Walsh Books

Fun to read -- great historical references -- recipes are just like I get at my local Santa Fe Cafe! Just what I was looking for! Highest recommendations for this delightful cookbook! A++++

I enjoyed browsing through this book but haven't been compelled to maje much. I think I'm nore Classic than Nuevo, in many senses.

It's a nice book, full of color photos, and easy to follow delicious recipes.

'Nuff said.

Being from San Antonio - I was a little sceptical when I checked this out from the library. I don't know about 'Nuevo' as a trend, but the book is a delight and I hadn't had it home for more than an hour or so before I was on Amazon ordering a copy. It is fun to read and fun to cook from and the whole layout of the book is a delight with fine color photographs.

This is probably an excellent book for someone with intermediate digital imaging skills, but if you've just purchased Photoshop Elements 2, and are a complete beginner, I wouldn't recommend it. OK, I'm fairly computer literate and am knowledgable about more than a few not so user-friendly applications. Even though I'm going into this with almost zero knowledge about Photoshop Elements, I'm thinking it shouldn't be so difficult to grasp, especially since I'm a fast learner - and your website reviews gave me the impression that this is a good book for beginners. I guess I underestimated the learning curve with this particular program. At the outset, I'm told to use a certain tool, but am not told where to get the tool. I'm told to blur a layer, but not how to do it or where to locate the blur tool. I constantly had to refer to the help file to supplement the instructions in the tutorials. Most confusing of all is the order in which instructions are given. I'm told to create a layer, then perform some function. Then, with the same photo, I'm told to "duplicate your photo layer" to use the Dust/Scratches filter. Next I'm instructed to duplicate the photo layer twice. Which layer? Am I supposed to revert and start over with the same photo? I couldn't tell where I was supposed to be working as I went to each new step, what I was supposed to be seeing depending on which layer I was viewing, or how I was expected to combine the results of all steps involved. So now, I'm searching the website for another book that will hopefully be a little more clear and make me feel a little less dense.

I found this book useful because it didn't just go over features like the manual--it choose effects I actually wanted to learn, and it showed me how to do them in a simple, step-by-step way.

The authors all have a conversational style that's like having a friend explain it to you, and the included CD-ROM gives you all the files you need to follow along.

The book is full color, easy to follow, and helped me get a LOT more out of Elements than I suspected was there!

This is a terrific book for someone new to PhotoShop Elements, like me. It contains very clear, concise, easy to follow instructions for a variety of projects from producing images for the internet, to restoring old photographs, to making impressive text effects, and much more.

Each project has step-by-step instructions for doing the project, with illustrations for each step of the way. The writing style is informal and friendly. It is almost like having someone there by your side to show you the way.

I especially like that the CD that comes with the book has the same images they use in the book, so a beginner (like me) can practice using the same images. I like that I can see if I'm doing it right by comparing my results with the book's illustrations.

This is one of the best written and easiest to follow software instruction books I have used. I learned that this book is no longer in print and that the publisher currently has no plans to reprint it. That is too bad; I think this is an extremely valuable book for newcomers to PhotoShop Elements.

Many of those nice things you've seen on websites / magazine adds, with this book, you'll now be able to accomplish easily.

The authors give clear examples, in a language beginners will be able to understand. Examples are in full colors, well organized and detailed in a step by step way to help you not even do it yourself but understand them. You'll be able to integrate part of them in other projects very easily.

This is an excellent book. It contains many tips and methods not included in the product manual. It has simplified many of the things that I was doing the "hard way". I liked the whole book, but I especially liked the chapter on Photo Restoration. The book is well worth the money.

I was pleasently surprised with this book. Nice gallery for ideas and motivation. I do recommend it.

so, there are a bunch of 5-star reviews for this book and one 2-star. and all the reviews are right. the 2-star reviewer notes that this is largely personal faith stories, not how-tos: and she's totally right. if you are looking for step-by-step instructions, this is not your book.

what this book does is basically show very clear photos of faith pages created by a number of women contributors (their bios are at the back of the book). you see the photo, and the women describe the page and the story behind it in the adjoining text. the photos can give you inspiration to make your own, and the content allows you to think about new ideas for pages or studies you might want to make in your own faithbook-- so that's valuable. it's also just sort of inspirational to read a bit about these women's stories.

but, no, it's not a how-to. but it's really good for what it is.

Full of beautiful colorful pictures that will truly inspire you to explore your faith. This book gave me great ideas on how to scrapbook my spiritual walk with God. I would certainly recomend to any scrapbooker and to anyone of Faith. One of the best I have purchased/read.

I have never gotten into scrapbooking despite having many friends who love it. It always seemed like a nice hobby, but not something that I wanted to invest my time in... until reading through this book. I am a creative person and enjoy art with a purpose. This book is full of wonderful ideas and creative layouts. It's not a step-by-step book, but I don't need someone to guide me through the process of putting it together. I need examples to spark my imagination and give me ideas. I won't be duplicating any of the pages, but I'm now bursting with my own ideas and can't wait to get started at sharing the hard times that God has brought me through, the lessons He's taught me, and the wonderful things that He has done in my life and the lives of those who are dear to me. Thank you, Courtney, for a wonderful book! From a sister in Christ, Faith Kemper

I ordered this book before I had an opportunity to browse through it and I was disappointed. It's more of a look into the author's personal faith journey than a book on instruction. I found her journalling inspiring but it didn't help me in my scrapbooking because there are no step by step instructions. The book is mostly digital layout, which is disappointing for me because I'm not into digital - had I known that before I purchased the book, I wouldn't have ordered it.

Even if you don't like to cook, this is a fun book full of Texas cowboy tales and good eats! Just leafing through the many photos and stories is a delicacy.

This cookbook is such fun. I had checked out a copy at the local library and liked it so much I purchased it. The history and cowboy myths were enlightining. I shared it with a neighbor who also purchased it. I made sourdough bread after reading this book and our family is planning a "chuckwagon cookout". Fun to read.

This book has good interesting information about the old west and the recipes are good too.

This is the third cookbook by Robb Walsh and he's on a roll. Loved this book. The recipes are really good and the mix of history makes this a fun book to have.

Whilst the title is technically correct and there are a number of notable recipes, observations and ideas in the early chapters, as the book develops it is possible to form the idea the author began to stuggle a tad for relevant information. Included as possible padding are ' wanna be cowboys ' and actors key to the Texas cowboy myth of popular culture. The ' Duke 'gets a mention with no food hook, whilst missing is the Elvis fried sandwitch! Personally I had anticipated more about food, less about people who had no impact upon cooking of any style. But as stated, the title is technically correct and the subject matter reach defensible.
In fairness the author does point out that the generally accepted period of the true ' cowboy era ' was actually relatively short. Detailed observations as to how cattle / livestock herding practices evolved from earlier traditions of land use as practiced by the various peoples of all hues and evolved with the various population moves into the west by both relocation from within the Americas and immigration from overseas do shed a light into the ' Old West ' possibly not generally appreciated. Those influences upon the regional food is interesting and detailed.

Most of this book is funny and dead-on accurate, however the appendixes on movies, music, and especially books were complete drivel. The excerpts from prep school brochures were a nice touch if somewhat random. "Tipsy" is a good intro to drinking even if you're no fan of preppiness. Also, it makes a great companion to Lisa Birnbach's peerless "Official Preppy Handbook", which touched on alcohol but didn't go into the detail of "Tipsy".

This is great for any true prep, especially at the beach. I took this along to Hilton Head with my fellow preps and it made us long for the 80s, thirsty, and eventually very intoxicated! This makes a good companion to the Official Preppy Handbook.

I love this book. Makes me all nostaglic for the 80s!

To really appreciate a book about preppy drinking in the 80s, you had to have been a preppy drinker in the 80s! Reading TIM brought me right back to the days of drinking Tab & rum while pulling all-nighters in prep school and college...This is a PERFECT gift for a fellow preppy friend =D.

The book is a good book in the sense of what the subject is: drinks for the preps. There was mention of what to "wear" and such, but it didn't get into that, look for other sources like the Preppy Handbook for that. Otherwise, a really good book, fun to read, recipes, and a great sense of humor! You can tell that the authors had fun writing this book.

Prepping for research paper and found this to be as engaging a read as it was informative...

Andreas Capellanus, chaplain at the court of Countess Marie de Champagne, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wrote this treatise on courtly love in the 12th century--ostensibly to educate a friend--and thus set a new standard for lovers. Capellanus' work may have been intended as a satirical reworking of Ovid's Ars Amatoria, or it might have been influenced by the Arabic views of love in The Dove's Neck-Ring by Ibn Hazm a Mozarabic writer of the 11th century. Whatever his intent, his work, The Art of Courtly Love, influenced the aristocracy's ideas of social relationships, and the portrayal of male-female roles in romantic literature, well into the Renaissance. In a series of conversational examples between men and women of various classes together with a list of rules of love, Capellanus draws distinctions between the relationship of marriage and the relations between true lovers. Within the context of courtly love the true lover is required to pay homage to and do the bidding of his ladylove above all else. True love according to Capellanus does not exist between husband and wife, but is a state sought by all outside of the marriage bed. He states, attributing the sentiment to "M., Countess of Champagne", that "Love cannot acknowledge any rights of his between husband and wife". This attitude is understandable in a society where marriages were contracted for position and fortune.

In one of the sets of rules for lovers set forth by Capellanus he states that "No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons". This would justify romantic relationships of which women were otherwise deprived. Before modern times, love was rarely a factor in choosing a spouse, and yet it is perhaps the strongest force that drives mankind. Capellanus both acknowledges and rationalizes the power love holds over men and women alike. The path to true love is never easy, and the rules of courtly love would have it that where there is love there, too, is suffering. It is by his great distress that the beloved can see how greatly the lover loves. Although love that suffers chastely and from afar is held in esteem, Capellanus also says that kisses and embraces are "indications that love is to follow" and should not be overdone if the lover is not sincere. This seems to acknowledge the human need for sexual action to follow seduction. Appropriate action with gifts and flattery is described by Capellanus in his dialogs for seducing the beloved. Care must be taken in the choice of gifts, since by the rules of courtly love exchange of valuable objects debases the relationship and lovers may only accept those "little gifts" "useful for the care of the person" or "pleasing to look at" as long as there is no "avarice" involved. This rule led to the carrying by knights of tokens or "favors"--gifts of their ladies--in tournaments throughout the Middle Ages. Seduction has four steps according to Capellanus: first should come the offer of service (or if by a lady the giving of hope to the suitor), followed by the granting of kisses and the embrace--in which a couple may even lie down together nude, having no actual sexual congress, with no blame attached. If the final fourth step is taken, yielding to sexual relations, the lover is committed and can not withdraw from the relationship with honor for any less reason than a seriously dishonorable action on the part of his or her partner. These elements of courtly love appear again and again in literature of the Middle Ages from Chaucer's "Knight's Tale" to Malory's Morte D'Arthur.

Perhaps the most interesting influence in Capellanus' life is that of Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England and wife to King Henry II. Eleanor was already instrumental in the production of early courtly romances, especially the Arthurian tales. Wace dedicated his "Brut" to her, Thomas of Britian wrote his "Tristram" at her instigation and Chretien de Troyes wrote his Lancelot romances from material given him by her daughter Marie. Eleanor's life reads much like one of these romances. Duchess of Aquitaine, she married Louis, the king of France, at a young age, and produced two daughters Marie and Alix. She met Henry II, six years her junior, before he became king of England and then divorced Louis, on a consanguinarity technicality, to marry him. The rumor was that she and Henry, like Lancelot and Guinevere, met secretly while she was still legally married to Louis. When Henry later tired of her she again took up regency of the Aquitaine for her son Richard, and with her daughter Marie held liberal and literary courts where troubadours sang and courtiers waited upon ladies. Together Eleanor and Marie set a standard of chivalrous manners that changed the behavior of all knighthood. As a pastime these highborn ladies held "courts of love" wherein they tested the behavior of lovers, by the standards set in Capellanus' treatise, vindicating those they found to be "true lovers" and pronouncing penances for those found lacking. If not for the influence of the strong minded Marie de Champagne and the formidable Eleanor--women who wanted more of love than the usual marriage of convenience--Capellanus might have been relegated to the obscurity of the Church's proscribed text list, and our standards of romance might be very different today.

I bought this as research material for codes of conduct. The feel of the book shows the writers background in the clergy, the book focuses more on the traditional courting behavior than on love itself. Its wonderful as a complex example of a code of conduct, but sheds little light in the direction of true relationships. Very interesting as a period piece, its seems to be more reflective of the romantic visions of the middle ages than the reality.

This is a must read if you are at all interested in medieval life. Aside from being the premiere treatise on "courtly love," there are interesting historical issues raised by this book.

For example, in the section "What persons are fit for love," Capellanus says that "Age is a bar, because after the sixtieth year in a man and the fiftieth in a woman...passion cannot develop into love..." The conventional wisdom holds that most people did not live much past 40 in those days. Evidently Capellanus ran across a few people in their 50s and 60s, in addition to his encounters with nuns. (You will have to read the book to find out more)

A series of dialogues between men and women of various social ranks concerning why love should be accepted or rejected, written during the Middle Ages. There are other bits, such as Courts of Love and long letters written to this or that person, but that's mostly it.

I found it an interesting read. You hear a lot about "courtly love", but nobody really talks about the underpinnings of the tradition. Since the writer was a monk, one truly wonders just what in the world he knows about love, but upon reading the dialogues, one becomes convinced that this isn't about love. It's about social behavior within a certain context, within a very narrow time frame within a very narrow part of Europe, one indulged in by a very narrow group of people. And yet when we think of the Middle Ages, we think of courtly love. There's a reason for that, and reading this book will help the introspective reader see why.

The 5 stars were for how it stands as a primary source documenting the period. It is excellent in that regard. It does drag sometimes, and many of the dialogues are, indeed, repetitive-sounding. But that's how medieval documents WERE. They wanted to be sure the point got across, I think. I'm also half-convinced that the writer wasn't being entirely serious in some places. Again, he was a monk, and it's possible it was just an exercise in logic, as the forward to this book explains in good detail.

I'm not sure I'd want to read this if I were just a casual reader. It won't give many hints about how to romance someone in OUR time period -- nowadays we like passion, not logic, to be the impetus for beginning a love affair. But it will give the history student something to chew on and I think it's an essential piece of understanding one of the weirder aspects of the Middle Ages.

This novel is very short, requiring less than 4 to 6 hours to finish, depending on your reading speed. It is a satire that attempts to explore a specific aspect of human existence - why is it that human beings suffer? This may sound simple but the answer to such a question also then evokes questions around the existence of God and whether meaning is created by mankind or given by the Creator.

The characters a two dimensional and cartoons, as they should be in a satire meant to explore concepts rather than to be a novel with fully developed characters for purposes of character analysis. Candide is the eternal optimist in love. Professor Pangloss is the eternal abstractionist, unable to see reality unless it is framed within some conceptual system. Much is made of associating Pangloss with Leibnitz. Who can say? These two have adventures after adventures experiencing the acquisition of great fortunes and then the loss of these fortunes, both through accident and chance happening.

Candide travels across Europe, to South America, back to Europe. Along the way he sees vast social injustice created by social and economic inequities that are supported by both the noble and religious castes as the will of God. We see rape used by the military troops of all sides of a conflict. We see man created famine due to unequal distribution of resources and opportunity. We see warfare and torture engaged in for the most idiotic of reasons. We see great plagues and earthquakes that create conditions where man can be wolf to man once again. We see floggings and other forms of punishment that are meant to restore the social order but which are so arbitrary that they in fact undermine the social order they are suppose to support. We see criminal behavior at the highest social levels as well as the lowest. Kings and generals operate under the same principles as thieves, murderers, and pirates in this novel.

All these wild events go by very fast, each only lasting a page or two before another great calamity hits. We are then introduced to the final message of the novel which is that only those who tend their own gardens and find meaning in work are capable of weathering the vast storms of human suffering that plague all men and women during our lifetimes.

It is a classic. It is certainly odd by our current standards of literature. I came away from the novel less convinced of the final messages about tending my own garden and more convinced of the ability of man to create hell for other men with little empathy or foresight.

I read this book forever ago in high school, and fell in love with it! It really is absolutely hilarious, but you have to be able to understand the language and the satire behind it. Great for school reports for your history or French Lit classes!

CANDIDE TEACHES US THAT SUFFERING MAY BE THE ONE THING THAT BRING US ALL TOGETHER.
THE MISERY OF THE HUMAN CONDITION IS NO NEWS TO ANYBODY, BUT TO BE REMINDED EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE IS NEVER A BAD EXERCISE.
WHOEVER THE CREATOR WAS, HE MUST HAVE MADE SOME KIND OF A MISTAKE, UNLESS WE ASSUME OUR SUFFERINGS AS THE ONLY AND UNAVOIDABLE PATH TO COMPASSION.

Voltaire is still recognized as one of history's greatest satirists, and after reading Candide it's not hard to see why. Two and a half centuries later, it still has the power both to amuse and to shock.

On the surface, as has often been noted, Candide is obviously a critique of the philosophy of Liebniz, and especially of the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds and everything is as it had to be in order for this to be so (in accordance, presumably, with the plans of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent Creator). Voltaire goes quite over the top in showing the misadventures and misfortunes that befall his befuddled hero, who at first whole-heartedly buys into this "optimism."

Eventually, Candide's tale concludes with his advice that we should all just tend to our gardens--the precise meaning of which has been widely (and wildly) speculated about. Many take it to be a rejection of philosophy as such as being entirely useless, and we should just take a more pragmatic approach to life, though I find this interpretation untenable. More likely, given what we know about Voltaire as an Enlightenment thinker and from the content of Candide itself, it is simply a rejection of one philosophical school, namely that of rationalism. This is wider than just Liebniz, and Voltaire does target the ideas of other major rationalists (e.g., Descartes) as well. The message seems to be that philosophy is useless *when it has nothing to do with, and is in fact contradicted by, our actual experience.* The ending then suggests a much more practical sort of philosophy, like the one represented in America by Voltaire's contemporary Benjamin Franklin, but it is a philosophy nonetheless.

In the end, this is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking story that is still very relevant in today's world, and should still be required reading for everybody.

This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities. A great story and important historical work in literature. Voltaire was a Renaissance Christian humanist who played a role in the development of the Enlightenment.

On the one hand, the structure of his novel Candide is Homeric, it is the journey narrative, the hero with a thousand faces, but it is a satirical restructuring of that classical motif of the hero on a quest. What is the importance of the quest in Candide? What is the quest about in the classical sense? The quest is about learning. In the classical sense the hero leaves, has to acquire some sort of knowledge, learn a set of skills that is going to help him or her enact the quest surmount the obstacles that they encounter at one point or another, and the finally what does the hero have to accomplish? What is out there the "Holy Grail" The prize, the whole quest is about attaining some sort of ultimate end or some sort of ultimate knowledge. Does it end there? No, you got to go back with that knowledge, because the quest is never just about attaining the goal, it's about bringing it home to make everybody better, to restore the community. The individual quest, the heroic quest in the classical sense always has a larger social corrective end. The purpose of the individual, the function of the individual all depends on his ability to return to the collective, whatever it is that he has found that he has acquired that is going to change the way things are. Now how does that compare to the journey or quest narrative in Candide? Contrary to the notion of what prepares us for the world, OK here is the important structure of the journey or the quest, and the critique of knowledge by Voltaire. It is contrary to the idea of the knowledge that we acquire prepares us for the world. That each new bit of knowledge that we acquire, prepares us for the next step, and prepares us for the next stage. Contrary to the idea that life is somehow to be understood or that human history is somehow to be understood as a journey organized around progress, around betterment advancement acquiring new knowledge more knowledge more science more learning, we're getting better again, Candide tells the story that goes in the opposite direction. So, then you acquire knowledge and then you spend the rest of the journey finding out that the knowledge is useless, bit by bit, and every lesson you've acquired has to be cast aside, everything you learn you have to abandon. Instead of gaining and getting better, it is throwing off, letting go, and getting worse. Where does Voltaire want us in the end to think of the notion and narrative of progress?


Of course, you know that Candide is steeped in so many of the political and philosophical controversies of the 1750's. One of his big critiques is of the philosopher Leibnitz who said that `this is the best of all possible worlds," the idea championed by Leibnitz was a simple version of the philosophy espoused by enlightenment philosophers that the existence of any evil in the world was a sign that god was not entirely good or very powerful. The idea of an imperfect god would be nonsensical. So if you are a philosopher who takes for granted that god exists, you would have to conclude logically; and here is where humanities and Christianity really start messing with each other in all kinds of obvious ways, that god is perfect if you logically conclude that god exists. Therefore, his creation, the world, and man must also be perfect. According to many enlightenment philosophers, people perceived imperfections of the world only because they do not get the plan. This is a teleological idea of the world. Now obviously Voltaire does not accept this theory, or that god or any god has to exist. Therefore, he makes fun of the idea that the world is completely good. Much of the novel is a satire addressed to the notion that the optimists who witness countless horrors and unbelievable injustice such as floggings, robberies, and earthquakes will always find a way to write it off. They will say, `oh well there must be part of a plan, even though none of these calamities seem to serve any good at all it must point to human cruelty ignorance and barbarism and points to the indifference of the natural world. Pangloss the philosopher in the book throughout the story is always trying to find some justification for the terrible things that he sees and the arguments that he makes seem increasingly to be absurd, like his quote that "Syphilis needed to be transmitted from the new world to Europe so that Europeans could taste new world delicacies. What other things is Voltaire criticizing here that connects to some of the debates that define the enlightenment period of the 1750's Religion? Religion- He criticizes the whole hypocrisy of religion. In the book, Voltaire has a parade of corrupt hypocritical religious leaders who are like the Pope that has a daughter (should have been celibate). Hard line Catholic inquisitors, a Franciscan monk who should have vow of poverty but is a jewel thief. Here Voltaire provides countless examples of the immorality and hypocrisy of religious leaders, he does not really condemn believers per say, he is really out to attack church leadership and church hierarchy. For example Jacques, who is an Anabaptist is arguably one of the most generous and humane characters.

What else does Voltaire criticize or satirize? Wealth- money corrupts; Candide seems to have more problems when he has lots of money. Things get worse he gets unhappy. An interesting point, Voltaire was deeply involved in a debate with the many deep thinkers of his time, most notably was Rousseau, who lambasted the aristocracy. Voltaire himself really moved very comfortably among aristocratic circles and interestingly the French enlightenment philosophy really took off among the French aristocracy. Since they had the leisure time to contemplate so many of the new ideas in reason, science and rationalism and his notions of progress and advancement were ideas that were principally championed and discussed by members of the French aristocracy. Therefore, it was among some of the idle members of the French aristocrats that these enlightenment philosophers were able to find their most ardent followers. Despite the fact that the church and the state were not more often that not completely allied with each other, kings could be attracted on occasion to arguments that seemed to undermine the authority of the church. The fact that the aristocrats were very much unaware of the precariousness of their position tended to make them overconfident. Dabbling in some new ideas that were part of the enlightenment movement caused them not to take seriously the kind of jeopardy they were in or what the enlightenment would lead to in the championing of the common man and the overthrow of the French aristocracy. Because they found these ideas somewhat new, interesting, and exciting and they did not really see this as at all leading inexorably to the demise of the aristocratic class. Now of course it was thinkers like Rousseau not at all like Voltaire on this particular point that made his chief adversary. Rousseau distrusted the aristocrats out of a hunger to overthrow the class but because he believed that people of wealth betrayed decent traditional values. Rousseau opposed the theatre, which is Voltaire's lifeblood; he shunned the aristocracy, which Voltaire very much courted. He courted their attention he courted their interests. Rousseau argued for something dangerous like democratic revolution, and Voltaire argued that equality was impossible it would never come about. Rousseau argued that inequality was not only natural but that if it were taken too far it would make any decent government a total impossibility. Voltaire was very charming and witty, which led largely to his success in moving about aristocratic and social circles. Rousseau insisted on his own correctness and was not a charming person to be around; he was very intense and very serious about his ideas. Voltaire endlessly repeated the same handful of core enlightenment notions, where as Rousseau was a deeply original thinker. Who was always challenging his own way of thinking contradicting himself, coming up with ideas on the equality of education, the family, the government, and the arts in a matter that was much more radical than Voltaire was ever willing to go along with. They were both skeptics, and Voltaire is nothing if not a skeptic.

What does Voltaire do with the idea of philosophy in Candide? Philosophy- What is the value of philosophical speculation? It is useless for Voltaire; it is one of Pangloss' biggest flaws. Abstract philosophical argument is not based on any real world evidence. In the chaotic world of this novel, philosophical speculation repeatedly proves to be useless, and at times even dangerous. Time and again it prevents the characters from making any useful assessment of the world around them, it prevents them from bringing about any kind of change, it prevent them from thinking that they might try to bring about some social change. Pangloss is the character most susceptible to this kind of foolishness. Example, while Jacques is drowning, Pangloss stops Candide from saving him by proving that the bay was formed for Jacques to drown in. Therefore, at the end of course at the novels conclusion Candide rejects Pangloss' philosophies. If philosophical speculation is useless, what does Voltaire suggest you put in its place? Hard practical work in general. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising in that sense that this judgment against philosophy that is portrayed in the book becomes very dramatic when we think about Voltaire's own status as a philosopher.

What about the garden at the end of the novel? At the end of the novel Candide defines happiness in raising vegetables. On the one hand it is indicative of the turning away from the following of philosophy, from the abstract speculative nature of philosophy towards something hands on something pragmatic. Does the garden have a symbolic resonance to it? Is it related to the Garden of Eden? For Adam and Eve the garden is the beginning of their troubles, here it is the end of their troubles. It is the end of the narrative the end of their quest, their journey, and the end of their travails. This is where they wind up this is where they retreat. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve do not have to work to have fruits of the garden; this garden requires work, and constant tending. In that I think the garden here represents much, more in a very different way than the biblical garden represents. An embrace of life, but an embrace of life of what? For all the horror, hardships, and nightmares that these characters experience throughout the entire course of the text, at the end, they embrace life; they take it they say yes.

The status of knowledge in Voltaire, what do we know? The garden is a final retreat from activism, or social engagement in the world. Finally, what Voltaire is saying is look go back to the basics. Do not try to change, analyze the world, or try to speculate about the nature of our existence. Retreat into your own sphere and do not mess with the world around you, because ultimately you are powerless, to do anything in this world. I think Voltaire is commenting on in a sense the Utopian impulse and imagination. Specifically as it influenced enlightenment philosophers of the period with respect to the notion of progress and advancement.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, and literature.

I bought this because I wanted a good background to the combat actions of the Corsair in WW2, plus something about its origins. I thought it would do that, but mostly through the stories of the individuals who flew the things. It did this, but with much more of a focus on the machine, I thought, than I had wanted. Sure, individuals are mentioned, but there's not much life in any of them -- they show up, climb or dive at so many feet per minute or at such and such knots, shoot down x many planes, and disappear, replaced by another climbing, diving, roll-rate-intensive take on another episode from the Pacific.

I'll finish it, but it's more of a history of a thing than one of people, and that lack of humanity comes through in the writing.

The best overall history on the Corsair. (trust me I have almost all of them, and this one twice)
A little light on technical info, but for that you really should own Americas Hundred Thousand, by Francis H. Dean.

Easy read as well, not overly dry.

Some fun info like Marines using there Corsairs to Make Icecream! Yes durring the war!

Though not the book I would recommend to my girlfriend, I read it in one session from front to cover. Is it because I was born too late to fly this plane myself? The nice thing for me about this book is that I got the feeling that it took me back in time and let me experience wat it was like -or at least what I thought it would be like-. There are enough photographs to prevent you from drowning in text and evere aspect of the plane gets covered, with the exception of what it was to maintain a Corsair airworthy for its groundcrews.
This book was published in the States by the United States Naval Institute and in Britain by PSL (Patrick Stepens Limited)

Though not the book I would recommend to my girlfriend, I read it in one session from front to cover. Is it because I was born too late to fly this plane myself? The nice thing for me about this book is that I got the feeling that it took me back in time and let me experience wat it was like -or at least what I thought it would be like-. There are enough photographs to prevent you from drowning in text and evere aspect of the plane gets covered, with the exception of what it was to maintain a Corsair airworthy for its groundcrews.
This book was published in the States by the United States Naval Institute and in Britain by PSL (Patrick Stepens Limited)

Born in 1943, I spent my youth building balsa Corsairs (and Mustangs, Hellcats, Warhawks, Spitfires and Hurricanes) covered with silkspan, and reading of their exploits in WWII and Korea. There must be millions of us Fifty- and Sixty-somethings in America still feeling we were born too late to have a chance to fly the great fighters of WWII. For us, Tillman is a timely author. We buy and read his well-told histories with feelings of respect for the designers, builders, test pilots, pilots and crews who made that great age of the piston-powered warbirds possible.

Avoiding the dreary repetitiveness of some such books, which seem bound to chronicle every squadron's every mission, Tillman's Corsair is an exceptionally good example of its breed. It combines valuable historical detail with first-hand accounts of the plane and its pilots in action.

Bullying is a very serious problem plaguing our country. It is the source of the majority of the school shooting that we read about in horror. Finally a book with a unique approach to addressing the problem: a book written for children to help them address the escalating cycle of bullying/violence before it goes too far. If you love your child - buy them this book.

This book was so funny! I loved the pictures too! My mom and dad read this to me aloud each night until we finished it. It was weird how the teacher thought it was okay to keep a boy in a cage because he was a "bully". But, he wasn't the real bully! I learned how I don't want to bully people, and learned how to defend myself against bullies. I also learned new and fun words to use in my vocabulary like "sarcastic" and "escalating".

How refreshing to find a "novel" written about such a sensitive topic! Not only does the book teach kids how to combat bullying, but it also uses a detective story genre to create intrigue for the reading. Parents, this is a great way to get your kids hooked on reading -- especially boys! And, they learn a great self-help lesson along the way! Strong characters, rich vocabulary, an all-around a good read.

This is a delightful book about a difficult, but common topic. The hero of the story is a gifted kid who has witty observations and an advanced vocabulary. It is a fun read, especially for bright kids who worry about bullying; we can cheer for the underdog; and while justice eventually prevails, compassion for the "bad guy" is evident as well. It has helpful tips included, so combines a good story with useful information. A good choice for school libraries.

This new novel is a great read for upper elementary age students looking to improve their method to handling bullies in their lives. As an educator, I have spoken to many people who have read this book only to find it as an original way of reaching students through fiction. This approach is new in that it tries to provide a great story with a timely message. Whether it be used as a read-aloud or as an individual reading, everyone can learn a wonderful lesson and laugh all the while!

As a student in one of the best International Baccalaureate schools in the world, I must say that this book is worth ordering. The amount of sources---including pictures---definately helps when preparing for the IB exam in history. I received the second edition a few days ago...and it proves to be a close companion to class notes.

i have been a teacher for 4 years in international schools, and i think the previous review is written by someone with, to put is as politely as possible, very little common sense. i dont think the book is perfect, but it is useful for a variety of students, is interesting and informative without too much information, can be easily supplemented, and has a variety of useful homework assignments and activities for students to keep up with understanding or to be assigned by the teacher. the assanine charaterization of "rubbish" is far from the truth--read it for yourself.

this is a very good history book. it explains things very clearly and is also visually pleasing.

the book uses a lot of primary/secondary sources, which is good because it makes students think more deeply about history.

When I studied in Singapore, it was my history textbook. But when I finished Grade 10, I needed to hand it back to School library.
But I really like it very much. It's a very good history book. It mainly tells about Modern History, contains Britain, China, the USA, the USSR, Germany, France and many ohter countries.
More important, the resources in the book are rich and vivid. A lot of quotes, pictures,letters and so on. They can help you to understand a lot of things more clearly.
So if you want to have a general idea about modern history, read it, you won't be disappointed.
Especially if you do not take history as your main subject, but still interest in it. It can help you very much.

I teach International Baccalaureate history at one of the top schools in the world, and this book makes a nightly trek home with me. Students in IB or even AP Euro would have a hard time finding another source as rich as Walsh's effort. It is packed with helpful analysis, documents, quotes, review materials, wtc. I have used it to prepare for each of my senior level topics this year, such as WW1, Nazi Germany, the USSR, WWII, and the Cold War.

This book would do a very adequate job in assisting anyone preparing to work with such material, and would be considered one of my three most vital texts I use.