P Books

While T.S. Eliot's "Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock" is what he is most famous for, "The Four Quartets" merit much to reckoned with. I remember the first time I read "Burnt Norton". I was crashing at a friend of a friend of mine's place at UC Berkeley. I wanted to learn how to be poetic, and "Burnt Norton" was great help with such a matter. It is one of my favorite poems.

Even though Eliot's stock had dropped somewhat among academics in recent years this text will long be remembered for centuries to come. It is through this poem that Eliot heals the "soul disease" of the Wasteland. In our own hectic life where there is so little time for pause, so little time for reflection, Eliot reminds us of the experience had, but the meaning missed or misunderstood. Those isolated moments:the moment in the garden, the moment at the beach, or in a secluded chapel at nightfall, restore to us our spiritual humanity. Those who regard Eliot simply as a bitter and misanthropic poet should revise this opinion of him by reading Four Quartets to see that he was a very real man, a flawed man, struggling with the deformities of his soul.

The Four Quartets by TS Eliot is a classic and should not be missed. It is of the type of poetry that evokes meanings from their hidden places in us through the use of word trails that are only partially logical. Our own emotions connect things, so when it is read, don't approach it with the usual straining to decipher the meaning. The ring of a gong lingers after it is struck, something of a parallel to how the poem works. Fascinating, too, is its approach to understanding the elusive sense of time, but it is couched more in the sensibilities of the East than the West.

Among all these reviews, not one comes to terms with the very title of this opus: Four Quartets. When was Eliot anything but precise in his choice of word?

The inspiration for these poems -- or reflections -- are the late string quartets of Beethoven, those numbered from 12 through 16. It is the 5-movement No.15 in A Minor,Op.132, that seems to have exerted the strongest influence, with it's famous adagio movement, which Beethoven inscribed as the thanksgiving song of a convalescent.

Actually, No.15 was the 13th in order, but the Quartets were published out of sequence, which was not uncommon in Beethoven's time. The Late Quartets progress from the classic 4-movement No.12 and add a movement to each work up to the 7-movement Op.131 in C-sharp Minor. The 16th and final quartet returns to the classic 4-movement form. There is an expansion of form concluding with a contraction and return over the course of 5 works.

Like Eliot's Four Quartets, Beethoven's Late Quartets reflect upon time and faith -- and the 'speech' is often plain: repeated phrases that appear stuck in a groove, hammered chords, cheap tunes that seem to be lifted from a band in a local inn; from long-breathed melodies that look beyond what Wagner and Mahler will eventually bring to music, to cell-like motivs not heard again till Bartok and Webern.

The 'learned' aspect of Eliot's verse can lead us astray, so that we are forever parsing the meaning of the lines. I am taken with the sounds he makes as I read the poems aloud, and the sounds he chose to convey what the poems mean are, in a sense, the essence of meaning. From the first I was struck by the sheer sound of 'time' in the context of these Quartets, which are Eliot's swan song.

This is a tiny book, more like a pamphlet, only 58 pages long with large print and some blank pages as part of the design. But it is mighty in its impact. These "four quartets" are four of T. S. Eliot's poems meditating (among other things) on the nature of time - time past, time present, time future...If you are of my generation and have read the poems before, you might love carrying this little book around just to dip into it for a line or two, and maybe understand something you never understood before. (T. S. Eliot is not always an easy read.) If you have never read them before, I envy you!

Suffering is the proper word. Anthropology should be totally, completely fascinating -- it's the study of human cultures, for heaven's sake -- but it's often a dry-as-dust class for college students.

This book is not dry. In fact, it's probably the only anthropology book that can bring the reader to tears of laughter.

Which is not to say that the book is a comedy. It's not. The book is a sympathetic and interesting take on the writer's study of the Dowayo people. But the Dowayo people -- like any other ethnic group or people -- have quirks that the people themselves cannot see. Nigel Barley lives among the Dowayo and documents their lives, tells how he does anthropology, and manages to do so in a way that makes the book one I sometimes pick up, open at random, and enjoy.

Stumbling upon this book was total luck! The only motive I had to get this book was a desire to learn more about Anthro as informal as possible- yet have it be completely nonfiction.

I just want people to know that this is my first actual review. That being said, everyone who reads this review should understand that I liked this book SO much that I not only sent it from my house in Japan to a friend in the states, but I also came back here to write a short blurb on it.

I promise any future reviews won't be such a waste of everyone's time! Take a chance and get this book!

I borrowed this book in the early 90s from a British friend (thanks Mark!) and it fast became one of my favorites (a close second to Brave New World). Witty, touching, and hilarious - I would love to have Nigel Barley over for a dinner party! I just wish he had written more books like this one!

Nigel Barley is a social anthropologist and this is his account of his first fieldwork, a year living and studying the Dowayo people of Cameroon. Social and cultural anthropologists (also known as ethnographers) travel to exotic locales (sometimes in our own backyard) and live among a group of people for a year or more in order to come to know their way of life intimately and write about it. Most every Ph.D. student in the field will face this "rite de passage" in order to become "a real anthropologist," and is generally given precious little guidance in the matter, which seems cloaked in mystery and is therefore commonly a source of considerable anxiety. In recent years, the situation has been partially remedied with the publication of some texts on methods and techniques, as well as the development of courses on field research methods, but there is still little written on the human dimension - namely, what is life like "in the field"? This book joins a small club, which includes Malinowski's diary and Return to Laughter. What sets Barley's book apart is his wit. He faces some serious problems but - in retrospect at least - laughs at them. It is a very entertaining read. You will learn a lot about what to expect in the field. It will also be useful for anyone who will be living in Africa and possibly other developing regions, such as Peace Corps volunteers and missionaries. I was, however, uncomfortable throughout the book because the author seems to be very distant and detached from the people he lived with and studied. It is hard to find anything very positive about the Dowayo, and the book therefore serves to reinforce negative stereotypes about Africa and bolster Western superiority. I prefer the eloquence and wisdom of Return to Laughter.

This is a budding anthropologist's account of his experience with an obscure and previously unstudied people in the Cameroons. If you thought you might want to be an anthropologist, this will either inspire you or turn you to some more comfortable calling. The innocent Englishman describes in hilarious detail his dealings with bureaucrats, missionaries, village chiefs, and rainmakers, while trying to maintain anthropological distance. You learn a little bit of anthropology from the book; you learn much more about the anthropologist. He may have embellished his story in places, but he probably didn't need to. It would make a great film, but don't wait for that. It's one of the funniest books you'll ever read.

Basically it is a mix between the original 2 scripts for the movie, making it pretty much twice as awesome!

Those random small things that left you hanging in the movie such as where does the Left Knocker lead?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Ah, another George Lucas movie. Well now its a awesome book. I personally love it as much as Star Wars. Its a strange tale, of a strange girl, who gets trapped in a strange land....wow, does that sound familiar. This is my favourite book! I love it more than Interveiw with the Vampire! and thats alot of love!

If you liked the movie, then you'll love this book. I bought a mint condition copy for about seventy dollars last year, and I couldn't be happier with it.

Like the movie, the book tells of a young girl draw into a fantasy world by her own overactive imagination in order to save her little brother, who has been stolen by the goblin king, who says he is only seeking favor in her eyes, and seems to have fallen in love with her.

The book follows the storyline of the movie exactly, but offers more insight into the characters thoughts and actions. I can remember in particular that the ballroom scene was quite staggeringly more descriptive. A wonderful book, worth the price; espescially if you can find one in good condition.

this book is worth every penny... its a story about a day dreaming girl who wishes her little brother to a land of goblins castles and of course the labyrinth. if you dont want to spent 50 dollars on this book you CAN GET IT FOR FREE.. just google it and youll find the transcript of the book that you can print out and read.. its not like having the book... but its way cheaper..

gosh, i was six when i first saw the movie! now that i'm eighteen makes no difference how i love this enchanting story.

smith brings the story up to another level, as he dwelves deeper into sarah's feelings... and also jareth's. the chemistry between the two is undeniable. i would like to think that in another situation both of them would be together, albeit the fact that she's mortal and he a goblin prince.

smith's writing is of course, very detailed and deep, and he tries to explain all the different meanings and reads between the lines of the movie. he has us vying for the king, and rooting for the good guys, too. he makes us want jareth to have a happy ending, and perhaps one with sarah. he makes us want to see the movie.

well, maybe the movie IS old, and the special effects kind of horrid by today's standards, but truth be, enchantments are timeless.

I first read this book many years ago and bring it out every so often to refresh Two Trees' persona in my mind. This book is full of the author's love for his subject and he passes this on to the reader with great art. The story is in some ways so terribly sad that it is almost unbearable, but Two Trees and his love for nature and his dog can really only ultimately express joy and wonder. I just love this book and hope everyone who reads it follows Two Trees' wish to pass this extraordinary story along.

Some people talk about spirit like it is taught in "Indian 101", but you can experience something very soulful and ancient in the words and earth here.

Joe Two Trees is the last of his tribe. New York in the early twentieth century is not for him. Or is it? As a native New Yorker with a passion for the past, I loved this beautiful story. Whenever I return home, I can no longer visit the Bronx (especially Pelham Bay) without thinking of Joe and his relationship with Theodore Kazimoroff's father. The writing is lovely, and the story evokes all sorts of feelings at so many levels. It was my Aunt, a former teacher, who told me that I should read this book. It has become one of those novels that I recommend to others regularly.

The Last Algonquin is a sad but heartwarming story about a man and his attempts to come to grips with his place in the world. The fact that this man, Joe Two Trees, is the last of his tribe of the Algonquin's makes his journey that much harder and more interesting. If you are looking for an official history of the American Indians, this isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking for a deep and touching story of one American Indian, and what we as a nation have lost by ignoring the heritage of American Indians, then you will enjoy this book. Mr. Kazimiroff has done an excellent job of preserving the story given to him by his father and keeping the memory of Joe Two Trees and the Algonquin Indians alive.

This is a must read, especially for those of us raised in the Pelham Bay section of Bronx. The tale of The Last Algonquin is inspiring and heartwarming. And, I hope that Mr. Kazimiroff realizes that he has given The Bronx, the Algonquin Indians and his father the immortality they truly deserve.
Remember as long as someone tells( hears or reads) this tale, the story of Joe Two Trees will continue to live on among the rocks and trees of Pelham Bay Park.

As a teacher librarian I start the year with this book and the matching flip doll. It is always a big hit. A good follow-up is What Happened to Marion's Book by Brook Berg. (There is a Marion plush too.)

Carmen Agra Deedy spoke at the California School Library Conference a few years ago and was fabulous. It's no wonder her books reflect her marvelous storytelling talent. I can't wait to read Martina the Beautiful Cockroach aloud this year.

I read this book in my elementary school library every year. I love how the kindergarten teacher, Miss Lemon, tells Miss Lotta Scales that the library belongs to the children...because it does! A school library isn't an archive. Who wants to come to a library where you get yelled at? I try to be Miss Lottie as much as I can. Every book-loving adult and child needs a copy of this story!

Very cute book! I love the way Carmen Deedy plays on words in her books! They are all well written, have great story lines, and kids love them. Ingenious writer. I would recommend this book.

This book is a realistic measure of librarians in the minds of young children. When first introduced to the library at their elementary school the list of rules can intimidate children. The person who personifies those rules can come across as a bit of a monster. However, once they are exposed to each other, the children warm to the librarian and soon consider her to be a dear friend. I was involved in the PTA where my daughter went to elementary school and witnessed this transformation firsthand.
Miss Lotta Scales is a real dragon and the new librarian. Her rules for library use are fierce and she backs them up with rhetoric that is fiery in the literal rather than figurative sense. However, once one little girl with bad eyesight takes a book and begins reading it to the other children, Miss Scales takes over and literally cracks up. The scales fall off and underneath there is a sweet Miss Lotty that the children adore. Library time is now a time to look forward to and enjoy rather than dread.
This is a delightful book about the fears that all children beginning elementary school have. I recommend it to all parents of such children.

I love "The Library Dragon"!! Why? It is so clever in illustrations but more so in word play. There is a flip doll The Library Dragon Flip Doll that goes with this book to show the dual nature of both the dragon and the librarian. I am burning to explain!

A dragon is hired by the principal to protect the library books. In order to do that, she gets rid of all the old books and replaces them with nice, new, clean books. Everyone knows the ONLY way to keep them that way is to keep them on the shelves. So Library Dragon institutes new policies: no books out, no children in. After weeks of no story time in the library, the children begin to suffer from withdrawal.

As often happens in fairy tales anything can happen and does. Molly Brickmeyer has lost her glasses and cannot see beyond her hand. She wanders into the library, a book drops into her hand--Library Dragon is fast asleep-- and she starts reading aloud. Little children hear her and wander into the library to listen. Then Library Dragon awakes and an ancient memory crowds her brain. She takes the book and begins reading.

What happens afterward is the stuff of happy endings. Suffice it to say that scales are involved and a tail and one lap.

Other related books to look at are:
The Shelf Elf
Mr. Wiggle's Library
Library Lion
Tomas and the Library Lady (Dragonfly Books)
Wild About Books (Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature (Awards))

Life in the World Unseen is one of the best-ever descriptions of life in the Spirit World. It goes well beyond Stead's Blue Island. It tests our limitations but comes through with intelligent and refreshing explanations of life that goes on after so-called death. For people terrified about dying, young and old, this and similar books written by Borgia through automatic writing, is an oasis of awareness and comfort. The book is an all-round, comprehensive experience of the Spirit World.

Now here is a book you won't soon forget. Fascinating. A very different view of the other side.

I thought the book exhibited fantastic detail about the spirit world! If we were to describe our own earthly life, could we give the type of details this gentleman gave to the readers?

I was in agreement with the Monsigner about the misuse and abuse of the many religions that have existed throughout history. Especially in light of the potential conflict between Christianity and Islam in this modern age. True peace starts with each individual and we must look deeply into our own hearts to make sure that we are on the path to reach these heavenly realms by our own efforts! We must never use religion to hate other religions or other people!

Although raised as a catholic, I believe what the author is saying about the afterlife, and about the great misconception of religious dogmas. I was amazed at the details of the descriptions of the afterlife, and what spirit life will be like when I cross over. There are times that I just can't wait to "kick the bucket".

For those of you who can't find all the books anywhere, try this link. http://www.angelfire.com/ne/newviews/life.html

Also, if you like this one, you might like the teachings of Silver Birch. Very much the same in that what is written comes directly from a spirit on the other side.

To read the writings of Silver Birch, click on the following links. http://www.the-synergy.com/silverb/contensb.html

also http://www.angelfire.com/ok/SilverBirch/Tcon.html

What can we expect after we die? Does life really continue?
What will be our relationship to God? Does heaven have
physical properties; water, dirt, air, food, bodies? What can
we expect to do in heaven; transportation, relationships,
occupations, government, religion, worship, free will? What
about hell and punishment? What happens to good Catholics who
strongly believe in purgatory; to Christians who fear God; to
humans who fear death; and humans who do not want to leave
earth? How does an abused physical body affect the astral
body? What are the levels in heaven, and what determines the
level that can we expect? All of these questions are answered
in great detail by Mgsr. Robert Hugh Benson who made his
transition in 1914. He clearly was an exemplary human while on
earth, and he was also a prolific author, and he still is.
After he died, he wanted to come back and get rid of the books
that he had written, but that was not possible. However in the
1940's Mgsr. Benson was finally able to tell us about the
heaven that he experienced through the psychic Anthony Borgia.
This book probably answers every question about heaven that
you have ever considered and probably many more. Another book,
which focuses on the lower levels of heaven, and which is out
of print, but which is available on the internet is "The
Astral City" by Francisco Xavier. This account of heaven is
similar to Benson's story, but most humans go to a lower level
initially, before going to higher levels. Benson also
describes the lower levels of heaven, as well as even-higher
levels. Finally, we have believable stories about life beyond
the physical.

As a first grade teacher I used this book as an intervention tool with my ELL students last year. It helped with voacbulary as well as phonics. The activities are hands on and we were able to create several games using the lessons as well. I recommend this book to anyone in the primary grades. It is great as an intervention tool, large group activity or as a center.

This book is great! There are many word activities to choose from, which I find very helpful and a time saver!

This concept keeps kids interested. They want to figure out the little words and the big words created by the letters, so it's an excellent one for phonics. If you already use Open Court, it would be a good supplement. There is some prep time involved in writing and cutting the letters, unless you're smarter than me and use die-cut letters from a bulletin board!!

This book is wonderful for primary grades as well as ESL classes. It's interactive and the kids love it. We use it every morning when we enter the "Wonderful World of Words." There is also a Making Big Words for intermediate grades! I definitely recommend it!

This is the best spelling book I have seen. I am a homeschooling mom of 2 boys (9 & 8) and this is the easiest method and they enjoy it too!

Having been interested in independent Catholicism for many years, I rejoice that a contemporary scholar (and an IC bishop) has made the movement a subject of his academic study. This is an approachable book on a fascinating subject, one that has resided too long in the shadows.

Pastors: This is a good book for your personal library. It shows the many kinds of catholics that are today working in our society. It will help you to identify the people that is coming to your church and how to address what they believe. Let me tell you, you will be horrified by some of them and their new age doctrines. Beware: the author believe that lesbians and homosexuals can be normal christians. This is contrary to the biblical truth, but the book is only a resource, REMEMBER IT!

Excellent groundbreaking work by a scholar of the history of Christianity. As an academic working in the same field and also writing my dissertation on independental sacramentalism, I deeply appreciate Dr. Plummer's extensive research and fresh insights on this subject, which has long been ignored by the academy. The book is well crafted and fascinating. Highly recommended for those interested in exploring the subculture of independent sacramental churches and communities.

if you enjoyed this book, you should also read Dr. Plummer's "Living Mysteries: a handbook for the independent priest" available [...]

Dr. Plummer, a bishop in the Independent Catholic Christian Church, has done something quite laudable in his new (2005) survey of the independent sacramental movement—he has brought together elements of the amorphous, constantly changing periphery of sacramental Christianity into a coherent if somewhat schematic whole. Covering history, liturgy, theology, and leadership in significant detail, Plummer brings a number of other sources up to date while providing an insider's view of the movement.

Among the book's strong points are its scrupulous fairness to communities whose views, it is clear from the appendix, the author does not share, as well as its clear organization and extremely readable style. At 134 pages (plus bibliography and endnotes), it is somewhat short, but you feel like you have read 50 pages and gotten 300 pages worth of information. That it was published so recently makes it even more valuable for a movement that has received infrequent and shallow attention until now.

From my own perspective as an independent catholic seminarian, the greatest service The Many Paths does is to provide a rich bibliography of sources for further study, especially articles and books available on the web. There are some 360 endnotes compiled mostly in 2004, filled with citations and further information about the clergy and jurisdictions involved in the contemporary independent movement. Dr. Plummer's account is indispensible for all those interested in this growing segment of the American church.

I needed this book right away for a Summer school class, and I received the book less than a week after ordering it!

In my view, this book (which looks like a collection of articles gathered up under several rubrics) shares typical achievements and flaws of all popular-math literature; namely, it's enjoyable and enlightening as far as historical and philosophical aspects of the material presented, yet when they authors actually get to mathematics, it becomes fragmeted, jerky, and confused. Symptomatic of this is the chapter on nonstandard calculus: the historical narrative is very interesting, yet the math proper is confused and incomprehensible. Perhaps that is because it's impossible to express it fully and right in a popularizing context; perhaps it is so because I'm too obtuse to have understood it (but then the most of the target audience is probably no better); or maybe it's because the authors didn't do a terribly good job of it. The next chapter (Fourier analysis) suffers from the same.

Overall, I say, it's a good, although overrated, book. Read it, get what you can out of it and don't fret about the rest: the book is really a collection of articles, apparently written for different purposes, at different times, and for different publications; the quality of writing varies from section to section, although the overall structure and topicality are unquestionably very good. The book has an extensive and diverse bibliography along with a rather mediocre (close to names-only) index. Well, no book is perfect, including this one: overall it's solid four stars -- recommended.

The authors deal with various important aspects of mathematics and about practising mathematics. They also deal with the philosophy of mathematics. By and large, they do it engagingly. Specifically, they tackle why mathematics seems to 'work'; how a mathematician actually goes about doing mathematics; they offer some light treatment of a few mathematical topics, and they illustrate mathematical thinking as well.

This book is best read by students thinking about choosing mathematics as a career, or even just as a field of study. Although, any layperson will come off with a greater appreciation of what mathematics is, and what mathematicians do.

Back in the early 90's when I was an almost-penniless mathematics student I was standing in front of a bookshelf in my local bookstore and had to choose between this and Gödel, Escher, Bach. I chose this book and I still don't regret it. [I have also subsequently bought GEB :-)]
Driven by their obvious love of the subject, the authors do a credible job of tackling just what it is about mathematics that makes mathematicians love it so much, often to the bafflement of the rest of the world. A particular personal favourite is the series of four conversations between an "ideal mathematician" and, respectively, a University Public Information Officer, a philosophy student, a positive philosopher and a sceptical classicist.
I would recommend this book to students of mathematics at any level beyond the elementary, especially those with an interest in the foundations of their subject. The authors do however acknowledge that some parts of the book will seem alien to the layman.

The Mathematical Experience by Philip J. Davis and Reuben Hersh
1981 Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston

Is all of pure mathematics a meaningless game? What are the contradictions that upset the very foundations of mathematics? If a can of tuna cost $1.05 how much does two cans of tuna cost (Pg. 71)? If you think you know the answer, don't be so sure. How old are the oldest mathematical tables? What is mathematics anyway, and why does it work? Can anyone prove that 1 + 1 = 2?
This is a book about the history and philosophy of mathematics. I'm certainly not a mathematician, and there are parts of the book I will never understand, yet the balance of it made the experience well worth while. The authors presented the material so that it is interesting and (mostly) easily understood. They have a creative way of making a difficult subject exciting. They do this by giving us insights into how mathematicians work and create. They live up to the title making mathematics a human experience by adding fascinating history. Frankly I was shocked when they pointing out how even mathematicians have made questionable assumptions and taken some basic "truths" on faith. They show the beauty of math in the "Aesthetic Component" chapter. Ultimately the question that comes up again and again is the question of whether or not we can really know anything about time and space independent of our own experience to make an adequate foundation for a complete system in mathematics. If you have ever wondered about the world of mathematics and the personalities involved you might consider this book. If you are a mathematics teacher you should read this book. If you are a mathematician you could find it quite unsettling.
It contains eight chapters, each one broken up into many subtitles so if you do get bogged down in the mathematics it isn't for long. There are 440 pages. I'd like to see a much more complete glossary for people like me who need it.

Former second-grade teachers Deena Cook and Cherie McIntosh present Pinky and Peanut: The Adventure Begins, a novel for young people about two young girls, Pinky and Peanut, each of whom is unhappy about being forced to move to a new town at the end of summer before starting second grade. Yet a chance meeting in their new hometown leads them to a summer adventure of friendship and fun together. A handful of simple black-and-white illustrations intersperse this entertaining and delightful story about the joy of getting to know new people.

What a great book!!! My kids read it from cover to cover and never put it down once. They keep asking me when the next book is coming out!!!!

This book is one that my children have reread numerous times. The characters have personality qualities that children can relate too. The story is easy to follow and allows children to predict what will happen next.
We can't wait for book #2!

What a fantastic book, especially coming from two first time authors. My children really enjoyed reading this book together. They instantly fell in love with all of the characters. When is the next book?

My two girls are acting out Pinky and Peanut every night. What a captivating story for children. The children are easy to relate to and the illustrations are darling. Thanks ladies and we look forward to many future stories. We are hoping there will be a Scott series as well. My son liked the story but he especially liked when Scott was involved.