O Books

Undoing the ego is a common theme in many spiritual practices, but I have not read a better description of what that means. What is the ego? Where did it come from? What do we do about it? These important questions are tackled with elegance in Take Me To Truth. The book focuses a lot on the spiritual relationship, and casts a lot of light on relationships in general.

Drawing from the seminal "A Course in Miracles," (ACIM) Take Me To truth does a great job of compiling the core teaching in an easy to digest format. It isn't a replacement for ACIM, but a great way for ACIM readers to increase their depth of knowledge.

One does not have to be an ACIM student to get a lot from this book. Students of Advaita Vedanta, the Sedona Method, and similar spiritual paths will get a lot from this book. It has deepened my spiritual understanding, and I highly recommend it.

This is one of the most important books of my life and I'm now 70!
I recommend it to any one and everyone who reads A Course In Miracles even once in a while and, definitely, to everyone who, as yet, isn't acquainted with A Course In Miracles.

This is an awesome book that will take you into the journey of self-actualization and live a life that is fulfilling without the need to be fulfilled externally. Open your heart and mind and be honest with yourself and you will discover things unimaginable about love, friendships and everything that is reality! This is a journey you'll not want to miss!!

If you want help undoing your ego this is your book..I read a course in miracles, then disappearance of the universe ,and finally this book and i get it . this book answers all your questions in an easy to understand written format...I will read again and again..also if you have read a new earth this is an excellent follow up to that book!

Take me to truth is one of the few A Course In Miracle related books that teaches the essential practice of trust. Within its stories, sharings and gentle wise guidance, we come to see ourselves beyond our shadows and learn to accept Holy Spirit's guidance as always leading us to the light within. Trust indeed is the essential component for every Teacher of God, yet it also is the most essential component for inner peace beyond any spiritual path. Here we come to learn, not just through Nouk and Tomas' own journey, how trust is the key, but how each of us can choose to step beyond our own challenges and desire to know the light within ourselves as real and life affirming. The lessons and sharings within Take Me To Truth are practical, real and ego-destructive! So warn your ego before you choose to delve within its pages... it just may not survive. I am proud to own this book and highly recommend it to all not only on the path of ACIM, but to all who genuinely seek to awaken.Simply Being: One Year with Spirit

Very good, tightly-scripted entry in the series. The last few, O'Brian has run out of historical events to fictionalize, and his plotting freed from the constraints of mapping to historical markers is really good. He has learned how to leave at least one unresolved conflict that keeps the reader on edge for the next entry, and those conflicts aren't always resolved for the good guys! Plus, he has learned how to quickly refresh the story from the previous entry in the readers mind at the beginning of the current one without long-winded exposition.

One of the best of the series. The only drawback is the rapidly approaching end.

Twelfth in the series: The Letter of Marque

This book, which by all means should be read before "The Letter of Marque" is a wonderful, if sad installment in the series. In the midst of the unfortunate treatment of Aubrey however, is a real powerful moment towards the end of the novel. Again, a real testament to the themes of honor and friendship that abound in this series.

This is the 11th novel in the Aubrey-Maturin seagoing series. This book is all about honor and reputation, how easy they are to lose, and how hard they are to get back. The story takes place mostly on land and finds Captain Jack Aubrey an easy mark for some stock swindlers who lure him into a confidence game, with terrible consequences. Doctor Stephen Maturin finds that he has been dumped by his flighty wife, who ran off with a Swedish officer. The book ends with the men in an unaccustomed circumstance, with Aubrey reliant on Maturin to salvage his own future.

It was nice to see the series back in good form after the silliness of "The Far Side of the World." However, some of the on-going international intrigue that spans several books has gotten so complicated that I can't remember what it was about, and I find myself not caring, either.

Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

The twelve books that precede The Reverse of the Medal in the Aubrey-Maturin series together form a coherent, engaging chronicle of naval warfare, intrigue, and romance. Had its thirteenth installment been simply more of the same, the appeal might have begun to pale; however, with a single plot twist, Patrick O'Brian changes the rules of the game completely, handing Aubrey and Maturin a whole new set of challenges.(Note: plot spoilers follow).

Captain Jack Aubrey, ashore and in funds for a change, is induced to invest in the stock market on rumors of peace. When the rumors turn out to be a hoax, Aubrey is falsely accused and convicted of stock fraud and dismissed from the Navy. With his fortunes in ruins and reinstatement to his rank a dim prospect, his only choice is to take up privateering in the newly-decommissioned Surprise.

What sets this book apart from its predecessors is the extent to which we see Aubrey struggling honorably with devious opponents and murky matters quite at odds with his seamanlike competencies, and dealing with the loss of his Naval identity, so much a part of his being. In so doing, it contains some of O'Brian's finest writing - the scene of Aubrey's punishment in the pillory, cheered and protected by a city square full of seamen, is one of his most bitterly triumphant and touching.

The Reverse of the Medal is not the place to start reading this saga. However, the changes that it rings on the previous books' formula ensure a fresh tone and a new perspective that will invigorate even the most jaded veteran of stern-chases and luffing-matches.

Just one of an awesome series focusing on "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his friend, Dr. Steven Maturin (sp?). Series is a robust and rich historical men-at-sea and -at-war yarn that covers many years in the late 1700 to early 1800s. Ah-HA! (inside joke). Simon Vance's voice is excellent and each character is distinct.

This is the third Telushkin book I have read, and I am not disappointed. The book is not merely a summary of the key events in the Tanach. Telushkin breaks down the events into easily digestable nuggets. This approach allows Telushkin to provide suprising depth of anaylsis, drawing from both Talmudic and medieval commentaries, as well as more modern Rabbinic scholarship. Reading this book is a very enriching experience that inspires the reader to study further.

If you are looking to know more about Judaism one of your best investments is to buy any book written by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. Especially, "Jewish Literacy" and "Biblical Literacy" because both of these books have all the essential information about pretty much everything and they are great reference to have in your library once you are done reading them for the first time.

They are both easy to read with short chapters and you can read them front-to-back and back-to-front. Both books are great start up books for Judaism and they will make you crave for further reading as suggested in the chapters. They are both AWESOME guides to further study. Reading them you will know the essential on each subject and from there you can take your studies in any direction.

These books are addictive and once you start reading them you are going to be hooked! That is what happened to me. :-)

"Jewish Literacy" starts with an explanation of the Jewish texts and it covers topics chronologically from Genesis to current events. The chapters in "Biblical Literary" will go more in depth about the Torah and Tanach which is already covered, with less detail, in "Jewish Literacy".

Both of these books are the best introduction to Judaism books you can buy today.

I've seen the Hebrew Bible explained by true believers of several kinds, or critics of various sorts. But never have I seen it examined with such open curiosity. With Rabbi Telushkin as a guide, I was struck as never before by the Bible's painful honesty. It faithfully records the pain of inhumanity and the cost of each moral victory. But I seem to need an unblinking guide like Telushkin to really expose this.

The book takes three passes through the Hebrew Bible. First Telushkin highlights people and events. Then he explores the development of values and ideas. Third he details the rise of Jewish law through the Torah. I want to give quotes from two of these sections.

In examining Genesis 22, Telushkin considers how Isaac and Sarah felt about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son:

"Does he [Isaac] have trouble trusting his father after this incident? Or trusting God?

And then there is Sarah. The woman has waited almost her entire life to have a child, and Isaac's birth was her supreme joy. Yet her name is not mentioned once in this chapter. How does she react when she hears what happened? Do Abraham and Isaac tell her, or do they make a pact to keep the incident secret?

Again, we do not know, although the late Rabbi Abraham Chen points out a peculiar, seldom noted detail in the text. When Abraham returns from his trip, the Bible notes that he stays in Beersheva. Yet the second verse in the next chapter (Genesis 23:2) records that Sahah died in Kiryat Arba, and that Abraham came there to mourn for her. Although the text never explicitly says so, the implication is that Abraham and Sarah were living apart when she died. If so, did Sarah move away from him when she heard what Abraham had almost done?" (p. 41)

Concerning the development of values in the Bible story, we have this concerning the problem of theft:

"... The Bible's primary concern, however, is with aiding the victim. The first demand it makes of a theif is that he return the stolen goods to the victim. In addition, the theif is to be punished with a hundred percent fine, payable to the victim, not the state (Exodus 22:3). ... It is evident that biblical law is primarily concerned not with punishment of the thief, but with gaining restitution for the victim." (p. 447-448)

--author of "Different Visions of Love"

This book contains summaries and explanations of the major Biblical stories. It describes the major ideas events and people of what the Christian world calls ' The Old Testament ' and the Jewish world calls " Tannach". It is done with great intelligence, insight and balanced wisdom.
But it is best used as supplement, as a tool for better understanding problematic passages and readings.
It can in no way compare to the Biblical text itself , and the effort at reading and understanding it.
This book is written in clear explicatory prose, and is filled with information.
"Tannach" itself is a poetic document in the deepest sense. It is one that reverberates with meanings , one which demands reading and rereading of to be understood.
If the reading of this particular text can be thought of as a kind of study, the reading of Tannach is study and much more than that.
Again if anyone believes that by reading this work they will understand and know the reading of Tannach, they are mistaken. This is a book of information and insight, a highly valuable one but it should be a supplement and not a substitute for the real thing.

Ok.. So I am a little biased, being that I am Jewish, but I do believe that most would agree. This book presents the "important" aspects of the "Hebrew Bible" with Telushkin's use of excellent language. I have tried other Biblical interpretations from various Rabbis and have often found myself creeping into a steady decline to sleepy-land. But this book is an exception! I have read the author's other works and decided to give this one a try (despite the 700 page factor being a mild intimidation). This book ultimately has lead me to appreciate my Jewishness. Thanks Rabbi Telushkin!

It is obvious that the many years that Rose Keefe spent researching and writing the story of Dean O'Banion was time well spent! She captures the essence of a man that visually could have walked off the page and her knack of storytelling is top-notch. I was captivated in his devotion, not the brutality. Rose shares these images with the reader that really setup the framework of early Chicago. This isn't your run of the mill gangster book and the attention to accurate detail is deliberate. The book is well thought out and presented in a way that kept me wanting to read more, even furthering my education on prohibition and early Chicago in the process. This is a must read for true gangster enthusiasts and historians alike!

This is a must have book for anyone interested in Chicago's beer wars. Mrs. Keefe has written a brilliantly told acurate story that helps us understand how Capone became the legend that he is, for without Dean O'Banion on the north Capone may not have been as big on the south.

Chances are if you're reading the reviews for this book then you've read at least one Capone biography and walked away, like me, thinking, "Great story, wish I knew more about the Northsiders." Well Rose Keefe has heard our collective wail and has provided us with one of the best books on both Chicago gangland and one of its most interesting characters. There is much more to the O'Banion/Northside story than just being fodder for Capone's gunmen. If you're into Chicago's gangland past then this volume is a must.

A great bio on the Chicago gangster gunned down in his flower shop during the "Roaring Twenties". The book focuses on the rivalry between the Northside Chicago mob and the Southside Torrio-Capone mob.Obanion and his cohorts are literally devoured by the inter-city "big time" mobs with connections to New York city.From reading this book I don't believe Obanion knew what he was up against,he was a small town boy who moved to the city of Chicago, yet he tried to run his crime empire like a small business. Cavorting around a flower shop by day,shaking hands,(without an enemy in the world?),with little to no protection,meanwhile engaging in criminal activity that would include murder.That's just asking for it,and Torrio's mob,later inherited by Capone,was only too happy to oblige. It seems Torrio's mob when they arrived in Chicago was already an experienced hard core criminal transplant from NYC and cites thereof.How could Obanion honestly think that when the control of rackets,gambling,bottlegging,and the millions of dollars at stake, there was a "moral" line that shouldn't be crossed?Especially when dealing with the mob and seeing as the mob eliminated its own so what could a rival gang expect.Capone listed his profession as furniture dealer but I doubt you would see him lifting furniture into trucks.His furniture business was a fort.The short baby faced Obanion never had a chance in dealing with the NYC mob. this book really brought this out as I read it.An excellent work on crime history but it sort of makes Obanion look like a "farmer".

This is about the people who nearly beat the Capone Mob for control of the Chicago boot-legging business. They were led by a florist and included a war hero, a cowboy, a bigamist and a practical joker who starred in an early stag film in the middle of a gang war. The wild Northside Gang is today best remembered for being the victims in the St Valentine's Massacre but in the twenties they were household names. This and Rose Keefe's book about Bugs Moran are both fascinating. A must read!

Great book. Lots of historical data, great photos! Very informative. I have several other meteorite reference pieces and this is one of the best. mike.

Norton is a rare author who combines detailed knowledge of a subject with very entertaining stories. Once I started reading some of the chapters I just could not put it down. On the other hand, it also includes chapters which are technical (and sometimes beyond my understanding in some cases)! It therefore has something for everyone from beginner to advanced, collector or even a noncollector simply interested in the subject. This is a great introduction and very well written. It was not the first book on metorites I read, but should have been!

very informative and well written. a good book to have on the subject.

Excellent book, especially for the beginning/intermediate meteorite collecter. Written in easy-to-understand English, yet technical when it needs to be. Very comprehensive on the subject, and well illustrated with photographs and drawings.

I purchased the book "Rocks From Space (Second Edition)" about seven years ago. My main interest in space is in the field of planetary geology and I have a need to be reasonably conversant with the subscience of meteoritics. The "Rocks From Space" book was recommended by several colleagues, and I also noted that it had received good reviews.

In general, I find "popular" books directed to the interests of amateurs to be shallow and even corny. "Rocks From Space" is an exception. This book is outstanding. It provides a concise but excellent introduction to the subjects of meteorites, asteroids, comets, meteors and impact sites. It is presented in a way that amateur collectors, amateur astronomers or anyone interested in these space-related subjects can easily read and understand, but, at the same time, it is very informative and authoritative. I would not hesitate to recommend the book to anyone who was interested in meteorites and other space debris. In fact, I have recommended it to countless individuals as an excellent place to start.

"Rocks From Space" is well written, well illustrated and interesting to read. It has achieved a permanent and respected place in my reference book collection. I give talks on planetary geology to groups of geologists and astronomers and I use some of the illustrations in my presentations. For people who are interested is collecting meteorites, Norton presents a series of guidelines, anecdotes and useful information including a list of laboratories where one might get an identification confirmed. For a small and inexpensive paperback, this book contains a wealth of information.

Gary Peterson

Beautiful illustrations inside a wonderful children's book. Recommend for any kids library. Bought it for myself, R. is one of my favorite stories, and I wasn't disappointed.

The classic fairy tale done with Zelinksy's incredible art. The artwork is beautiful, reminiscent of the medieval style. I'm not sure how much little kids will care about that fact, though. Still, I think they'd like the pictures. They're amazing. They've all heard the fairy tale before, but it's a nice fairy tale they'd probably appreciate hearing again.

This is a lovely version of the classic Rumpelstiltskin. I enjoyed reading it with my third graders. The illustrations are beautiful and spark the imagination. A good story demonstrates struggle and challenges the students to compare present day expectations with the past.

The pictures in this book are very nice. My 5-year old loves to hear it as a story before going to sleep. The ending of the story is also suitable for this age, since Rumpelstiltskin ends up flying out the window, instead of something more tragic happening to him.

I wanted a classic children's fairy tale story with handsome illustrations. I got just what I wanted with this book. I have a 3 1/2 year old and it is the perfect length for bedtime.

Everything you need to know in one text book. Even better than the 1st edition which I also own. Worth every penny. My favorite resource.

Professor stated it is a book we will refer to for a long time. Havent read it. Came quickly and in good condition.

This is a great textbook for ABA. It is perfect for studying for the Board Certification for Behavior Analysis (BCBA).

Book is essential for any Behavior Analyists career to understand the science of ABA.

Very helpful for the field!

There are a few things about this book that should be said right away. First, this is not really an introductory book to ABA, but works as a book that ties so many theories together. That means that it could be used in conjunction with many starter ABA books, allowing its reader to get a feel of just what ABA means. The book also works on both a Masters and a PhD level when it comes to conceptual decision/ debate (an oddity if I do say so myself), and covers so many things that cheaper guides seem to omit. This could mean bypassing some causal arena or not talking about something as simple as the C.A.R.R., but these tiny slips are really not so tiny when you think about them.

There are plenty of great things listed about this book in other reviews, so I'll skip the addition of chapter content and the addition of material and its praise. Instead, I'll add that this is one of the few books that can make or break you when it comes to trying to get licensure. In fact, this book has been listed as one of the top 10 preparation guides to use before testing, and that is some high praise considering how vaunted the test actually is. More than this, however, is the fact that this is a tool that can help you in real life scenarios and, truthfully, that is more important than being able to simply pass tests. In samples as heterogeneous as those seen in autism, you really need to know how to handle multiple scenarios to make a difference.

If you are looking for a navigation tool to help with the rocky waters of autism, this is a great book to acquire. It may have a price tag attached, but it proves invaluable in the long run and that matters more than anything.
Recommended for the student in all of us.

This is a comprehensive examination of gambling in America, so well written I put aside the thriller I was reading to pick this up each night. Well researched, balanced, and thorough, it should be read by everyone on both sides of the gambling issue.

I read this book this year (2006) and was staggered by its accuracy in describing the events of the last eight years in the gaming industry. It is far more insightful than most accounts written after the fact. O'Brien takes a historical perspective, inspired by a genuine appreciation for gamblers and gambling along with a rare cool-eyed and unsentimental realism about the casino business. Too many other authors, horrified by the crime and corruption associated with the business, forget that the urge to gamble is deep and ancient; the opposite camp too often uses romantic gambling fiction to distract from the undeniable rottenness that suffuses the legal and illegal industry.

O'Brien tells the stories of gamblers of various stripes, from hapless victim to celebrity successes, types who rarely coexist in the same book. Entrepreneurs are featured as well, weak crooks, clever crooks and genius visionaries. He cites in damning detail the negative effects of legal gambling on local economies, society and political institutions; but there is no suggestion of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, this book is the beginning of a blueprint for how to reform the industry, not outlaw it (or even less plausibly, to stop gambling).

If all of this makes the book sound like a dull policy text or dated account of once-current events, it's not. It's an entertaining read, and more relevant now than when it was written.

Mostly an interesting, well-written, and throroughly researched book. The anthopological and historical information about gambling in the US was very informative. The vignettes about individual gamblers were thought provoking. However, often the descriptions of gambling take awkward twists into very biased and unfounded criticisms. It reads that someone combined a readable historical and cultural treatment of gambling with a distorted rant about the horrible evils of gambling. Despite the confusion, there were many parts of the book that were well done.

Mr. O'Brien has written a thought-provoking book, the thesis of which is that casinos rely on a small percentage of problem gamblers for most of their profits. I was a little surprised that he didn't interview Frank Scoblete, the top gaming author in the world and my personal favorite because I would have liked to read Scoblete's opinions on O'Brien's thesis. But that is a minor quibble. The book is definitely worth reading. I tend to agree with O'Brien. Too many people are out of control when it comes to gambling.

I live near one of the big casino riverboats mentioned in O'Brien's book and I read this book out of curiosity more than anything. Prior to reading this, I had NO idea how much intense lobbying - as well as graft and corruption - were behind the gambling industry.

One tidbit I found especially disturbing is the story behind how gambling was legalized in my home state.

"Bad Bet" tells of a former Midwest governor who was in power when Argosy Gaming made it's big push to get gambling legalized in this state. (Argosy won) Now that we have riverboats all over our state, this former governor now *works* for Argosy Gaming.

Rapes and robberies went up 33% in Atlantic City, New Jersey after the casinos opened there.

"Bad Bet" it tells of the subtle and overt techniques casinos use to lure people in and entice them - to keep the money flowing. Even the layout of casinos is done with much forethought as to the best way to separate people from their money.

And O'Brien talks about how the gambling industry goes looking for communities in economic straights to set up shop. (which is exactly what happened in our city)

This is a powerful book. I think every local or civic leader that has a casino in their community or is even considering allowing casinos in, should pause and read this book. It'll open their sleepy eyes to some hard ugly truths.

Having lived in a community that invited the riverboats in, I see firsthand that O'Brien is telling the truth about what to expect when big gambling comes to town. It's a sad affair.

This book is your begining to a new way of life. This is the best guide to help you get to where you want to be. It will bring you closer to the Lord and help you become the woman you were ment to be.

This is a wonderful easy read. It helped me find my way back to the Lord. I can honestly say it saved my life. It's one of them books every woman who wants a deeper walk with God should read.

I wanted a devotional book that I could read every morning that would take approx 10 mins of my time with another 5 mins for reflection on what I just read. This book is ment to be read in 90 days based on Donnas day by day format. It is exactly what I was looking for. Donna is full of inspiration and guidance while applying scripture to every day life. I looked forward to every morning excited to read what Donna would have to say! This is a great read for any woman in her journey with god and in life.

I love the structure of this book! Being a mom of 4, I don't have alot of time to invest to reading. This book offers shorter chapters that go straight to the point. I'm also a very visual, hands-on learner, so keeping a book of the key points in this book, as the author suggests, is a total highlight to me! This is the first Donna Partow book I've gone through, but it will not be my last!

If you're looking for a guidebook to jumpstart growth in every area of your life, Donna Partow's engaging volume is the book to read. Written with a heart of compassion and a "been there, done that" attitude, Ms. Partow walks alongside you as you face the challenges of replacing bad habits with good ones on your journey to fulfilling your God-given destiny. She deals with the whole person - spirit, soul, and body - and reflects a deep understanding that each element of a woman's being is intimately intertwined with the other two elements. Becoming the Woman God Wants You to Be helped deepen my relationship with Christ. This alone was worth the price and the read.

Alter's translations and commentary are, not surprisingly, fascinating and artistically engaging. In this review, however, I just want to focus on the format of the Kindle edition.

The Kindle format is problematic. First, the (translated) texts of the psalms themselves are reproduced as images rather than type. What this means is that you can't use the Kindle's type-size option to make the texts of the psalms any larger or smaller (although I can't imagine anyone wanting to make them smaller, since they're quite small as it is). Second, the comments on each psalm break up the psalm itself, so that you'll have, say, four lines of a particular psalm, followed by several Kindle "pages" of comments, followed by four more lines of the same psalm, followed by more pages of comments, and so on. This probably reflects the fact that the comments (I imagine) appear as footnotes on the printed page. But it really doesn't work on the Kindle, unless you're using the book purely for study purposes and not with the goal of appreciating the psalms as poetry.

Third, the typeface used for the comments and introductory matter is not the standard blunt-serifed face used in Kindle books. Instead, they used a face that becomes so thin on the curves that it disappears in places, making a lot of letters (especially the lower-case "e") look like they were printed with broken type. Finally (and most bothersome, in my opinion), the free sample that is available for the Kindle doesn't contain any of the actual psalms; all it contains is the introductory essay. This is not good, since a primary benefit of getting samples is that you can see whether the book has any glaring formatting quirks before you order it.

That being said, this is a terrific work, and I'm glad that it's available as a Kindle ebook, however imperfect.

The Psalms, often described as the Prayer Book of the Bible,has been translated by a scholar of Biblical texts, to produce not only, probably, the most accurate translation of the Hebrew Text, with detailed notes, but more importantly from a layman's point of view, the most beautiful poetically up-lifting hebrew poetry, and indeed,truly prayerful at that. Highly recmmended.

Alter's translations and commentary are, not surprisingly, fascinating and artistically engaging. In this review, however, I just want to focus on the format of the Kindle edition.

The Kindle format is problematic. First, the (translated) texts of the psalms themselves are reproduced as images rather than type. What this means is that you can't use the Kindle's type-size option to make the texts of the psalms any larger or smaller (although I can't imagine anyone wanting to make them smaller, since they're quite small as it is). Second, the comments on each psalm break up the psalm itself, so that you'll have, say, four lines of a particular psalm, followed by several Kindle "pages" of comments, followed by four more lines of the same psalm, followed by more pages of comments, and so on. This probably reflects the fact that the comments (I imagine) appear as footnotes on the printed page. But it really doesn't work on the Kindle, unless you're using the book purely for study purposes and not with the goal of appreciating the psalms as poetry.

Third, the typeface used for the comments and introductory matter is not the standard blunt-serifed face used in Kindle books. Instead, they used a face that becomes so thin on the curves that it disappears in places, making a lot of letters (especially the lower-case "e") look like they were printed with broken type. Finally (and most bothersome, in my opinion), the free sample that is available for the Kindle doesn't contain any of the actual psalms; all it contains is the introductory essay. This is not good, since a primary benefit of getting samples is that you can see whether the book has any glaring formatting quirks before you order it.

That being said, this is a terrific work, and I'm glad that it's available as a Kindle ebook, however imperfect.

I read this over the course of almost a year, one psalm a night just before bed. I found it illuminating and inspiring. Much has already been written about how Alter's translation of the Hebrew word "nefesh" or "nafesh" as "life's force" instead of the traditional "soul" changes the whole perspective. Ditto for "l'Hoshua" -- to rescue instead of to "save or redeem." Simply by doing this, Alter reorientates us away from a later Christian world view back to the original. The writers of these poems did not have a concept of an immortal soul. As the Psalms themselves repeatedly say, the dead cannot praise God. That is the job of the livimg.
I also am fascinated by his insights into Temple worship -- the musical instruments we can no longer identify -- the "ayalet hashachar" or morning star. What kind of music did that make? The "almut laben" -- another lost instrument. When Alter doesn't know what something means he says so. When the text was jumbled through scribal mistakes many centuries ago, he unjumbles it and points out the mistake.
This is an intellectual and spiritual feast, good for the mind and the soul. Take your time, savor it and appreciate anew the genius that went into creating it.
For more on me and my bookThe Nazi Hunter: A Novel go to www.alanelsner.com.

Robert Alter has achieved well-earned fame for unpacking the Hebrew Bible as literature, with the same unsentimental eye we would dedicate to Thomas Hardy or Lady Murasaki. And this new translation of the book of Psalms is no exception. Whether you are interested in the Psalms as literary works or theological statements, Professor Alter's work will help you better understand the many levels at which these poems exist.

The translations build on the poetic principles Professor Alter expounded in his The Art Of Biblical Poetry, the highlights of which are covered in the introduction. To summarize: it's a mistake to look for English linguistic conventions in Hebrew poetry, which is built on different concepts. Hebrew is a very compact language, and the poetry is built around the rhythm of ideas rather than the rhythm of sounds.

This may lead to some confusion in certain translations. For instance, many scholars debate whether the term "valley of the shadow of death" is an accurate translation in Psalm 23:4. In a lengthy note, Dr. Alter explains that the solution to that debate is "maybe." The Hebrew term "begey tsalmawet" is so packed with ideas that English can only approximate its poetic beauty--though I'll leave it to Dr. Alter to tell you why.

To give you an idea of how this all works, consider one of the most widely quoted lines from the Psalms, 121:1. The King James (Authorised) Version renders it in this way:

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."

This seems straightforward, until you consider the differences found in another popular translation, the New International Version:

"I lift up my eyes to the hills--
where does my help come from?"

The change in the first half, from future to present tense, appears subtle, but the issue of whether the second half is a statement or a question can have important ramifications for literary or religious study. And that's to say nothing of the issue of the poetic line division. Which is correct? Dr. Alter goes back to the original for the answer:

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains:
from where will my help come?"

The pleading tone is made all the more powerful by the inclusion of the explanatory note about the debate over whether these mountains are the highlands around Jerusalem. Professor Alter not only makes his translation useful and explanatory, he also restores the rough-hewn emotion of the poetry which is often smoothed over by more pious and lily-white exigetical translators.

Like Dr. Alter's other translations of the Hebrew Bible, his Psalms is not just for scholars; it is eminently readable, engaging, and educational. No matter the reason you have chosen to study the Psalms, this translation may very well be as close as you can get to the original without learning Hebrew on your own.