Stevens Books

Simply an excellent book with lots of information in a small package. Great coverage of the biobases of different psychopathology. Great overview of neuroscience for psychologists or other mental health workers.

"A truly valuable contribution to the neuroscience and mental health research literature. It is a formidable task to cogently explain underlying mechanisms of brain function and the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders; however Dr. Pliszka's book delivers in being both replete with citations while being written in a very engaging style. His articulate explanation of the role of catecholamines in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is just one of many noteworthy examples. This book should be a required psychopathology text for all mental health clinicians-in-training."--David R. DeLorenzo, PhD, Private Practice

I cannot recommend this text highly enough. It was easy to see that
the author had put a lot of work into this project. His writing was excellent and this
was good, because the subject matter demanded focus, attention, concentration and rereading.
This is a good place to begin, and return to again, when the one wants to get a foothold in the neurobiology of the mind.

"Because both Nietzsche and Nazism are central to the twentieth-century experience and because both retain their symbolic explosiveness, the disputed nature of their relationship has become a defining part of the cultural and ideological landscape, one index to our perceptions of the modern world" (232). This brilliant quote provides in a nutshell the basic existential weight of Steven E. Aschheim's fascinating historiographical work concerning the many mis/uses of the work of Friedrich Nietzsche in Germany between 1890 and 1990. It has become customary - and for good reason, too - to see in Friedrich Nietzsche, the self-proclaimed "anti-Christ" of the late 19th century, a type of proto-Nazism, particularly in its glorification of aesthetics at the expense of any metaphysical notions of human dignity. Although this may - and perhaps even should - be the way that Nietzsche is thought of, Aschheim shows that it is by no means necessary that this should be the case. The book very much could have been titled "The Nietzsche Legacies in Germany 1890 - 1990".

St. Paul exhorted the early Christians to be "all things to all people". In what Nietzsche himself would likely consider a delightful twisting of Paul's words, we can truly write that Nietzsche was, after the time of his insanity (and even more so after his death), "all things to all Ubermenschen (overmen)". Briefly, Nietzsche proclaimed "the Overman" who would lead humanity to a more Dionysian (as opposed to more Christian) "humanity". He knew that some would consider him this great human-overcoming-of-humanity, but in his greatest (or at least most literate) work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche denied it, painting himself as a type of proto-prophet, prophesying about the prophet who would truly point the way to the Ubermensch/Overman. This concept of the Overman - of being the Overman - seems to have caught on in Germany quite quickly.

Perhaps as with all religions - and it does indeed seem that there really was a type of Nietzschean religion (even temples dedicated to him were designed, but not built - there were as many interpretations of Nietzsche after his death as there were followers of Nietzsche. It seems that early on, he was the most popular among the avant-garde in Germany, but by first World War, he had become a household name. During the Great War, an Englishman even dubbed it the "Euro-Nietzschean War"; it appears that by this time Nietzsche was known internationally and his influence on the Germans just as much.

There is a type of subplot to this book, however, and that is the quest of certain Germans in the 20th century to subsume Nietzsche to a type of ahistoric German-ness: there were some, for instance, who would drawn a straight line from Martin Luther's longing for freedom to Friedrich Nietzsche's ultimate rejection of Christianity. The idea of a German religion and a German mysticism (which actually is at least as old Martin Luther, who polemically titled - against the Italians/Roman Catholics - a popular, anonymous, high medieval-era mystical work "The *German* Theology" - and it has been called this ever since). Thus, the book is true to its full title: this is the story of the competing legacies of Friedrich Nietzsche *in Germany*.

The Nazis do come in for treatment in the final quarter of the book; Aschheim notes the various ways in which they used a number of Nietzsche's themes while also, at the same time, found it necessary to explain away various statements in Nietzsche's writings that ran counter to their thought - especially his remarks about the stupidity of anti-Semitism. Within this hermeneutical conundrum emerged the Nazification of Nietzsche and their horrific usage of him against the Jews: by hating Christianity and seeing it as the product of Judaism, the Nazis claimed that they really were fulfilling Nietzsche's dreams of a world without the Church by first annihilating the Jews. Such logic - which only feels like a small stretch - causes one to wonder whether or not a text is not just the totality of its variations, but the totality of its readings as well. Can Nietzsche be blamed - at least in part - for the Holocaust?

But the book ends in cryptically Nietzschean mode, the man with his doppleganger, the light with its shadows: the question is unanswered. If any sense is to be made of it - a subtle sense, no doubt, nuanced and refined through repeated examinations - this is a fine place to start. The various types of Nietzscheanism discussed throughout the book are likely to leave many readers perplexed, for they could be as bewildering as they were socially and politically charged. But, speaking and writing are never neutral - and Nietzsche never intended to be, either.

I would like to maintain an absolute neutrality concerning the book, THE NIETZSCHE LEGACY IN GERMANY 1890-1990 by Steven E. Aschheim, Associate Professor of History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1992, when this book was published. I would only wish to comment on a tiny point which concerns me greatly. The book provides a scholarly look at the manifold positions taken by those who have read Nietzsche and have expressed opinions regarding German nationalism, particularly regarding Zarathustra in the trenches in World War I, the Third Reich, National Socialism, and Nazism. Notes are at the bottom of each page, but many names and a few topics can be located in the book by using the index on pages 331-337. The index has three minor entries for music. In this season, I am concerned about music as a form of artistic expression which allows someone to communicate a message that surpasses logical forms. Overall, Nietzsche might be associated with a form of transcendental irony that throws in comments about music whenever philosophy seems to be missing the boat on which he would like to embark. A quick look in the index of THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY establishes that Nietzsche wrote about German music and German songs in sections 19, 23, and 24 in the first edition of 1872, and even more aptly in sections 6 and 7 of the "Attempt at a Self-Criticism" added at the beginning of that book (BT) in 1886.

"But let the liar and the hypocrite beware of German music: for amid all our culture it is really the only genuine, pure, and purifying fire-spirit from which and toward which, as in the teaching of the great Heraclitus of Ephesus, all things move in a double orbit: all that we now call culture, education, civilization, must some day appear before the unerring judge, Dionysus." (BT, section 19, Tr. by Walter Kaufmann, p. 120).

Nietzsche thought the key to culture was in its highest form, "if only it can learn constantly from one people--the Greeks, from whom to be able to learn at all is itself a high honor and a rare distinction." (BT, p. 121).

In 1918, Ernst Bertram's NIETZSCHE: AN ATTEMPT AT A MYTHOLOGY appeared in Germany. In it, Nietzsche's analysis of German spirit as a link to the primitive spiritual power which Nietzsche expected music to express, seriously opposes a pallid form of civilization:

"The identity of music and Germanism which the young Nietzsche sensed everywhere enabled him to perceive this Germanism as the most serious and eternal opponent of everything that was mere civilization. ... (The idea of the polarization between civilization and culture is as typically Nietzschean as it is typically German.)" (Aschheim, p. 150).

As an American, I am more likely to associate rock 'n' roll with an ability to assert ultimate values, but the need for an intellectual analysis of the difference between rock's potential and the dominance of commercial forms acceptable within modern society seems to be the same as Nietzsche's preference for Dionysian ideals "at a time when the German spirit, which not long before had still had the will to dominate Europe and the strength to lead Europe, was just making its testament and abdicating forever, making its transition, under the pompous pretense of founding a Reich, to a leveling mediocrity, democracy, and `modern ideas'!" (BT, SC section 6, p. 25).

My inability to derive any larger message from THE NIETZSCHE LEGACY IN GERMANY 1890-1990 is probably due to the intellectual seriousness of this book, in which countless thinkers find themselves in a political situation which suffers from great shifts almost yearly, if Thomas Mann, DIARIES 1918-1939, as quoted on page 149 of this book, is a good indication. I would prefer to picture the German people being led more dimly, subject to a vast fraud, constantly trying to do the impossible, orchestrated from on high by someone more powerful than Richard Wagner. But in my book, instead of being serious politics, it would be a joke, like reading `The Onion' or watching news on the Comedy Channel.

Like the battle for the body of Patroclus, conflicting interpretations of Nietzsche are strewn across the twentieth century, leaving few proofs of a triumph of the will. Between the irrationalism indicted by Lukacs and the vigorous liberal depicted by Kaufmann, we are still in search of Nietzsche. The work of Kaufmann,especially, was a critical first step to any reevaluation of this legacy. Yet its perspective fails to completely account for the record and the shadow behind the man, now too often exempted of the implications of his own savage eloquence. This work is a corrective and traces the whole history of the question from the 1890's onward, and resummons the grim stages of Nietzsche's appropriation by preposterous figures of all hues. From the not-so-discrete Nietzscheanism of the avant-garde to the Zarathustra in the trenches of World War I to the phantom of the opera during the Third Reich the horrific travesties seem too recurrent to release their author from all complicity, even as they leave the deeper Nietzsche intact. It is difficult not to swing between extremes of interpretation here, and the book carefully constructs the middle ground, as we pass on and say goodbye to all that.
The book details that several hundred thousand copies of Zarathustra were printed for distribution to the soldiers in the trenches during Great War. One can begin to deduce the rest from that.

Absolutely wonderful book! Perfect for children! I am currently in the field of early childhood education and my children loved it! You can use this as a sing-along story. Wonderfully age appropriate for preschoolers. GREAT book!

This book is similar to "I'm a Little Teapot" in that the story follows a runaway dog through zany adventures through sightseeing in New York City, mountain climbing (my daughter laughs hard on this one), surfing the ocean, exploring the desert, being in a rodeo (love the cowboy boots on each of his four feet--lol!), and examining a cave.

The reader sings the story (twelve stanzas) using the familiar tune of the book's title. My daughter loves this and all Iza Trapani books for the colorful, funny illustrations as well hearing the songs. Singing books are entertaining and educational, teaching your child valuable listening skills and understanding pitch. My daughter sings right on key and has a good sense of rhythm and I believe Iza's books have greatly helped her achieve this. Thanks, Iza! How about a kitty book? Takeaway value: There's no place like home.
Soar!

Bought this book when my first born was about 1 1/2 years old. Until then she would not sit and listen to stories. She (and I) fell in love with "Oh Where Oh Where...". She is now five and still will pull it off the bookshelf often. Now her two younger siblings are joining the fun of singing the story. We have a whole collection of Iza Trapani books but this is still our favorite.

The sergeant is a battle-hardened old combat veteran who leads a platoon of Soldiers through the sacrifices and trials of war in Iraq. Tough as iron, the Sarge teaches them (and us, the readers) about courage, duty, honor, leadership, and what it means to be a Soldier. The sergeant's name is never mentioned in the book, and this is perhaps fitting. He represents any non-commissioned officer who thinks of his troops and his country before himself.

The stories in this book are all short. Many of them are just a page or two long. But every story makes a powerful point, and -- somehow -- every one of them manages to thoroughly engage the reader. Don't miss this one. The Old Sergeant is an excellent read.

- Jeff Edwards, award-winning author of Torpedo

These stories remind me of sitting in Grandpa's living room listening to tales of WWII.

Join "The Old Sergeant" as he trains his men, goes on missions with them and in his own way gives a bit of himself to each of them.

While there's no doubt the brutal reality of what our Soldiers are facing on a daily basis, author, Steven J. Newton, takes you along for the ride in such a way that you come away from each story feeling like you know a bit more about the man behind the Sergeant and the challenges our Soldiers face day in and day out.

I can't think of a more realistic way to portray just a sampling of what life looks like for our servicemen and women. You'll laugh and cry with the men. You'll become infuriated right along-side them and you'll feel the depth or their love and compassion as well.

This is a book you can take anywhere, read a little or a lot and always come away sated.

This would make an AWESOME gift for everyone who wears the uniform, supports the troops, or simply enjoys the military story telling. You can't go wrong with a word from "Old Sarge."

Author Steven Newton gives us a book of short stories that all hang together for one much bigger story as seen and told through the eyes and emotions of "The Old Sergeant." His brilliant writing style is a cross between Ernie Pyle and O'Henry and is a wonderfully insightful (and at times touching) look at war and people. It is thought provoking and will give readers something to chew on long after they finished the stories.

Newton does not take the easy and expected twists and turns in his stories. He allows us to see a more human and emotional side of him as expressed through his lead character the Old Sergeant. This is a totally different kind of book of war short stories that makes for an easy read. The author obliviously has writing talent. These stories capture all that energy in a finely written 187 page book that is an entertaining read.

This is certainly one of the best collections of military related short stories published in the past five years. Put this book on your buy list! It will make a great gift book for all veterans.

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN AN INSPARATION TO ME, IT IS LOADED WITH WONDERFUL PHOTOS, INFORMATIVE TEXT AND DETAIL AFTER DETAIL ON THE LOVE AND LIFE OF TUGBOATS.

A truly wonderful book on most apects of tugboats. It is a must have for anyone who loves tugs.

In one of my past incarnations,I was a deckhand on one of the tugs mentioned in your book,the Baleen.I not only was a crewmen on the Baleen,I was on her when she went down.Having spent a good portion of my life on tugs,I found this book to be an inciteful look into the world of tugs and towing.A must for all lovers of the sea and tugboats in particular. Thomas Blom

The Mage Storytellers' Handbook may seem like another one of those optional books that are not necessary for people who have ran many games already. Though this book really isn't necessary for you to run a good game, it does contain a lot of helpful info and tips on how to enhance a Mage game. The section on Avatars and seekings should help clear up a lot of confusing concepts. The section on actually running a game and how to handle problems that may arise was not a waste of space but a section that I'm glad was included because I found their suggestions really helpful. The section on alternative settings sparked a lot of ideas as I was going through it. The section on cross-over games with other World of Darkness denizens should help GMs who want to incorporate them into Mage cabals/amalgams. Overall this was one of the best books released in the Mage Revised series.

This book is fundamental in running a Mage chronicle. It gives plenty of background and setting information for those interested in that sort of thing. As any storytelling book, it gives tips and tried-and-true methods for storytelling. Additionally, there is a chapter dedicated to the explanation of philosophy, which is important because of Mage's philosophical nature. Also, the book further explains various systems like Paradox and Resonance and gives different options to change them to your liking. Moreover, the book gives an explanation of Seekings according to Essence types. All in all, the book is essential in fine-tuning and running any Mage chronicle.

This is probably the most invaluable resource for any mage player or storyteller. It provides alternate rules for both magic and paradox and how to apply mage to alternate historical/fantasy settings. In terms of usability, it is indispensible and probably much better than the Guide to the Traditions.

Mary Buckles develops a great relationship with life on the Sound and shares it so gracefully with the reader. There are so few books available about the Sound, and hers is one of the best.

I met Mary Parker Buckles 20 years ago and immediately fell for her. Articulate, witty and graced with the style of a native Southerner, she enthralled me. After reading her book on Long Island Sound, I just fell for her again. It's an articulate, witty and graceful look at all that grows along and in the sound.

This is a beautiful and enchanting book. Mary Parker Buckles initiates the reader into the teeming vitality, ceaseless creativity, and mesmerizing wonder that is Long Island Sound. The familiar, but oh so strange world of owls and ospreys, barnacles and crabs, bivalves and boats, are engagingly explored by Mary -- a true natural scientist, but with a poet's eye. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is superbly well written, and in her elegant, imaginative, playful, even rapturous style Mary helps the reader to discover the magic that lies hidden in plain sight throughout this natural habitat. Mary seems to pour her soul into the Sound, and what emerges is a lyrical voice that speaks of wonders too fair for words.

Coming out of the closet is one of those things that makes one feel out in the open and sticking out like a sore thumb. You contemplate that you might be gay or bi, then finally realize that you are and come out of the closet. Right away, especially if you're anything like me, that's exactly what goes on. Surely, right off the bat, one will feel that they can't talk on the same level let alone relate to anyone. Out of curiosity, I bought this book, and read a bunch of the stories. Although not all of them are just about coming out of the closet, I could relate to a lot of the stories, and probably anyone that has ever come out and goes or has gone to college can relate to at least one of them. All in all, however, in order to get the most out of college, and an open minded perspective, I strongly recommend this collection to anyone just graduating high school and bound for college. Or, don't, and end up with everyone hating you, for you haven't outgrown the high school labeling mentality of calling every gay man a faggot.

The voices of the students come through eloquently in this engaging and fascinating book. The diversity of the GLBT experience on campus is evident. The book helps provide insight into the various experiences of GLBT students and helps readers see the experience as not at all monolithic. I recommend this excellent book.

As a straight college-age female, I was worried that I might not be able to identify and relate to the experiences of the writers. As I read, however, the authors made me realize that their stories are simply an account of their struggle to do what they feel is right--a process to which anyone can relate. I especially enjoyed the piece by the student from the University of Texas, Andrew Gray. His courage and determination are truly remarkable. Yay Andrew!

Is the United States policy on the Native American Indians far more based in religion than we believe? "Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery" is a look at the government's relations with the native people of this country and how the treatment of the natives, non-Christian indigenously, may be part of a sub-conscious Christian doctrine that the country has been following for centuries. Intriguing information from first page to last, "Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery" is deftly written and highly recommended to community library Native American studies collections.

Newcomb delivers an analysis on U.S. federal Indian law that traces its racist history to Christian discovery and dominion. The entirety of the book is devoted to elucidating the idealized cognitive models (ICMs) present in U.S. Indian policy that originated in the expansion of Christendom and the entitlement of Europeans as chosen people and conquers on native lands.
The final chapter is definitely worth waiting for as Newcomb summarizes and projects into the present-day his well-researched and professional perspective on how and why American Indians have always faced such extremely racist treatment from the United States. For example, he writes

"Because other books have dealt quite capably with U. S. statues and legal decisions dealing with Indians, the aim of this work has been to use some of the findings of cognitive theory to account for the mentality of empire and domination that has resulted in the assumption that originally free and independent Indian nations and peoples are now subject to the plenary power and dominion of U. S. government. The same mentality has also resulted in Indian people losing before the Supreme Court more than 80 percent of the time, more often than convicted criminals seeking reversals of their convictions."

He goes on to relate the well-developed, Christian-based, American psychology of dominion over indigenous people in the United States to the post-9/11 American Empire. Pagans in the Promised Land is an essential perspective for Americans of European-decent to grasp as even citizens of an atheist background will realize the depth to which our cultural attitudes and prejudices (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) are rooted in the Christian doctrines of domination, entitlement, evangelism, and superiority.

Every educator or world peace advocate must read this book. Passionate and compelling arguments inspire readers to be more informed about overlooked and archaic policies in the U.S. Government. This contemporary work examines and explores doctrines that began with Indian Nations and are still being implemented in other areas of the modern world. Pagans in the Promised Land written by a Native American Scholar, Steven Newcomb, delivers some stimulating arguments based on over 20 years of research. This book is a must read for all universities prompting engaging classroom discussions.

Every recipe is excellent. Beautifully written for every level of experience from neophyte to professional chef, there is no doubt that this cookbook will be among your personal favorites.

This is one of my favorite cook books. I bought her book after a trip to Italy and found that I was able to capture the essence of Trattoria cooking. I particularly like her Osso Bucco (Braised veal shanks) recipe and her recipe for crusty Italian bread.

this is it! This was recommended to me by a friend, and I have yet to be disappointed. The beauty to this book is in the fresh ingredients and the simplicity of the dishes. I have several favorites-the Pasta Putanesca, and the Rigatoni with Celery Meat Sauce. It's a great addition to your cooking library.