Guides Books

Interesting, detailed story. Typical Kertzer. A must read for students of Italian, Church and/or Jewish history.

We are accustomed to viewing excellent documentaries on the TV and the big screen. It is nice to find a literary documentary just as enjoyable. The mid 19th century was an incredible time for change. Europe was adjusting to the post Napoleonic ideals of political and religious freedom. The United States was fighting against the secular immorality of slavery. Prussia was building a military machine to dominate Europe. Italy was struggling with a unification which would require shedding the medieval yoke of the Catholic Church. In the midst of these changes a 6 year old Jewish boy , Edgardo Mortara, is kidnapped within the Papal States under orders of the Inquisition. The charge is that the boy has been secretly baptized. The baptism cannot be undone and therefore the boy cannot continue to live with his Jewish parents. Governments from around the world protest the kidnapping and Pope Pius IX responds with traditional dogma. This is a wonderful researched narrative which brings together themes which will be of interest to Christians, Jews and any reader curious about the changing role of the Roman Catholic Church in this period of European history.

The excellent DVD, "Secret Files of the Inquisition", (available from Amazon and Netflix) dramatizes part of this story and includes commentary by the author, David Kertzer.

Simply one of the most insightful books I have ever read. Thank you Mr. Kertzer for illuminating this fascinating event in our history.

Douglas Wood has already summarized and evaluated this book, justly praising its historical worth. I'd like to add a note about its shock value; in a moment of history when anti-semitism seems to be a joke in some people's minds, surely this is a book that might make the pain and folly of bigotry "real" in terms of a single family, and therefore accessible to readers who can't empathize with mass tragedy.
It's also quite a thrilling book to read, by the way, a better detective story by far than Dan Brown could manufacture.

A Jewish family's illiterate Catholic housekeeper sprinkles well-water over an infant child and furtively mumbles the baptismal sacrament. When the Inquisitor learns of the deed, he orders the kidnapping of the then six-year-old Jewish boy. This foul deed is almost certainly sanctioned by the highest levels of the Catholic hierarchy. The police forcibly remove the child from his family's Bologna home and swiftly transport him to the Church's House of Catechumens in Rome for reeducation. Despite all protests from the boy's family and the Jewish community and in the face of a destabilizing international uproar, the Holy Father refuses to yield. By holy grace, the boy has been miraculously saved and the Church keeps him, inculcates him in the Catholic Christian religion, and assiduously converts the boy.

The boy kidnapped in the name of religion? Edgardo Mortara. The Holy Father in question? Pope Pius IX. The year? 1858. That's right 1858, not 1458, not 1658, but smack dab in the middle of 19th century Europe.

Historian David Kertzer tells the complete tale in his excellent work, `The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara.' As Kertzer relates in the epilogue he learned to his surprise that there was no reliable work on this topic. Kertzer sets out to remedy this gap and succeeds by examining the episode in fine detail. Using detailed court and police investigation records, Kertzer explores numerous evidentiary questions such as whether the baptism took place at all, whether the proper conditions for a valid lay baptism existed, who put the girl up to it, and how did the Inquisition find out about it?

The story is told against the background of the movement to unify Italy under secular rule. And here is yet another surprise for the uninitiated reader, including this one: until 1861 the Pope was still the temporal ruler of a wide swath of the Italian peninsula (this rule continued on a lesser scale to 1870). The treatment of young Edgardo was one of the factors that helped build support across Italy and internationally for the Risorgimento or Italian reunification.

The episode also hastened Pius IX's evolution, shall we say, to reactionary beliefs. Pius IX not only made papal infallibility part of Church dogma, but he also issued his infamous Syllabus of Errors in 1864, a broad attack on rationalism, science, and religious freedom - really a frontal assault on the Enlightenment and most other signs of progress in the previous three centuries. If Kertzer's book does nothing more than direct his reader's attention to this astonishing document, he has succeeded in the historian's task.

Kertzer examines the trial of the Inquisitor in detail and the formidable difficulties facing the prosecution. For example, what crime did the Inquisitor commit when his acts were legal at the time he committed them? Would the new government prove willing to violate the fundamental principle that the accused must have had notice of the illegality of his acts?

As for Edgardo, he remained with the Church fathers until he reached his majority and by then his conversion had firmly taken hold. He went on to become a famed proselytizer for Catholicism especially among the Jewish peoples. This role may help explain why this story has remained untold: it embarrassed Jews and Catholics alike.

Some readers may find the detail devoted to the investigations and trials to be excessive, but bear in mind that Kertzer is writing the seminal history of Edgardo's kidnapping. A fascinating tale full of surprises, very highly recommended.

I have just started to knit prayer shawls and a friend of mine told me about this book. It gives the history of prayer shawls plus so much more. I have a much deeper understanding when I am knitting one of these shawls.

This is an excellent resource. I recently started up a Prayer Shawl Ministry at my church. I've shared this book with the members. It's highly informative and full of more information than I anticipated.

This is a must have and must read for anyone who is interesting in being Blessed to be a Blessing. It is just the best.

I find that prayer is powerful no matter what. I have been knitting for years but I have never encountered this ministry before. I read the history behind this ministry and I was, needless to say, impressed and blessed. To think that all the craft items I have given away before this; I could have prayed for these people through these projects. Prayer does work in mysterious ways. A friend of mine borrowed this book before I had a chance to read it and she said that it was a humbling experience. Our church will be starting a similar ministry. A must read for anyone and everyone!

Because the title of this book says "Knitting", I had wondered how helpful it would be for a crocheter interested in shawl ministry. Based on other Amazon reviews, I took a chance and am glad I did so. While the authors are clearly knitters and write from that perspective, I could easily relate to the stories they told and to the ideas they shared on shawl ministry. This is not a pattern book (although it includes a basic knitted shawl pattern and a basic crocheted shawl pattern), but rather it is more of a spiritual book filled with stories, prayers and quotes from various faith traditions, as well as suggestions on how to do shawl ministry. Just reading the book gave me such a spiritual lift and provided me with inspiration for my shawl ministry.

I had seen the author speak at a seminar several years prior to purchasing this book (which is what prompted me to want to read it). The "lessons" to be learned from this book can be applied to every walk of life, every type of business leader, and most are useful in our normal day-to-day dealings with others. I have always appreciated the authors approach to balance in one's life, while maintaining a high level of motivation to success.

The manner in which the author seamlessly weaves stories from his, and a seemingly endless supply of contributors, days in the Corps into the 9 concepts that the book focuses on makes it very entertaining. I would imagine that those who have served (in any branch) could relate to this book very well. For those of us who have not, the accounts serve to maintain a level of interest that I have not been able to maintain in other books from this genre. Not once did I say to myself, "I need to finish this book and pay attention." I found myself wanting to read a bit longer every time I opened the book, which is a rare quality in Leadership books that I have read.

I would highly recommend reading this book. Also, if you ever have the chance to see the author speak, I would suggest that as well, as he is more captivating than the book. I have not had the opportunity to see him speak in over 5 years, but I still remember quite a bit of what he had to say. That is the mark of a quality teacher/motivator in my opinion.

What a great courageous effort to broaden the scope of how we best manage and lead people. It is not a question of either/or...but a question of both/and. Adamchik finds the sweet spot for the introduction of some powerful techniques into this culture

I have looked at a few of these books (Warfighting) on the Marine Corps. This one is very useful for all business people concerned with essential leadership. If you have been as lucky as I to work with good leaders, you will see these people in this book. If not, this a book of life lessons. He askes tough questions. "What is your training program? Your reading program? Your Commanders intent? Your rehearsal for success strategy? " In our practise where we often meet young breakthrough entrepreneurs this would be a very helpful book as new issues arise for them. The lessons are very useful at the small unit level, which are often the tough spots for start-ups. The writer has been in the Marines and business. He certainly makes a very strong case to hire ex-Marines. He also helps disprove the " Hollywood" marine story. Easy read and well laid out.

One of the best leadership books I have read, and I have read MANY. I always tell people I am a student of leadership. Since my time in the Corps (81-85), I have enjoyed the challenges and rewards of helping others to achieve their goals, feel good about themselves, and make things happen. NO YELLING hits so many familiar thoughts, it's spooky. It's a great piece of work. I have most pages dog-eared or marked-up in one fashion or another. The civilian and Marine examples are awesome.

Character, Empathy, Communication, Authenticity, Enthusiasm, Responsibility, & Love for Leadership!

Outstanding Marine!

As a former M-60 tanker myself, I found the introduction of this book on leadership strategy very interesting. The author relates how when conducting a tactical exercise in Japan with his M-60 tank platoon, a sudden snow storm and ice forced operations to temporarily shut down and the author told his platoon members to "do something productive." Shortly thereafter - in a standard feature of every new lieutenant's nightmare - the Battalion Commander came by and found that the troops had interpreted his order as to mean building snowmen in front of their tanks (pretty much the same thing happened to me with my tank platoon in Korea in winter, except we didn't get a high-level visit). As the author dryly notes, this example demonstrates the importance of clear communication in leadership. I normally stick to military history per se, but I found that this book - which has received unfair criticism from folks who want to focus on the cover design instead of what is on the pages in between - has a gripping, common sense use of military examples of leadership that are worthy of study for those who wish to understand what leadership is all about.

No Yelling consists of nine chapters, each of which discuss and provide examples of a key leadership trait, such as integrity, technical competence and taking care of your people. I remember these subjects being treated at length in ROTC classes at Notre Dame - where incidentally, the author also studied them - but they stick with you for life. Now that I am in the corporate world, like many a retired officer, I found it deplorable that so many civilian "leaders" fail to demonstrate many of these traits. This book is an attempt to clarify, the "right way" from the "wrong way" when it comes to leading people and accomplishing a mission. In each chapter, the author provides a "Marine Example" and a "Civilian Example," then draws conclusions from each - sort of a `lessons learned.' This is a simple, but effective book that provides much grist for discussion and lessons on leadership. While certainly not definitive - the US Army has a bit different take on leadership than the Marines, or the Navy or Air Force - the author does a wonderful job laying out the core traits that do go into making effective leaders and they are worthy of study. However, perhaps I am a bit jaundiced in my view of the corporate world (which ultimately is about the "icy, cold waters of statistical calculation" for profit - not leadership - as one of my professors at Notre Dame used to say), but a book like this may actually be more useful for young people just embarking upon a military or professional civilian career, rather than those already with their `feet wet.' An entertaining read.

This well written and organized book walks you through the step by step process of setting up a home based book business. The author thoroughly covers all of the important categories:
1. Which books to buy or avoid
2. How to set book pricing
3. Creating a system for shipping and fulfillment
4. How to get listed on Amazon.com
5. How to set up the legal end of a home business

With the current state of the economy, this book will bring value to those looking for a full-time operation as well as those looking to earn a supplemental income. Very detailed and comprehensive, Online Bookselling covers all the bases.

Stacie Vander Pol, author of "Top Self Publishing Firms"

This is an overall good book to own filled with practical advice about how to run an on line book store. Very indepth, sometimes too much so, like the bit about how to package a book for shipping, but you also do not get that level of detail in anyone elses book either. This is one of the quartet of books you should get when you decide you want to open up your own on line book store.

There are a lot of things sellers need to know and lots of support for this need for knowledge in the book from customer service, what to pay for books, how to grade and price books, as well as tons of other great information that you will need.

Overall 5 of 5 books, enjoyed reading this and learning how to apply the well thought out advice presented in this book.

Michael Mould deserves serious kudos from the world of used booksellers. This book is extremely thorough and gives fantastic nuts and bolts advice. Mike is both rational and encouraging--he avoids the hype of "start-ups" which allows his book to be genuine and open-minded. His "day in the life" anticipates the "basic" questions and his lists of services and weblinks are very helpful. I also highly recommend buying copies that come with the CD "Bookkeeping for Booksellers". That Mike shares all the work he has done is generosity on a karmic scale. Not only is the book helpful, but Mike has created and inspired a large and collaborative community of booksellers through his work. Thanks, Mike, for pointing the way.

Michael Mould covers every detail for those who are interested in online bookselling (as a hobby or a business). I keep this book on my desk and refer to it frequently. Personally, I found the photographs on packaging and shipping to be very interesting (and vital, considering some of his own USPS experiences and insights). He even provides an informative "A Day in the Business" section detailing his own daily bookselling procedures. Very helpful. I have yet to see another bookselling guide to offer such detailed information or step-by-step illustration.

I probably purchased every book on selling books online. The book by Michael E. Mould, if purchased first, would have saved me a lot of money and frustration. He has answered every question I could have asked about selling books online in a concise easy to understand format. I have used many of his suggestions from scheduling my time to pricing and grading my inventory and much more in-between. His impressions of where to sell my books was useful since I was already signed up with Amazon but had not begun to sell anything. He gave me the confidence to know I had made the right decision in choosing Amazon. His knowledge of the proper tools and procedures for saving me from wasting a lot of time has been very helpful.
I am a senior citizen and the less I have to handle the inventory the better. That's one of the best suggestions I took away from the book. Thank you, Mr. Mould
Ila J.

Nice book for the history buff or old car collector. Purchased as a gift exchange item for our car club Christmas party. Great price compared to the book store.

I travelled the Mother Road in September 1960 in a 1956 Ford from Chicago to LA. The book refreshed many memories of this trip. I was quite happy to go through the pages and I will continue to do so.

I have really enjoyed this book, Route 66: The Mother Road..." It is very interesting and full of information that you probably have never known before. Also pictures of people along the way. I am not a collector of Route 66 things but we needed something for a Painting Reception and this fit in with our theme. I ordererd it and I'm so glad I did. I am planning to read it from cover to cover when our Show is over. The book was sent on time and packaged very well. All-in-all it was an excellent experience.

As a child my family traveled between Tucson and NW Missouri over a number of years to visit relatives. I vividly remember neon signs, interesting signs, gas stations and diners along the way. This book made those memories come alive. The author brings in the history behind place names and the stories of the colorful and interesting people who created the various attractions along Route 66. I don't know when I have enjoyed reading a book more than this one. Michael Wallis, thank you.

Everything you would like to know about Route 66. This book and it's author served as the main source of infromation & inspiration for the Disney/Pixar classic animated movie "Cars". A must have for the motoring history buff.

This book is very usefull even for forign bird watcher as my self, it contents almost every family that exist in south america with mthe exception of pinguins.
Very nice writen.

Like all the Sibley books, this is comprehensive and well-written. A necessary and welcomed addition to any birder's library.

Have not found this book to be interesting. It jumps around and covers many birds at once. You have to spend time looking to find a bird and then it is not comprehensive enough. Would not buy this book again. Disappointing as I do use his bird guide.

This is a useful book about bird behavior written by a true expert. It's a bit like a textbook the way it approaches broad topics and discusses various aspects.

Like any textbook, I suppose, if you go into this book with a specific question and hope for a specific answer, you may not find it. However, if you were trying to write a school report or something you would certainly find lots of useful tidbits of information in the general area of your topic.

I'd say that rather than thinking of this as a reference book, you should think of it as background reading, to be taken in small doses, for the above-and-beyond birding enthusiast.

I'm not a birder, though it seems like an interesting hobby. But I just look at the birds at the feeders and birdbath in the back yard and think, "I wonder what that one is?" So, I bought "The Sibley Guide to Birds" (which is outstanding) on the recommendation of a birder friend, and that led me to this book.

On the one hand, it's a long, dense, scientific work. The years of effort and study that went into it is astounding.

On the other hand, it's an extremely entertaining set of answers to all of those "Why do they do that?" questions that come up when you're watching birds. For example, why do bird knees seem to bend backward? Well, they don't; the knee is close to the bird's body, and what seems to be a backward knee is actually the bird's ankle. The birds are in effect walking around on their tip toes.

If hundreds of pages of information like that, coupled with beautiful illustrations and great maps, all wrapped in an easy-to-use organizational scheme sounds interesting and useful, then get this book.

For a non-birder like me, it's probably more information than I really need, but I found it fascinating.

At first the authors' sef-help suggestions seem almost too simple to be effective; akin to Nancy Reagan's, "just say no...". But as I continued reading I began to see their point with greater clarity, and finally had to agree with them: I am a person of value who is loved and can love others. Neither they nor I need to try to measure up to any unrealistic expectations in order to be acceptable and to enjoy life.
The book is based on the core teaching of the Bible: even though we are hopelessly messed up from day one, God loves us, forgives us, and gives us the ability to become what we are meant to be. Because of this, no matter how full of resentment, emptinesss and hate we are, we can change and enjoy inner peace, free of guilt and self-condemnation.
I was surprised at how, in some of the case studies, the authors seemed to minimize people's anguish, telling them what they were experiencing was, "...not so terrible...". But eventually it began to make sense. It's a matter of getting a better perspective; correcting the negative 'can't see the forest for the trees' view so many of us don't even realize we have.
I recommend this book to anyone who really does want to get past the "gotta play the bad hand life has dealt me" mentality. Too many people have overcome horrible circumstances; the rest of us need to know that we can as well. This book helps us see how.

This is an essential book for anyone who struggles with depression and they don't know why! I have learned so much from this book, and I recommend it to everyone.

The book is excellent. Im' reading it for the second time which I rarely ever do with books. The dissatifation I have is the 1st week I had it the book started to come apart. Books are not made as good as they use to.

This is a wonderful book written by Christian couselors. It teaches a person to re-train their thinking to overcome depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, etc. A lot of people, especially when very young, are given wrong messages about being a bad person or a failure, etc, and it carries through adulthood causing shyness, low self-esteem, etc. This book tells you that those wrong messages are lies and are not the truth. In lots of cases, we have more capacity than we think we do, and we deserve more credit than we give ourselves.

This is a really awesome book, using Christian backing.

After reading this book, I've since given away my copy and bought it twice. It's based on a simple concept: eliminate negative self talk by recognizing it, arguing with it, and replacing it with the truth. Anyone who has ever been discouraged, experienced doubt, or been angry at themselves will learn from this book.

Susan Polgar's book intrigued me from the start as it focused rather like her father's book on prolems and working to figure out what your first move. The only drawback is that it is heavily influenced towards the White pieces. Overall, though, Polgar's book really helps you develop an idea of playing 'for the future and not just for the now' (i.e. you need to play smarter and not just better).

The idea is also to develop the ideas about looking 2-3-4 moves ahead and that will benefit all players enormously!

This book is perfect, with lots of excercises and lots of important tactics discussed and overviewed. An exceptional piece of work!!!

This is another excellent book by Susan Polgar. Her first book is similar to this one, but with the major difference being the difficulty of the chess puzzles. The first book was elementary compared to this one. This book really tested my skills and eyes for the correct move. It basically deals with developing the art of seeing the tactic or creating the winning move with little instruction. The chess puzzles help the speed player. This book is great practice in using the art of tactics. It has helped my play by supporting wins over a high 1400, 1500, 1600 this week. An excellent book for the intermediate player.

This book has a perfect combination of variety and quantity. Problems are broken down by type. Each type is introduced and explained step by step, then 50 or 100 practice problems of that type are provided for drill. The solutions are at the back of each section. There are separate sections for Mates in 1, 2, 3, and even 4 moves, as well as pins, discoveries, double attacks, etc... I have her father's massive collection of mate problems. This book is less overwhelming and will be approachable to a wider audience.

This is an incredible chess book!!! You want to improve your chess?? Read this book and solve the puzzles, but solve them seriously! Dont look for the answer at the end of the chapter, some of them are not easy, but keep practicing, every day solve some puzzles, you will not notice your improvement while you are reading but after some chapters if you play against your friends again, you will see it and they too!! In less than two months practicing you will see results!!

This book start from easy problems, you will solve them easily, next chapter you will think "Oh c'mon give something better than this!!", but after a few chapters you will be playing much better and solving puzzles that never before you could solve... in just seconds!!.

I play against my computer and also online in yahoo chess, my rating usually is around 1400 to 1500, and never more than that. This night I just beat a 1600 guy!. He couldnt see what I could!! Even I offer him a queen sacrifice!! (unfortunally he didnt take it because it was mate, but he lost a knight instead!:)

Amazing book!! Thanks Susan!! I will buy all the Polgar family books!!!
Here are some of them:
A World Champion's Guide to Chess: Step-by-step instructions for winning chess the Polgar way (Chess) and
Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games

Some Advices from just a (still) regular player:
1. When you find a puzzle that you cant solve after 15/20 minutes thinking, just leave it and go to the next one, dont look for the answer!. Later, next day or next week try again and you will find the right move for sure!
2. May be I shouldnt say this, but just in case... dont be tricky with yourself! Make the moves in your mind, do NOT touch the pieces until you find the moves just thinking. If you dont do this, the excercise will be useless for you and a waste of time because you will not improve your game doing this.

Excellent advice on how to write, what to write, and where to send it once you've finished it. A realistic look at the romance industry.

I have pretty much every book on romance writing I can get my hand on, and while there's certainly a lot of overlap among them, this is definetly the best.

While all of the books have helpful information on the romance industry, this one really stands above the rest. It's wonderfuly organized - it's the one I turn to first when I need to find something quickly. It's also well written - the information doesn't differ a whole lot from the other books, but this is by far the most fun to read. I've also found that the suggestions are truly helpful. The hints/suggestions sound really basic, but have made the writing process MUCH easier (I'm a beginner).

Most of the books in this genre have something new to offer, but if you're only going to buy one, this is definetly your best option.

This was the first book that I had ever read by Julie Beard. After reading her thoughts and ideas, I'm sure that it won't be the last. The book was intresting and to the point. Her ideas were well organized and thought out. A two year old could understand and utilize the information. At points there was humor and it felt as though you were talking to an old friend. Julie Beard has a new fan in me. Even if I find that I'm not intrested in her romance novels, when I am asked who is my favorite author, my answer will undoubtably be Julie Beard. The help and confidence that she offered me in this book were well worth the price. I'm not sure that I'll ever be an author, but if I fail it won't be due to anything that was lacking in her book. If I were given the opportunity I would send her a personal thank you. My out look and my life were changed in a couple of hours.

Having read hundreds, maybe even thousands of historical romances over the last 20 years, I always dreamed of one day writing my own novel. This book is an extremely helpful tool for anyone that dreams of one day becoming a bestselling author. Julie Beard shares information about the industry and the various tricks to getting published. For those aspiring historical romance writers bogged down by the research process, Beard also gives insight to resources with which to build your historical framework.

This book is a great read. It's funny and inspiring. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to break into the romance industry.

If you are truly serious about becoming a successful romance writer then you MUST have this book. I've read TONS of books on writing, not only romance but fiction and non-fiction as well. None of them were as user friendly and focused on how-to info as this book. Most other books quickly brush over the how-to. This book actually shows you step by step what to do from choosing the type of romance to write, structuring your book, synopsizing each major part in 4 paragraphs to getting published!! This puts other writing books to shame and it makes me feel like I've wasted so many years with the others when I could have had this gem the entire time.

If you want to write romance and you want to get started on the right foot then you MUST HAVE THIS BOOK. No exceptions. And if you are trying to decide between this book and another (or several others), get this one! The others can't hold a match to this one. Not by a long shot.

I like the thoroughness of this devotional it really gives you the meal you crave when you seek to know gods word and develop a deeper understanding of his word.

This is an excellent book. Our Life Group of 12 people are going through the Bible in a year using this Bible. We are all enjoying reading it and discussing it. Thank you.

It is an awesome way to read the bible entirely through. My problem is you do not have any in stock and the backorder will not be available until the end of September. Everywhere I have checked does not have any available so it must be a good bible.

My husband has this same bible in a different version and purchased the NIV for me. Now I know why he loves it so much! It explains to you what you're going to read in big-picture views, then gives a devotional on how to relate it to your life, then gives you insight into one thing, then has a couple chapters to read. I was afraid it would be too much to read in one day but it's very easy to read and especially helpful with the big picture and devotional at the beginning -- really makes it more understandable. I had read the two-year bible which had you read a little old testament, a little new testament, a little psalms and proverbs each day. I found myself confused following so many different story lines. This one goes through the bible front to back which is much easier to follow. I highly recommend it.

I was given this book as a Christmas gift back in 1987. Somewhere down the line I lost it while traveling. I have been trying for years to obtain another copy and finally, because of Amazon, I have. This book is what really got me diligently studying the bible and sparked my growth in my walk with Christ. I like the structure of the book and the small commentaries before each day's lesson. The publisher should really consider publishing this book again.

Since I was given this book I have brought several one year bibles for people, they are great gifts. The value of such a gift is beyond measure.