White Books

The author's purpose was to reduce to a minimum individual opinions by a statistical approach that converted differing ideas on the part of so-called experts to a decimal conclusion. These results were compared with other presidents examined in an attempt to determine who among them were best qualified for the highest position of the land. They were also compared to the average American. My rating of just four stars is based on the description of the method used that took up a considerable part of the first part of the book. As essential as it probably was, I found myself bored by what to me is less than an interesting discipline. At the same time I agreed with their conclusions, although I do not believe that a single discipline standing alone is sufficient adequately to assign qualities to particular presidents. I was truly enlightened by what I discovered from the method used, and must admit that the characterization formed by the connection of the dots, so to speak, concurred with many of my own opinions based upon the discipline of History alone. I question whether the technique can actually foretell how well a candidtate will perform if elected as president. It would be helpful, I think, if the test were applied to Vice Presidential hopefuls because there are several significant instances where a Vice President assumed the office of President without being elected. In the most recent election, I felt those chosen to perform as Vice President was vital to my decision, and honestly placed my vote in jeopardy. By the same token, after seeing the performance results as indicated by the author's technique, I am of the conclusion that whoever is elected, or who assumes the presidency, will not necessarily result detrimentally to our nation. Nevertheless, the evidence drawn from the author's endeavor might give the electorate the means to better decide who should be selected based on more than emotion alone. There is no doubt that the work, audacious as it seems, will be of interest to all who read it. It would be well worth the time.

In my opinion, this is a landmark book. The first to evaluate the presidents' personalities in a scientific way. I will refer to it again and again. Parts of it are dense, especially the first part where they describe the methods used but it's well worth the read. Each chapter begins with a brief biography of the president profiled. If you have read other books on the presidents you may disagree with some of the things you read in this book. But regardless of that, this is a great book for comparing the presidents with one another and understanding their similarities and differences. It's a good starting point for further reading. I highly recommend it.

This charming, entertaining book will appeal to readers with interests in politics, American history, or personality. The authors persuaded numerous historical experts to rate each of the U.S. presidents on personality questionnaires. The ratings were then pooled and used to "profile" each president on such qualities as Character, Assertiveness, and Extraversion. Some of the results are about what one would expect (Abraham Lincoln was tender-hearted and exceptionally concerned about the well-being of less-fortunate people) but others are more thought-provoking (recent U.S. presidents seem to be more extraverted and perhaps less intellectual than their predecessors). The personality profile for each major president is accompanied by a brief and colorful biography. I had difficulty putting the book down, as I learned intriguing new facts about such colorful presidents as Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson. This book is not only a great deal of fun but may also be useful to teachers of U.S. history, as well as instructors who want to introduce their students to modern personality theory and what psychologists call the "Big Five" personality traits. A sampling of the book's findings (and enlightening profiles of the 2004 presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry) can be found on a website established by the book's authors at http://www.personalityinhistory.com/Default.asp

Personality, Character, and Leadership in the White House: Psychologists Assess the Presidents by Steven Rubenzer and Thomas Faschingbauer is unusual in that it combines a number of ingredients (an interesting subject, solid science and a good read) in a way that one seldom sees in a non-fiction book and does it successfully. This is a book that will interest history buffs and mental health professionals equally. In Personality, Character and Leadership in the White House, the authors have used a well know psychological test of normal personality dynamics which can be completed by individuals who know a living or deceased subject well. Rubenzer and Faschingbauer assembled groups of historians who were very familiar with particular presidents and had them complete the test on American presidents based on their knowledge of their personalities and behavior. The results provide insights into the qualities that make a good (or bad) president as well as how these leaders differ from the general population. The book is straightforwardand the authors do not inject their personal political beliefs into the mix. In addition, it is well written and jargon/psychobabble free. I highly recommend this book to both professionals and general readers who want to know more about what motivates our presidents, past and present

I found Personality, Character, & Leadership in the White Housse to be a very thoughtful, creative work that clearly has no equal in what it attempts to do. I have 12 years of graduate work in mostly Political Science, Psychology, Statistics and Public Administration and an extensive research library dealing with topics related to to study of Presidential Leadership. Given this background I believe I am qualified to say that there is no book like this. A great deal of work went into it and it takes the study of Presidential Leadership to a level no other study has reached. Clearly it is one that should be considered for use in many Political Science courses and perhaps in some other fields as well. It is hoped it will stimulate serious discussion of just how much we can learn about the strengths and limitations of using scientific personality research and quesstionnaires to evaluate political leadership at the highest level of the U. S. government. It also is a delight to read. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the areas its title mentions. I know it will be a great help in my own research and should be for others too. I also beliieve the general thoughtful concerned citizen will find much food for thought in it.

why does the page for this book change every time I come back to it? I have not actually read the book, since I cannot get ahold of a copy. When I first came to this page, there was an editorial review, and several customer reviews. Now, the editorial review is gone, and there is only one customer review. Some say that the wealthy families named in this book have been buying up all the copies so no one will read it. Maybe now they are having reviews of the book expunged as well.

This is a phenominal story of the Wall Street moguls of the 1930s who saw the FDR presidency as at least utopian socialism, if not outright communism. It is a time of ardent communists on one side led by Soviet Russia and fascists on the other, bolstered by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. At the time, American democracy was somewhere in the middle, but the Great Depression was a major political, economic and social factor, which could have tipped the scales one way or the other. Financial decisions had to made and a plot was hatched to seize the power of the White House, thereby the government.

Far fetched? As far fetched at the "plot" or potential "coup" surrounding the JFK assassination? Maybe. However, this plot is backed up by facts and the author, Jules Archer, has done his work well. Maybe too well, which might be one reason the book is so difficult to find today, even in libraries!

The plot was not only real, it was witnessed and documented by the man the moguls wanted to lead it, retired Marine Corps General, Smedley D. Butler.

Not a man for idle brag or idle praise, two-time Medal of Honor winner, Smedley Butler, was a Marine's Marine. He led his Marines from the font in battle, which was why he was such a popular figure with the veterans of that very unstable Depression period - a point not lost on those who wanted a military figure to lead a veteran army, similar to the Nazis in Germany, the Fascists in Italy and the strong but untried fascist movement in France.

Playing for time and gaining as much information as he could about the plotters, Butler finally took his evidence before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He reported. His report and evidence was found solid, legitimate and unquestioned. But then what? Nothing. As major industiral and banking names were involved, the story, it seems, was buried. Until Archer's book appeared in 1973. Then it seems to have been buried again.

The question is why and who is still afraid of the information contained in Archer's book?

Haven't yet read this, but it seems to have been suppressed, all right. It can be downloaded online, however, at:

http://www.clubhousewreckards.com/plot/plottoseizethewhitehouse.htm

Let's see how long my post here stays up on Amazon's site!!

This book has achieved the "rare" book status. Rumor has it that copies are being bought up to erase its existence, ending its stain on reputations on rich families with embarrasing ancestery. In any case, readers will only find it in a few libraries. A recent book: The Corporation : The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, by Joel Bakan , ISBN: 0743247442, has a concise synopis of the facts presented in chapter 4. Also, extensive quotes are online on http://coat.ncf.ca website, issue #53.

Before reading this book, one should read The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us, by Martha Stout, ISBN: 076791581X. All of history needs to be interpreted through the understanding of sociopathy.

The Plot To Seize The White House contains a few primary sources, and records links to many other primary sources, which is its archival value. The details of the Plot itself are told here, and can be retold endlessly by others who care about this event. The story in brief is General Smedley Butler was approached to lead a coup d'etat to overthrow democracy in 1933 & 1934. (Reminding modern readers, 1933 was the year Hitler assumed power in Germany.) He declined, and exposed the plot. The plotters then employed the "OJ Simpson" theory of defense: "if you have enough money you can get away with murder."

Nobody was ever prosecuted. Important men were never arrested or grilled over facts. The newspaper sensation created by an impotent congressional investigation in 1934 and 1935 died down and the story collected dust, forgotten ever since.

However, the story fits into some others, including other suppressed and buried history. In telling the story of the Plot, Jules Archer tells also the biography of General Smedley Butler who declined to become the American Hitler or Mussolini, over a fascist takeover of the US. There are two books in one, woven together around this Plot.

Smedley Butler's biography shows him in Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914, simultaneously when armed men, government troopers, were killing American men, women and children in Ludlow, Colorado. Also, at this same moment in time, early 1914, Rockefellers were taking over the Remington Arms Company. For details of the Ludlow Massacre you need to read two books: Buried Unsung: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre, by Zeese Papanikolas, ISBN: 0803287275, and The Great Coalfield War, by George S McGovern, ISBN: 0395136490. Remington Arms Co. history is documented in the book: Remington Arms in American history, by Alden Hatch, ASIN: B0007DYPC4.

These details are not important only to The Plot To Seize The White House, but central to unravelling the Hitler Project. Yet two more books are required to place everything in order: Hitler's Secret Backers, by Sidney Warburg, ISBN: 0960035869, and Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler, by Antony C. Sutton, ISBN: 0945001533.

From these books a timeline can be constructed:
1929 Wall Street interests send Hitler $10,000,000.
1931 Wall Street sends Hiltler another $15,000,000.
1933 Wall Street Sends Hitler a final $7,000,000. (total $32,000,000.)
1933 Wall Street puts up initial $3,000,000, backed by another reserve $15,000,000, for the Plot to Seize the White House. Up to $300,000,000 backing is promised.

Believable? The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance, by Ron Chernow, ISBN: 0802138292, reports that JP Morgan was Mussolini's banker for over $500,000,000 and heavily invested in fascist Japan by 1931. JP Morgan has over $3 BILLION invested in Germany by 1931. A Law Unto Itself: The Untold Story of the Law Firm of Sullivan and Cromwell, by Nancy Lisagor, Frank Ipsivs, ISBN: 0688048889, reports that John Foster Dulles and S&C law firm have $1.15 BILLION invested in Germany by 1931. Titan : The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., by Ron Chernow, ISBN: 0679757031, reveals the Rockefeller "method" of business, including secret takeovers, bribed officials, blatant lawbreaking, industrial spying, and philosophy "the weakest must die first".

Yes, Wall Street was behind Hitler and Mussolini, without any doubt. All the plotter named in Archer's book, named by Smedley Butler to congress, were fascist supporters. Rockefellers were at war with the weak, using soldiers to kill. In 1927 Smedley's marines landed in China at the (Rockefeller's) Standard Oil docks, were stationed on S.O. property and protected S.O. investments. In 1914 Rockefellers and Morgans used Butler in Vera Cruz to kill peons in Mexico, just as Rockefeller-directed government troopers gunned down Americans at Ludlow, Colorado, at the same moment that Rockefeller-controlled Remington Arms was expanding arms production even before the Duke was shot starting WWI.

Using government troopers to quell democracy was a tradition by 1933, and fascist investments in German continued past Pearl Harbor. See: Trading with the enemy: An exposé of the Nazi-American money plot, 1933-1949, by Charles Higham, ISBN: 0440090644, and American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush, by Kevin Phillips, ISBN: 0670032646.

This book stands alone as a mystery story, a spy story, a thriller, a history, a biography of a patriot, a record of government corruption. It also fits in with a great body of literature with pieces of information telling bits of the history of sociopathy that killed over 200,000,000 people last century.

I read this book about twenty years ago, and it was readily available at libraries and used book stores. I thought the information was stunning, and found it hard to believe that a movie, etc. was never made of this event. For some reason, I decided to reread it recently, and found that it is extremely hard to find, and priced very high. The reviewer below who maintains that the book is being bought up seems to be on the money, as I have found that almost all library copies have been "lost" and a used copy will command $500+ dollars. The information in the book was shocking and the auther cited numerous primary sources that are now classified, disappeared, or virtually inaccessable. This book was far more shocking than All The President's Men, and I recommend it highly. Something should be done to prevent it's disappearance. Those interested in the subject will find another source in an excellent documentary about FDR currently sold online by the History Channel.

Pollution and the Death of Man is one of Francis Schaeffer's seminal works. It is a profound treatise of a biblical perspective on the environment - insightful, convicting, instructive, reasonable. The book is definitely worth the read.

This masterpiece of logical thinking is unequaled in the realm of Christian literature for its conciseness of content and expressiveness of thought.

In this book, Schaeffer discusses the Christian approach to the environment and deals with the all-too-common misconceptions peddled by those Christians who are either ignorant of Biblical truth in this area, or are so intent on distancing themselves from the pantheistic, bleeding-heart, tree-hugging left that they come across as uncaring and abusive.

Nature does play a part in God's plan, and far from being entrusted with it as a no-strings-attached gift - a common misconception of the use of "dominion" in the Genesis account - we have been given the moral responsibility of keeping our surroundings while at the same time utilizing them conscientiously to meet our needs. In ridiculing and minimizing man's God-given duty of stewardship, modern Christianity has severely impaired its testimony and driven many conscientious individuals into the arms of equally erroneous sects - many of them pantheistic. This tendency is as wrong as it is regrettable.

Schaeffer further points out that having been created by the same God, any attempt by man to look down on and misuse his physical surroundings is to pass judgement on the God Who created those surroundings � and us.

Overall well-balanced and thought-provoking, Schaeffer answers the excesses of extreme Christianity on the one hand and raving nature-worship on the other with a treatise that is as elucidative as it is highly readable. This is required reading for anyone who wants to be convicted and informed of the necessity to appreciate and respect nature within the God-oriented context of Biblical truth.

- Benjamin Gene Gardner

This is really what I've come to expect from Schaeffer. Piercing analysis. Balanced approach. Faithfulness to the Scriptures. Lucid and colloquial style. Imaginative approach. In this particular work, Schaeffer presents a fantastic case for concern for the environment. He puts forward a balanced view of ecology and shows how it is not contrary to Biblical Christianity, but the natural conclusion of it. The book is a bit dated, but as relevant as it has ever been.

I would love to see every Christian invest the short amount of time required to read this book.

In the past weeks I have spent some time wrestling with issues related to the environment and creation care. I have been seeking distinctly Christian wisdom on this issue, seeking to learn how we, as Christians, are to understand this world and our role in its care and protection. Last week I turned to Francis Schaeffer's Pollution and the Death of Man hoping and even expecting that it would answer some of my deepest questions.

Schaeffer acknowledges from the beginning of this book what our society's secular humanists cannot--that mankind has been called by God to exercise dominion over the earth. But like everything else in this world, man's ability to exercise such dominion has been affected by the Fall. No longer do we tend the world always in love, but instead we ravage and pillage it. Though we may not believe in all of the dire claims being made about the world today, we must at least acknowledge that we have not cared for the world as God has called us to.

The answers to this crisis lie not in our own efforts and not in the dictums of former Vice Presidents. Rather, if we are to understand the crisis, its roots, and its solutions, we must turn to Scripture. And this is precisely what Schaeffer does in Pollution and the Death of Man. Originally published in 1970, the book reads as if it was written yesterday (if the reader is willing to replace the ecological crises of thirty years ago with those of today, perhaps substituting global warming for DDT). Schaeffer looks at the spirit of the day and sees how men are dealing with ecological issues. Perceptively, he sees that ecology, bereft of any firm, biblical foundation and without any consistent basis for morality, is breeding a kind of pantheism. Men deal with the environment by making themselves one with it and it one with them. He launches into what I'd consider classic Schaefferian thought: "Pantheism," he says, "will be pressed as the only answer to ecological problems and will be one more influence in the West's becoming increasingly Eastern in its thinking." Almost forty years later, his words are proving true. "The only reason we are called upon to treat nature well is because of its effects on man and our children and the generations to come. So in reality...man is left with a completely egoistic position in regard to nature." "Having no absolutes, modern man has no categories. One cannot have real answers without categories, and these men can have no categories beyond pragmatic, technological ones." "A pantheistic stand always brings man to an impersonal and low place rather than elevating him." In the end, pantheism pushes both man and nature into a kind of bog, leaving us unable to make any kind of necessary and rational distinctions.

After looking at a few alternative inadequate answers to pantheism, Schaeffer turns to the Bible to give the Christian view of creation care. He affirms that our understanding must begin with the world's creation when God created things that have an objective existence in themselves. Despite the claims of pantheism, creation is not an extension of God's essence. It is only the biblical view that gives worth to man and to all that God has created. Nature begins to look different when I understand that, though I am separate from it, I am related to it as something God has created. "So the Christian treats `things' with integrity because we do not believe they are autonomous. Modern man has fallen into a dilemma because he has made things autonomous from God." As we love the Creator, we love the creation.

Schaeffer next looks to "a substantial healing," saying, "we should be looking now, on the basis of the work of Christ, for substantial healing in every area affected by the Fall." As Christians we should be ones who are treated creation now as it will be treated in eternity. The problem, of course, is that "by creation man has dominion, but as a fallen creature he has used that dominion wrongly. Because he is fallen, he exploits created things as thought they were nothing in themselves, and as though he has an autonomous right to them."

The book's final chapter brings a few points of application, though they are more high level than practical. Still, they are insightful. "We must confess that we missed our opportunity. We have spoken loudly against materialistic science, but we have done little to show that in practice we ourselves as Christians are not dominated by a technological orientation in regard either to man or nature." "If we treat nature as having no intrinsic value, our own value is diminished." Ultimately, we treat nature well because we are all products of the loving Creator; we are all creatures together.

While Pollution and the Death of Man is one of Schaeffer's lesser-known works, it is one Christians would do well to read and study even today. In this book Schaeffer does what he does best, providing a logical, consistent, biblical response to a matter that really matters.

This book was originally written in the early 1970's, as an early response to the rapid spread of anti-Christian environmental books. Now I say "anti-Christian" not in the sense that environmentalism is anti-Christian, but in the sense that Christianity has been getting the blame for the world's environmental ills. In other words, Schaeffer is warning the church to start paying attention to its duties to the earth and environment, because we are getting the blame for pollution and etc...

He rightly points out that Christianity is somewhat responsible for environmental problems, but shows that Bible-practicing churches and members should wake up and see what the Bible really says on the issues. By shuffling the environmental issue back into the corner and ignoring it, we push environmentally concerned people into the Eastern religions and away from Christianity. Since John Passmore's famous book, which blames Christianity's view of dominion (Genesis/Eden) for Western Civilization, and Puritanism for the demise of American ecosystems, the environmental movement has begun rejecting Christianity as a cure. Furthermore, dispensational theology which sees the world as collapsing and being annihilated by Jesus after the Millennium, in favor of building a new Earth, quite strongly implies that we needn't bother with such earthly issues, since the earth will "pass away" no matter how nicely we tend it (rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic). So Passmore and others are somewhat correct, that Christianity has fallen flat on its face in regard to environmental issues. Schaeffer in this book prophetically warns about it, and turns out to be correct.

It is not full of statistics and charts, this is a philosophical book with deep insights by a great Christian thinker. It is interesting that only in recent years, thirty years later, do people finally decide to read it! It should be required reading in seminaries, and attended to by anyone in Christianity who believes in Christian stewardship of the world.

Excellent book. Easy to read, well organized, and insightful. No gimmicks or add-ons. Follow the straight forward practices to improve your odds. I used the knowledge for both bow and firearm hunting. I saw many more deer than in prior years. I purchased a copy for my son and a friend.

Chris and John have done it again. This is an incredible follow up to "bowhunting pressured whitetails". Their knowledge of the lore of the wood and the unique and creative take they have with hunting consistently shows their superior knowledge they are all too happy to share with those of you who are wise to purchase this book.

This book and the Eberhart's other book "Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails" are the two best whitetail deer bowhunting books I have read - and I have read a lot of them. Most deer hunting books discuss tactics for hunting unpressured deer (i.e. large, privately managed farms or ranches with limited access or high-fence operations) that most hunters will simply never have the chance to hunt. This book is different from other hunting books in that the Eberhart's explain their year-round system for consistently taking mature whitetail bucks from pressured areas in their home state of Michigan. I must say again that the Eberthart's bowhunting books are the best I have read. In fact, I re-read parts of their books before each hunting season.

This book, without a doubt, is the finest book on deer hunting that I have ever read. As an avid reader, I have read a pile of books on deer hunting, most of which were the same information, recycled over and over again. The techniques and strategies in these books are just not applicable to hunting in my heavily pressured home state of South Carolina.
This book is full of fresh ideas that have challenged the way I have historically approached bowhunting. I would recommend this book to anyone, bowhunters and gunhunters alike. It is the most HONEST and PRACTICAL book on hunting mature deer that you will ever read. It will help you to rethink the way you hunt and give you more opportunities at big bucks. I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you live in a state or area where there is alot of stiff hunting pressure, you have got to read this book.

This book walks through the whole year, what you need to be getting done now, what you need to be getting ready to do. Its all here, how, when, and where you should be hunting through out the season. It rehashes some of his other book " bowhunting pressured Whitetails" both are books I would recomend to any bowhunter.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Anyone who likes art will be fascinated by this book, Great for the coffee table.

I wasn't sure whether this book or "Journey Through the Ice Age" by Paul G. Bahn would be better, so I bought them both.

It turns out that they are both excellent books. Both are loaded with color photographs of artifacts famous and less well-known. Both have scholarly, informative text, considering anthropological and historical contexts, the techniques and materials used by the artists, the history of the study of prehistoric art, and plenty of cautious speculation about the functions the art had to its artists' communities.

They are organized quite differently: Bahn's moves from topic to topic: chapter 7 is on portable art, chapter 8 on rock shelters and cave art, chapter 9 on outdoors art, and so on. But White's book has a regional arrangement: chapter 4 is on Western Europe, chapter 5 is on Central and Eastern Europe and Sibera, chapter 6 is on Africa, the Near East and Anatolia, and so on.

Obviously you can see that White's book has more of a global focus than Bahn's. In fact, Bahn's third chapter deals with prehistoric art outside of Europe; in every other chapter he focuses on European art, especially the caves.

Although Bahn's book devotes a chapter to "Portable Art" such as jewelry and miniature statues (including the famous "Venus figurines"), White's book has a far superior coverage. On the other hand, Bahn has better coverage of interesting issues such as how to reproduce prehistoric art for public enjoyment, dating issues, and forgeries.

If you are primarily interested in European cave art and will be content with a glance at the rest of the world, then Bahn's book is better for you. Personally, although Bahn deals with some interesting issues that White neglects, ultimately I prefer White's global perspective; further, I appreciate his introductory comments about modern Western art and cultural assumptions, and consideration of what might be universal in human art.

Incidently, when it comes to books about art, for some reason I prefer hardcover to paperback; and at this time White's book in hardcover is available at great discount on Amazon, making it almost as inexpensive as Bahn's.

So, my preference is clear. However, I want to emphasize that despite my partiality to White's book, they are certainly both excellent, and I do not think one of them is clearly, inherently better than the other. It just depends on what you are looking for.

Prehistoric Art: The Symbolic Journey Of Humankind by Ice Age art and technology expert Randall White (Professor of Anthropology, New York University) is an amazingly impressive and informationally detailed survey overview of the paintings, sculptures, pottery, and more, crafted by human beings before times remembered and recorded by the written word. Breathtaking full-color photographs superbly enhanced a thorough, scholarly, fully accessible text describing what is known about sites of prehistoric art worldwide. Prehistoric Art is a work of impeccible scholarship and very highly recommended addition to Art History and Anthropological Studies reference shelves and reading lists.

This is a magnificent looking production, with hundreds of ancient items reproduced in extraordinary quality. The captioning, referencing and graphics are excellent. The reader can follow how representational styles and subjects changed over time, and varied between areas of settlement. And many of the objects -- a lion-headed figure, a smoothly carved woman's head, wall-painted images of a horse in different moods -- are breathtaking and memorable.
What I love about this book, though, is that it has changed the way I think about "art", and how I think about my forebears of 10,000-50,000 years ago. It is a risky error to imagine that people in cultures so remote in time from ours would have painted or chiselled or carved for the same purposes that a modern-day Western artist would. Notions of "art" and "beauty", the purposes to which representational objects are put, vary greatly between cultures, and are bound to have varied hugely over such long periods of time. And these were loooong periods of time: "prehistoric" peoples occupied the world for hundreds of generations before the adoption of agriculture and the many changes it brought, and their habits and beliefs and languages would have changed many times. I will never again think of the ancient peoples of the world as a single, unchanging group.
This is a rigorous, beautiful and unforgettable book.

Sometime around forty thousand years ago, our ancestors began to view Nature from a new perspective. Although Homo sapiens and its ancestors knew Nature well in order to survive, a different visual outlook was in the making. Hunting or scavenging prey or dodging predators kept people aware of other animals. As physical changes made speech possible, there must have been some exchange of observations and ideas. With the new outlook, however, came a change in expression. Graphic images, especially those of large and powerful creatures surrounding them, were painted on rock walls. Those images and the models incorporated into tools and weapons, could be seen by all and became part of the society. Since their first known discovery in 1575, but chiefly in the 19th and 20th centuries, a great deal of interpretation and debate has occurred over their antiquity, what prompted their creation, and what they "mean". White, in this superb global survey of "art before writing", dismisses most of the theories, while placing the artworks in their likely social setting.

Even if the author failed to provide new insights into what prehistoric art might convey, the illustrations make this book something special. The images in this collection make it an outstanding example of the new wave of such studies. While there are books on Altamira, Lascaux, Chauvet and other locations, few, if any, offer the comprehensive prospect of so many sites. White devotes chapters to such scattered locations as Siberia, Anatolia, South Asia and the Americas. Each region has its own varieties of art, spanning a particular time-line and incorporating many traditions.

One point White reiterates often is his dismissal of art being "an invention of European civilization". This racist cavil has persisted even among serious scholars until very recently. Although most of the rock and cave art found has been in Western Europe, White notes how "art" in other places predates those creations. Even in Africa, the continent of our origins, South Africa alone holds over thirty thousand "rock or cave art" examples alone. The lack of resources for cataloging and analysing them is shameful. Australia and Africa alike have symbols and images from long before even the outstanding Chauvet and Lascaux depictions were daubed on the cave walls. The scattering of paintings, carvings, and objects from various times and places indicates the diversity of cultures making them.

This diversity leads to another theme White wants dismissed: prehistoric art reflects many ways of thinking and imagining. "Prehistoric" doesn't translate to "primitive" and there is no "universal" style underpinning of the works. More to the point, is how we tend to view the term "art". Our recent history has associated art with hierarchical societies containing a leisure class that could create or promote "art" as a purely creative process. White argues this narrow view obscures the more likely reasons the art was produced. The images would have been highly significant to both artists and viewers. Nature, he contends, was being reconfigured. While the implications of that mental leap remain debateable, the long-term consequences are still with us. The language may have academic tones, but the clarity of the message is not obscured. We need to understand our ancestors far better than we do. The implications for the future are significant. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The author, Charles Alsheimer, does a fantastic job bringing the ourdoors inside and providing valuable information that would be of great help to anyone interested in deer hunting and the management of that valued resource--the whitetail deer. I even bought a second one to give to a fellow hunter/land owner friend who is also interested in quality deer management.

I have read several books about creating better habitat, food plots, etc for whitetails, and this book is by far the most comprehensive, in depth book I've read. The author truly knows his stuff and gives tons of tips for improving your deer herd and deer hunting. Excellent buy, great photography.

Charlie Alsheimer is possibly the best white-tailed deer writer of all time. He is certainly the best deer photographer. His new book Quality Deer Managment the Basics and Beyond, is a prime example of both his talent as a writer and his brilliance as a photographer. I believe it to be his best book ever.
The book is written in Charlie's classic down home, easy to read style with easy to grasp explinations of complicated deer managment issues. He covers virtually every aspect of the QDM scene with common sense and uncommon insight. His treatment of the topic is inspirational and leaves you wanting to get out there and start practicing QDM now!
The photos chosen to illustrate the text are nothing short of spectacular. They bring the entire text to life in brilliant color and give you an up close and personal view of whitetails as only Alsheimer can.
After reading this book I picked up a copy of "Grow 'em Right" the new "how to" habitat and food plot book by Dougherty & Dougherty and am now ready to conquer the world of Quality deer managment. Now white-tailed deer book library is complete without this book

I couldn't put the book down. I grew up in Steuben County in the town of Caton. Iam going to start implementing some of the things I learned in this book this year. I would tell anyone interested in learning how to grow bigger deer (buck or doe) should read this book.

Alsheimer shows what deer hunting is made of with this book. You'll get top-of-the-line information on planting food plots, managing trees, keeping records on your deer, hunting deer for your setup--everything!! He not only tells you how to manage your property and deer, but also explains how deer live throughout the entire year.

Charlie Alshiemer is a photographer by trade, which is very obvious in this book. His photos of whitetails are nothing short of amazing.

His style is very matter-of-fact and easy to understand, making it that much more enjoyable to read.

This is by far the most informative book I have ever read. Buy it today; you will get your money's worth. I wish there were more books like this one on the market!! I'll give it as many stars as are available!!

I have read The Red Silk Thread two times and I enjoyed it more the second time. This is one of the best love stories I've read in a long time. Adults should read it because it brings back memories of when they were young and in love or not in love. Young adults should read this book because it makes them realize that being young may be a hard time to go through, but it passes. I recommend this book to everyone. Hope Darrell has another book coming out soon. I rate this book with ten stars.

Mr. White has written a book which is such an enjoyable read, whether your young or old. The story in the The Red Silk Thread is timeless and reminds us of the power of love. I highly recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Red Silk Thread and would highly recommend it to other teens that are interested in romance and drama, martial arts,or Japanese culture.

It's a really cool story about an interracial relationship between an American boy and a Japanese girl that are somehow predestined from the time they were born to love each other despite the odds of it really happening.

This book would make a great gift.

The Red Silk Thread is an awesome tale of the coming of age of a couple of kids growing up in Oklahoma. Great book! I read it in just two days. Definitely a must read!

I bought the book for my teen son. He read it in just a few days and expressed such a surprising enthusiasm (He almost never reads) that I decided to read it myself.

The title "The Red Silk Thread" refers to the strong bond that runs through the years between an American youth and a Japanese girl. It is a journey of love, loyalty, violence, and guilt which happily concludes in a wonderful ending and a new beginning that I hope the author will tie onto for a sequel.

Philip Hodgson and Randall P. White provide practical instructions for dealing with change, as all leaders must. Rather than assuming that only certain personality types and traits are suitable for leadership in changing times, they addresses the behavior patterns that mark a successful leader. The authors place their behavioral concepts in a familiar context with case histories. The true value of their book lies in specific exercises that will enhance your ambiguity-coping skills. Some level-headed readers may be slightly put off by the seeming wackiness of some of these notions (they range from "spend some time around children" to "analyze how you spend your time") and the light-hearted tone (they do refer to Star Trek). Lighthearted or not, the advice in this book may just save your job - or your company's future. We recommend this book to senior executives, regardless of industry, as well as to anyone who is concerned about the fast pace of change and wants some help keeping up.

Philip Hodgson and Randall P. White provide practical instructions for dealing with change, as all leaders must. Rather than assuming that only certain personality types and traits are suitable for leadership in changing times, they addresses the behavior patterns that mark a successful leader. The authors place their behavioral concepts in a familiar context with case histories. The true value of their book lies in specific exercises that will enhance your ambiguity-coping skills. Some level-headed readers may be slightly put off by the seeming wackiness of some of these notions (they range from "spend some time around children" to "analyze how you spend your time") and the light-hearted tone (they do refer to Star Trek). Lighthearted or not, the advice in this book may just save your job - or your company's future. We recommend this book to senior executives, regardless of industry, as well as to anyone who is concerned about the fast pace of change and wants some help keeping up.

This is an extremely useful book for its times. It comes along during (another) period of great unsettling uncertainty. Uncertainty never actually goes away, of course, but it's more pressing and obviously present at some times than at others.

The book makes the central point that "The real work of leadership is embracing uncertainty," that the defining mark of a leader is confidence with uncertainty, along with the ability to acknowledge it and deal with it. The authors present a detailed recipe for anyone seeking to enhance their ability to manage and exploit the uncertainty that often precedes change or destabilization.

The core of this book by Philip Hodgson and Randall White is a taxonomy of personalities that "enable" and "restrain" organizational change. Most of us will be able to quickly spot ourselves (and other key people) on their list. There are Mystery-Seekers, Future-Scanners, Tenacious-Challengers, Exciters, Simplifiers, Wet Blankets, and Muddy Thinkers, among the many. Case examples are provided for each type, along with recommendations about how to deal with them and take advantage of the possibilities that they offer. The book provides specific suggestions on how to grow into an "enabler" of productive change, aong with ideas about how to handle the restrainers.

The book is written in clear language and format, its terms are well-defined, and the style is very accessible. It is the kind of book that could serve as a quick reference whenever things bog down or get strange.

"RELAX it's only uncertainty: Lead the Way When the Way Is Changing" is a terrific book - one that provides an answer for anyone worried about the future of their organization. And who isn't? "Innovate or get left behind" is the challenge facing most organizations, including those I am familiar with.. To meet this challenge organizations need leaders who can deal with uncertainty.

For anyone who thinks that this is a "slam dunk" answer, let me assure you, it is not. Most people in leadership positions CANNOT deal with uncertainty. They avoid it by focusing on "business as usual", what is known and familiar. This is the path to trouble in a world where technology and marketplace pressures are demanding something different and much better than business as usual.

In these conditions the work of leaders is not to follow the tried-and-true path, but to create the path forward in a world of "what-ifs".

Leaders capable of doing this can be identified. In fact, most of "RELAX it's only uncertainty" is devoted to describing what these leaders think and do. The authors identify eight characteristics of such leaders, including: Having a curiosity about what is not known, Tolerating risk, Gathering ideas about the future, and Simplifying information. This description is tremendously valuable because it enables anyone to spot this kind of leader.

The authors make this even more practical and useful. They identify behaviors indicative of each characteristic. For example, a forward-looking executive seeks out information about the future, formulates hunches or intuitions about future developments and listens constantly for "faint signals" of these developments. A list like this can be used to assess how strong or weak a leader is in a particular area and to coach and develop her/him to a higher level.

"RELAX it's only uncertainty" points out eight factors that block a leader's ability to deal with an uncertain future. One is a preoccupation with the past that is known and familiar.

This book is a "wake up call" and guide for anyone concerned about the future of their organization. Organizations with leaders like the ones described here are much more likely to be successful. The others are heading toward tough times.

"Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting." -Karl Wallenda (1904-78)

Do you act intuitively and act decisively? In the world, everything is changing so fast that you can't always control your own destiny, let alone feel confident enough to lead others through seeming chaos. This book demonstrates how you can become at ease with change and how you can analyze your own strengths so you can deal with ambiguity.

Aspects Covered Include:

The real work of leadership

Damaging illusions from the twentieth century
Motivation by mysteries
Risk tolerance
Polishing your Personal radar

The 8 Enablers - find out which type
of enabler you are.

Mystery Seekers - I started to highlight a ton of this area and figured
I must be a mystery seeker.
Risk-Tolerators
Future-Scanners
Tenacious Challengers
Exciters
Flexible Adjusters
Simplifiers
Focusers

However, you might have qualities of a Restrainer/ There are 8 Restrainers. I'm more than likely part "Detail Junkie." These are negative and overplayed sides of enablers.

Do you have trouble with transitions?
Are you unmotivated by work?
Do you fear conflict?
Can you put all the pieces of the puzzle together. What are
the signs of a "muddy thinker."
How can you communicate more effectively.
Are you hooked on detail?
Do you focus on the here and now or do you see the future?
Do you long for the bygone days?

My favorite section was the Enabler Section on "Mystery Seekers." It is a section that explains how this type of enabler gets energy from not knowing. They might even appear strangely happy when things don't work out perfect the first time. When writing recipes, this was true, because then I could test the recipe again! Ha!

"Imagine that everything was attractive. Imagine that the more you didn't know, the more you wanted to know. Imagine that maybe wanting to know was too weak a description, there was a hunger to know what drove you from whatever eles you were doing and pushed you to continually make further inquiries about the things you didn't know. Imagine insatiable curiosity. You are a Mystery-Seeker." pg. 30

More than likely, the "risk tolerant" segment is highly relevant right now. These types are not hampered by insufficient or ambiguous data.

I think that the best way to use this book is to highlight your own qualities or areas you want to work on. I don't see why you can't be a bit of all 8 Enablers. It is like being a personality type with elements of each. I don't think anyone can be a specific type, but can be a combination and then certain aspects will be highlighted and more obvious.

Complex at first and I thought this would be over my head, but once I started to read it became much clearer to me. I think you will enjoy this book if you are a business leader or just want to analyze your own qualities.

In uncertainty, there is certainly room for change. ;>

~The Rebecca Review

Get this book and it's precursor, The Death of Christian Culture. Dr. Senior outlines the path we took in reaching our current low point and what needs to happen to begin our ascent again as a Christian society. Now available new from IHS Press.

ProMultis still showing it for $19.95 on their website, but he is charging much more for a like-new copy now.... Anyone know another place to get this?

...everything you need to know about restoring integrity and substance to bland, decadent post modern existence. John Senior's two books "The Death of..." and "The Resurrection of Christian Culture" might be summed up as "Peter Kreeft on steroids." By which I take nothing from the good Dr. Kreeft, but with Senior you get the medicine with very little sugar to help it down. Fierce, unapologetic Catholic thought, written in a style that feels very much like it might have come from the 1890 - 1930 period, but it was in fact written in the 60's and 70's, and is very current and cogent. Hard to find but very worth it, highly recommended, essential reading for those who think that there is something missing in modern culture. If you like Chesterton, get this while you can find a copy. Get two copies, and give one to a very good friend.

A practical blueprint for reforming one's life, family, and culture. A sample of Senior's wisdom:

"First, negatively, smash the television set. The Catholic Church is not opposed to violence; only to unjust violence; so smash the television set. And, positively, put the time and money you now spend on such entertainment into a piano so that music is restored to your home, common, ordinary Christian music, much of which is very simple to play."

Awesome book, this is. Regarding the price-gouging going on, for those of you looking to purchase this at a normal price, go online to ProMultis. They have it at its regular retail price!

Unlike most YA heroines, 16-year-old Trish Masters isn't really preoccupied with boys. She's in her junior year, and living a hectic life -- honors classes, PSATs, tennis team, and trying to spend some time with her two best friends, Janet and Rachael.

Then she crosses paths with Colin McNamera...essentially her complete opposite. Colin takes remedial classes, gets sent to detention nearly every afternoon, and takes pride in his slacker reputation.

But, after giving Colin a chance, Trish discovers that you can't always take things at face value. A traumatizing experience in Colin's childhood caused him to miss a year of school, and from that point, everything academic seemed to spiral downward. In reality, Colin is a voracious reader, who's memorized lengthy passages from Shakespearean plays. Yet despite his obvious intelligence, he seems unable to get past the expectations other people have set for him. And until he meets Trish, he doesn't even want to try.

Of course, being in high school means that everyone else thinks Colin's and Trish's personal business is also their own. Trish's reputation is on the line, as their classmates believe Colin is no good, and she must be a certain kind of girl in order to be with him.

Like most of Ellen Emerson White's novels, this story also takes place in Boston. Additionally, the Masters family is written with the author's usual careful blend of humor and irritable relationships, much like real life.

I found this book very funny. Ellen Emerson White has such a unique style of writting. Once when I was at the libary I saw a book called, "Life Whithout Friends" I desided I'd take out because I knoticed it before and didn't take it out because I all ready had alot of books. Now I've read every single book by her including this one and they all are wounderful.

This is a book that I found at an old library book sale, and it remains one of the best book for teens that I've ever read. I just re-discovered it in my room last night, and I re-read it. I would highly recommend this book, because so many of the issues in it are ones that we as a culture have to face still today, even with the 80's far behind us. I especially like how the book explores teen drinking, showing that it isn't necassarily a good idea, but also not taking a preachy approach to it. It's a feel good book without putting you in "sugar shock," as one reader aptly named it. You'll laugh out loud, you'll feel sorrow for Collin, and Ms. White will have you wishing for more after the last page.

Ellen Emerson White did a great job with the issues facing the teens of the 1980's and now. This book deals with closet intellectualism, teenage sex, and peer pressure in a very realistic, yet sensitive manner. Ms. White has walked the fine line between patronizing and entertaining for teenage readers, as well as between controversial and acceptable to parents, with style and grace. This novel is a triumph!

It should be noted that, although the novel deals with teenage sex, there is no sexual activity described in its pages. There is merely talk of previous experience (no details, just mention that it took place) in a rueful tone, as well as some implication of sexual tension. There is also brief mension of a past partner's "period."

This novel may well create an open forum between you and your child to discuss sex and its implications. Be prepared to answer questions.

When I was fourteen years old, I discovered this book tucked away in the corner of an old book store. Seven years later, the cover is crinked from frequent readings and it is one of the only books I have kept from my childhood. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It is touching, heart warming, romantic, and realistic. This book is defintely a keeper and one any reader would cherish forever.