Miller Books

Walden Pond is a classic which everyone should be required to read. I read this years ago and wanted to add this one to my library. What a wonderful surprise it was. The pictures enhance this classic. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Thoreaus' works, Nature and getting back to the basics in life. In this busy life we live, it is relaxing to spend time reading this book.

Bought this as a gift for my husband and he really loved the photo illustrations. They are beautiful. Makes a nice "coffee table book".

* "I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion . . . I have thus a tight shingled and plastered house, ten feet wide by fifteen long . . . A lady once offered me a mat, but as I had no room to spare within the house, nor time to spare within or without to shake it, I declined it, preferring to wipe my feet on the sod before my door. It is best to avoid the beginnings of evil."
~ Henry David Thoreau; "Walden"

* "Walden has become as much a state of mind as it is a place."
~ Scot Miller; "Walden - 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition"

For my birthday in 1984, my dear friend, Marty ("rhymes with party"), gave me the 1981 Avenel books hardcover edition of WORKS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU. This compilation contained all of the famous transcendentalist's most significant writings and the thirty intriguing Herbert Wendall Gleason, black and white photographs that graced the 1906 publication of Thoreau's complete works.

My dear friend died in an auto accident five years later, but part of his legacy is the passion for Thoreau's philosophy that his gift awakened in me, and that book which occupies a prestigious place in one of my bookcases right between my Holy Bible and my 1st edition copy of Mark Twain's 1872, Roughing It. And my book, though yellowed now, looks pretty good for a volume 23 years without a dust jacket (I nearly always trash the things immediately), and for having been completely read twice, and thumbed through hundreds of times!

A couple of years ago, GFM (Good Friend Melanie) gave me a softcover copy of WALDEN AND OTHER WRITINGS, and I was glad to have it as it contained a couple of essays and excerpts I'd not previously read, and it provided me with a copy of Thoreau's best that I could loan out to others.

Therefore, when my friend, Pooh, and I flew into Philadelphia in late August 2005, to visit the birthplace of our nation, and then to drive north to visit Walden Pond and environs, I did not consider purchasing a copy of this 150th ANNIVERSARY ILLUSTRATED EDITION of WALDEN for myself while in Thoreau's hometown. I already had two copies of this true classic and couldn't see buying a third despite the stunning pictures included in this publication. I did, however, bring home a copy as a gift for GFM. (The woman in the bookstore in downtown Concord, Massachusetts, pointed out to me that the original publishing price - printed on the inside flap of the dust jacket - was $28.12, half a cent less than Thoreau tells us it cost him to build his little house at Walden's shore in 1845. (He officially moved into his homemade home on the appropriate date of July 4th, and an American classic was born!)

One day, shortly after returning from my memorable trip, I borrowed from GFM the copy I had given her, so I could gaze upon the nearly 100 SCOT MILLER photographs once again. And I was so awed by the indescribably gorgeous and practically breathtaking pictures of the Walden area and its flora and fauna, that I realized I needed to own this book like Thoreau needed solitude. And that's how I came by Thoreau's WALDEN for a THIRD time! While Marty's gift reigns for sentimental reasons, the 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition is tops in exquisite beauty - a lovelier and more profound coffee table book is simply unimaginable; a richer gift for a valued friend couldn't be purchased at ANY price! This edition is simply a divine marriage of Thoreau's insight into the nature of Man and his place in nature, and Scot Miller's illustrations of the natural world wherein Thoreau made those treasured observations over a century and a half ago. Hey, I even left the dust jacket on this book despite the fact that the jacket's photograph is also reprinted on page 2, and it barely even hints at the wonders inside.

In Thoreau's WALDEN, the naturalist makes the following observation in the chapter titled, "Sounds": "I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel. It was a drama of many scenes and without an end." And Scot Miller has brilliantly captured with his camera the splendor of that "drama of many scenes" at Thoreau's old stamping ground.

I'm not knowledgeable in the techniques of photography, so I can't explain to you HOW Miller was able to make photographs like these (it seems obvious to me, however, that he must employ an array of various filters and such). All that I CAN tell you is that words can't describe the virtual explosion of colors (like nature vibrantly celebrating that 1845 4th of July within Herself) and the uncommon degree of visible detail (staring at those rocks and leaves in "Still Life Under Ice", I can almost feel the bone-numbing cold that any one of those stones would penetrate my hand with). "Magical Fairyland Pond" is the perfect caption for that dreamlike picture of Walden's sister pond. I can almost hear a lonely dog barking from across the glittering snow while hidden deep in the distant, wooded shore, when I'm lost in the "Sunrise On Frozen Walden Pond." I'm not even going to attempt to describe the "Nature's Palette, Heywood's Meadow" photograph on page 32. Suffice to say that God is "The" Master Painter. Incredible! (And Scot Miller, you're a wonder, too!)

This five-star beauty of a book represents the pinnacle of the publisher's art, and it includes a shot of the exact site of Thoreau's 1845 cabin (previously obscured by a cairn), and Henry's simple tombstone, which I visited at the Author's Ridge section of the Concord cemetary where our hero's physical body gradually became a part of the nature that his spirit loved so much.

On a family vacation many years ago, I visited Walden Pond and walked all around it. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Thoreau's Walden, the Walden Woods Project published, in 2004, this illustrated edition of the work with stunning color photographs by Scott Miller of Walden Pond and its environs. The Walden Woods Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Walden Pond and to the legacy of Thoreau. I found this book a fitting memorial of my walk around Walden Pond and of my earlier readings of Walden. The lovely edition, photographs, and memories inspired me to turn again to Thoreau's book.

Henry David Thoreau (1817 -- 1862) lived at Walden Pond, Masachusetts from July, 1845 -- September, 1847, in a cabin he built himself on a tract of land owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was two miles from Concord, Massachusetts and one mile from his nearest neighbor. A railroad passed near the pond, and it was frequented regularly by farmers, hunters, picnickers, and others. During the two years, Thoreau left Walden Pond at times to visit friends in Concord, to lecture, and to visit other ponds and sites in the area. He made no pretense of being entirely isolated. In his book, Walden, published in 1854, Thoreau described the first year of his life at Walden Pond (he tells us that the second year was much the same) and his reasons for living there. Much of the book was written at Walden Pond, and Throreau also wrote other works there.

The book is short but it is written in a dense, difficult and condensed style with many long, complex sentences. It is also highly allusive and shows Thoreau's learning in classical literature and his interest in Eastern thought and religion. It is filled with many short, pithy, and provocative comments which have become proverbial in American literature.

In the opening and closing chapters of the book, Thoreau describes his motivations for living at Walden Pond and abandoning the life of commerce. For Thoreau, most people are owned by their possessions. He saw a need to live with little encubrance in order to understand himself and find inner peace. "Simplify, simplify, simplify" was his goal. In one of my favorite sentences of the book, he states (p. 67) "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Then, towards the end of the book, Thoreau recounts some of the lessons he had learned in the following passage:

"We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it, and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities, which we call doing our duty. We loiter in winter while it is already spring."(p/253)

In the middle sections of the book, Throreau describes his life in the woods, again with recognition of his substantial interactions with other people during the time. (He was not a hermit.) He describes the books he read, his activites at his cabin, Walden Pond and woods, the changes of the seasons, and the plants and animals. The pond and its creatures are described with great detail, but Thoreau gives even more attention to internalizing his experiences and explaining their significance to his readers.

Scott Miller's beatiful photographs of Walden Pond add a great deal to this edition. They are well-placed to correspond with the discussion in the text, and they illuminate Thoreau's descriptive passages. The photographs, and the book itself, brought back reading and visiting memories and made me want to see Walden Pond again.

But much as Walden is revered for its descriptions of nature, the book remains for me primarily internalized and intropsective. Thoreau has many polemical things to say which will not, and should not, appeal to all readers. But the book documents the effort of an individual to try to understand his life, to reflect, and to understand change. As I have suggested, it is not an anti-social book as Thoreau was never far removed from friends and company. But it is a book about understanding one's life and learning not to be afraid of solitude or of being with oneself.

Robin Friedman

I'll not dwell on the author's content but on the publisher's choice of binding. Thoreau calls for a complete abandonment of possessions and to always choose the simpler, less expensive if something is needful. This beautiful coffee table book uses expensive glossy enamel paper with gorgeous photographs going way beyond necessity. Every time I picked it up to read, it's irony struck me first and weighed upon me until I set it down. It's a shame really, because with other content it would be luxurious.

Miller provides an extremely thought-provoking and incisive look at the issues of abilities, vocation and personal satisfaction. As the title indicates, he debunks the myth that you can do anything if you just "put your mind to it." He does so convincingly through his own copious research and psychological observations. Miller is incredibly readable, sprinkling humor and poignant anecdotes throughout the book. I would especially recommend this book to college students; there are some valuable lessons here that are better learned BEFORE entering the working world.

I have spent a considerable number of years as a career consultant. Mr. Miller brings significant study and observations to the field. Miller'ss conclusions about "hard wiring" make perfect sense to me, in light of my experience. When we discover and are able to articulate our "heart cry" we are on the road to greater success and enjoyment of life. This book is worthy of your time!

At last, a book on vocation and job placement that celebrates the giftedness of the individual rather than attempting to pigeonhole people into personality types.

Debunks the myth of 'becoming'... the idea (so popular in modern culture) that people are basically 'self-made' rather than gifted by God.

A worthwhile read for anyone looking to surface their unique gifts and gain insight into how to put them at the service of the human family.

This book has been re-issued in paperback under the title The Power of Uniqueness (ISBN 0310242886). As of today, it's still in print and is very affordable.

I'm 55 and too old to learn anything, but understanding the basic principle of which Miller and Hendricks write has been really helpful and I've thought about it many times in the past year or so since I read the book. I've been able to much better understand myself and those around me and to give better advice. I even bought copies for both of my sons. Unfortunately, the explanation of the principle was much more interesting than the authors' application, which for me became rather pedantic. Regardless, it's a valuable read -- just do the first half (5 stars), then rip off the last half (2 stars) and toss it! Seriously, READ THE BOOK!

I used this book for a recent Special Needs training I facilitated at South Carolina University in Sumter, SC. The Preschool teachers loved it because it got over and sealed the point I was trying to make. "Don't change the child, change the environment in which the child is in." It gave them a more open mind of how to adapt their classrooms for the children in which they serve.

We have had this book for years and I just purchased it for my daughter's Kindergarten classroom, it is such a fun book, I love the illustrations and it is one that I can read again and again and still enjoy it.

The book was received in good condition and in a timely manner. I would recommend this site to others.

We simply adore Winnie the Witch at our house... by we I mean me (38), my husband (44), and our 2 and a half year old daughter. The humor appeals to every age, as do the fantastic illustrations. I recently ordered the three story collection and was not disappointed. Take a chance on Winnie.

This is, I think very much more for a child from 2-4 than anything else. The language is simple as are the concepts. It is very good humoured and beautifully illustrated. This is a book my 2 and 4 year old love to look at.

There are quite complicated illustrations of Winnies house which is a large castle - it is all in black. The problem is that Winnie's cat is also black, she can see the cat when its eyes are open, but when they are closed she keeps tripping over it - so she changes the colour of the cat.

It is a simple story, just a couple of plot elements, a little bit of problem solving and a happy ending (as you would expect) It is a nice book for discussing how to solve problems with children - (for instance what would you do if you kept tripping over the cat? what colour would you like best here? and so on) Its a nice book for opening up dialogue, and also for leading into art and creativity.

It is also a nice book just to read - and it is a favourite with my two at bed time right now. I think the cat is the most appealing thing in it, which is well drawn and a bit leggy, the illustrations remind a lot of Ronald Searle/Quentin Blake style.

I see there are more books in this series and I am keen to get hold of them for the girls before they grow out of them

Christy Miller can't wait to finally see summer-fling Todd again. She plans to spend every moment of her Christmas break in Newport Beach making up for the long months they have spent apart. However, in YOURS FOREVER, the third book in Robin Jones Gunn's Christy Miller series, she finds all of her carefully-laid plans falling to pieces.

Christy wants to spend Christmas morning having a romantic picnic on the beach with Todd, as they had always done during the summer. However, Christy's strict parents are not about to let her on any kind of date until she turns 16, and the picnic becomes much less romantic as it is chaperoned by her younger brother David. The morning proves to be a complete disaster --- her carefully cooked breakfast is destroyed and Todd opts to spend his time surfing with David.

It's not only her parents and their rules that are a problem; Todd doesn't appear quite as interested in her as she had hoped. In fact, he seems to be going out of his way to avoid her. She desperately tries to capture his attention, but each attempt only draws her further away from Todd, her friends and her family.

However, Todd isn't the only one who's been acting strangely. Christy herself hasn't mentioned the large amount of time she's been spending with heartthrob Rick Doyle back home. Confused and jealous, Christy takes a bad piece of advice that threatens her relationship with both Todd and best friend Tracy. At the same time, Christy's relationship with her family becomes even more strained, as she struggles for more independence and learns some well-hidden family secrets. However, a letter from a surprising source may be just what Christy needs to strengthen her relationship with Todd, understand her often confusing family and renew her faith in God.

YOURS FOREVER is certain to please fans of the Christy Miller series. Readers will be glad to have Todd back on the scene following his notable absence from A WHISPER AND A WISH. While not moving as fast as the previous two installments, or advancing Christy's story very much, the book still tackles some important issues about relationships --- especially those between friends and family. It doesn't follow the typical plot lines of a teen novel, and readers may be either pleased with or frustrated by the very unconventional relationship between Todd and Christy.

Still, YOURS FOREVER is an enjoyable read that is much on par with the rest of the series. A surprise twist at the end will leave audiences anxiously awaiting more of Christy Miller's adventures.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

So so so sweet! I will never stop reading Christy, they're so amazing! Christy and Todd are the sweetest, and they're so cute together. You are cheering for them to get together. I love the breakfast on the beach!

This book is so good! I read it about 5 times in a row while waiting for the next book. you just fall in love with Todd and become best friends with Christy. I encourage all girls to read this that are from ages 12 and up. You'll get attached!

This book is so so good, the picnic on the beach,the New Years' kiss, Oh so romatic with a Christian point of view. These are just a few reasons I started reading the Christy Miller series, but my first book was Sierra Jensen series, and from then on it was them and nothing else I don't read any other books but these. Mrs.Gunn I think you are a very great writer but one thing what happened to Paul and Sierra? Please write more or have them made into movies or something. But no matter how you look at it these books rule. Thanks agin Mrs.Gunn

This book rocks! The whole series is great, but this book shows what true do for eachother. Christy finds it difficult to live with the realization that she and Todd are just friends. She soon learns, though, that it's better to have him as a friend. A true friend forever.

My kids love this book. I find it challenging for them and that is why it's so good.

I have used these problem of the day sheets in my classroom everyday with great success. I would highly recommend them to any parent or teacher.

This book is a great warm-up or starter for your math class. They are really good higher order thinking questions that provide a great way to begin your class!

My 8th and 9th grade special education students loved these problems. Since I have to do a lot of reviewing with them, they enjoyed the challenge and different format of the problems. I would like more of the same for other topics.

An absolutely great book -- I use for my kids and they love it. I just wish it could be more complete so that it can be used for every pre-college student. I just found a free online resource (K12 Math Problem of the Day) It seemes to target every K12 student.

A well-written book about self-examination, re-training ourselves out of our miseries into finding our bliss, & learning to enjoy our lives. Remember, there are no guarantees given when we are born. If you're tired of feeling empty & angry all the time, then the tools & clues offered in THE ALARM CLOCK OF YOUR LIFE IS RINGING is as good as any book out there. It reminds us that it's time to wake up, enjoy the smell of the coffee, even if you don't drink it, & learn how to transform the quality of your life, gain contentment wherein you find yourself, with the deck of cards you've been dealt.

This book is written in a language that really speaks to a broad audience. The techniques she describes are very easy to apply and have such profound effects on one's life. I read the book in its entirety during a three-hour plane flight. I couldn't put the book down. Lisa has an amazing spirit! Every chapter seemed to be full of love and compassion for humanity. I have been recommending this book to all my family and friends and will continue to do so.

I was really surprized at the amount of wonderful and full of insightful information written by Lisa Miller. This book is one of a kind and one of the best ones I have read on simular topics. GREAT BOOK!

This book was food for thought. I was able to see myself in some of the examples used,I could also recognize people I have known in some of illustrations used by the author. The book speaks to a wide variety of people.There is something to learn for everyone.

"The Alarm Clock of Your Life is Ringing: Time to Wake up to Happiness and Enlightenment" is a book about achieving happiness by reconnecting to parts of your self that have been lost emotionally and/or spiritually. One of the basic premises of the book is that emotions come and go and when they rise up they are meant to flow through your body and out. However, that is not the case for most of us. For whatever reasons many emotions become stuck in us instead of flowing through. When this is the case, "It is not possible to go back and change what happened. We can only change the way we feel about it." That is where this book becomes a helpful guide to releasing those long forgotten emotions that cripple us in daily life and cause us to do things that are not in our best interest or just plain keep us from being happy.

Through a simple process the author leads the reader a specific technique of recognizing those feelings, honoring them, and then using sound as a mechanism to release those unhealthy feelings.

As a result you feel free of these constraints to your happiness, more free and spontaneous and are able to lead a more fulfilling and happy life. What's that you say? Using sound, or vocalizations to release stress, emotional stresses and the like sounds a bit strange? To many people it does sound strange, but it is well documented that music can make a tremendous difference in our attitudes towards life, stress levels, feelings of contentment, etc. So many older cultures have used vocalizations to reach places of contentment and peace whether it be the "Om" of eastern religious mediations, or the chants of Native Americans to achieve altered states. If vocalization and sound can be used successfully to achieve such altered states then it is reasonable to believe that, if used correctly, it can be used to release emotional baggage from our past allowing then to then flow freely out of our bodies so that we are free of them.

Although this is a small book it is still wonderful reading and many will find it very useful to help move them toward a happier life. So, now the alarm clock is ringing. The question is whether you hit the snooze button and continue your life as it is currently or wake up and take action to change how you perceive past harms so that you can go forward in peace. An inspirational book that just about everyone will find of some value.

The author starts by pointing out that linguistically the word "disgust" in English is linked to the word "taste" ("gustus" in Latin). It describes actions or things which are repulsive, revolting or abhorrent principally because they become polluting by being out of place. Freud's theories are efforts to overcome a deep disgust with sex which is often the cause for anxiety, neurosis and psychosis. Disgust is also a psychic need to avoid reminders of our animal origins and it is accompanied by ideas of some sort of danger like pollution, contamination or defilement. It has the function of protecting our organism from dangerous matter. And disgust is culturally and socially determined.
The author argues that disgust has powerful image-generating capacities and that it plays a part in organising and internalising many of our attitudes toward the moral, social and political domains. He also demonstrates how the conceptualisation of disgust varies by virtue of the sense doing the perceiving: touch, smell, taste or vision. The body's orifices and wastes are not forgotten either: mouth, anus, genitals, nose, ears and skin. Moving away from the visceral, Mr Miller takes up the delicate issue of the relationships of disgust to desire and desire to prohibition. He also discusses the changing styles of disgust and the disgusting through time and then moves to the issue that disgust is a moral sentiment. Finally he concentrates on disgust in the political and social realms where it confronts democracy and the idea of equality.
A fascinating study with plenty of references to famous writers like Orwell, Shakespeare, Sartre or Darwin. There is also an exhaustive bibliography which will help readers find related studies to the concept of disgust.

One more "I loved it!" review? Yes, and here's goes. Mr. Miller does a marvelous job, writing in laid back but eminently readable prose that is also judiciously scholarly, describing, explaining, or just tossing up speculations about a culturally modified body of reaction that provokes the "Ee~oo,gross!". The subject has been handled before, obviously, judging by all the references he makes to the various studies, some recondite, some classic, including Mary Douglas' and Freud's. The book reads like an intimate seminar, with the author citing immediate examples from his own life, and casually but appropriately pointing out things done by his own children. Miller makes it clear from the get go that his study is necessarily restricted to the study of the phenomenon as shaped and defined by the culture and class to which he belongs: WASP with a roundedly informed grasp of his own tradition and values. In that sense, the book makes no claim to be universal, a disclaimer that stands out as an act of virtue in contrast to much of disgustingly pompous academic sweepers out there. Nonetheless, the author does manage to bowl pretty well, getting a strike here and there in terms of observation concerning the qualities that, for all practical purposes, are universally recognized to be those of the disgusting. I use the term 'universal' as it applies today, what with globalization and all. Yes, coprophagy (eating of feces) is indulged in by some for thrills, but I doubt anyone practices drooling saliva into a cup and then drinking it back up. The author suggests that it may not be too much to credit the invisible structure of human social evolution to the distancing of two points, YUCK and YUM. The culturo-environmental determination of the length between those two points may very well contain much of what it takes to delimit a culture's potential for art, science, and language as well. The book contains what everyone already knows (too well!) but never bothered to articulate for him/herself. There is much here to delight the inner pre-pubescent in us all, but it is a serious book, nevertheless. After all, in the grown-up world, it is not the gooey, slimy stuff so much as the ethical defect in the form of gooey, slimy character and corresponding actions that make us think,"EE~oo! Gross!" A nice companion to Sloterdijk's The Critique of Cynical Reason.

Do not be mistaken, this book reads almost as a literature review. He covers very little Psychology of disgust; what he mentions of Paul Rozin and Jon Haidt, two of the primary "Psychology of disgust" researchers, he tends to disagree somewhat with their assessments. Most of his "Psychological" queries reflect Freud and the Psychoanalytic tradition; this makes sense because he assesses disgust more as a Philosophical issue than an experimental issue, and Freud reads better as a Philosopher than as a Psychologist. As an undergraduate (and soon to be graduate) spending a great deal of time researching disgust, I had to take this into consideration when perusing the different chapters.

However, as part Literature review, part Anthropological study, part Philosophical question, part Psychological reflection, and part Anatomy lesson, this book makes for a very fascinating read. Even though he writes for more of an academic audience, his prose flows very smoothly; someone with an advanced degree would enjoy the discussion as much as someone who doesn't have any degree. He ties his sources together very well (many of which he's spent a great deal of academic time writing about) and puts forth various positions on issues that could be used for future academic research. Most importantly, he elicits many of the emotions he talks about just through his descriptions. When he illustrated the sensational results of disgust, I had visceral reactions; nothing makes a point better than identifying with that point through emotion or sentiment.

The unique genius of Professor Miller's work lies not in his ability to give new information to the reader. Indeed, most of his observations are instantly recognized by any perceptive reader as being things he or she already knew about the world. The genius of The Anatomy of Disgust, as with his other works, is his ability to recognize fundamental truths that most people never think about at all, or would prefer not to, and to organize these truths into a coherent system by which human behavior can be analyze and understood.
I strongly recommend this book!

I can think of no greater praise to confer upon such a wonderfully erudite, wryly penetrating, and rigorously eloquent book than that Nietzsche's approval of it as a genuine contribution to the genealogy of morality can be readily imagined. Indeed, like his previous, and comparably trenchant, work, "Humiliation," his "Anatomy" deploys etymology, anthropology, social- and individual psychology, history, and inspired scrutiny of 'heroic' literature in order to, as Nietzsche characterized the task in 1887, "decipher" from "what has been documented, what is really ascertainable, what has really existed... the whole long hieroglyphic text... of humanity's moral past."

Such a shame this comedy troupe broke up. Humour with surgical precision. Roots of Python found here. You'll listen over and over again.

After Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers came the Beyond the Fringe crowd. This is one of the foundation stones of transatlantic comedy. Cook and Moore preceded Pythons Cleese and Chapman at Cambridge. (They in turn preceded Frye and Laurie.) Ripeness is all, and they had it...

The team of Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore was originally conceived as a potentially successful show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1960 - hence the name. None of them had ever worked together before, or not at any rate in this configuration, and each of them went into the project with some doubts. They ended up producing one of the most savagely funny comedy shows ever, a piece of work that was to play a large part in the transformation of the British cultural landscape during the 1960s.

It's all very well (and true) to say that this stuff is still funny after forty years. It's more useful to put yourself back into the mindset of a 1961 audience, utterly unprepared for such a comic assault on the sacred cows of post-war British culture: dodgily reverential productions of Shakespeare; dreary and self-aggrandising prime-ministerial broadcasts by then PM Harold Macmillan; a devastating swipe at the cheery platitudes of governmental advice on what to do during a nuclear attack (basically, hide inside a brown paper bag); a brutal demolition of piously cliched movies about the sacrifices of world war 2 - these lads dished it out in spades. The laughter you hear on the soundtrack is not the cosy laughter of an audience hearing what it likes to hear, it's the guilty and almost hysterical laughter of an audience having its worst fears and suspicions confirmed and provoked.

Fair enough, Dudley Moore (RIP) went on to make some dodgy movies. Jonathan Miller did some fine work in the theatre and in opera, but nothing quite as cutting-edge as here. Alan Bennett became an English (not British) institution. Peter Cook ended up with a reputation as the Guy Who Never Fulfilled His Promise - but none of these assessments are accurate. Between the talents of the four of them, they produced a comedy that has seldom been lived up to. They truly were the Bill Hickses of 60s England. As Michael Frayn points out in his excellent introductory essay, it's because they made the audience laugh at their own prejudices. Few have done so much, and they never slacked. (One of the sketches from the 1964 Broadway production, included here, confirms this, in a sardonic assessment of American culture and how-the-show-is-likely-to-go-down-there, still true today.)

This is great comedy. We shouldn't imitate its content - we should strive to reach for the level of insight and the accuracy of target that they met. Mind you, it's still damn funny. My personal faves are the civil defence sketch and Bennett's stunningly vacuous sermon "Take A Pew", chunks of which I know off by heart. Good comedy is never cosy, and while this may seem like we've heard it before, bear in mind that nobody had ever quite done anything like this at the time - or, anyway, not so successfully. Genius.

The legendary performance by 4 true geniuses. Oh, if we could only have this on vid....

I have spent a great deal of time playing this to people who finally get it. The launching pad for Monty Python, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, et al, is right here. These 3 CDs contain the cream of the 60's satire crop by 4 very affable chaps not afraid to take convention and a sledgehammer and juxtapose the two. The material is first-rate and the performances practically flawless. One or two bits do require more visual, but the gist is just as good--gets the mind working.

Even the material that is dated (Harold Macmillan et al) holds up well because, in all honesty, have politicians really changed all that much in 40 years? I think not--it's just more public now.

Get this set by any means. You will truly treasure this gem for years to come.

Terrific. I've just spent the entire weekend listening to certain tracks over and over. The writing is fantastic and the talents of these 4 are really amazing. The characterizations are crystal clear and masterfully layered ("Words...and Things," "TVPM," "Take a Pew" among others) so that for any performer, writer or director, "Beyond the Fringe" is an education. Two of the three CDs were recorded in London and it is interesting to compare them with the third CD, recorded in the U.S. Although I questioned my hormone balances when I paid for the thing, I'm very happy to have it as a part of my collection. For any piano players, Dudley Moore does a wonderful job with humor and music. While some of the sketches aren't nearly as topical as they were in 1961, the time gap serves to clarify the choices of the actors. Even with that, the sketches have aged well.

This book touched me on an intellectual and emotional level. Such a basic principle and yet it contins a meaningful message in an easy to read format.

Biokind speaks with a passion that should be felt by every human being. It reminds us of where we've come from and our oneness with every living creature in the pyramid of life. As a former science teacher, I taught my students to learn through reading and exploring nature on field trips. Only by using all the senses can the true meaning of life be understood and appreciated. Biokind will awaken a reality deep within your heart and soul. A reality that all life is sacred and deserves the same respect, honor and dignity we wish for ourselves.

Captain W. K. Miller created the concept of "biokind" and draws upon her more than twenty-five years of experience to present the reading public with Biokind: Rhetoric For A New Paradigm. This exceptionally well crafted affirmation that human beings are one with the ecosystem we inhabit, and coins a the word "biokind" reflects how we should best live in harmony with the natural world that sustains us. Faith, kindness, conservation and ecosystem-friendly behavior bring physical and spiritual renewal. Highly recommended reading for students of metaphysics, environmental concerns, and Gaia compatible lifestyles, Biokind speaks from the heart and soil of the Earth itself.

This book is a must read in todays changing times. Especially in the wake of Sept l1/01 and all its leading events.We have come to
the threshold of the Biokind Path experience Biokind in all levels
of our existence, inwardly and outwardly.
Take this knowledge gleamed from this book and apply it to your life in todays ever changing world . Take our children by the hand of knowledge and
lead them into Biokind.

Biokind is a word that houses a concept that is central to the continuation of life on this planet.Captain Miller has encapsulated the thoughts and visions of naturalists, mystics and people of good will in a short, accessible form. "The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask." Nancy Newhall, Biokind p45 and Biokind creates a terminology and a context that man needs to recognize the inter-relation of all life. In this time of fear, confusion and violence, Captain Miller's book provides a blueprint to shift our cultural conditioning from one of exclusion to one of inclusion. Study this book and begin to manifest true harmony.

As a teacher, I found this book valuable because it has activities that I can use over & over to present these lessons. A lot of people say they want "Black History" in our schools--but we do not have a clue as to how to present it--or how to make a good learning experience from all of the information. I do not have to go take another semester of college to learn inspiring ways to teach Black History.And I think it will be usable for any age group. That is really valuable!

This book seems so simple, but it is has enormous power to uplift people, to inspire, and to educate. All ages can benefit from it. I am impressed.

This 44-page book is unique and very attractive. It is not another "run-of the mill" long, narrative about slavery. It is 44-pages of powerful dynamite! This author has done an effective job in making this complicated topic simple but yet educational. I am White and I really like this book, because it has opened my eyes to reality. I think all people should read it and use the activities to learn more. This author has some great stuff in this book.

BLACK HISTORY TREASURY emerges as a book filled with some of the best teaching exercises and material that I have ever seen pertaining to this issue.All races and ages should use this book. Melvia Miller, I applaud your ingenuity!

Reading about Black History will make us aware of how people who lived under horrible circumstances rose above the problems and became great inventors, athletes, artists, politicians, etc. I hope a lot of teachers, parents and other people who work with children will get this book and use it. We have so much crime,ignorance, hatred, racial division, gang-banging, and self-destructive behavior in this country. Maybe Melvia's inspiring book can open some eyes & cause people to think!