture presented by James is entitled "The Types of Philosophical Thinking". Here, James suggests that his age is once again growing philosophical, mentioning the growth of absolute idealism in the spirit of Kant and Hegel in the British universities. James contrasts such monism to his pluralism. James proceeds to define rationalism and empiricism, as well as spiritualism and materialism, and theism and pantheism. James notes the present tendency towards pantheism, making a distinction between the two types of spiritualism: dualism (or theism) and "post-Kantian" monism or "absolute idealism" (or pantheism). To make the distinction between absolute idealism and his pluralism, both of which identify the human substance with the divine substance, James notes that according to pluralism all of reality need not be encapsulated in an "all-form" or totality, but rather it may form an "each-form".

The second lecture presented by James is entitled "Monistic Idealism". James again affirms the contrast between absolute idealism and pluralism (or radical empiricism), noting the distinction between the "all-form" and the "each-form". James then examines the philosophy of F. H. Bradley (writer of the work _Appearance and Reality_ and a philosopher of absolute idealism). James also notes the role of Spinoza in the philosophy of pantheism. James also considers other philosophers such as Lotze, Royce, and McTaggart, and refutes various arguments for monistic idealism. James finally turns his attention to Hegel, the German philosopher of absolute idealism.

The third lecture presented by James is entitled "Hegel and His Method". James considers Hegel's influence and examines his dialectic, as well as apparent paradoxes that derive from it. James considers Hegel's account as involving a form of "vicious intellectualism", and thus as being unsatisfactory. James further distinguishes between the Absolute and God, maintaining that they are in fact two different notions (and that while he denies the reality of the Absolute, he does not deny the existence of God, finding such a proposition useful to his beliefs). (Although it must be said that his account here of God is highly problematic.)

The fourth lecture presented by James is entitled "Concerning Fechner". This lecture is devoted to an exposition of the philosophy of Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887), a German experimental psychologist who did important work in physics, chemistry, and developed the field of psychophysics. James praises Fechner as a philosopher, noting his writings on nature and God in the _Zend-Avesta_, as well as his writings on life after death. James also contrasts Fechner to Hegel, and he maintains that although Fechner was a monist that there is room in his universe for grades of being between man and God. James discusses fully Fechner's theories on nature, God, and the Earth-soul.

The fifth lecture presented by James is entitled "The Compounding of Consciousness". This lecture discusses the idea that states of mind may compound themselves, and references Fechner's philosophy. James maintains that it is necessary to abandon intellectualism in order to treat this problem. James next turns his attention to the philosophy of Bergson, which he also praises.

The sixth lecture presented by James is entitled "Bergson and His Critique of Intellectualism". This lecture is devoted to the philosophy of French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941), perhaps most famous as the writer of _Creative Evolution_. James examines Bergson's treatment of the problem of Achilles and the tortoise (the paradox of Zeno). James also examines Bergson's rejection of intellectualism.

The seventh lecture presented by James is entitled "The Continuity of Experience". James considers Green's critique of Sensationalism, as well as the nature of relations. James also maintains that intellectualism must be firmly renounced. James includes some remarks on the alleged difference between the Absolute (which he rejects) and the biblical God (which he accepts), making reference to Fechner's conception of God as well. James also considers some arguments of Bradley.

The eighth lecture presented by James is the "Conclusion". It mentions religious experience, God as a finite being (a problematical understanding), empiricism as opposed to rationalism, and the contrast between monism and pluralism. James maintains that a "faith-ladder" is needed as part of the "will to believe".

This book also includes some notes and three appendices: "The Thing and Its Relations", "The Experience of Activity", and "On the Notion of Reality as Changing".

These lectures are important for setting out the pluralistic philosophy of William James. Ultimately however, such pluralism leads to relativism in its denial of the absolute, and thus must be rejected. Nevertheless, this book makes an important case for this philosophy and thus must be recognized as such. William James played an important role in the development of much of our understanding of psychology, mysticism, and religious experience, and this book introduces his philosophy through his lectures.

I always enjoy James's work for its entertaining readability and good humor; he is a scholar and a gentleman even to the opponents he slices up in his books and lectures. I did tire of the endless-seeming arguments against the rationalists who think in terms of a unified universe, however; I know that giving them a bad time was the point of James's book, but about halfway through his arguments began to seem polemical to me and I almost got bored. Nevertheless, I do recommend this, especially if you're looking into the radically empirical and pluralistic side of the philosophical house.

William James is best-known for his development of the American philosophy of pragmatism and for his pioneering work in psychology. But in addition to pragmatism, which he described as a method and as a theory of truth, James expounded a broad philosophical doctrine which he called radical empiricism (pluralism). Radical pluralism, as James explained it, constituted a metaphysical position -- one describing the nature of reality -- rather than a method. In his book, "Pragmatism", James maintained that his commitment to radical empiricism was separate from his commitment to pragmatism; but in the Preface to his book, "The Meaning of Truth", James maintained that the success of the pragmatic account of truth was vital to making radical empiricism prevail.

James's fullest development of the theory of radical empiricism was in his book "A Pluralistic Universe" published in 1908. This book consists of the text of eight lectures James delivered in that year at London and at Harvard. In common with James's other works, "A Pluralistic Universe" attacks the monistic idealism derived from Hegel and followed by many of James's contemporaries in England and the United States, such as his colleague, Josiah Royce. But James goes much further than he had in his earlier writings. He offers a critique of logic, conceptual thinking and what he describes as "intellectualism" in philsophy. He urges a return to immediate experience as the basis for philosophical thinking. He develops a philosophy which is pluralistic and contingent -- which leaves room for chance, surprise, and moral action -- and which is essentially idealistic. The driving force behind the philosophy is spiritual, as James argues for panpsychism, pantheism, a finite god (or gods) and the possibility of growth.

James gives two philosophers a great deal of attention in developing his position. The first is the German thinker Gustav Fechner (Lecture IV in "A Pluralistic Universe"), who developed a theory of earth-soul holding that everything in the universe was alive with mind. Fechner's work became the basis of James's pansychism and of his theory of compounding consciousness -- that mind could grow from one thing to another and that there was an interrelationship between the human mind and the mind of a finite god. The second major influence on "A Pluralistic Universe" was the French philosopher Henri Bergson (Chapter VI). From Bergson, James described his critique of intellectualism and conceptual thinking. James argued that concepts were useful in understanding reality for limited purposes, (here James seems to be downplaying his own pragmatism) but that they ultimately distorted reality. Reality was a flow, a stream, in which one moment glided imperceptibly into the next and arose from a past moment. In this view of perception and reality, James rejected the atomistic, sensationalist view of experience of the British empiricists, describing this view as conceptualist in its own right. His view of consciousness was similar to that of another German philosopher, Edmund Husserl, who admired James greatly.

James best sets out the goal and the heart of his teaching in his opening lecture, "The Types of Philosophic Thinking." In this chapter, he stresses the importance of vision in philosophy -- the presentation of a convincing and inspiring view of life -- and downplays the importance of the arguments that are brought to bear in support of the vision. He also limits carefully the scope of his discussion. James at the outset rejects philosophies of materialism or scientism in favor of a philosophy that teaches that "the intimate and human must surround and underlie the brutal." He dscribes this teaching as the "spiritual" way of thinking.

James next distinguishes between a theistic conception of spiritualism which posits God as a creator separate from the universe and a pantheistic version, which argues that God is immanent as "the indwelling divine rather than the external creator, and of human life as part and parcel of that deep reality." James rejects the theistic position and opts instead for a pantheistic view of spirituality. It is important to see these self-imposed limitations on James's thought and to see as well how close James was to the absolute idealism of his day even when he criticized it severely. Hegel and Royce have, in spite of the criticisms he levelled at them, a large role in James's thought.

In the final lecture of "A Pluralistic Universe" James resumes themes he had raised earlier in "The Varieties of Religious Experience." He argues that accounts of individual religious experience suggest a way of approaching reality broader and more profound than anything that "paganism, naturalism, and legalism pin their faith on and tie their trust to." James argues that "the drift of all the evidence we have seems to me to sweep us very strongly towards the belief in some form of superhuman life with which we may, unknown to ourselves, be co-conscious. We may be in the universe as dogs and cats are in our libraries, seeing the books and hearing the conversation, but having no inkling of the meaning of it all." James distinguishes his position from absolute idealism by working from the bottom up -- from individual, plural consciousness rather than from the top down -- from an abstract, intellectually conceived absolute. He advocates a philosophy of meliorism and activity in which individual persons work to bring the good to pass.

This book, James's last sustained work in philosophy, moves towards its own unique form of idealism and establishes James as a thinker in a large manner. The book seems to me to rest uneasily with his pragmatism at many places. "A Pluralistic Universe" is a provocative and moving work by a major American thinker.

Robin Friedman

William James again proves himself the champion of the average man. James' Fideististic approach to religion and the nature of existence is displayed in full form here as he attacks the intellectualist foundation of modern philosophy.

the poetic edda is one of the greatest collections of poetry of all times. it contains the beautifully vivid "volupso", the norse apocalypse poem, the comedic ballads, the "wrangling of Loki" and "Lay of Thrmy", the proverbial wisdom of the "sayings of har" and the mournful lays of the larger-than-heroes, the volsungs and niflungs. the edda is better written than Beowulf, the more popular northern epic, and the rhythmic verse gives it more aesthetic appeal than most epic poems. the meter, based on alliteration and caesura, whether rhythmic fornyrdislag or lilting ljodahattr, is much more pleasing to the ear than classical blank verse, which has sticter syllable stress patterns. unfortunately, the edda is not in very good condition. their are gaps in the manuscripts, and there are numerous places where it appears a scribe covered up a gap with extraneous material. the poems vary greatly in quality, and you need a good understanting of norse myths to understand what is going on (i recommend Norse Stories: Retold from the Eddas by Hamilton Mabie). none the less, the edda is a wonderful read for fans of poetry, epics, or norse mythology.

Bellows translation does a very good job at preserving the metric rhythm of the norse poems, and a fairly good job of preserving the alliteration, while avoiding the archaism of Hollander. his grammer and word choice is a little "olde", but it is still far more aesthetically pleasing the Larrington's translation, and much more accessible than Hollander's. Dronke's translation is also excellent, but only one of five parts of it is currently in print, and it is absurdly priced, but see if you can find it at your library. unfortunately, thus far Dover has only reprinted half of Bellows' translation, this volume contains only the "mythological" lays, so we can only hope they will publish the heroic poems soon, but anyone serious about reading the edda will want to get more than one translation anyway.

A Dover reprint of the Mythological section (The Lays of the Gods) from the poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems compiled in the 1200s from older oral traditions. First published by the American-Scandinavian Foundation in 1923. It's a slow read, primarily because almost every page is crammed with footnotes. The translation seems pretty good - it attempts to imitate the form of the Old Norse poetry, and the language at times is very moving with vivid imagery and sonic resonance. The abundant footnotes bog down the reading, but they are necessary since the Eddic poems were originally composed for an audience already familiar with Norse mythology. I went into this book knowing nothing about the subject, and by the time I had finished, with the help of Mr. Bellows' notes along the way, I had developed a real thirst for more. Somewhat difficult reading, but for somebody with a literary bent this is an excellent introduction to the world of Norse legendry. It certainly begs a second reading, ignoring the footnotes and just enjoying the poetry.

This is an excellent translation from Henry Bellows, easy to understand and with many footnotes. This is the version I use when I read the poems aloud.

The spelling he chose for transliterated names doesn't follow the common style, Voluspo is usually Voluspa, Hovamol is usually Havamal, etc, but these differences are minor and easy to get used to. The print is a facsmile (typical of this publisher) but clear and easy to read, and the binding is good quality (unlike products from some similar companies).

Unfortunately Dover only published half of the book, the section referred to to as the "Mythological Lays", and have omitted the "Heroic Lays", assuming I suppose that we'd only want to read the poems referring directly to the gods. They do clearly admit the omission at the beginning of the book. Much of the ancient scandinavian works we have are regarding heroes related to the gods, so to focus completely on the gods themselves is to miss pieces of the whole picture. Some researchers (in the minority) even suggest that the "Heroic Lays" are actually stories about the gods under different names, which was a very common practice (as you'll see when you read the poems that are included). So I consider the omission very unfortunate.

Despite that complaint I think this book is worth the cost. Unless you want to print your own (the Bellows translation is in the public domain), this book is an excellent choice for what it does have. Just be aware of what you're missing.

Edit: Dover has recently announced that they will finally release the second half of the book, The Poetic Edda: The Heroic Poems (Dover Value Editions)

This is the "bible" for Asatruars and Odinists everywhere. This book is pretty easy to read once you figure out the way the words are arranged. Foot notes include variations of translation, and so sometimes the reader must come up with his/her own conclusion about a certain word or name. All in all, the Poetic Edda, whoever originally composed the works, is a great read and can be enjoyed by poetry collectors, lovers of mythology, and people who are interested in ancient Norse storytelling.

"Prairie Alligators" is a terrific read--a fast-paced, smart, tangled tale of murderous intrigue in Chicago. Nick Spivak, an old Chicagoan, comes back home to find out why a friend of his was murdered and opens up a can of worms. Some of the worms? Worn-out grassroots do-gooders, gang-bangers, drugsellers, hostile policemen, smugglers of immigrant laborers, politicians on the take, "business men" on the make. Henry Polz knows Chicago, its topography and its people, and knows how to weave an intricate--and rewarding--plot. And Nick Spivak, though he seems on occasion to go out of his way to get the hell beaten out of him, is an engaging hero. An updated version of the classic urban thriller, The Glass Key.

This is a terrific mystery -- very fast paced plot, with incredibly vivid scenes and characters, and touches of humor that made me laugh out loud. Henry Polz reminds me of W.E.B. Griffin, writing -- this time -- about the gritty world of Chicago city corruption, alternative politics, and murder. I hope that, in Griffin style, Polz has many coming -- I can't wait to read the next one.

I liked Spivak and a lot of the characters, including minor ones like the hotel clerk. The sense of the hotel, the barge full of scrap metal, the brewery, Chicago in general, is superb. No
way to write this without the author himself having gone through actual Chicago manholes and tunnels. The book is terrifically plotted, moves right along.

I look forward to the next installment.

Henry Poltz has written one of the most authentic Chicago stories since Nelson Algren's Chicago City on the Make. The book captures the gritty Chicago politics and street life better than Sara Peretsky. This is a walking tour of Chicago that will delight mystery readers and other readers just interested in an inside view of the windy city. I highly recommend this book.

What a shame it would be to miss the message of Henry George because the original Poverty & Progress requires hours of reading. Most of us have read it for classes at one of the Henry George Schools. The original has 565 pages in the paperback form not including the glossary.
Bob Drake's edition is short & simple. He changed none of the content. He did make the Preface the Afterword which was written by Agnes George de Mille, the choreographer, in New York in 1979. She was Henry George's grand-daughter.

If ever there was a time when the world needed the wisdom of Henry George, it is now. His classic work, Progress and Poverty, should be required reading for anyone concerned with establishing social and economic justice in a world that seems increasingly characterized by greed. The Drake modernized edition makes George's unique insights accessible to those of us who struggle with the pull of conflicting demands on our time. Even so, I recommend an unorthodox approach to this book. The early chapters demand a level of concentration that might be unusual except in someone deeply committed to understanding the root cause of the growing gap between rich and poor. Therefore, start by getting your passions flowing. Read the "Publisher's Forward." Then flip to the afterword and be stirred by Agnes de Mille's answer to the question: "Who was Henry George?" Her writing is as beautiful as her dance. You may now be moved to tackle the economic theories of wages and distribution, but I suggest deferring for just a bit longer. Read the
last half of the book first. Begin with Chapter 25, "The True Remedy." Once you've read through to the conclusion, the fire in your belly ought to be sufficient to carry you through the fine points of economic argument contained in the first twenty-four chapters. You won't be disappointed. As Bob Drake, Editor, notes in his preface, "Those who pick up this book are likely to share some concern about the problem of poverty; those who finish it may also find some cause for hope....It
was, and still is, a plan for peace, prosperity, equality, and justice."

Bob Drake's updating and abridgement of Henry George's landmark book on political economy is a pleasure to read. Those who have read the original will re-experience that pleasure. Those who have not yet become acquainted with these ideas will find a smooth entry mode.

Bob's updating started with a thought-by-thought rewrite, which maintains both the flow and the flavor of the original, without the voluminous verbal illustrations and extended sentences that George used. If the original was in the language of the Book of Common Prayer, the new edition is in the language of a contemporary news magazine -- readable, accessible, rich in content.

And, oh, what content! Henry George saw in his day the source of the problems which afflicted our society then and which still plague us today. The Remedy he prescribes is just as relevant today as it was then.

If you say you are concerned about poverty, concerned about the wildly skewed distributions of wealth, income and the power that flow from them, concerned about the protecting the environment from ill treatment by people and corporations who have little incentive to do otherwise, concerned about housing affordability, concerned about wages that aren't sufficient to meet a young family's most modestly defined needs, concerned about urban sprawl and long commutes and large amounts of energy expended on daily transportation, you need to know this book. It will provide you a very different lens through which to understand these problems, and to see how these dots (and others important to most of us) connect. And best of all, P&P not only lays out the nature of the problem, it prescribes the remedy.

This is a very satisfying read, and is likely to change your entire perspective on many of our most serious social, economic and environmental problems. And, interestingly, it does not blame the victim.

Once you've read it, share it with others who are similarly concerned. Until we've enacted this reform, none of the other things we depend on to reduce poverty, sprawl, skewed distributions, etc., can do much good. And once we've enacted this reform, most of them will no longer be necessary.

This is the best route to leveling the playing field and reducing the potholes that impoverish our fellow human beings and ourselves.

Henry George's Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth, The Remedy, written in 1877-79, was the best-selling nonfiction book of its time and remains, as Michael Kinsley wrote in 1987, "the greatest economic treatise ever written." It explains why poverty persists despite technological and political progress, and why economic recessions are still a constant threat. It also provides a good analysis of any number of very modern problems.

But for most modern readers, Henry George's original text is not easy going. It assumes a large vocabulary and includes enough classical references that recent editions have included an extensive glossary of mythological and historical terms. What Drake has done with this modernization is to make George's thoughts more accessible to today's audience, who will find that by understanding them they can much better comprehend the issues that affect the lives of us all.

Several of the Henry George Schools have begun using this book, with very encouraging results.

If you love the Prydain Chronicles, as I do, this companion is a must have. It's an excellent resource if you want to find out about a character in the Chronicles without going back and re-reading. It's very easy-to-use, and well done, one volume I definitely recommend adding to your personal library when you have the chance.

As a lifelong fan of the Chronicles of Prydain, I was hugely excited to learn that a companion guide to the novels existed. Michael O. Tunnell's effort does not disappoint. Everything from mythological sources for places and characters to pronunciation guides for the tricky Welsh names is included in this fantastic reference guide. Given Lloyd Alexander's recent passing, I would have liked a little more about the author himself, but the brief glimpses of his life are delightful, if a little poignant. If you've read the Chronicles and loved them, you should have this book sitting next to them on your bookshelf.

It was 20+ years ago that I first entered the land called Prydain. Since then, I have read the series several dozen times. I am into The Black Cauldron as we speak. The series does not disappoint and neither does this. I am currently reading through this as well, when not reading the Chronicles. This has everything one would want and expect. If you are a fan of the Chronicles of Prydain, you need this book. It is the Cliff Notes version of every person, place and thing in Prydain. You also get some of the background as to where Mr. Alexander got his ideas for the books. All in all, this is a wonderful addition to your collection. I agree with the others though, if you have never read the series, buy it first, read it, and buy this afterward.

The Prydain Chronicles have become a fantasy classic, a collection of five novels and one short story collection that are considered by many to be up there just below J.R.R. Tolkien's works (which the Chronicles resemble, in their depth and use of mythology). Now Michael Tunnell's guide to the Prydain Chronicles has been rereleased, and it's definitely worth getting.

It's in the form of an encyclopedia, with careful, detailed and well-cited entries for everything in Prydain. A lot of the entries include quotations from the books. What's more, Tunnell has done extensive research into the Mabinogion and other Celtic tales. As a result, the entries for characters like Math son of Mathonwy, Gwydion, Achren, the three witches of Morva, and many others include details about the mythological characters, adventures and legends that helped inspire the Chronicles. No character, however minor is denied attention to their mythical backgrounds.

Aside from the content, this edition of the "Companion" is great. Henry Holt has rereleased the entire Chronicles series, and the "Companion" doesn't disappoint; it matches all the other hardcovers. The binding is good, the paper is nice, and the cover is glossy. While I wasn't too crazy about the colors in the cover illustration, the illustration is very well-done. Alexander has also provided a foreword in hich he praises Tunnell's work.

This book (more than just an encyclopedia) is an invaluable tool for fans of the Prydain Chronicles and/or Welsh mythology. Fans of the book series should run to pick this up, and if you haven't read the novels, then do so and THEN pick this book up.

First off, I have to say that the art in this book is superior to virtually any other children's storybook I have seen in my young parenting career. The paintings portay the scene described in the words perfectly.

This book does an excellent job of conveying a family life where the stories passed through the generations matter so much that the grandchildren DO in fact dream and wonder about the lives of their grandparents. I want for my daughter to dream and wonder, too.

As the adoptive father of a biracial girl, I think this is a good book for conveying a part of her cultural heritage that she may not get to experience much first hand.

I love this book! Dinah Johnson tells all about family living in the Carolinas, using the language of the African-American culture, yet the book's theme is universal. A good read for any child. I particularly liked the name, Hattie Lottie Annie Quinnie Blue. The rhythm of the words are truly like raindrops falling on a tin roof as I remember growing up in North Carolina. James Ransome's life-like illustrations are wonderful. Throughout this read, one can sense the presence of self love as Quinnie Blue compares her life experiences to that of her grandmother's. So, unselfish self-love is passed down.

the best for children of all ages her writing is superb!

This book is beautifully written and illustrated. The rhythm and lyricism of the words conveys the loving relationship between the little girl and her grandmother. I've given the book as a gift to several little girls. One mother called to say that they had read the book 2 or 3 times each day since it was received. Don't let 'race' color your decision to purchase this book. The story is for all little girls and grown-up girls as well.