Hunt Books

This book is a topically-oriented, historically grounded introduction to Western philosophy. It is topically oriented in the sense that it focuses on certain key ideas that are central to Western philosophy. These include the various kinds of arguments for the existence of God; the nature and justification of political society; the nature of morality; skepticism and the problem of knowledge; and the problem of universals. The book is historically grounded in that it situates each of the topics discussed in its historical context. More specifically, Schoedinger prefaces each selection with a lucid account of the history of the problem to be investigated, the ideas that are central to each issue, and then how philosophers have attempted to grapple with the problem. The preface thus enables the student to engage the selection that follows it. These prefatory comments are collectively the book's strongest virtues, for they do not simply serve as useful discussions to guide students and to focus students' attention on key ideas, but they also serve to unravel the complicated structure of the arguments through which key ideas are presented. In so doing, Schoedinger gets the student to "see" the problem for her/himself. Apropos is Schoedinger's treatment of Anselm's ontological argument for the existence of God (ch.14). I cite this selection because Anselm's argument is one of the most difficult for students to grasp. In any case, it is this process that informs each selection in the text. There are total of 27 chapters in the book, each chapter excerpted from classical and well known sources. In this regard, the book is not unlike many others in the field of Introductory texts. However, what distinguishes this text from many others is the inclusion of material by Wittgenstein ("Ordinary Language Analysis"), Chisholm ("The Adverbial Theory of Perception") and Josef Pieper ("The Philosophical Act"). The selections are unique to Schoedinger's text and are significant because they introduce students to materials by contemporary (in the sense of twentieth century) philosophers in the analytic tradition. It is worth noting that the opening chapter is Pieper's "The Philosophical Act," a selection that in many ways echoes as it endorses Bertrand Russell's view about the value of studying philosophy. Perhaps Schoedinger may wish to supplement the message of this selection with that of Russell so as to reinforce the point about the effect of philosophic contemplation on the subject engaged in the act of contemplation as well as on the object(s) of contemplation. Overall, the book's greatest strengths are the lucid and painstaking commentary that precedes each selection; the page-by-page glossary of terms that explicate key concepts; the study questions at the end of each chapter for students to review the material thay have studied; and, finally, even the very choice of materials included in the text. Schoedinger's aim in this work is to provide a non-intimidating, self-instructional text for the beginner as well as "those who are simply curious as to the basic problems of philosophy" (back cover of text). I believe that Schoedinger has amply and very decisively realized this aim. However, I cannot but call attention to what I deem two very significant omissions: the problem of causation, especially Hume's problematic, and the issue of freewill versus determinism. Given the centrality of these topics in our practical life (e.g. in law and morality), these omissions cannot escape notice. It is to be hoped that Schoedinger, in a subsequent revision, will include a chapter that covers these items. Finally, the book's size (11 X 81/2, and 11/4 in. thick) makes it too bulky and unwieldy to carry around. This has nothing to do with Schoedinger as such, but he may wish to have a discussion with his publishers about this issue. I suggest that the publishers reduce the overall dimension of the book, and one way to achieve this goal is to reduce the left and right margins, and remove the glossary at the bottom of each page and collate them at the end of the book. This will free up the space at the bottom of the page for extra lines. Other than these observations, I consider the text pedagogically exemplary and a very significant addition to the body of texts in Introduction to Philosophy. I look forward to using it in my Introductory course in the very near future.

Our Philosophical Heritage is an introductory text that allows student and instructor alike a sound opportunity to stay on task. Delivered in five parts, and comprising of twenty-seven chapters, this text presents the basic principles of Ethics, Political Theory, Religion, Epistemology, and Metaphysics by drawing upon an agreeable itinerary of some of the dicipline's most widely-recognized selections. Moreover, given the Anglophilic leanings of the editor's current selections, Hume's absence is too obvious.

Having been in use for close to ten years, and having gone through the preliminary steps of revision, the soon to be released second edition of Our Philosophical Heritage offers the promise of bringing its current functionality and further polish together. END

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The Oxford Bible Atlas, edited by Herbert G. May, is a detailed, extremely useful book that will heighten anyone's general understanding of biblical geography. It contains more than maps as it delves into the history behind the maps, and the archaeology behind the history. It cites biblical sources but also cites apocryphal books unfamiliar to most Protestant readers. The end result is a colorful, informative work that helps place both Old and New testaments into perspective.

The book is divided into three sections, the first introducing the ancient world, then the several maps, and concluding with an archaeological overview. Part one blends seemingly incompatible topics of biblical and geologic history. It includes biblical and secular accounts of ancient history. The atlas does not attempt to expound too greatly on the "Holy Land" as being somehow superior in importance. In fact the Holy Land occupies an important crossroads between east and west more so than it stands as a regional religious center of its own merit. Those who held power such as David, Herod, or even Pontius Pilate were rarely more than a regional or even local rulers who paled in stature when compared to Alexander or any of the Roman Emperors.

The map section covers most of the primary locations mentioned in the Bible, and illustrates the vastness of the biblical lands. Many maps retain ancient place names, though the primary focus is on the Near East. There are some areas not covered, such as the city of Tarshish, Jonah's destination when he attempted to flee from his responsibilities, and the route of the Exodus does not take them across either the Red Sea, or either the modern Gulf of Suez or Gulf of Aqaba. But these apparent omissions do little to detract from the overall effectiveness of the maps.

The final section is akin to a primer on biblical archaeology. It introduces Carbon 14 dating, how a site is developed, and a brief history of archaeological efforts in the region. It shows how cultures are understood by what has survived through the ages, and helps fill gaps when written records are not available.

The end result is a very informative atlas that readers of many different backgrounds will appreciate.

This book was meant for any child, teen, man or woman, who are living today without hope for a better future. The pact is about a brotherly commitment between friends to achieve their life long dreams. The reason that I use the word brotherly is because their pact was only as strong as the weakest of them. They became like family in support of one another and diligently worked together to achieve their dreams.

This book served as an excellent Read - Aloud for my middle school students in grades 6 - 8. I read excerpts from the book about each person and the students were in awe about the struggles and obstacles that these young men had to overcome. It was dripping with real life situations and real life solutions.

I was looking for a good book to learn concepts on patent-searching, and this book--after a long search--satisfied my need. This book explains theoretical concepts behind patent searching and analytics, tells how to extract ideas from forward and backward citation, and pros-and-cons of online databases. I have read some books from NOLO, but they teach about online tools only, and such tools are obsolete by the time of finishing reading the book. This is the only book to go for as of March 2008.

I bought this book on a whim, thinking that as an experienced patent searcher for over 10 years, it wouldn't teach me anything. I WAS WRONG! This book is very well organized and will be useful to the novice as well as the experiences searcher. I actually learned a number of useful techniques and tools and am recommending this book to my colleagues. Finally, a book that has pertinent complex information in one place for easy reference. Mr. Hunt is to be congratulated for his unambiguous writing style and format. Kudos to Amazon for letting me know it was available. Thanks.

Great read, wonderful story, beautiful book and beautiful photo of you.

Wishing you lots of great success. By Lisa of San Francisco

"Visually compelling, provocative, suspenseful, memorable, smooth pace with excellent twists and turns." By LEE LEVINSON-FILM PRODUCER

i'm a physical therapist 21years expirienced in Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Physiotherapy and my library has nearly all the best books on my field This book is a "must" for every library. I found very usefull treatment-informations that surprised me nicely after so many skilled years Now i'm waiting for the new edition of this excellent book and i hope to find much more details on all Physical modalities applying(specific time-durations,dosages etc in every step of treatment). I must thank the authors for this opportunity they gave me to have this book and help better my patients

i'm a physical therapist 21years expirienced in Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Physiotherapy and my library has nearly all the best books on my field This book is a "must" for every library. I found very usefull treatment-informations that surprised me nicely after so many skilled years Now i'm waiting for the new edition of this excellent book and i hope to find much more details on all Physical modalities applying(specific time-durations,dosages etc in every step of treatment). I must thank the authors for this opportunity they gave me to have this book and help better my patients

This is a book that makes bedtime story reading a delight for grandchildren/children and grandparents/parents. My grandchildren ages 2-6 love to peek behind things, look in the windows, open doors and of course, the treasure chest while trying to figure out whodunit! The fact that you can read the story with 3 different endings makes it evn more fun. This and Iain Smyth's other Whodunit books are my grandchildren's favorites! They even ask me to bring the books with me when I travel to visit them!

We have all three of Iain Smyth's Pop-up Whodunits, and all of them are excellent! Pirate Plunder's Treasure Hunt is very good. A crime has been committed, and you have to figure out who did it. They show all the suspect's baggage, personal items, and background. It even has a pop-up ship the so-called "The Scurvy Dog" and you can look through the windows and lookouts. The best part is it has three different sets of clues and solutions. You turn a wheel and the clues and criminal change. This is and excellent book for all pop-up or light mystery lovers!

My daughter loves this book! She loves the different textures and loves the pictures of the different children!

My grandson, age 3, searches our children's library stacks for this every time he goes there. He loves it and I believe it is the forerunner of children's ability to read.

Professor Freeman and his co-authors do a fine job providing a study of the varied components of political theory which is both short enough for students to actually read and still develop an understanding. I highly recommend this book

Dr. David Freeman does a great job of reviewing and summarizing key concepts in American Political Theory. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in furthering their understanding of key concepts that are to this day, highly relevant. Most specifically I would suggest this book to students interested in political thought and would like to further their understandings. As the contributing editor of this compilation of essays I believe that Dr. Freeman has been able to collect some great minds in the field of political thought and further their ideas. Suffice it to say not only great men, but great books stand on the shoulders of giants.

I love this book. This was EXACTLY what I was looking for and I am very glad I bought it. It was definitely worth my money.

Rarely do you find a book that is EXACTLY what you're looking for and EXACTLY what it claims to be. This is a superb book for intermediate Russian students who want to focus their study on Politics and International Relations. I treasure this book.