Peter Books

This collection of Peter Marshall's sermons is thought provoking and deepening for those who would grow in their Christian faith! I found the sermon labeled "By Invitation of Jesus" to be excellent. This is not a dry series of discourses, but a living breathing set of gems! Highly recommended.

William Wallace would have loved Dr. Marshall! I first read these sermons as a teen. I loved them because they were ( and still are ) so real. I loved them because they spoke of a Jewish Carpenter; directly to my Scottish heart. But, If you're a Christian, no matter what your culture you can hear your heart's cry for closness to the Savior in these simple yet deep words. Not for the " know-it-alls " But, for the struggling- Saint of rank and file.

A book to be kept near during your life. Dynamic presentations of thoughts brought out by stories of our everyday lives. If you feel removed from The Lord, this book will point the way, and give you a very gentle push in that direction. I truly regret the fact Peter Marshall left to be with the "Chief" so early in his life. I wish I could have heard him preach, and meet him.

I am planning on buying five additional copies for my children to keep in their homes.

Thank you Rev. and Mrs. Marshall

In 'Mr. Jones meet the Master', you are allowed the privelege of reading just a few of Dr. Marshall's sermons. Being only sixteen, I have not found many friends my age ready to read this book, and that is awful. When most people (Especially teenagers) hear that you're reading 'a book of sermons', they think 'boring!' Not so with this book. Last summer, I decided to read 'Mr. Jones, meet the Master', and I literally could not put it down. Dr. Marshall has a captivating writing style that keeps you reading and keeps you thinking. I really love the way he pricks your conscience and lays it on the line. I really got things right with God after reading 'Mr. Jones, Meet the Master'. If you're looking for something to boost your Christian walk, please, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can safely promise you won't be dissapointed. I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and now I recommend it to you! And if you enjoy this book, I also recommend 'A man called Peter', which is the biography of Peter Marshall. Though he went home to the 'Chief' years before I was born, I can't wait to meet him in Heaven! Beg, borrow, or buy a copy of this book TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This collection of selected sermons and prayers of Peter Marshall (prepared by his wife the extraordinary Catherine Marshall) is for Christians and non-Christians alike. It was far too often that I have been forced to look to scriptures and commentaries of other faiths to find spiritual works of both faith and imagination. like his fellow Scotsman George MacDonald, and also C.S. Lewis, Peter Marshall is among the rare exceptions. Not that I have any problem with authors, scriptures, and artists of other faith traditions, its just a rare find in Christian writers on the Gospel. It takes imagination to take a thousands year old text, and breath life into it to make real, relevant and alive for a totally new time and place, but all three of these authors, MacDonald, Lewis, and Marshall do it beautifully. Perhaps those of the Orient and Middle east are usually better at seeing scripture and religion through the prism of the artist's imagination because their cultures are often less focused on the printed word as an end in itslef, and more involved in spoken word, storytelling, and the poetic imagination, at least with regards to religious texts. Whatever the reasons, this scarcity in the Christian tradition makes a collection like this all the more rewarding. I won't try and describe the way Marshall imagines what it would be like to walk with Christ, to live as a disciple of a living Christ. I wouldn't do it justice. Enough to say I suppose, that this book is a rare treasure for any seeker of spiritual sustainance of any faith. Have the courage to imagine that Jesus is real, that the gospel is indeed truth and feel yourself swept away in a torrent of faith. Words of wisdom from one of the spiritual masters of our times. Like all spiritual masterworks, these sermons are an important resource for all mankind, regardless of faith. People forget that Mohammed spoke with reverence of the Hebrew prophets, just as Christ did. Mohammed also spoke of Christ and his Mother. Imagine how many islamist extremists and fundamentalists don't even consider this simple truth. Even Guru Nanak is part of a long tradition of prophets who spoke of unity of Islam and Hinduim, and yet Sikhs started a third religion in his name! But I digress, if you find what I'm saying blasphemous, don't worry, these are my own reflections not those of mr Marshall. My point is this only: If you are a non Christian, and you want to understand the spirit of Christ or learn from his teachings, besides going to the gospel itself, at least read someone who believes Christ, and who has the courage to imagine that his is not just and institution or a collections of ideas, but a living reality -now as ever. Don't forget to check out George MacDonald (try "Life Essential" to start) and of course C.S. Lewis.

I gave this to my Daughter for Christmas as she has a year old and she cried. She just loved the book and the idea behind it.

I got this for my daughter when she had her first child. Her eyes were teary the entire time. I now have a copy here at my house too!

This is a precious book. When I read it to my little ones, I confess I get a lump in my throat every time. It reminds me how precious a mother's love is to a child, and in it's own simple way, challenges me to be a better mother each time I read it. A special thrill has been watching my six year old learn to read and read this book back to me. Hearing him say these sweet words in his own voice is a treasure.

This book is terrific coming from a child to his/her mom. It teaches and at the same time shows appreciation. If you want to give a gift to a mother, this is the best and is worth more than I could say ..

I found this book at a book fair at my sons daycare and got it for myself as a Mothers Day gift. The words are very heart warming, and the pictures are wonderfully done. This book also came with a card which I found so moving that I have framed it. I would highly recommend it to any mother(or father) to read for their children, or just to keep for themselves as a little 'pick me up' when parenting gets tough.

Peter Kahle writes with wit and experience. He has the kind of knowledge about selling books that is based on compassion as well as calculation. Naked at the Podium is a very useful tool for those who seek stimulating ideas on how to be successful in
merchandising their product. No author should make a presentation without reading this first.

I purchased NAKED AT THE PODIUM a few years ago at the first writing conference I attended. Though I knew it would be a while before I'd need the advice the book offered, I felt I'd better get it anyway just in case it wasn't available 5 years down the road when I'd actually need it.

While I'm still not far enough along in my writing career to be out on book tour, I was recently asked to deliver a 30-minute presentation to about 100 writing peers. In all my nervousness, I studied NAKED AT THE PODIUM like mad, learning how to breathe, assume a stage presence, and embrace my nervousness. My copy of the book aged rather nicely, with blue highlights, pencil underlining, and stars placed strategically throughout the columns next to all the gems of information.

Not only was the book enjoyable, but it helped me tremendously. When it came time for the presentation, my words didn't get all stuck in my throat like they usually do when I speak to large groups. And, the coolest part was that people were taking notes and actually learning from what I was saying (instead of sitting there with that squeemish feeling of watching somebody struggle up on the stage)! In fact, several people came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they got out of it.

Anyway, it was a real thrill...maybe I don't hate public speaking as much as I thought I did! In fact, I'm now proactively looking for more such engagements.

I owe it all to Pete and Melanie and the creation of such a wonderful reference tool.

THANK YOU!

Naked At The Podium: The Writer's Guide To Successful Readings is a very practical guide of tips, tricks, and exercises for authors who may not be quite so at home giving a public reading as with the usual day's work of bringing drama to blank sheets of paper. Techniques presented include how to use body language, cure pre-reading jitters, become one's characters, and generally make the reading a memorable promotional event to spread word of one's book. Naked At The Podium is strongly recommended reading for authors seeking to promote their books through public readings at bookstores, libraries, or other venues.

Before I read "Naked at the Podium", I had given a number of presentations of my book. However, after I read it, what a difference! I was more at ease, more confident, and the audience reflected this change. The result: more book sales. No writer setting out to promote a book can afford not to read, and use, this important contribution by Kahle and Workhoven. Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, author of Two Wheels North

Wow. Forget the fluff... here's a book crammed with valuable tips and information you will use to make any speaking engagement more effective.

As I was preparing for several Author appearances and book signings for my first novel (The Glass Cocoon) I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of this helpful, informative, valuable and fun to read book.

Authors Peter Kahle and Melanie Workhoven have learned by trial and error the most effective ways to prepare yourself for any speaking engagement. They know most of the 'secrets' and 'tricks' and have written an extremely easy and fun book to read that will help you get rid of the jitters, and present the best you, you possibly can,when you get up in front of a group of people.

Melanie's background as an actress and Peter's as a author combine in a book that doesn't waste any valuable time in giving you great ways to prepare to have successful readings and speaking engagements.

There is a lot of information, practical advice, insights, tips, preperatory exercises (complete with useful pictures) in this book. The information is delivered clearly, concisely and with a generous dose of breezy humor and in-the-trenches examples. A lot of research and a variety of personal experiences from the authors and some others have been effectively tapped. The book will walk you through the whole process and experience and you get the feeling your best friend is holding your hand and filling you with confidence and encouragement.

Follow the advice in the book and you can be assured of not only having a successful speaking engagment, but also of having a lot of fun too.

Thank you.. thank you.. thank you Peter and Melanie for this extremely useful and valuable resource.

Christopher J. Jarmick is the co-author of the recently published mystery suspense thriller The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder.

There are a number of books on the market that give the reader a fine overview of (complex adaptive) systems thinking in physics, chemistry, biology, sociology and economics. And this is without a doubt one of the best available. The author spends a lot of pages covering historic developments, famous (and infamous) scientists, and future trends. You read about the reductionist vs. holistic debate, the natural selection vs. self-organization debate, the gene-level vs. the group-level debate, the competition vs. cooperation debate, and much, much more. In fact, the book is so dense with information that, after a while, I felt it becoming tiresome and I started skimming some pages.

And that is one of the three problems I have with this book: I felt that the author was trying to prove to me how much he knows. When explaining something he does not give just three good examples. He gives fifty. He does not limit himself to listing the few best scientists. It seems he lists just about everyone and their family.

The second problem I have with the author is that he is downplaying some of the most brilliant and famous scientists in the world, like Richard Dawkins, Stuart Kauffman, the late Stephen Jay Gould, and several others. Corning gives them all a (minor) bashing in some way or another. Well, I have read books from each of these other scientists and I must say that Corning can hardly stand in their shadow. It feels like Corning is trying to make a name for himself with his own theory (which is all about synergy) and to do so he feels he must in some way question the validity of the tremendous work of the Great Ones.

Third, I think the "theory" that Corning presents is not much of a theory to begin with. He claims that synergy can be found in all systems on all levels, and that synergy plays a major if not critical role in the evolution of complex adaptive systems. This, I think, is self-evident. Each system, by definition, is comprised of parts. If those parts do not make up a system as a whole by forming relationships with one another then you cannot even talk of a system. So yes, synergy in complex adaptive systems is vital, just like elements, space and time. This is hardly a ground-breaking hypothesis, in my humble opinion. But maybe the scientists that made the really astounding discoveries, like Dawkins and Kauffman, will someday tell me wrong and acknowledge Corning's work, lifting him up to their own level. We'll see.

But, whatever you think about the synergy theory, if you like reading lots and lots of stories about complex systems in all levels of nature (and biology in particular) you should definately not skip this book!

Oh, and be advised that the book is not really 454 pages long. More than a quarter of the book consists of an almost endless list of notes and references. The actual text of the book ends at page 319.

Written by Peter Corning (Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems in Palo Alto, California), Nature's Magic: Synergy In Evolution And The Fate Of Humankind presents a "Synergism Hypothesis" that combines economic theory with the complexity of biology and life science. Applying theory to the evolution of humanity from the level of apes, to the acquisition of language, science, and projections of the future, Nature's Magic is a quite profound and widely encompassing amalgamation of inductive reasoning and broad repeating patterns directly affecting society itself. A work of impeccable, documented, ground breaking scholarship, Nature's Magic is so well written as to be complete accessible to academic and non-specialist general readers alike.

This is a marvelous book, which will change your perception of reality, of how things work and act together. Corning's central claim of the book is that synergy - "the combined, or cooperative, effects produced by the relationships among various forces, particles, elements, parts, or individuals in a given context" (2) - complements our contemporary scientific worldview. Moreover, the concept of synergy is more tangible than the rather fuzzy concept of 'self-organization.' The concept of self-organization defies definition, while Corning is able to define synergy clearly, to list the most important properties of synergistic effects, and to give numerous examples of synergy in the living and non-living world.

Indeed, Corning is a scientist with a Wittgensteinian soul, as his adagium seems to be: do not explain so much as to show how it works! This makes the book down-to-earth, tangible, highly interesting, while the examples can be seen as practices in synergistic perception: they alter one's perception of reality. The enormous amount of bibliographical references are a highly valuable guide for further study.

I believe this book has the potential of becoming a classic in complexity-studies. It certainly deserves this status. Moreover, as a personal note: for me, working in religion and science, this book illustrates one of the central ideas of the Christian religion: that our reality is fundamentally relational.

Read it, and be amazed!

This book is a great read, and it has a great message: synergy has been the key to the evolution of complex systems, including our own species. Corning shows that there are many different kinds of synergy, and he provides so many examples that I lost count. I especially liked his argument that our species invented itself. In Corning's scenario, cooperative behavioral developments, including new technologies, were a key factor in our evolution. As he says, we're still inventing ourselves. But sometimes we create "black magic" -- a nice way of putting it.

In Nature's Magic, Peter Corning offers us good news and bad news.

The good news is that chance, necessity, and natural selection aren't the only factors in our evolution. There is also a very real role for purpose (or more specifically, purposiveness). And the role of purposiveness has continued to increase over time. Humans make particularly effective use of it.

The bad news is that our efforts to seek an underlying grand law or force that governs history or evolution may be fundamentally flawed. We may be more responsible for our own survival than we have so far been willing to recognize. The true teleonomy (internal goal-directedness) inherent in Corning's view gives us both a creative and destructive role that is discounted in theories that rely on grand laws of history.

Corning refers to the various quests for an inherent mathematical law of evolution as "Neo-Pythagoreans" after the mystical cult surrounding the legendary mathematician. He counts various well-known contomporary complexity theorists like John Holland and Stuart Kauffman and some physicists among them.

Corning doesn't see the world as necessarily a glorious self-maintaining Gaia, he sees it as a place where living things through their relations and interactions have come to have certain responsibility for their own fate. This becomes an awesome burden once we apply this view to humans, where we take on the role of the Sorcerer's Apprentice in Goethe's (and Disney's) tale where the apprentice knows just enough magic to get himself into serious trouble.

The starting point is Arthur Koestler's insight that "true innovation occurs when things are put together for the first time that had been separate." Peter Corning takes this insight to heart and explores its remarkable implications, applying this "astonishing capacity" to nature in general.

The essence of the argument is not that nature creates things that cannot be explained or things that cannot be understood, but that no grand laws of nature predict her fruits. In effect, evolution is grounded in nature's astonishing capacity to create beyond what we foresee at every juncture.

Corning's theory of complexity in evolution is based on synergy, by which he simply and elegantly means the myriad effects of combining things where the result doesn't resemble what we'd expect simply by adding them together: the whole is different than the sum of the parts.

Corning's "Holistic Darwinism" is a way of viewing variety and selection in nature which is at once fully consistent with the neo-Darwinian synthesis and also provides theoretical bridges with the cybernetic theory of self-regulating systems and much of the body of scientific literature in social and political sciences. Holistic Darwinism shifts the focus in natural selection from selection itself as a causal force to where the variety comes from.

Nature's Magic describes a very similar role for information in evolution as in John Maynard Smith's work "Major Transitions," and Corning also makes particular use of Maynard Smith's concept of "synergistic selection." If unrelated individuals are often locked into a shared reproductive fate with others, as Corning suggests, then it is reasonable to assume that they will evolve strategies for cooperation, not for "altruism" but in their own interest as part of a "collective survival enterprise."

This shift in perspective in seeing evolution is an ambitious task for a single book, but at least the ground floor of the case is made extremely well here. Nature's Magic persuades us that nature continually yields variety that is neither predictable nor random, but fundamentally economic in its operation. In other words, Holistic Darwinism sees nature as a great marketplace where the functional outcomes of new innovations are continually shaped by the consequences of their costs and benefits.

If combined effects in nature are really different in general than we would expect from simply putting things together, there are some unexpected implications. For one thing, it implies that history matters. If things combine in new ways to produce new features in nature that are not simply an extension of the laws governing the parts, then those new features can potentially have meaningful functional outcomes that play a role in natural selection. This is the core of Corning's argument.

Corning boldly claims that Lamarck was right after all (in a sense). Not that giraffes can create new genes by stretching their necks, but that they can create new ecological niches through their behavior that can later be reinforced by natural selection because of the successful outcomes of those new behaviors. The logic of the "Baldwin Effect" thus figures prominently in Corning's Darwinism and gives an active role to organisms in evolution.

In a nutshell: "synergy" is combined effects all around us in various forms, it plays a causal role in differential reproductive fitness in a highly context-specific way, and it provides a scientific alternative to overreaching grand laws of history.

Instead of theorizing a vague new force or seeking a new law to help explain how natural selection can lead to biological complexity, Peter Corning supplies a fresh way of looking at the whole puzzle of complexity. He does this by reversing the usual logic about cooperation in living things. Rather than living things somehow cooperating to produce new outcomes through some unexplained form of 'altruism,' Corning sees 'nature's magic' of synergies underlying cooperation.

The clarity and scholarship of Corning's writing are extremely impressive, and he makes his case with a massive amount of data drawn from a wide variety of fields. There is quite obviously decades worth of research behind this book and it covers a lot of ground and has links to a number of other theories in both economics and biology.

Because it is so lucid and well-written, I can recommend this fascinating book not only to academics interested in systems science, bioeconomics, and the philosophy of biology but also to those with no academic background in biology who want to keep up with what will most likely be a significant part of the future of biological science.

For most people the purchase of their home is the biggest investment they will ever make. In this book Peter Mitchell and James Pidd teach you how to use the equity of your home and turn it into a vehicle for a more financially secure retirement. They bring to reality the common knowledge that mortgage interest is simple interest and investment interest is compounding interest.
The examples in this book make clear the power of compounding interest when combined with the tax advantage of life insurance and the impact that has on your retirement goals. They make a compelling case that turns the equity of your home into a financial vehicle that meets the investment criteria of safety, liquidity and rate of return.
This should be a must read book for everyone starting with every High School senior.

Excellent job of explaining the benefits of making your mortgage work for you. As a mortgage professional if most homeowners understood these concepts and applied them we would have a lot more people setup for retire and enjoy there life. Sadly most people go about it the wrong way and wind up struggling in their retirement years.

As a homeowner who's gone through three loans since the purchase of my first home, I can only say, "Why didn't somebody have this information out sooner, I could have avoided some pitfalls along the way". This is an amazing book I highly recommend to ALL HOMEOWNERS! Not only do I now know how the different types of home loans that are available work, I also know which is the best loan for my situation because I can accumulate wealth for my family and have my home mortgage paid off sooner If I choose to. This book is putting me behind the driver's seat of my largest investment and taking me to my desired destination at retirement in a faster, smoother ride. I will never look at my home and my investments in the way that I used to. Thank You, Peter Mitchell!

This book is a must read. It's certainly at the top of my list.
Don't you wish that you could go back in time? I like to say it this way. I am now 47 years old and I wish I knew then, at the birth of my first son at age 27, what I know now.
Where did you learn about money, the Banks? Or our Schools?
Probably from life experiences right?
We are not taught about finances at all.
When you read this book, you will have what I like to say is an "Ah Ha Experience".
Why didn't someone tell me the whole story? Are you going to listen to the radio and TV or are you going to get educated. This book will teach you about your mortgage loan, maximizing cash flow and what the Financially Independent people do.
It's either Man or Woman at work or Money at work. The sooner you have money work for you, the sooner you can stop working for it and do what is most important to you.
Most people do not take the time to plan out their lives. Read this book and it will open up your mind to things that we are not taught and you need to know. Don't you want to make the right decisions when it comes to your money?
This book will definitely help you. I have been in the Financial Services industry for seven years and it makes a lot of sense.
If you are a loan officer this is a must read book. This book will help you to separate yourself from all of your competition.

I've been a Certified Mortgage Planner. I've seen many, many people in the wrong type of mortgage with little to no planning for their future. They were almost always in the wrong mortgage because they didn't have the knowledge they needed to make a better choice and took someone else's advice. The same goes for retirement planning. People need to learn more about the reasons behind the choices they need to make. I got into mortgage planning because I wanted to find a way to help people. And there are not many other ways where I could have the impact I wanted to have. I understand from experience what kind of impact both the right and the wrong choices can make.
This is the best resource I've read to date for both the consumer and the mortgage professional on the types of mortgages and their use when you're practicing equity management which I believe should be a part of every homeowner's retirement plan.
I now help lead what we hope will become the premier debt elimination company in the country. I speak to mortgage professionals every week and at the time of my writing this review I'd say about 25% of the people I speak to thoroughly understand what this book can teach you. That's not good enough, and it tells you why it's so important for you to be knowledgeable and have an understanding of mortgage types and how they'll affect your entire financial future.
There are going to be other reviews which will argue against equity management because it's not the right choice for a small percentage of homeowners. The Chicago Fed came out with a report last year that supports equity management. But that argument is not the point. I don't care what type of account you use to build your retirement. The point is you need to build a retirement that fits your needs and over 90% of Americans are not doing that right now. You need the knowledge to make good choices. This book has to be one of the resources you learn from.
Don't let arguments over the best kind of retirement accounts keep you from learning what you need to know.
Read this for yourself and for your future.

The audience for this book is really quite large. Adult readers who know little of Newton and young readers interested in a manageable first encounter will find Peter Ackroyd's text perfectly suited to their needs. Let me mention a few items from this book that caught my attention. First, Newton from a young age appeared to be gifted mechanically; not "mechanics" as an abstraction, but the actual business of building and constructing devices. Second, it would have been next to impossible to predict greatness from Newton based on his family line. Third, Newton appears to have suffered a mental breakdown of sorts at one point in his life. Fourth, Newton worked to balance two, somewhat contradictory impulses: he was reclusive and, at the same time, sought public respect. Finally, even an intellect of Newton's stature could not resist becoming mired in petty quarrels, as witnessed by his running confrontations with the Royal Astronomer. Ackroyd's Newton offers a nice return to readers willing to invest a small amount of time.

Isaac Newton is someone I've been curious about since grade school when some teacher gave me the impression that he discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head. Even then, that didn't make much sense to me--people must have been aware of gravity since the first caveman dropped a rock on his foot--and I was pleased to learn through Peter Ackroyd's wonderful book that the apple incident probably never happened. What Newton did do through careful observation and applied mathematics was to prove the existence of universal gravity and show the laws which governed it. There is much more that Newton accomplished of course: His work on optics was seminal. His three laws of motion are still quoted in physics' classes. And his great book on the principles of mathematics was a wonder of his age.

All of this, Ackroyd explains in a conversational style that even someone like myself who has trouble adding up a supermarket bill can understand. But Ackroyd does not neglect Newton's human side. He was not, in many ways, a very nice person: A control freak who was always ready to take disagreement personally, he had few real friends and often broke up with those he did have. His life-long passion for alchemy and his belief in the Arian heresy made this already secretive man even more secretive.

Ackroyd's book is short, sweet and not annotated. It is surely not for scholars. But for those who want to pay a brief visit to a scientific genius in the company of a wise and entertaining guide could do far worse than to read this book.

This is a marvelous book. It both explains Newton's development as a human being and as one of the greatest scientific thinkers and experimenters of his or any era. Carefully and clearly written, it is a total success. I enjoyed it far more than James Gleick's NEWTON, perhaps because Ackroyd is so good at explaining what he knows how to explain and avoiding what he does not know how to explain. As he notes, neither Newton nor anyone else in his era could explain gravity -- but Newton was able to explain the laws governing gravity and thus provide a foundation for later scientists, notably Einstein, to go further and explain gravity. Ackroyd is also wonderfully skilled at explaining links between Newton's occult studies and his scientific studies. All in all, a must read for anyone who wants to understand a pivotal thinker.

This is the third in the series of "Brief Lives" written by Peter Ackroyd, the distinguished author of "London: The Biography" and "Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination." It is one of the new compact but thorough book treatments that have recently become popular (it runs a mere 170 small pages, not including index). I have marveled in past Amazon reviews at these concise books how much information a skilled and knowledgeable author can pack into a brief space, and this book is no exception. Ackroyd covers all of Newton's life (1642-1727). It is the perfect book for folks like me that have heard a lot about Newton, but are not inclined to want to read one of the longer biographies now available (e.g., that by James Gleick). The author wisely chooses not to probe too deeply into Sir Isaac's mathematical and scientific accomplishments, which is perfect for the general reader, but he offers enough insight so that the reader is aware generally of what Newton is up to and why he is such a giant in the history of science and enlightenment. His invention of calculus, study of optics, celestial mechanics, gravity and so much more are all concisely covered. One learns all sorts of interesting things about Newton, who certainly was not a conventional academic: his interests in alchemy; astrology; and arcane religious concepts to name just a few. Interestingly, Newton spent the bulk of his career not as an academic but as Warden of the Mint, which allowed him to amass quite an estate. If this be an example of "knowledge in a nutshell," let it be: it accomplishes it purpose superbly.

Eventually humans understood that there were physical laws that governed the universe, and that these laws could be made mathematically precise and could be verified. No one person enabled this understanding more than Isaac Newton, who obsessively tracked down laws of motion, gravity, optics, and pure mathematics. Since his death almost three hundred years ago, there have been many biographies attempting the impossible task of explaining Newton's unparalleled genius. In _Newton_ (Nan A. Talese), Peter Ackroyd has made no such attempt. For one thing, his book is part of his "Brief Lives" series (Chaucer and Turner have gone before), and it is a small volume. For another, Ackroyd has not described many of Newton's scientific achievements in detail; the account of his _Principia Mathematica_ is almost cursory. But the brevity of the volume is actually one of its strengths. We aren't going to understand genius, but we can understand some of the personality, and Ackroyd has done a wonderful job in describing what sort of a person Newton was. Of necessity, the portrait is unpleasant. Newton was among the most unlikeable of geniuses, but it might well be that if he had been less arrogant and selfish, he might have accomplished less.

An uncle saved Newton from being a farmer, enabling him to continue schooling and go to Cambridge. Ironically, he became a professor at Trinity College, while his religious studies led him to abhor the concept of the Trinity. He was certain that the priests and bishops who preached a Trinity were practicing idolatry. He was particularly interested in biblical chronology and prophecy, working out a date for creation half a century later than the famous 2004 BC of Bishop Ussher, and attempting precise calculation of the date of Jesus's return to Earth. He knew from his studies of the Book of Revelation that the Catholic Church was the Antichrist therein. Newton's other secret study, also outlasting his physics and mathematics, was his alchemy. He had a huge library of occult alchemical texts and he spent days and nights in his lab, forgetting to sleep or eat as he fired up experiments that had to go for weeks at a time. Ackroyd is surely right, however, when he explains that in his obsessive digging into alchemical or scriptural matters, Newton was using the same frame of mind that stood him in good stead in the research that made him famous. The enormous idea that there were three laws of motion, for instance, and that they were universal and applied, as he wrote in 1687, "everywhere to immense distances" is still breathtaking. Likewise, the idea that an apple falls and that the Moon goes around the Earth, and both are expressions of one universal force, is so counterintuitive that it compels admiration for the mind that could unite the two. By the way, distrust the legend that an apple bonked him on the head and he had an immediate epiphany of how gravity worked. Newton himself instigated the story, but no one knows if it is true, because he told four separate versions to four separate people. It is clear, however, that whatever inspiration the apple gave him, there was a long period of contemplation and calculation before he established the universality of gravity.

It was in only a few years of his mid-twenties that he explained gravity, demonstrated that white light was a blend of rainbow colors, invented the calculus, and made one of the first reflecting telescopes. The rest of his years he was doing his alchemy and scriptural researches, and more practically, he was Warden of the Royal Mint. He was in all his capacities an almost thoroughly dislikeable man. He was uninterested in art, literature, music, or women, and because of our times it must be specified that his sexual interest in men is mere undocumented speculation. As a founder of science, he knew the value of experimentation and was a genius at it, but he was furious if someone implied that another experiment had shown a contrary result. He was petty, ruthless, and vindictive. His famous catfight with Leibnitz over who invented calculus was childish (matched, it must be said, by childishness on Leibnitz's side), but it was representative of how he got along with anyone who crossed him. He had few friends, and when he presided over meetings of the Royal Society, anyone who attempted a witticism or who laughed was asked to leave the room. He seldom laughed himself; an assistant of years said Newton laughed exactly once, when he was asked what the use was of studying Euclid. Perhaps you just had to be there; Ackroyd writes, "The exact meaning of this laugh is not exactly clear." Newton was an astonishing figure, gigantic in his accomplishments and his follies, and Ackroyd's model biography shows both sides well.

Anyone who has ever crossed the border north for the land of the mosquitoes, giant pike and elusive trophy walleye will LOVE this book ! All those misadventures you've ever had trying to bust out a beaver dam, shoot the rapids you shouldn't shoot "while going after that perfect walleye spot", are perfectly written to the point you're in tears laughing sooo hard !!
Story after story you'll be rolling on the floor...yeah that was us 6 years ago when we took so&so along.. he never did know how to _____........
GREAT BOOK !!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who has fished the North Country will recognize the characters and events in Mr. Knowles book. I take it with me every year on our trip to northern Ontario. The world really needs the sequel......SOON!!!

I smile just thinking about Doc and crew. You will see yourself and your fishing buddies in this collection of short stories. The wisdom of Doc was a big hit with the "Casual Fishermen". Thanks Doc.

Was like looking at myself, and my own fishing buddies.I hope there are more books to follow. You should meet our group that makes the anual trip north to the fun. (thanks Doc.)

My husband received this book last year for Christmas and loved it. It reminded him of his fly-in trips to Ontario. Over the holidays I read the book and also found great joy in each chapter. The guys are thinking of letting the women try this fly in trip as we do fish every year in Canada and have a great time. Now that would be a good story. In each chapter I could see vivdly one of the pictures that we put into an album unlike Doc and the crew did for many years. If you want an enlightning book this is it. We certainly need a sequel.

Years ago, I purchased the Nutcracker Suite in full score, only to discover that it was only a few famous selections from the full ballet. This was my own mistake because I failed to realize that it was, in fact, merely the suite in full score. But now, after waiting for years after, Dover has presented us with a wonderful full score of the whole ballet that we all know as the most famous ballet ever written. If you are a great admirer of this magnificent work by Tchaikovsky, I highly suggest purchasing this well-priced score.

Despite the remarks of a couple of previous reviewers, this Dover score is very much a faithful reprint of the score first issued in September 1892 by P. Jurgenson, Moscow. The original price was 150 rubles, which was roughly the equivalent of $75 in 1892 dollars - or $1500 in 2005 dollars!! It's therefore safe to say that this Dover reprint is a terrific bargain.

I can understand the previous reviewers' excitement, though. Having the complete ballet available - with page after page of such glorious music - is a pure delight for music lovers. The quality of Dover's printing and binding is excellent even by their usual high standards. They absolutely deserve each and every one of the five stars I'm giving them in this review.

I finally broke down and bought this excellent reprint of the full score. It completes my circle of "Nutcracker" appreciation: first as music (as a kid - two recordings and the piano pieces that drove my parents crazy), then as ballet (as a teen, the first ballet I ever saw), then as orchestration (as the celesta player - "I AM Sugar-Plum!"), and now I can look at the score with full appreciation, with more than one exclamation of "So THAT'S how he did it!" Everything from the translated Russian to the French stage directions adds to the value of this highly affordable publication. A real joy.

at last a cheap, clear score of the nutcracker ballet. it seems to be a new engraving, not just a reprint of a 19th century edition. the orchestration is as fresh as ever and the score lets you into the nitty gritty of tchaikovsky's inspiration for this his last ballet. I hope we don't wait too long for similar editions of sleeping beauty and swan lake. have fun and enjoy.

I have long awaited this publication. Shortly after I purchased the Nutcracker Suite from Dover 6 years ago, I wrote them multiple times asking them to consider publishing the complete work, but I was disappointed until now.

A reprint of an "Authoritative Early [Russian?] Edition," the score is very pleasingly engraved, close-spaced but not overly crowded. In the front, there is a translation of all the Russian notes that occur in the text, and all of the French stage directions are translated in footnotes at the bottom of the pages. Though it is over 500 pages, Dover has used paper thinner than their norm (yet with virtually no bleed-through), so the book is not too thick. It is, however, a little floppier than most of my other Dover scores. That, though, is a very small price to pay finally to own a full score of this most-popular ballet!

Finally, I can study the orchestration in some of the gems not found in the suite, such as the Waltz of the Snowflakes, Chocolate (Spanish Dance), and others--in an edition that is both affordable and well-made. I had been able to borrow a copy of the 2-volume paperback Kalmus edition (atrociously expensive for a student's budget) from my college library, and I was shocked at how poorly it was bound. The spine cracked after one or two GENTLE usings and pages were about to fall out. Such will not be the case with this Dover edition. I look forward to many years of pleasant study and enjoyment with this volume.

I was not a fan of von Balthasar's before reading this book. I would find him incredibly difficult and dense to read. However, this book changed my mind about this great theologian.

Written at a level the average theologically educated reader can understand, von Balthasar's questions raised in this book are no less penetrating. I particularly enjoyed his insightful expositions of Simon-Peter's human fallibility, as well as von Balthasar's theological speculation why Our Lord would choose this very apostle to be graced with the Petrine Primacy and the gift of infallibility.

Nevertheless, as von Balthasar reminds the reader, these gifts are not given to St. Peter for his personal benefit, but rather to facilitate his service to the entire Church.

A must read for all Catholic apologists, as well as those struggling with the Petrine Primacy.

. . .Fr. von Balthasar has provided a thoroughly scriptural and theological defense of the Papacy.

Fr. von Balthasar has enunciated, in remarkably cogent fashion, a theory of ecclesiology which as both thoroughly Catholic and expertly reasoned.

What I found most compelling, was his scheme of authority structures in the New Testament, and how each one (James, representing Law; John, representing love; Paul, representing freedom; and Peter representing authority)was necessary to the proper functioning of the Church. His incorporatin of the role of Mary in the Church was also worthy of note.

A good read for anyone wishing to understand the theology behind the papacy, and how the Church is organized.

This book gave me a lot to think about.

Fr. von Balthasar has enunciated, in remarkably cogent fashion, a theory of ecclesiology which as both thoroughly Catholic and expertly reasoned.

What I found most compelling, was his scheme of authority structures in the New Testament, and how each one (James, representing Law; John, representing love; Paul, representing freedom; and Peter representing authority)was necessary to the proper functioning of the Church.

A good read for anyone wishing to understand the theology behind the papacy, and how the Church is organized.

I may not have read the entire book yet, but it is already interesting. Hans Urs Von Balthasar truly has a sense of the structure of the Church and the office of Peter. I hope to learn more from him as I read on. Also, thanks to the person I bought this book from.

I was not a fan of von Balthasar's before reading this book. I would find him incredibly difficult and dense to read. However, this book changed my mind about this great theologian.

Written at a level the average theologically educated reader can understand, von Balthasar's questions raised in this book are no less penetrating. I particularly enjoyed his insightful expositions of Simon-Peter's human fallibility, as well as von Balthasar's theological speculation why Our Lord would choose this very apostle to be graced with the Petrine Primacy and the gift of infallibility.

Nevertheless, as von Balthasar reminds the reader, these gifts are not given to St. Peter for his personal benefit, but rather to facilitate his service to the entire Church.

A must read for all Catholic apologists, as well as those struggling with the Petrine Primacy.

This was extremely interesting and diverse; there's something in here for everyone. We bought this for our 22-year-old son who just graduated from Purdue, but I found myself reading it long into the night. A real accomplishment, full of wisdom.

This was extremely interesting and diverse; there's something in here for everyone. We bought this for our 22-year-old son who just graduated from Purdue, but I found myself reading it long into the night. A real accomplishment, full of wisdom.

I loved this book. It's both inspirational and educational and the speeches are chosen with great care. Five stars all the way

Compilations only work if well edited - and this one is. Brilliant novelist Smith brings his wit and originality to this anthology of the best graduation orations of recent years, creating a book which is no mere collection of speeches, but rather a thumbnail history of contemporary American thought and history. Let someone else buy that CD player, because this is the gift your grad should have.

This was extremely interesting and diverse; there's something in here for everyone. We bought this for our 22-year-old son who just graduated from Purdue, but I found myself reading it long into the night. A real accomplishment, full of wisdom.