Scott Books

Without a doubt, Scott Morrison is a true sage. The wisdom that is written within these covers is timeless and profound. An essay of pure and simple truths that touchs the human spirit to the depths of ones soul. Thank you Mr. Morrison.

One of the best! Scott has a remarkable way of drawing your attention to what is really important, this moment, the only moment you truly have. It is amazing that such a small book can be so filled with wisdom. A book that I have read and enjoyed many times and look forward to reading and enjoying again.

In my lifelong search for truth and wisdom, Scott Morrison's work has been pivotal for me. His sincerity and depth of understanding are stunning, and Open and Innocent will make your heart glow with happiness and loving kindness. There are so many wonderful surprises in this book! Like an old friend, he gently encourages the reader to abandon the arrogance and pretense of opinion and knowing in advance, and to discover firsthand the wonder and beauty of this present unknown moment.

I wish more books were this concise and to the point. Very deep, very interesting, and worth every penny.

June 2008: I was just looking over my past reviews and forgot about this one. I still have this gem of a book and am going to read it again today.

This small book came as a gift from Dick Grace, a former stock broker well known for his compassionate work in India and Nepal. He told me this book had been "life altering" for him and many others, and that he had given away hundreds of copies to friends all over the world, including one to the Dalai Lama, who spoke well of it.

I have read literally thousands of books on a fairly wide range of spiritual and psychological themes over the years, and I must confess, very few have touched me as deeply and powerfully as this one. I wholeheartedly recommend it, not only to my colleagues in the helping, healing, and teaching professions, but to virtually anyone who is truly wanting to discover the secrets of living a rich and happy life. It is highly readable, and in spite of the extraordinary depth to which it explores the finer points of spiritual awakening and liberation, it maintains a gentle sense of humor and friendliness throughout. Moreover, the fact that Mr. Morrison does not pretend to be any kind of guru or "special person" underlines the fact that joy, peace, and freedom are indeed accessible to everyone.

Opening Doors Within: 365 Daily Meditations from Findhorn
This takes me back to words my own Mother would offer. Always pointing back to faith and hope and commitment. Not a bad place to put your feet in day to day choas.

This book found its way to my hands in 1992. It is astounding...and simply magic! Countless times I would read the message for the day and it provided the perfect guidance for things that were happening in my life. It's a great book and a great gift. Plus if you travel a lot it does not take up much space at all and can be a constant companion. Thank you, dear Eileen Caddy, for such a jewel!

This is a book that every one should have and use on a regular basis. I think that if this were the case there would be more happines and tolerance in the world. I have recomended this book to a number of people and each of them has sent me a message saying thank you and that the book was helping them in many ways.

To have in hands this small book, after reading some sentences, makes us to thank deeply in our heart. They are small spiritual jewels driven to our heart. The larger merit of Eileen Caddy's work is to give truthfulness to God speaking and supplying us with His immense Love. I recommend the whole ones!

This book has been by my side for over 5 years, traveled half way around the world, and never ceases to amaze me with how timely it is. I've made tiny notes in the margins and can track my progress in life. It is a very life-affirming and self-validating book.

Most of us dream of adventures when we are young ... but the responsibilities of the world often derail them. David Scott's story is a tale of the dream of adventure fulfilled.

I read this book several years ago from the library. I rarely buy a book but this one I have. Great adventure story about the challenges two young men face living in a cabin for a year in Manitoba. The description of the first six days trying to find the cabin after getting dropped off is a page turner.

Makes me wish I did something similar at that stage im my life as opposed to sitting at a cubicle. This books gives me the inspiration to maybe strike out and seek my own adventure someday.

Although I found the book simple and intellectually unchallenging, its sincerity, freshness and admiration for the wilderness and being a part of it were emotionally stirring. It reminded me of the importance of being able to step away from comitments to work, banks and acquaintances to experience something larger than all of us. We need this to remind us of the essence of being alive and human.

The opening sequence of their expedition rivals that of any true life-and-death experience, including "Touching The Void." A must-read for any winter-camper who ventures off the beaten path more than a few days away from luxuries like mechanical heat from an automobile. This is one of the most profound stories of northern wilderness experience that I have ever read. Their story is similar to going to the moon on an Apollo mission, with no backup and no radio contact, and making it on their own. Truly the best story ever told of a modern Arctic expedition with a happy ending. This is a book that I read and immediately gave to a friend to read, and it has passed around to no less than 12 people as a "must read" already, and is still in motion.

I love outdoor adventure books and this book is a great one. This is a story of living and thriving in the Canadian wilderness. I was fascinated with the authors adventures of building a cabin, hunting moose, and exploring. If you like outdoor books I recommend this as a must read.

This is a wonderful story of a child's resilience and determination. Written by a woman of my era and from my own community, it reflected the experiences of my own mother who also spent time in a children's home in the 1920's. The richness of her story and the details of her experiences were humbling and thought provoking. I was deeply moved by her sharing of the culture of the period...one that surely shocks parents of today who have democratized their family structure and have given their children voices not heard during Patty's journey.
Thank you for giving a voice to all those children whose voices were never heard.
Bravo Patty!

I adored this book about a little girl's determination to have as normal as life as she could (whatever normal means!). It is always interesting to me how much she, and children like her, love and adore their parents, and yet when the going gets tough for the parents they dump their kids, in this instance in an orphanage. I can hardly believe adults are this cruel, but some of them are. I realize the conditions of the Depression were terrible, but I have also read about many, many families who stayed together and somehow made do. Not here. (Read: Little Heathens by Mildren Armstrong Kalish.)

Patty, soon to become Donna, is resilient and hopeful and sad and ambitious all at once. She is a survivor. She apparently harbors no hostility about any members of her birth family or her adoptive family. Indeed, noting the glaring differences in her adoptive family, she is so kind to them, both while they were living and now that they are gone. I loved reading about her and especially about her love story, which has endured for many years. I believe her husband and the love they have shared since their teen years had a huge part in helping this brave girl learn how to live and to love and therefore become an interesting, sweet, kind, and relatively content woman.

I was adopted in the 70's when the process was very different from the one described in this book- but as I read Patty's Journey- I felt such a connection that I was often moved to tears. This book is about what it is like to know-and to not know. She reminds us of how adoption was and reminds us of how it is.

I cried and marvelled at the resiliance of a child's spirit. I was touched by the deep loyalty siblings showed for each other. I wanted to tell Patty's adoptive parents to be careful, to nurture the empty places, to fill up the gaps with affection, not to ignore the sadness. I vowed to let my children be who they are, not an image I created of who they should be. I was sensitized to the stigma of not living with a biological family in the '40s. I was touched by the faith and personal strength that sustained Patty. How can we learn from her experiences in a political era that considers rebuilding orphanages? We should read Patty's journey for wisdom.

I've now read several nonfiction works by adults who were adopted as children and later reunited with their birth parents. Patty's Journey is very good.

The book is well-written, though not Donna Scott Nordling's prose is not nearly as compelling or literary in quality as that of Betty Jean Lifton's Twice Born. Nor does this book offer the same insight into an adopted child's sense of being different, and lost.

Nevertheless, Nordling's is a very important story for the pain it exposes of children who were torn from their families by unfeeling courts making little or no attempt to keep the biological families together. She and her siblings were taken from their mother after her father stole some radios during the Depression to try and support them; for reasons unclear, her mother never fought to regain custody.

Unlike some adoptees, Nordling's adotpive family offered her a genuine love, despite making some typical mistakes. And in her case, sadly, that family closeness and the years of separation made it impossible for her to renew the warmth she had once had with her biological family.

For all adoptive families, birth families and adopted people, this is a very enlightening and important book.

My two year old loves this book. She also loves another Scott Beck Book entitled "A Mud Pie for Mother" which I bought used since it apparently is not in print.

My two boys have enjoyed this book greatly since we bought it three years ago. Pepitos calm bravery in facing his fear has been a sweet lesson that we return to over and over. The brightly colored pages and lyrical text make this a book that my kids and I never tire of.

In the tradition of Are You My Mother, one of those picaresque journeys of home and identity that young children adore. Scott Beck is a gifted artist and his books are treasures.

What a great book. The poor little bird is scared to fly, but not afraid to try numerous other things. An enchanting story, very nicely illustrated, and a good lesson. Sometimes we need other people to tell us that we are brave enough to try the things we are scared of. My 2 and 1/2 year old loves the story, and we enjoy reading it to her...over & over again.

In a beautifully illustrated book, Scott Beck has created an endearing character with a great big fear. Rather than worrying about it, Pepito works his way around his fear never realizing the true bravery that involves. All children will enjoy watching this little bird solve his problem.

The drawings are adorable, the text sweetly simple, and the story easy enough for even the youngest to understand. It is a quick, happy book- perfect for when a child crawls upon your lap and asks you to read him a story.

This collection includes selected poems from The Theology of Doubt (1985), The Translation of Babel (1990), Figures for the Ghost (1994) and Recovered Body (1998). The last, Recovered Body, is the only one of these that I have read. If the selection from it is representative, a significant portion of memorable poems has been excluded for this collection. The strongest poems in Recovered Body, "The Recovered Midrashim of Rabbi Sab" in included in part - this group of poems are insightful and unusual takes on scriptural stories.

From The Translation of Babel comes an excellent string of poems "The Translation of Raimundo Luz" which in a series of related poems ("My Infancy", "My Personal History", "My Language", "My Moral Dream", "My Imitation", "Our Lost Angels" ...) manages to explicate liberation theology in the best poetic, "post-modern" sense through the confounding of the life/personality of Raimundo Luz and Christ. From the same book comes a delightful homage to Calvino "Lost Cities: Calvino" and a wonderfully sassy "Lucifer's Epistle to the Fallen" with delightful lines: "Him! Showboat with the Heavy Thumbs! Pretender / at Creation! Maker of Possibilities!" combined with insightful images: "Imagine! The ignorance you're dressed in! / The way you wear it! ..."

In the new poems severals of the "Adventures in New Testament Greek" stand out as serious, playful analysis of key Biblical terms: Metanoia, Haireis, Nous, Mysterion ...

While the collection will appeal especially to those with an interest in religious poetry, this collection is solid poetry - worth consideration simply as excellent poetry.

W. B. Yeats once said: "Rhetoric is a quarrel with others; poetry is a quarrel with oneself." What's remarkable about these poems is the shapeliness of their arguments, their rhetorical constructions. In the new poems collected here, one can overhear Cairns' speaker quarreling with himself in the considered measures of accomodation and uneasy transcendence. These poems remind us that great poems are great arguments drawn forward by a literary troika of phanopoeia, logopoeia, and melopoeia--not simply the pyrotechnics of dazzling wordplay, as is often the case these days. Cairns has fallen in love with reality. As God--or the supposed person of God--says in his dialogues with the great mystic, St. Catherine of Siena: "If you have received my love sincerely without self-interest, you will drink your neighbor's love sincerely. It is just like a vessel that you fill at the fountain. If you take it out of the fountain to drink, the vessel is soon empty. But if you hold your vessel in the fountain while you drink, it will not get empty: indeed, it will always be full." An extraordinary charity suffuses and defines the character of this work throughout. Whether the speakers of these poems find their cups empty or full is not so much a question of fate but of the vessel's angle or attitude of repose. These poems possess a charm far beyond their ecclesiastical sway, and we are lucky to have them. If there were only one poet for whom I could be the evangelist, it would be Scott Cairns.

I just listened to this man do a reading in Marfa, Texas (of all places) and had to buy this book. You do not have to be a Christian to appreciate his work, anyone who seeks God in beauty and life is likely to find this deeply amusing and inspiring.

He has a way of making one laugh in one breath, and pause in wonder in the next.

If you have a chance to see him read, I would highly recommend it. If you don't, read his work. It has been a long time since I have purchased "modern" poetry - and this is well worth the expense.

The early poems are charming enough, but something absolutely uncanny happens as you chart the course from the second book (Translation of Babel) through the new poems section--an unusual (I'd say unique) poetic enterprise that opens up the possibility of the transcendent, but not a disembodied transcendent, rather a sense of the Holy made manifest in matter, matter that is lovingly attended.

I took a literature class with Scott Cairns, and (I have to be honest) he is absolutely enchanting. I've never heard a man read poetry quite like he can--drawing out meanings without imposing his "self" upon the words. I was so impressed by his teaching style that I began investigating his work, and I was enthralled all over again.

Philokalia is a exploration of the spiritual, but it's also incredibly grounded; Cairns never loses sight of the ~body~ (and yes, sometimes "it hurts to see"). I think that tomorrow's literature classes will be citing Cairns as one of the most profound poets of this time period.

Scott's work has been (and I most sincerely hope) will continue to be an inspiration for me.

really good poetry should be felt and not just read...
_places_ left me with an undeniably bittersweet heartache.
it is first and foremost the voice of someone else living out the human experience...
i only wish i had found it sooner.

Places is a really good book. "Queen" and "this is what we are" are brutal and intense, but make for an interesting contrast to the first poem in the book, a love poem called "You Are." This book is almost like two books in one -- it's definitely a worthwhile read.

I saw Scott read from the book at the Redondo Beach Library, and he puts on quite a show!

It's sort of strange -- the book is divided into two parts. The first part is almost tranquil, and the second is intense. Humor and tragedy. Good, quick read though.

I saw him read from the book at UCLA and he was intense, a good reader.

I haven't read this book, but Scott submitted one of his poems to my humble e-zine and I thought it was great that a Pulitzer nominated poet would still be so in touch with his roots -- which are the independent zines that don't make no money ;). I will definately have to buy his book later, since I am deeply influenced by the beat poets as well as Bukowski.

- jimmy.

Scott Holstad is a hard working young poet, whose first "real" book (read "perfect bound") has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Which is not to say that Holstad is a newcomer to the American poetry scene--between 1991 and 1994 he published seven chapbooks, as well as poems in hundreds of magazines all over the world, and gave numerous performances of his work.

Places reinforces the main line of Holstad's work, including many poems which announce his influences--the beat poets (especially Ferlinghetti) and the grand, dirty old man of no-nonsense poetics, Charles Bukowski. In fact, Holstad devotes two poems to the memory of Bukowski, "Buk" and "The World Ran Dry." In the latter, the wry, detached voice of the poet juxtaposes the futility of his own academic ambitions with the authenticity of his reaction to the news of his hero's death. After a night spent trying to erase the pain of this fact with alcoholic excess, the poet is left lying in bed, "thinking of futile / grant application / attempts and the / beautiful mexican girl / dancing with swaying / pendulous breasts while / wedding sized bells / frolic in [his] increasingly / shrinking dehydrated head."

Holstad's poems are predominately voice driven--and that voice is often filled with the anger of moral outrage. Poems such as "let's give ourselves a round," "this is what we are" and "just for kicks" express the poet's disgust with his fellow American's penchant for mindless violence and excess. But sometimes Holstad's poems are just plain angry. In the poem "smoking" the poet, having recently quit after ten years on the weed, expresses a desire to "file [his] teeth / on your forehead."

Places also announces some new directions for Holstad's work--some poems that reveal a quieter, more contemplative aspect of his voice. In "You Are," the poet compares his lover to "the steam / of the teapot" in the morning, "the hiss of / water kissing the / shower curtain, / . . . the soft curve / of fresh clothing / falling onto tired limbs." Similarly, the poem "In Defense" speaks of the poet's fears as a gift which he exchanges for "cotton candy at / the circus, John Cage / exhibits at the museum, / lying in each other's / arms under the light of / the full moon . . ."

But this is not to say that Holstad has gone soft--not by any stretch of the imagination. These poems provide relief from a vision of the world which might otherwise prove too bleak for most readers, the world of "Stripper," which culminates with "another / hot hand job in the old / man's perspiring Caddie." Ultimately, for Holstad, as for Bukowski, "The poem is the / crutch, the gun, the / good drink. Need I say more?

G.P. Lainsbury, Vox, University of Calgary

This is the book I wish I'd had many years ago, when I started reading Crowley. Excellently put together. I highly recommend this book! I couldn't put it down!

I can't believe I have to be the first reviewer of this book. This is, in my opinion, the best place to start if you want to know what Crowley was all about. It has a very wide sampling of his voluminuos writing, with academic commentary. Much of Crowley's work is difficult to understand because he assumes you are as educated as he is, and because he frequently makes jokes designed to misleed and outrage those with a puritanical leaning. Having someone who has obviously spent some time studying Crowley and his ideas as a guide is an excellent benefit. Even though this book is out of print it seems to be widely and cheaply available, so buy a copy already.

This book gives a good survey of, or introduction to, Crowley's work. I suggest that anyone interested in Crowley start here and then read The Beast's writings.

When I looked at this book in first edition printing back in 1989, I thought it was a terribly skimpy selection of Crowley's writings. I was also concerned that the heavy editorial content interwoven with the selections would skew a natural, spontaneous reading of Crowley's work. At that time I felt that reading Crowley in situ instead of in anthologies was a much better approach. Now I have come around to see "Portable Darkness" not so much as a selection of Crowley's work, but as an extended critical essay on Crowley with sufficient original source material (Crowley's own words) thrown in to make an informed judgment on whether you like Crowley, and on whether the editor/commentator is making good points. As such it is completely without precedent and invaluable. The author is an extremely intelligent man.

I should also add that the material on so-called western tantra is very complete in itself and includes some works simply not available elsewhere, unless you are a member of an occult group. For this reason alone, it is an invaluable addition to any occultist's library, particularly occultists with a respect for Crowley.

If you want to round out your Crowley library, I highly recommend "Book 4, Magick in Theory and Practice," in the very usefully annotated edition prepared by the OTO head Hymanaeus Beta; "Magick without Tears," less profound that Book 4, but easier to read; "Gems from the Equinox" which purportedly (but does not quite) includes all the magickal writings from Crowley's original opus "The Equinox;" and "Holy Books of Thelema" which includes all the "revealed" or transmitted, Class A writings.

Some of (maybe most of) Crowley's writings are as impenetrable as Blake, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats, which is to say, not impossible but certainly poetically grandiose and mind-numbing for anyone but a hardcore English lit major. Book 4 or Magick in Theory and Practice is an exception, the only true grimoire (grammar or rules of magick) produced in the 20th century (Bardon straddling the line between a grimoire and the ultimate self-improvement book for the aspiring occultist).

Finally, the summer beach book par excellence is Magick in Theory and Practice in the inexpensive, non-annotated Dover edition. While you won't be able read the Greek or Latin, unlike Beta's "Book 4" you will be able to carry it in a backpack without getting a hernia.

I too am surprised at the lack of reviews. This is one of the best collections and discussions of Crowley's work from an intellectual point of view that I've ever seen. I purchased my copy when it was first published and it remains one of my favorite books on the subject of "Uncle Al". I'd easily give it 6 stars out of 5!

I received my copy in the mail yesterday and I can't even tell you how impressed i was. The all black and white images of the people, animals and sights of the Yucatan show the character and beauty of the region in a completely different way than I was used to. Rather than relying on the intoxicating colors of the ocean and landscape, the lack of color almost forces you to see the hidden beauty of the Yucatan. The short descriptions under the pictures add yet another dimension to the subjects giving some backround info on what was happening when the images were taken. Truly amazing work.

So, thank you Scott for a wonderfull book...and I hope everyone takes a look at it as well.

I have been to the Yucatan over a dozen times, and I have a love of the area, and especially of the people.
Scott's black and white photography captures the feeling of the Yucatan.
The expressions on the faces of the children show such joy and happiness.
Scott's pictures are breathtaking.

This is the kind of book that you can literally read from cover to cover. The classy black and white photographs in this book tell a tremendous story about the people and the culture of the Yucatan Peninsula, with additional attention to the flora and fauna of this region. Also included is a great section on "Tauromachia", better known as bullfighting in the english speaking world. This book tells a story about everyday life in the Yucatan using black and white photographs for a reason - it allows us to see real life. One of the most haunting photos can be found at the end of the book, where a Matador clearly shows the adrenaline in his facial expression after a bullfight. Highly recommended!

In an age filled with glossy, airbrushed travel brochures it is refreshing to see a different view of the Yucatan as portrayed in Scott Bulger's beautiful work. Although by his own admission, Bulger's ability to speak Spanish is "quite poor", he has spoken of the peninsula through his black and white portraiture. From the smiling and perhaps shy faces of young children to the startling shots of nature and ruins, the true essence of Mayan heritage has been captured. So, toss aside those color-filled brochures and see the real reason to travel into the Yucatan! Eagerly waiting for Mr. Bulger's next effort!

I have bought and read many magazines and books. I have marveled at the glorious colors of the sky and the flowers and the costumes. I am mesmerised by the blue and the brown eyed children. I can't help but love those beautiful landscapes and beautiful sights that are God given.

DO WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK??????

Think about all of the glorious photographs that you have reminisced with your mother or grandmother. Did you look at the flowers or the people in the photos? No because (if you are 40 or so years old) the photos were in black and white. The photos were taken to show the people and the real feelings of the people. Isn't it nice to see the real thing for a change instead of the COLORED up version.

I found Scott's book to open up my taste buds to what they were many years ago and not what they have become. It was a refreshing breathe to what I guess I would like to return to instead of what I have become. I am conditioned to look for the glitter instead of the actuality. I really think that is the time for people to stop and take a quick glance back. I don't think that they will find it all that distasteful.

I enjoyed Scott's book and all of the retrospect that it has given me. I have seen some of his other photos and they make me feel sooooo good

Give yourself a relaxful break and just take a look for youself.

Great item. Scott Kurtz is hilarious. I had the pleasure of meeting him. He is a great guy.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: PvP is a wonderful comic strip! If you're an 80's child, gaming nerd, or even just a fan of well produced and genuinely funny comics...you should find a lot to like here. This is another wonderful collection of great strips. If you're followed the comic online, you may run into some storylines that you've gone through before. Personally, I think I've enjoyed reading through them again in the collected format more than I did getting the daily "zing!" comics (not to say that I don't still read it online...).

When i first meet PVP webcomic i fell in love with all the staff, i could easily identify myself with every one of them in diferent levels, then i became a complete fanboy of Kurtz's work.

This PVP Volume is as good as the first volume was, and a easy way to own the comics that i in my country would never find in a local store.

Scott Kurtz is a very funny and very talented individual. His mirth and ability to point out oddities in gaming culture is perfect! I, of course, am an avid reader of his online comic and am usually quick to purchase these compilations. Even if you are not into gaming, you'll learn to love the characters of PvP.

Scott Kurtz creats PVP daily online, and monthly for Image comics. But, if you can't get to either or those, or even if you can, you should grab ths compilation.
As a follow up to "PVP at Large", this book collects PVP issues 7-12 from the Image Comics run. In side, you find storylines dealing with: Francis thinking he is in the future, Jade leaving the group and returning, Star Wars-Galaxies, John Edwards, Cole's love of Swedish 70's Pop bands, and even more.
Scott's obvious love of pop culture helps elevate the comic to another level, and make it worth a read even by people who don't play games, read comics, or know Wolverine's real name. Because you don't have to.