Richards Books

I bought this book for a class, and although we were only required to read sections of the book I ended up reading the entire thing, including the extra two essays (Immortality of the Soul & Suicide). The entire thing was extremely well-written and thought-provoking, even to a novice philosopher such as myself.

This isn't a book you can fly through. Hume requires the reader to slow down and really think about what is being said. The main section of the book (Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion) involves four characters, three discussing theories, and one student (technically the narrator) listening and occasionally commenting. By using this dialogue technique, Hume is able to present several sides of each argument in a unique way, and not simply expound his own theories. The method is most effective.

I won't go into depth of what this book discusses, the theory of design, arguments about God's nature and being, the argument from the existence of evil, and whether a posteriori or a priori arguments are best suited for proving God's existence. Overall this book is interesting and exciting, even for a 200 year old publication. Even if you're interested in modern philosophy, this book still offers some interesting theories. And obviously if you're interested in philosophy at all, it's a good book to check out for some history on the subject.

The introduction offers a good deal of information about the essays included in the book as well as Hume himself.

While being a theist I do not accept Hume's conclusions, he is no doubt the finest philosophical skeptic in the West since the time of Sextus Empiricus.

Hume, the philosopher who woke Kant from his 'dogmatic slumbers', takes a very empirical approach to reality and philosophy. In Hume's mind, the pretensions of the human mind to certain truth and knowledge do not accord with the way things are. Many things are believed on insufficient evidence or sloppy thinking or for reasons of emotional need rather than on evidence and reason. The task he set himself was in many ways like that of Descartes, except unlike Descartes Hume did not believe that either the methods of science or God (Hume was an atheist) could give us grounds for certain knowledge.

The dialogues on Natural Religion are one of his supreme masterpieces. Published after his death, this dialogue features a conversation between two philosophers about the nature and existence of God and the proofs for his existence. One philosopher is a skeptic, Philo, and the other is a theist, Carneades. Demea the Deist provides a third interlocutor in the dialogue. Carneades states several popular arguments for God's existence in Hume's time, including the teleological argument, moral argument, and argument from design. Philo responds to this arguments, mostly using the argument from evil as well as appeals to the rule of regular law in nature, to refute ideas about miracles, providence, and evidential design from a supreme 'architect.' Hume states the counter-arguments in extremely powerful terms, essentially completely demolishing the position of Carnedes and concluding that at best, only a very weak inference can be made for God's existence from the structure of the world.

Hume's arguments have been recently re-stated by several atheist philosophers, including J.L. Mackie and Daniel Dennett. For Mackie, Hume was right in arguing theism is philosophical nonsense, and for Dennett, God is a redundant hypothesis when the order and beauty of the universe is readily and clearly explained by science, and at best a kind of Spinoza-style pantheism is where the sacred can enter into the cosmos. While I disagree, the adoption of Hume's arguments by many leading philosophers shows both the power, beauty and logical coherence of Hume's position, which should be read carefully by any philosopher who wants to offer a rational proof that God exists.

For me it is not the order but the beauty of the universe which suggests God exists, but perhaps for others this beauty is marred too much by suffering and evil to come to such a conclusion, and Hume would surely agree.

David Hume, a philosopher of the period often classified as British Empiricism, is the intellectual associate of philosophers John Locke and George Berkeley. Born in Edinburgh in 1711, he attended the University of Edinburgh but did not graduate. He went to France during his 20s, and spent time there working on what would become his most famous work, 'An Enquiry into Human Understanding', first published under the title 'Treatise of Human Nature'. However, Hume was a prolific writer, and dealt with many areas of philosophy, including politics and ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. He wrote in the area of history as well, and had a politic career as British ambassador to France and a post as a minister in the government for a few years. His final work, 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion', was published posthumously in 1779, although work had begun on it as early as the 1750s.

Hume was very concerned about rationality. Hume was never publicly and explicitly an atheist, but his rational mind, concerned about sensory and intelligible evidence, led him to question and doubt most major systems of religion, including the more general philosophical sense of religion and proofs of the existence of God. The primary arguments in his 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion' deal with the Argument from Design, and the Cosmological Argument. There is an assumed distinction here between natural religion and revealed religion, an especially important distinction in the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment philosophical structure.


- Natural Religion and Revealed Religion -

Natural religion is the idea that we come to know and understand God (and, consequently, what God wants or expects of us, if anything) simply from nature and our sensory perceptions, as well as our interpretations (emotion and rational) of this kind of understanding. From very early in his writing career, Hume attacked the idea of natural religion and most of its conclusions, drawing a sharp line between what we can actually know and what ends up being fanciful extrapolations based on other-than-rational ideas and evidence. Revealed religion is primary what most religions base themselves upon - the burning bush to Moses, the resurrection and post-resurrection appearances to the Apostles, the Buddha's enlightenment under the tree - these are examples of revelation. While Hume does take on the idea of revealed religion in his other works, this particular text does not concern itself with that topic, and stays in the domain of addressing natural religion.


- The Argument from Design -

Arguments from Design have always had a strong appeal to believers within religious frameworks; they have often been used as tools of evangelism, as attempts to show that beyond the revealed doctrines, the very nature of things points to a creator. In very short order, the Argument from Design in Hume's newly-industrial time might have read like this:

- Machines are designed by beings with intelligence.
- The world and the universe it is in resembles a machine.
- Therefore, the world must have been created by means of intelligent design.

This is an argument by analogy, and is convincing to some, but often more convincing to those already inclined to believe in the existence of God.


- The Cosmological Argument -

The Cosmological Argument is at once both more subtle and more simple. The most simple way of stating it would be that God is the 'first cause' of everything. If everything has to have a cause (even the whole universe), then that first cause must be God. In the twentieth century era of thinking of a universe that began with a Big Bang, it seemed to some that the Cosmological Argument was confirmed.

Hume would have been familiar with Leibniz's more subtle form of the Cosmological Argument, which argues for a world of infinite contingent causes. However, there has to be something outside of this system of infinite causes that produced the series - thus, even in a universe with no set beginning or ending, there would still need to be an overarching cause.


- Hume's Arguments -

Hume argues on many levels. His first criticism of the Argument from Design is that this analogy (as are most arguments from analogy) is faulty and not exact; we have no idea if the universe is like a machine. Even if it was, machines are often designed and built by several designers - why argue for one God rather than several? How do we know that matter and the universe don't have their own, internal self-organising principles?

With regard to the Cosmological Argument, the argument is a little more strained. Hume argues that, in any series of causality, once one knows about each cause, it makes no sense to inquire beyond the sequence of causes to some other effect. This is a very Empirical argument, to be sure, and while perhaps not entirely satisfying, it still has merit in philosophy to this day.


- Hume's Structure -

This is a dialogue, set up in the classical way of people talking with each other about the subjects. Hume draws primarily from Cicero, whose work 'On the Nature of the Gods' uses characters of the same names. However, whereas Cicero was concerned about the nature of the Gods (their attributes, powers, etc.) and not their existence, it is the very existence of God that occupies Hume's thoughts.

Hume, despite many years of work on this text, probably never quite thought it was finished. He left the work to Adam Smith (the noted economist, and friend of Hume in Edinburgh), who also thought the arguments against the existence of God were too strong, and likely too damaging to Hume's overall reputation. The tug-of-war over the publication makes for interesting reading in and of itself.

These are important arguments, worthy of discussion and dialogue in philosophy classes, theology classes, and among others who ponder the existence of God.

This nearly pamphlet sized book is pretty dense with things to ponder. Hume speaks mostly about how a deity would function as the head of the world. The reviewer is not intent on being cute here. Hume addresses many notions about "God" through a series of dialogues amongst three intellectuals. They are intent on convincing each other of their individual views. Essentially those three have to come to terms with the anthropomorphism associated with the God of Christian belief system. It really is more complicated than that but this is a short review.

In addition to the Dialogues are a short essays on the Immortality of the Soul and the rationality of Suicide. Finally there is a discussion of Miracles. The latter three are well placed with the Dialogues as they address the philosophy of religion in much the same manner but come from Hume rather than the fictional characters of the Dialogue.

This book as short as it is, requires a considerable amount of time to consume. Not only are the concepts that Hume presents detailed and valuable, but the language is particularly arcane and often requires re-reading in order to understand where Hume is going.

The two excellent reviews of this book , one by Kurt Messick and the other by CT Dreyer outline the background to, and the principal content of the work. Hume takes apart the argument from Design as proof of God's Existence, raising objections to the analogy between Machine- design and world- design. I do not believe however that Hume in the work really considers two other major arguments for belief in God. One argument might be called the existensial - personal decision argument , in which the individual out of his own need and will decides for belief in God. This decision can be a rational calculation as Pascal suggests that we should make in order to give our own immortality a chance, or it can be a profound deeply moving conviction something that grows out of our own deepest being and need. Another path to belief in God is through the kinds of mystical experience that thousands of human beings from all cultures have had. William James collects some of these testimonies in 'The Variety of Religious Experience'. Another path is through the path of accepting the Tradition given us by our ancestors.
Now it might be said that these alternative paths to belief in God do not deal with the kind of ' proofs ' Hume is talking about. Hume is really talking about the ' rational way' to God through mind and reason. But I believe that every reader should have these other ways to God in mind , if only not to be devastingly shattered by Hume 's demolition job of the Design Argument.
It is well to remember that there are other ways to God aside from the ones spoken of and questioned here.
I write this as a believer in God who also believes that a very great share of Mankind needs God, needs the belief in God to make their own lives ultimately meaningful. And this when I would also keep in mind the following idea. If the Proof of God were certain and absolute , then there would be no test/ trial / challenge for humanity in its belief in God.
And here I add the idea central in the Jewish tradition, and probably important in others, that God wants our decision for God, our free choice of God, and not a slavish obedience even to an airtight logical principle.

This is a superb book-- I found it useful for both instruction as a reference on the syntax and form of doing things in Matlab with images and also as an in-depth text on the subject of image processing. Illustrated with easily followed examples and explicit description of the math involved in image processing operations, it provides a handy edge of explanation beyond what is available in the Matlab help files. This book is almost always signed out with a lineup at our university library, and is useful across many disciplines.

Great text for learning image processing and using it with MATLAB. Hopefully the instructor also uses its mathematical insight as well.

I bought this book for two reasons (a) I needed an overview of IP and (b) I wanted to examine different pattern analysis algorithms with a practical twist. On both counts, as an non-IP researcher, I was very satisfied. The book is very well laid out, so well in fact that it would put to shame many of its rivals. It served my needs. I can't comment on whether it will meet the needs of a broader community. I would certainly recommend it based on my experience.

This book has been really helpful to write my own tools for image analysis, such as leaf area index estimations from digital images and microscopy imaging analysis.

I think that for people involved in image processing and analyisis, this book is a must.

This book educates the reader in image processing and MATLAB. While I am experienced in both, I found the book to be an extrememly useful reference book for projects involving image compression and image representation. The book offered practical descriptions and useful code for computing the fast wavelet transform. It was especially useful in describing how the edges should treated. This is a big issue that other textbooks gloss over. I had never seen it described in a textbook, and it was described so well.

The color image processing chapter is excellent, and the image processing chapter is pretty good. Lots of explanation and code.

While the book stands alone, it can also be seen as a useful companion book to the more theoretical "Digital Imaging Processing" by Gonzalez and Woods (2nd edition). This is a different book even though it has close to the same name.

The book looks fine i haven't read it yet, I was expecting a novel but it insists of screenplay (dialogues) of the movie and alot other info and interviews about the movi, and there are good scetchs and illustrations..

If you are a fan of this great flick, this book goes right along with it. It has an interview with the director/writer and also Jake G. (cannot spell his name).

It also contains numerous pictures from and inspired by the movie.

My favorite part is that it has the actual pages from Roberta Sparrows book, so if you're interested, this is a killer movie memoribilia to own!

A very good book that gives excellent insight into the mysteries of the movie. Includes interesting art work drawn by Richard Kelly that you can also find in the movie. Overall I found this book to be highly entertaining.

I like how popular films can cause a demand in which the screenplay is released in book form for all those inspiring actors and screenwriters out there to read, act and learn from. Most of them are just the screenplay and nothing else, so its a pleasant surprise to see one like this, which includes a lengthy interview with the writer/director, some drawings, and a peek at the prop Time travel book by Roberta Sparrow. Some overzealous fans mistakenly thought it was a real book and on the Director's Cut dvd, you see a special documentary by one such fan who demanded of the director the rest of this fictional book. Give Director Richard Kelly a break...the book was nothing more than a prop for the film's characters.

This book is worth having for any Donnie Darko fan. For me, the best part of the book is the interview, as it is nice to hear the thoughts and ideas of Richard Kelly about his famous first movie. What he says embodies a lot of our generation in terms of cultural influences and how we grew up...a world perhaps vastly different to the current generation growing up in the hip-hop drenched, corporate universe. This book will be a keepsake for that distant future, when Richard Kelly will be known as our generation's Steven Spielberg, with a library of unique films. Don't expect to find this book then, because it'll probably be out of print and hard to find. Get it now when its still available! Donnie Darko is probably the film that will still be remembered 25 years from now.

This book doesnt provide a whole lot of new material, but does offer much insight into the movie based on the actors and director commentary. If you're a fan of the movie, it's definitely worth the purchase - by the way, has anyone seen the producer of the film Sean McKittrick? What a hottie!

This was a magical, powerful book for our son when he was learning to handle bad dreams. He kept it for years--still has it in fact, though he's long since grown. The Dream Eater is a creature who comes to the village to rid young and old of their nightmares. It's an empowering talismanic tale, simply beautifully told and illustrated. It's the kind of book that having created it, the writer and artist can both be proud of what they've done in their lives. Try it out with your child when bad dreams come. It may help you to talk about the dreams, too. Take Me With You When You Go

This was one of my favorite books growing up and became one of my daughter's as well. She's now 18 and has decided that she isn't going to share her(my) book with her little brother, who's not quite two. I have to buy another copy for him. I really don't mind all. I believe she'll end up passing this book down to her children and they can then decide who's gong to keep the book and who gets the new copy. I highly recommend this book!

this book is the best one i've ever read the baku and the dragon where sooooo cute!
the only sad part would be when the baku ate the dream about the dragon and the only scary part whould be when the baku fell into the river

This was my favorite children's book growing up. I am so excited to have found it. It is a wonderful book to read to kids.

Christian Garrison and Diane Goode did a very good job with this book. The Dream Eater is an interesting tale of a boy who lives in a town full of people who are plagued by bad dreams. The book itself is very pleasant to read, as delightful pictures match the detailed writing fluently and perfectly. The story is calming and fun to read. It makes for a great bedtime story. Wondeful for lulling young ones to a sleep with few bad dreams.

Poaching, government corruption, and the beautiful animals of Africa combine to make Trout's second MacGregor Family Adventure a great read. Once again Trout puts the MacGregor family in an exotic location with an action-packed adventure that you won't want to put down. This time it is not just the kids as Jack MacGregor and his kids gets stranded by poachers in the African bush to test their survival skills. Trout also helps us see the tradgedy of what poachers do to the great animals of Africa. If you want a book that takes you on a African adventure, this is it.

From the author of CAYMAN GOLD comes the second of three books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series. Teens who enjoy the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, and young adults who thrive on outdoor adventure and action stories, won't be able to put ELEPHANT TEARS down until they've read it all the way through. At least once.

Richard Trout, author, environmental biologist, consultant and college professor, invites us to join the MacGregor family on an East African wildlife adventure. We hit the ground running as the novel opens in the Masai Mara Wildlife Preserve where we join Chris, Heather and Ryan MacGregor, a baby elephant and a handful of angry lions. We're immediately pulled into a world of survival of the fittest. Unfortunately for much of the wildlife, poachers are sometimes the fittest, rifles in hand.

Through the eyes of the MacGregor teens and their Kikuyu friend, Rebecca, we cross the Serengeti, hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, camp in the bush with hyenas, and give thanks we aren't having roast agama lizard for dinner. Rebecca and the MacGregor teens encounter the heart-breaking devastation the poachers leave behind, while fighting for their own lives in the African bush. What will happen if the poachers learn they've been exposed? Will the teens' parents find them before it's too late?

Trout weaves his extensive knowledge of wild animal conservation and primitive camping and survival skills into a novel rich with action-packed scenes. His informative, entertaining style infuses us with enthusiasm for conservation and environmental issues. By the time we read the last page, we want more. Trout, a passionate advocate of endangered and threatened animals, gives us more, with his heart-felt introduction, glossary, list of library and internet resources, and recipe for Marrakech Stew.

It's Clive Cussler for teens. Once you read ELEPHANT TEARS, you'll be eagerly scanning the shelves for copies of the first and third books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series.

5 out of 5 wildlife preserves
Reviewed by True North
gottawritenetwork.com
May 18, 2005

As a librarian and mother, it is about time an author writes books for young adults that have nothing to do with [love making], drugs, or dysfunction. Mr. Trout brings world issues to the attention of young adults while appealing to their sense of adventure. This particular book uses the written word to describe an area that not a lot of young people have ever seen, and while they read the book, the images of Africa truly come alive.

If you were just trying to decide whether to buy this book or not, I have one comment- BUY IT!!! It is a GREAT book that is fast-paced, often educational in a fun way, and thrilling- I LOOOVE this book series and i'm about to buy the third one, falcon of abydos, buh-bye!

PS: BUY IT!!!

Elephant Tears by Richard Trout released by LangMarc Publishing is the second book by this author. It is better than his first--if that it possible. This book will have the Young Adult audience begging to read more. The author's description of the African wilderness and wildlife is wonderful. The suspense he has added to it throughout the book made it a marvelous read. The MacGregor family adventures continued in this action book. I wondered how long it would take the three teenagers to get to safety. The intrigue of animal poachers, high tech equipment, and helicopters galore keep me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to see where the next book takes this family of adventurers.

"The Blood of wolves flowed through ten generations of Wolfrider Chiefs and their Tribefolk...It tied them beyond all untying to the world and it's cycle of life. And if the price was mortality then no one knew it, for rare indeed was the Wolfrider who died peacefully of old age." Once again, the Pini's proved that Cutter was the exception to that rule! The Son Ten Chiefs carried his tribe into a future they were never meant to see, in the name of love. Elf Quest is a classic story, well told and immensly inspiring, proving noone is truly bound to a single fate. I hope Elf Quest will never really go away. I hope Cutter and the Wolfriders will continue and beat the odds and carry us along with them on their incredible journey!

I love it when the characters, plot and storyline all flow as nicely as this one did. Great Job!!!!

I thought that it was a wonderful story full of our favorite characters. It was one of the best of the elfquest books that I've read in a while.

The plot of this story was great! The art was great! It was Wendy's best work!!!!!!!! Buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet another masterpiece by Wendy Pini. I had only just finished "Forevergreen" (I constantly read them out of order), and to see the crisp, smooth drawings was like a breath of fresh air. This is in no way an insult to Barry Blair, or any other Elfquest artist; I merely mean that Wendy knows best what her elves look like, and captures the essense of each personality. The artwork looks three-dimensional, so that it seems to have a depth that some of the other Reader's Collections lack. I look at each page, marveling "That's how Shenshen and Cutter look like!"

Dreamtime's story wasn't skimped on, either. The dreams add new insights and facets to each Wolfriders' personality, and were told in an inventive way. In favorites, i'm torn between Pike's story and "Dreamtime - Pt?" I don't want to give too much of the story away, though, so I won't tell you too much about it: Just that it's terrific!

The Encylopedia of American History is a wonderfully detailed and comprehensive reference book on almost everything to do with American history. Practically every conceivable aspect of America's history is within these pages; if you have a query concerning anything about the USA, then look no further than here. Neatly laid out in mainly chronological form, the book varies through subjects from politics, military, literature, science and many more. The biographies section contains brief biographies of over 400 influential Americans, from presidents and scientists to Stephen Spielberg. Whether you want to become a walking reference on American history, or are already familiar with the subject and require a reliable reference source, then this book is for you.

As a student of American history, I have not seen a better book that gives you an overview of American history. No this encyclopedia will not go in-depth on everything you want, but is merely a general look at our nation's history. If you want an in-depth study you do need to look for a book that deals with that issue, but if you want a good general book, this is the one to get. I believe it is a must get for any student of history, especially American history. And if you just like American history as a hobby, this book is still a must get.

The Encyclopedia of American History by Richard B. Morris is an outstanding source of information for the student of history or the professional educator. It contains factual information for the consensus historian. It is not revisionist. I highly recommend this book.

II am a professional corporate historian. I research the corporate histories of many companies. I have very few things on my desk that are permanent, of which, three are books--the Chicago Manual of Style, the newest Merriam Webster's Dictionary, and the Encyclopedia of American History (7th ed). Whether you are a professional in the history field, a history "buff" or just an amateur social scientist, this is a book that you need to own. The four sections of this book are extremely helpful when looking for grand historical events or the smallest tidbit of information. While the internet is great for finding some of these items, this book is the most comprehensive volume of American History ever put together. I highly recommend this book--it is worth the money.

Individuals interested in purchasing an American History book for the sole purpose of quickly researching a specific historical happening need to look no further. Scarcely illustrated, this is a fully encompassing text which provides a brief description of each event. Most descriptions range in length from one-quarter to one-half of a page. For example, it required less than two-hundred words to recount the assasssination of President Kennedy. Lengthy historical events such as the Vietnam War are also discussed in a concise manner. The Vietnam War required seven pages, including the full page map, to educate the reader. Those interested in an American History book that can be enjoyably read cover to cover must look elsewhere. Brief, fragmented event depictions cause the reader's attention to quickly wane. This book is being awarded four stars for its use as an encyclopedia.

This is as easy to read (and understand) as Levinas can be. It is short and in the form of an interview. If you are just looking for a broad concept of what he is all about - this is a great book. It gives you a nice overview on his major points and from there on you might want to explore some of his more challenging works.

The influence of Levinas on Contemporary thought cannot be under-estimated. Many of the subtle and overt nuances in Derrida, Nancy, Deleuze and, on this side of the Atlantic, Lingis and Caputo, derive from Levinasian insights. Indeed, the French reverence for difference and alterity has its origin in the phenomenological findings of Levinas.

With Levinas comes a dramatic shift from the Heideggarian cum Greek privilege of ontology. As levinas suggests, prior to any investigation of Being we first encounter the Other. And it is this encounter with the other that commands me - a command whose first words are 'Thou shalt not kill'. Thus it is ethics that is first philosophy.

This description, its reasons and implications, are many and complex. However, this wonderful little book gives a breadth and clarity that should prove invaluable to the scholar and dilettante alike. Nemo's questions are poignant and Levinas' responses are clear, precise and exhibit a genuine gentility and articulateness that is most apreciated in philosophical writings.

In addition this book is a wonderful accompaniment to Levinas' two main texts: Totality and Infinity and Otherwise than Being.

An exceptionally lucid series of interviews with one of the most central, misunderstood and neglected thinkers of the 20th C. If you are looking to take a quick dip in the work of Levinas (something that may not be possible) I would council you to pick this up, it is the most easily accesible book to attempt a (cursory) look at some of Levinas' key points. The questions are interesting and (more importantly) not trivial... Levinas's responses are succint but also thorough and searching. I found this much more rewarding and illuminating than some of his more weighty tomage.

Good for recovering academics, practicing theorists, intellectual dilletantes and anyone else interested in adopting an ethically based philosophy that can stand up and go toe to toe with all those wily postmodernists with their impenetrable and convoluted jargon of hubris...

Levinas is one of the finest thinkers to step out of philosophy since Soren Kierkegaard. With this book and his interviews with Nemo, the reader can gain a basic understanding that will urge (h)er further along the trace that Levinas leaves in the history of thought. Read this book, and be drawn into thinking of the Other.

Emmanuel Levinas' books and articles are famously difficult reading, both because of their depth and because their themes, proposals and obessions manage to be breathtakingly against the grain of modernity and, simultaneously, postmodernity. This little book shows Levinas to be not only a great philosopher but also a good one--that is, an author genuinely concerned for his audience. In these transcribed interviews first broadcast on Radio-France, we meet Levinas the generous conversation partner who engages each question in a way that makes fresh understanding possible. Overhearing this conversation is the shortest route to a basic orientation to this wonderfully disorienting thinker.

Great book, especially for anyone who shops at the Greenmarket at Union Square in NYC. I've taken several classes from Chef Richard, who teaches recreational greenmarket cooking classes at ICE, and they're even better than the book.

There's so many things that I can say about this book, it combines great recipies with a great style of writing to get the reader really interested in his/her cooking. But I don't want to review the book on how good the food is or how great the writing is because that's already been done. I would just like to congratulate my Uncle on a great book even though he put my Aunt and Cousin's full names in the book and only my families last. For anyone who loves food this is a great book and a great gift.

My self and many others think that The Farmers Market cook book by one of the greatest cookbook authors Richard Ruben is a MUST have. Myself and many others also think that this book is one of if not the best cookbook that has come out this year and one of the best cookbooks of all time. If you like Healthy, fun, GREAT food you must go out and buy this AMAZING book.

This cookbook is magnificent! Fun, wittily written, simple to follow, Richard Ruben focuses on enjoying the fresh goodness the earth offers us in each season. It's about tasting and exploring what's in front of us, presented by the growers themselves. Easy-to-follow recipes, ideas, charts, seasonal suggestions....it's great. I'm not much of a cook and I used this book to wow a dinner party with pheasant, curried brussel sprouts, & individual squashes stuffed with fennel, apples, & carrots. It's a valuable, exciting, DELICIOUS standout in a crowded field.

This is a cookbook that people who really love food in it's purest form must have. Richard Ruben translates his enthusiasm for the farmer's (or ethnic) market into simple recipes with sophisticated flavors that sing. His appoarch to food re-affirms that old adage, simple is better. As you read through his personal collection of recipes, you want to make every one. But must do so season by season to get the best results. In this day and age of hundreds of cookbooks, Ruben distinguishes himself quietly and with authority, reminiscent of the early days of Alice Waters when passion for food and the best ingrendients were the only motivators. If I could only have one cookbook and a market, it would certainly be this one. BUY THIS BOOK FOR THE SUMMER and continue to use it through fall and winter...

This book is great! Richard shares how we CAN change our financial world by learning the know-how! Richard makes it easy and gives strategies that work!

Bernadette Dimitrov
The HoHoHo Expert

Viewing his brawny, chiseled physique on the book's cover, I didnt think he could deliver the kind of financial tips I needed. but wow- i was so wrong. maybe men can be hot and smart. kudos to dr. rich. this is sure to be a best seller.

Great book, great strategies, great information!

Too often, books that allude to your financial freedom are full of hyped up promises with obscure or difficult to apply practical tips. Dr. Richard has changed all that.

With 70 'Financial Fitness Tips' to choose from, it's easy to turn your finances around - not just get them in shape, but get them flexed, pumped and ready for action!

Make 2005 your year to focus on Financial Freedom - grab this book, read it from cover to cover, apply the Fitness Tips and your life will never be the same!

Sandy Forster - Author
"How to Be Wildly Wealthy FAST; A powerful step-by-step
Guide to Attract Prosperity and Abundance into Your Life TODAY!"
www.WildlyWealthy.com

This is exactly what we've all been waiting for. A precise, detailed and accessable book that will help you take real control of your finances. Dr. Richard will take his place next to Dr. Phil as one of the true modern gurus for self determination. Financial Aerobics is written clearly so anyone can understand the principals contained within. Do yourself a favor a get a copy of this book before it's too late. With the current state of the economy, recession ending or not, you can't afford to not pick up this book and save yourself thousands of dollars and to insure your own financial future! Move over Dr. Phil, here comes Dr. Richard!

I've studied personal finances time and time again. I usually loose interest and stop short of taking all the actions I need to do to secure my financial future.

But it was different this time.

Dr Richard explains the topics well, and I came away with action items that I know will make a difference

Thank you Dr. Richard.