Western Books

This book is an update to what the late Dr. John Walvoord originally wrote. The timing for this book could not have been more perfect. This book is very easy to read without getting too academic. It gives a lot of information and is easy to understand even for the average reader. Buy this book!

It is a wonderful book with extensive Biblical support for the ideas presented. It helps clearify many questions that christians ask (or should ask) themselves about the end times, what the Bible teaches about it and how christians should respond to the events they witness each day on the news. Highly recommended book.

Upon reading Armageddon, Oil, and Terror, I will say that this book is an easy read. This is the first Biblical Prophecy book which I have read, and I was impressed by the simplicity of the subject matter. The only criticism I have is that the book is quite repetitive, introducing the same common theme of America's oil addiction over and over again. While this warrants frequent attention, I feel it was a little overdone. However, despite this, I would recommed this book to anyone. I have to say that I learned a lot from reading this book.

"God wants us to grow in Knowledge..." We may not be financially rich, but we are definitely blessed with knowledge... I am so grateful to God for giving me the opportunities in reading books like these. They are priceless.

This book will change anyone's lives, as it changed mine. Before, I simply thought all are just merely coincidences. Until God intervened and made me realize things... One of His ways is letting me read these kind of books. I have read a lot of books and watched a lot of documentaries but this is ONE OF THE BEST. It is simple to read and practical. It reads like the Current Headlines. This is one of the books out there that is very easy to understand. Everything is excellent in this book(15 STARS!!). I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I know God has a purpose why He let me read this book.

I already gave copies to my loved ones and I ordered more as gifts.

Pls. buy this book. Together, let's spread the good news that our salvation is indeed at hand. Doing research and spreading the good news are some of the ways to Glorify God. TIME IS RUNNING SHORT, and God wants to save many lives. It's an honor to become one of God's instrument in saving souls. I already started sharing my blessing of Knowledge. Thanks God a lot of people do listen. Indeed, God is giving all of us a lot of chances to believe in Jesus' sacrifice.

As the book clearly supports, "THE RAPTURE OF THE BELIEVERS OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE NEXT PROPHETIC EVENT, AND IT WILL HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON." Just read the headlines... Increasing Crime Rate, Drugs, Gang activities, Global Warming, Natural Disasters, Nuclear weapons , Oil blackmails, Political Conspiracies, Pornography, Terrorism, etc. All of these are predicted in the Holy Bible, which was even written thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ!! Logic would tell us it's not just a simple coincidence. "THE FINAL STAGE IS SET FOR THE END TIMES." It could happen anytime soon. Besides, the Holy Bible is proven to be 100% accurate throughout all time. It never missed any of the 500+ prophecies that have been fulfilled. And it has been fulfilled LITERALLY!!

History is HIS STORY. God's story. Remember, God gave us free will. He is not bound by Time; therefore, He can see the future. God is doing everything to save our souls because He loves us so much.

Ever wondered why the Holy Bible is one of the only books that has been banned for public education? Because it is the TRUTH!!

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE
GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS
CHRIST, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM
SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL
LIFE......." John 3:16

For those who wants to have a more solid foundation, watch this excellent documentary. Apocalypse and the End Times

An excellent book that dwells about ALMOST EVERYTHING. Mysteries of the Universe: A Revolutionary Commentary on UFOs, Aliens, Angels, Pyramids, Bible Codes, Reincarnation, the Antichrist...

Will you be alive during the time that Dr. John F. Walvoord describes as The Decline and Fall of America?

In his 1974 publication, ARMAGEDDON, OIL AND THE MIDDLE EAST, Dr. Walvoord predicted that a worldwide shortage of oil will precipitate the initial scenario leading to biblical Armageddon. In 2007, Dr. Walvoord's son, John E. Walvoord, and co-author Mark Hitchcock revised, updated, and renamed the book ARMAGEDDON, OIL AND TERROR. Although senior Dr. Walvoord died in December of 2002, the revisers used additional material "...drawn from his other works and conversations during the last two years of his life."

The new book proposes that twelve, biblically predicted, major "events" will occur in a possibly-soon-to-come sequence leading to Armageddon. Reading about Event #1, the world's desperate struggle for oil, may open your eyes to the shocking possibility that life as we know it in the United States may dramatically change to that of a third-world country. The last of these twelve events will be followed immediately by the return of Christ to the earth.

As do most conservative, evangelical Bible scholars, Dr. Walvoord bases his teaching of prophecy upon a literal (grammatical-historical) interpretation of Bible Scriptures. This view leaves room for the interpretation of some words and phrases as being symbolic or figurative, but it insists the Bible means what it says unless allegorical meanings are obviously intended. (The "Beast," for example, symbolizes the Antichrist, but "one thousand years" means one thousand years.)

This very readable book is as timely and current as your daily newspaper. Whatever your view of prophecy, read this book now! It may change your life.

Edwin Scroggins is author of Bible Prophecy in a Nutshell: A Mini-Survey of God's Great Plan of the Ages

My initial reason for ordering this book was to learn more about mediation. From front to back, it was like a blossoming lotus. Not only did I learn about meditation, I learned that it is a staple of the Buddhist Faith and why it is just that. The concept of cleansing ones mind sounds like a good intention that actually unfolds into a replenishing and rebirth of our mind and body. It is a message of hope and love with instructions.
Meditation is not just merely sitting on a pillow and chanting, it is a skill that is learned and brought forward to our thinking and speaking. She so eloquently words this process of how it flows into our daily lives as mindfulness of everything around us. We so often look at a landfill of details that really are of no consequence to the quality of our lives whatsoever. We can learn to be the inertia of wholesomeness and peace that will automatically radiate to all living things around us with skill!!
I would recommend this book to the most enlightened of people, to those in a recovery process, and also to those who are balancing life in and out of a mental (depressive)condition. Seriously, I believe not only what she was teaching, but how she taught it could actually alleviate the need for all of these medication that are being prescribed because of our run-away, chaotic world and in turn our seemingly unmanageable, stressful lives.
I DO not like the term "New Age" here. The teachings of Buddha are anything but.

I used to always recommend Walpola Rahula's "What the Buddha Taught" as the best first read for someone looking to get started with Buddhism but now I think I'd recommend this instead. Rahula's book seems better for those with just an intellectual interest in Buddhism, but this book seems better for those who are ready to start changing their life. An absolute gem.

A book that transcends the page and leaves the reader with insight long after putting it down. It is written in a style that is easy for Western Bhuddist readers to comprehend. Well worth the time and money to read.

Ayya Khema's book is a summary of lessons at a Bhuddist retreat in Sri Lanka, but it reads like an overview of the most important Bhuddist teachings in one volume.

I've read many books about meditation, but for me this is the best. I highly recommend it for both beginning and experienced meditators.

There are thousands of books out there for people interested in Buddhism, but few of them get to the core of what it's all about and why it's so important to practice, practice, practice. This is undoubtedly the best. Just the first chapter alone is perhaps the best summary I've ever read of what Buddhism really is.

Being a huge Big & Rich fan I had to get this book. When I got the book it was even better then I could have expected. There are detailed biographies on the entire Muzik Mafia as well as candid and personal photos that have never been seen before. This is a great way to get connected even deeper to a great band. Also I think that even if you aren't a fan you will enjoy this book and possibly become a fan.

very good good reading about the two singers, not sure why they added the dvd with just clips , they should have had earlyer music of them, but the book was really good

I expected this book to be just a chronology of what I already knew about this duo - and I was pleasantly surprised that there was much I didn't know. Their diverse personalities and backgrounds certainly come out and makes the beautiful blend they do in music even that much better. I was unaware that the book existed until I opened the newest CD which was also great, and have really enjoyed reading it. Great pictures, not ones I had just seen over and over on websites. It was interesting to "meek" those who supported the union, those in the background and others in the Musik Mafia. Gread read!!

Tells a great story about how Kenny Alphin and John Rich became Big and Rich. Not only does the book tell about Kenny and John, it also talks about other members of the Muzik Mafia. Even if you are not a fan it's a great book and it makes you feel real good inside. As a fan of Big and Rich I knew I would not be disappointed and if you are a fan neither will you. Besides the great story the pictures are really awesome from younger photos to candid shots with their families. And who can resist Kenny's son Lincoln...cute as can be!!! A must have for all fans of Big and Rich be huge fans or passer by fans.

I just love this book, and it's not just all about the great pictures (which there are many of, including some exclusive private ones), but it's the stories behind the pictures, told by Big Kenny and John Rich from their hearts.

I feel like a very uneducated fan, having never had the experience of seeing them on stage. My only dealings with Big & Rich have been through their CDs, videos and TV appearances and from my fellow Mafia Soldiers. This book really gives you alot of insight into who these guys really are and how they got to this point in their lives.

You really have to read it to understand it. And I hope, in say, 10 years, there is another book to share the next decade of their lives with us as they get even bigger and better.

Blackbelly is a novel of unexpected depth from an author who understands how to tell a morality story without beating a dead horse--or sheep, in this case. Heather Sharfeddin's prose is straightforward, non-judgmental and honest from first word to last. And her characters, Chas McPherson, the proud loner who wants to do right by his dying father, and Mattie Holden, an unassuming nurse looking for a chance to start fresh, ring as true as any I've encountered--on or off the page--in recent memory. Blackbelly is a story of loneliness, repressed needs, and bigotry in a small town. Sprinkled with a hint of the supernatural, a few bible quotes and a layer of underlying tension, it resonates like a clanging cow bell. We haven't heard the last from this outstanding wordsmith. Salmon Run

I read Sharfeddin's book between Hemingway and Terry Kay. She more than held her own against these two great writers. From the first chapters I was drawn in and felt like I was a part of the story. I was impressed with Sharfeddin's ability to capture the lead male character so well. How did she get into the mind of a male so well? Maybe I don't want an answer.
This is an enjoyable book that reaches deep to capture emotions we all face but often hide from. Through this book we can learn a little more about ourselves, our society, and others. I recommend this novel.

I know Heather Sharfeddin personally. I raise Blackbelly Sheep. I grew up in rural Idaho just a few miles from where Heather grew up. With all that being said, I loved this book. I read it in one day just days after it was released. I didn't want it to end. I still think of the characters and wonder how they are and what they are doing. As I was reading the first few pages, I kept thinking how amazing it was that Heather was the writer and that I knew her. It was not long before she took me away from that and led me into the lives of her characters. I am buying this book for almost everyone on my Christmas list. One of the best reads ever--and I read a lot!!

Have you ever hit a dry spell with the books you read? When everything you pick up is missing that special something that hooks you in and holds you until the last word?
I was in just such a dry spell when I picked this book up after having seen in reviewed in the Idaho Statesman. I am so glad I did!
I will wait as patiently as possible for this author to write another novel.

This book is a real page turner that is masterfully written. I am eagerly awaiting a second novel from this author.

This was a great book and I loved the dialogue. I am not particularly fond of love stories but this is a cute love story. It is one of those books that makes you feel good and smile when you are done reading it. That Neola was a trip.

Cousins is raw, real and original! The dialect is flavorful. The characters are emotional. The passion is sensational! Fantastic writing.

This book is absolutely wonderful! It reads well and the dialogue is genuine. I couldn't put it down. I laughed, cried and laughed some more.

Cousins has a down home, hot and spicy, misty rain, warm slow dripping home made molasses, dip me in it with a fresh hand made buttermilk biscuit kind of flava.

All I can say is that I want to live in Sweet Water, North Carolina. If this place is not real, it should be. If the characters aren't real, they need to be.

Every page is gripping! Every love scene is inviting! Every plate of food is digestable! This author has an imagination that's out of this world! Her talent is unshakable!

Cousins is absolutely the best book I've read all year. The author keeps you captivated. The characters have such strong personalities you actually feel as if they are still with you when you put the book down. I didn't want to put it down until I finished. I would love to see this book in a movie! Excellent writing!

When I first saw the sourcebooks for this game, I thought the playing-card based system would be too complicated. Once the Marshal and the Players have all the rules for combat down, the system goes down like a bottle of The Good Stuff, smooth and quick. The storyline is very imaginative and interesting, it makes it easy to keep your players captivated for many, many sessions and keep them coming back for more.

First, the setting:

The year is 1876, and the American Civil War is still going on. Why? Because on July 4th 1863, a group of Indians crossed over into the spirit world and opened the door for hostile being to move from thier world to ours. Our fear is their currency and they are on a spending spree. California fell into the ocean, revealing deposits of something called Ghost-rock. It burns practically forever (imagine that as a power source), but wails like a banshee as it does. With the renwed power of the Indian tribes and the loss of California, the USA and CSA are at a standoff against each other. meanwhile, the released spirits are wreaking havoc and the deaD RISE AGAIN. Some of these things you can't shoot; that's where it helps to know how to handle the cards. That is, you can cast magic with a deck of cards if you know the right moves. Sometimes having religion will give you some supernatural tricks to pull too. As a setting, DEADLANDS is just incredible and has a lot of fascinating stuff going on.

The mechanics: As an old AD&D player and then a Cthulhu player, I had trouble understanding the mechanics. After having looked at a White Wolf product for the first time, I now understand that the mechanics of DEADLANDS are the World of Darkness dice pool with some proto-D20 aspects and a card-playing gimmick attached.

I think the basic concept is that you have a dice pool based on either your skill OR your attribute. However, the die-type ranges from d4 to d12. Your attribute is determined by a card draw; the value of the card determines the die type and the suit determines your pool size. If you get an "ace" (best number on a die), you roll again and ADD the rolled to the base. Your best value counts in a dicecheck against a target number chosen by the GM (this sufficiently reminds me of a DC that I'm interested in the d20 version as well).You have wound levels that track your health and you use experience to buy up your dice pool. You have merits and flaws and taking more flaws gives points to start your character with. Sound familiar?

The card playing motif returns for initiative (you draw cards for actions in a turn and follow order) and magic (the strength of your effect dpends on the poker hand that you draw). You also get fate chips, which allow you to add dice to your dice pool. There are also some color plates that show an archetypical character; this was a big help in figuring out character creation goes.

Content: A lot of the book is spent on mechanics (about third). ANother third is 1-2 page descriptions of character "classes", including being undead. Unfortunately, these are very short with minimal information on anything (obviously, you should buy all the splatbooks). My big beef is the huckster (spellcaster). For the hex to work, there is a minimum poker hand that must be drawn. Usually this is 1 pair or higher. Frankly, it's not that easy to get a pair without extra cards. I believe that the power level was raised in future splats, but the huckster seemed somewhat ineffective of a character.

The last third is for the GM only and tells of the ssecrets of Deadlands. Overall, a good section.

So to summarize, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good: very innovative concept, looks fun to play, great atmosphere. I like the fate chips (although I would make them more powerful; white rerolls one die, red choose a value for 1 die, blue allows a change of reality that is small, like the villain's holster is still buttoned or the character remembered to bring his pocketknofe after all).

The Bad: many aspects not well explained; more samples of rolling dice for different situations needed. Hucksters' magic seems ineffective

The ugly: EVERYTHING requires buying another splat, and the book is so vague, and the metaplot requires keeping up with the releases. Wait, who published this again?

Anyway, DEADLANDS was a fun read and looks exciting to play. If you are just starting, the d20 version might be more natural to the game but this version has many fun aspect, like drawing cards for attributes.

After reading Deadlands, I just thought I had to share this with my players. Now, when I happen to say 'I may marshall a Deadlands next week', I just happen to have too many players.

It is the first time a Western Game has been good. And it will be hard to ever do better.

The French tinhorn with a Great name

A great game with a great history and a great and annovative character creation system. The combat system is quick to learn and drastically more deadly than your beginner RPGs like AD&D. I've never had one problem with this game or any of the sourcebooks.

This system is a must for roleplayers who have either become jaded with their existing system or just want to try something new. It provides a comprehensive story-line and time-line and gives the characters a whole new lease on development. The lay-out the book is easily read-able and engaging and provides the reader with an understanding of just how much is left to the players and Marshal. When I bought this book, I just had to show it to my roleplayign buddies, and they now are totally hook as I am sure you will be. If you wish to know more contact me or the Deadlands list serve. Marshal Psycho.

Crowley's "Equinox" is widely regarded as the seminal modern treatise on magic, or "Magick" as Crowley preferred to call it (to distinguish it from stage magic). His innovative spelling may have also been motivated by the more favorable numerological signification resulting from addition of the "k." By the way, Crowley's preferred pronunciation of his name rhymed with "holy" (and "wholely") not "how-ly."

The original Equinos was more of a "magazine" of occultism than a normal "book" like Crowley's "Magick in Theory and Practice," and the original Equinox, from which this compilation is derived, was published twice a year for about five years to coincide with the solar equinox. Crowley actually got through ten issues despite money problems and World War I paper shortages (the one volume of the original set that I have has a "pasteboard" cover and a note that it complies with WWI rationing requirements) before it went into abeyance (which Crowley justified as a cycle of speech followed by a cycle of silence). Later publications given the "Equinox" designation (like the book of Thoth) were regular books and not the mixed bag of "magazine" articles that made up the original Equinox series.

Although merely a "magazine," Crowley used the original Equinox to print the Golden Dawn materials he had received as a member of that group well before Regardie stunned the occult world with the publication of his chapter's materials in the 1930's, and thus the Equinox remained the sole public (or semi-public) source of those rituals until Regardie published his own private papers in his famous "Golden Dawn" volume in the 1930's. Crowley's original Equinox went out of print for about 80 years until the Samuel Weiser publishing house undertook the enormous and expensive task (really a labor of love) to reprint it, and that set has itself gone out of print and commands very high prices when available.

It fell upon Regardie to undertake another labor of love and digest down the best parts of the original Equinox into this "Gems from the Equinox." Although some occult writers quibbled over some of his omissions (and the OTO, inheritor of Crowley's literary estate, issued "Holy Books of Thelema" as a result), most of us feel Regardie did his usual brilliant job of selection. So consider "Gems from the Equinox" as the best Reader's Digest version of a great work you are ever going to see.

IMHO, if you just stumbled on this book and these reviews by accident, an essential budding modern magician's library could easily be built around this one volume of excerpts, plus Regardie's "Golden Dawn," plus Regardie's "Tree of Life," plus Crowley's "Magick in Theory and Practice" since reprinted, with excellent annotations, by the OTO as "Magick: Liber ABA: Book IV." (The Tree of Life, btw, includes a fairly innocuous chapter spelling out the OTO's famous "secret" concerning amrita.) Of those three, the Tree of Life is the most essential reading. "Golden Dawn" has some very useful, true to their source, original "knowledge lectures" and concise occult basics, but is really a manual for group working. "Gems" is highly inspirational, but somewhat in the same category as "Finnegan's Wake" in terms of accessibility to the casual reader. Only "Tree of Life" is immediately useful for the solo practioner. Crowley's seminal work "Magick" is essential as you grow, and his "Thoth Tarot" is sublime.

Finally, much is made of Crowley's self-designation as the "Great Beast," i.e. that creature from hell in the Book of Revelations, but it would do well to keep in mind that the English of his time tended to refer to any bad behavior on the part of children as "beastly" and the perpetrator a "right little beast," so I think Crowley was having the ultimate word play on his readers by taking this English pejorative and mixing it up with his cosmology while thumbing his nose at the Puritan establishment he grew up with. A man as beastly as the press portrayed would not have counted among his friends and supporters the large number of upper class English men and women that he did.

BTW I agree with the other reviewer that the original facsimile reprint of "Magick in Theory and Practice" makes a much better (smaller, lighter) travel companion that the bulky annotated edition mentioned above, but be aware that there are some typos and other errors in the original edition that the OTO corrected in their annotated edition.

Aleister Crowley devoted several years to blending the Aim of Religion with the Method of Science, publishing his findings in a ten-volume series Equinox from 1909-13. While his complete production is rarely available, this thick one-volume GEMS FROM THE EQUINOX gathers some of the most important writings from the set, reproducing them for new age collections serious about Crowley's writings. Regardie, Crowley's one-time secretary and biographer, provides an authentic and serious tone to over a thousand pages of writings perfect for beginners as well as advanced Crowley students and any student of Golden Dawn or Occultism.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Hail Brothers and Sisters!

Thank you for taking the time to read my review.

There really is no phraseolgy I can use to adequately tell you how highly I think of Aleister Crowley and what he has done for me and all those who I care about. YOU.

My GOD. My GOD. My GOD! Nothing can be said enough for a hard copy confirmation of your deepest intuitions. This book and the book "YOU ARE GOD, Get Over It" by Story Waters are the 2 most important volumes in my extensive spiritual library, which I've been collecting for the past 25 years. Not including The Bible (I was Christened in the Baptist church as a child).

Aleister - If I may take liberties - Hum! This man paved the way for the Messiah! I like to be called Tony. It's more personnable. When Aleister showed me the way it became infintely easier for me because this man knew what he was talking about. And he still does! I thought I was lucky to be a Probationer when I picked up this book. I was really an Adeptus Exemptus.

Thanks to to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Aethers outlined in the Vision and The Voice I quickly rose up the ranks of Ipussymus. Whoops! I think I mispelled that. Aleister had a great sense of humor and if you read the book reveiws at the back of this tome you will see that.

[...]
The deepest peace unto you, and keep up The Great Work!

Yours truly,

Tony.

The greatest thing happened when Israel Regardie selelcted these papers from the original Equinox- he made available the most important magickal writings of that enormous first volume of ten installments to the student in one comprehensive collection.

This is sort of a textbook of the Magickal Orders AA and O.T.O., as many of these teachings apply to both orders. Although the author assumes the reader to have a good familiarity with some of these topics, ideas, and practices, much is to be gained in these writings for the complete beginner. A few of the many subjects include basic yoga postures and breathing techniques, various ceremonial rituals, meditations, an Enochian Magick Primer and a guided tour of the Thirty Aethyrs, The Book of The Law and various papers surrounding it - the list goes on. There is something here for every student of Occultism, Mysticism, Magick, Comparative Religion, Theosophy, ad infinitum. This book belongs in the library of every student of the Western Tradition.

If you can only own three books associated with Crowley and his teachings, they would have to be "Magick: Liber ABA," "Magick Without Tears," and "Gems from the Equinox." This is a well organized synthesis of the most highly regarded contents of The Equinox. The reviews at the end are also good reading if you're looking for books on the occult or a good laugh.

My four-year-old and I enjoy this book quite a bit. This is one of Mercer Mayer's earlier "Critter" books so the illustrations aren't quite as developed as in the later works. It should be noted, however, that this in no way detracts from the quality of the story or message.

I'm now in my late 20's and still love this book. In looking to buy books and CDs for a friend's child's first birthday, I had to buy this book for them to hold on to for later.

It is perfect in every way.

A favourite book from my childhood, read almost everyday with my Mum and now relived again. Beautiful illustrations!

"Just for Yu (You)" is the begining of the "Little Critter" series, a truly iconic series in the world of children's picture books. In this story, Little Critter wants to do something special, just for his Mom. But things always seem to go wrong or something gets in his way. It's just not working out. He tries carry the groceries, but the paper bag (heh --- you don't ever seem to see those anymore) breaks. He tries to put away the dishes, but he slips on the wet floor.

"Just for Yu (You)" is a pleasing picture book that I think just about anyone can identify with. Little Critter is both cute and amusing in his attempts to do something nice for his Mom. The style of illustration in this earlier book is somewhat different from what's seen in the later stories --- somewhat less polished as such. It's a charming look back at the origins of a favorite series.

I loved this book when I was little. It was the very first book I could ever read on my own, too. I loved it so much, in fact, that it was the first book I bought for my son. He is now 3 years old and loves it, too. The thing that really makes me smile about this little critter book, in particular, is that it is truly funny for a preschooler. The eggs sliding down the stove, the bouncy bed, the overfilled bath tub...these made me laugh when I was a kid and they make my son laugh now. The ending always gets me a kiss, too, which all mommies love.

HIGHLY recommend. I would give it ten stars if I could. My all-time favorite.

The depth of Benjamin's pessimism has, I think, been underestimated.

"The story is told of an automation constructed in such a way that it could play a winning game of chess, answering each move of an opponent with a countermove. A puppet in Turkish attire and with a hookah in its mouth sat before a chessboard placed on a large table. A system of mirrors created the illusion that this table was transparent from all sides. Actually, a little hunchback who was an expert chess player sat inside and guided the puppet's hand by means of strings. One can imagine a philosophical counterpart to this device. The puppet called "historical materialism" is to win all the time. It can easily be a match for anyone if it enlists the services of theology, which today, as we know, is wizened and has to keep out of sight." Walter Benjamin, First "These on the Philosophy of History", p 253.

One can measure how far the contemporary Marxist (better said, the post or semi-Marxist) left has fallen by how many books have appeared, since the fall of the USSR, enthusing over the radically Universal and allegedly 'Progressive' nature of early Christianity. Walter Benjamin, who was first to place the wise but ugly dwarf (Theology) in the beautiful puppet (Historical Materialism) would be amazed (or perhaps not, see the letters between Benjamin and Scholem) to learn that puppet and dwarf are on the verge of switching places! That is, now the ugly dwarf (historical materialism) wants to hide in (and of course direct) the beautiful puppet of Christian theology. ...Crazy, you say? But even Habermas, the Keeper of the Flame of Critical Theory, has on occasion made somewhat similar noises. The best place, btw, to start reading about this new 'political-theology' probably remains Jacob Taubes.

But perhaps this emergent trend is really not so crazy after all. The only reason the Church became so cozy with Capitalism was its fear of Atheism. The collapse of the Soviet Union ended that fear. Now Christianity faces Capitalism alone. Or not, if the detente being proposed between the left and the Church is actually consummated. But every detente is a conspiracy of enemies to destroy an even greater enemy. The Church was with Capitalism because it had to defeat atheism. Now it is likely that the Church will join (a moderate) Socialism in trying to contain the 'soul-destroying' ravages of capitalism. This is only another move on the chessboard of History. ...But what did Benjamin think of History?

"A Klee painting named "Angelus Novus" shows an angel looking as though he is about to move away from something he is fixedly contemplating. His eyes are staring, his mouth is open, his wings are spread. This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. This storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress." BENJAMIN, Ninth Thesis on History, p 257.

Picture this Angel, wings pinned back by the wind, shoulders forced back because of that - the Angel of History is almost in the position of the Crucified Christ; except that this crucification does not end. It is this tone of almost ontological despair that was new to the left. This Crucified Angel is the perfect image of the left-wing theoretical pessimism pioneered by not only Benjamin but also Adorno and Horkheimer that split the intellectual left into two camps: the revolutionary and the cultural. And though no one is likely to admit it, the cultural left has quietly come to think of revolution itself as but another 'progressive' force piling up bodies.

It is one of the little ironies of history that this despairing fantasy described contemporary reality exactly. The Angel of History is the image of dialectical knowledge. Rather than seeing disconnected events this Dialectical Knowledge grasps History as One (single catastrophe). Always facing the past ('the owl of Minerva takes flight at night', Hegel said; meaning that dialectical knowledge is retrospective) the 'contemplating' Angel is overwhelmed by historical action - the storm that has been blowing since the expulsion of humanity from paradise - and can never Himself achieve effective action. His knowledge grows in lockstep with the accumulating horror, but each new historical event only results (i,e., gets 'caught in the wings' of our Angel) in more contemplation. So we see how theory (our Angel) is 'irresistibly' propelled into the future. And we also see that the Knowledge dialectical theory gains is precisely equal to the debris the storm hurls at our Angel's feet. With an irony that strives to be equal to the wind blowing from Paradise Benjamin ends this meditation by calling this storm progress.

This is perhaps why Benjamin insisted over 50 years ago that the dwarf Theology must guide the puppet Historical Materialism. Theory can never be equal to action; circumstance piles upon circumstance so rapidly that theory cannot effectively act, and if it does act (presumably) it only adds to the debris. Thus theology (myth) must guide materialism's hand because theoretical knowledge is powerless to help. Benjamin quotes the following remarks of Willy Haas, with approval, in his large Kafka essay;

"'The object of the trial', he writes, 'indeed, the real hero of this incredible book is forgetting, whose main characteristic is the forgetting of itself [...] The most sacred ... act of the ... ritual is the erasing of sins from the book of memory.'
What has been forgotten - and this insight affords us yet another avenue of access to Kafka's work - is never something purely individual." (Benjamin, Franz Kafka, p 131.)

(The last sentence was Benjamin's own.) Theology is a non-individual forgetfulness. Thus myth (theology) is the only forgetfulness worthy of the name. What needs to be forgotten by all of us is the unsurpassable fact of the futility of theory...

It is difficult for most to look such despair in the face.

I have nothing to add to the reviews below except to note for scholarly interest that the essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' included in this collection is not Benjamin's final version. (Neither is this title a good translation of the German: 'Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit'. Zohn's translation in the selected writings is better: 'The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility'.) The text in this collection is the 1935 manuscript, as originally published in 1936; the text collected in the Selected Writings, Vol. 4 is the final 1939 version that, as far as I can tell, was not published in Benjamin's lifetime. The difference between the two texts is slight, consisting mainly of some additional sentences here and there and some changed words. At least one of these revisions is, I hypothesize, the result of Adorno's criticisms of his letter to Benjamin of 18 Mar 1936.

Otherwise, for most purposes, this is the best collection of Benjamin's essays available for an introduction to his thought. This volume collects some of the best of his essays that are otherwise spread throughout the selected writings published by the Harvard U.P.

Benjamin is arguably the twentieth century's most important thinker--if there is anything left to say about our lives, it is surely in this book.

In 1940 Walter Benjamin committed suicide at the Franco-Spanish border fearing that he would be unable to escape the grasp of Hitler's regime. He left behind perhaps one of the finest collections of literary theory of his era, complete with lucidly brilliant essays on Kafka, Proust, Baudelaire, and general Marxist theory.

In this wholly excellent collection of essays, a remarkable introduction to Benjamin's life and work is provided by the late philosopher Hannah Arendt, who overviews his political formations and literary output. It's a model form of critical essay writing.

Perhaps the most famous essay in this collection is Benjamin's `The Task of the Translator,' widely regarded as one of the most important and thoughtful contributions to the field.

"No poem is intended for the reader, no picture for the beholder, no sympathy for the listener."

He argues that translation is a mode, and that the translatability of the work is the primary concern in the process.

Also included is an analysis of the philosophy of history.

I picked up this book primarily for the purpose of reading Benjamin's critically acclaimed essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", as well as for his darkly poetic - and even apocalyptic - "Theses on the Philosophy of History". These essays are among Benjamin's most highly esteemed and are the last two selections in the book; regardless of whether you start with them or with the first essay, "Unpacking My Library: A Talk about Book Collecting", you are likely to be drawn into Benjamin's literary world quite quickly.

In many ways, Benjamin's writing style is quite unassuming; reading even his most profound insights is like reading a letter from an old friend. His writing comes in layers; one must make time to savor his presence. This book covers a range of subjects, from critical literary essays (the aforementioned "Unpacking My Library", as well as essays on Kafka, Baudelaire and Proust), to more hermeneutical reflections ("The Task of the Translator"), to straight up philosophy/theory ("The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and "Theses on the Philosophy of History").

The 51 page introduction by Hannah Arendt is absolutely fantastic. It does not simply provide an overview of Benjamin's life, but sets that life within the culture of early 20th century Germany, focusing especially on the time between the two World Wars. She notes the influences of Zionism and Communism (and Marxism) on Benjamin's thought, as well as the broader cultural influence of a quasi-secularized Judaism in a culture where non-baptized Jews were still kept out of university teaching posts. Her introduction, like Benjamin's own writing, contains deep touches of the intimately personal (she selected the various essays that make up this volume).

In many ways, Benjamin was a deeply religious thinker. A friend of Gershom Scholem's (the founder of the modern-day study of Jewish mysticism), Benjamin and Scholem corresponded for a number of years. Although this particular volume pays little attention to his religious thought, "Theses on the Philosophy of History" (the final selection in the book which, in light of Benjamin's suicide, gives Illuminations a bit of a haunting finale), witnesses to Benjamin's poetic-religious insights:

"The soothsayers who found out from time what it had in store certainly did not experience time as either homogenous or empty. Anyone who keeps this in mind will perhaps get an idea of how past times were experienced in remembrance - namely, in just the same way. We know how the Jews were prohibited from investigating the future. This stripped the future of its magic, to which all those succumb who turn to the soothsayers for enlightenment. This does not imply, however, that for the Jews the future turned into homogenous, empty time. For every second of time was the strait gate through which the Messiah might enter."

Highly recommended.

The phenomenological tradition, an oft used misnomer for "Continental Philosophy," diverges from Analytic philosophy in dramatic ways. One commentator stated, possibly disparagingly, that the Analytic side is all about problems while the Continental side is all about proper names. Regardless of that statement's veracity (both traditions seem equally addicted to eminent names), newcomers to phenomenology, or even to the Continental tradition altogether, will find the fibers of this book almost unsullied by proper names. In near defiance to the stereotype above, it seems populated with problems. For many of these it even suggests solutions. Though phenomenology comprises only part of the entire Continental lineage, it nonetheless played a massive role in that tradition's development. Heidegger and Sartre, names known everywhere, founded their thought in phenomenology and simultaneously expanded its influence and scope. Anyone desiring to understand either major figure's thought should ground themselves in the concepts, terminology, and approach of this introduction.

Human experience provides the basis for phenomenology. No matter how "elevated" the cognition, in phenomenology our shared human faculties provide the foundation. In stark contrast to Cartesian, Humean, and Hobbesian conceptions, phenomenology puts full trust in our sensory experiences. This idea gets emphasized and reemphasized throughout the book. Not only that, most concepts receive illumination through repetition and other literary devices. This elucidates the subject matter to an exponential degree as well as moistening up what could have been a very dry read. It proves that the experience of reading about experience can entertain.

Intentionality, the first chapter's subject, provides a good starting block for phenomenology. This concept connects our consciousness to the world. It essentially means that consciousness is consciousness "of" something. We're connected to the thing experienced, and our experiences make up a part of that thing's being. Our beings criss-cross and validate each other. The implications of this get discussed in great detail. Following this, the discussion explodes into phenomenology's three crucial structures: Parts and Wholes, Identity in Manifolds, and Presence in Absence. These three found the remaining discussions, from the Natural versus the Phenomenological Attitude, Categorial Intentionality, ego consciousness, and temporality, to the lifeworld, evidence, Eidetic Intuition, and intersubjectivity. Later chapters build on early ones. The whole edifice comes together in the final chapters. In true fashion, the parts found and construct the whole. Though not everything attains lucidity. The almost mystical notion of "Internal Time Consciousness" apparently requires more discussion than this book allows. Regardless, everything comes back to intentionality and the three basic structures.

Although the discussion evades proper names for the most part, an appendix provides a short history of the field from Husserl to the present. The book in general follows Husserlian terminology. Overall, the unorthodox approach taken here fits well with the subject matter. Phenomenology is something that people can actually perform. Some consider it a science. In places, the discussion even attempts to expand natural sciences to a new level based on human experience. It even suggests in one place that modern indeterminancy in science originates from science's disinterest in the variation of human experience. Obviously not everyone will find the arguments, or even phenomenology itself, convincing. But as a reaction to "mind in a box" epistemology it at least provides a refreshing new perspective. It also puts the human being in the world fully connected. We are reality, reality is us. Anyone who wants insight into one of Continental philosophy's most influential movements should read this book cover to cover and repeat.

As Cal Schrag notes in a fantastic litte essay called "The Recovery of the Phenomenological Subject": "In 1945 Maurice Merleau-Ponty began the preface to his classic work Phenomenologie de la perception, with the observation that the reader might find it odd that the question What is phenomenology? still needs to be answered one-half a century after the first writings of Edmund Husserl. The fact however remains, wrote Mereleau-Ponty, that this question still awaits an answer. Some fifty years after the publication of Merleau-Ponty's seminal work on perception we are still asking the question What is phenomenology?"

I do not hesitate (well, maybe a little) to reply that reading this excellent book by Sokolowski will certainly put the beginner on the path to answering this difficult question. Perhaps it answers best What is Husserlian phenomenology? but what better place to begin the journey than at the beginning. This is certainly not a scholarly text. You will not find footnotes at the bottom of every page. You won't even get citations to Husserl's texts. And you certainly won't find anything like a ten-page analysis of the words "phenomenon" and "logos" as encountered at the outset of Heidegger's Being and Time. But it's not supposed to be a critical scholarly text, it is just what it says: an introduction to phenomenology.

I think this text will be especially beneficial to readers who are familiar with philosophy but who stand outside the continental tradition - e.g. analytic philosophers. Also, those who already understand Husserl (or think they do) will find this book a fantastic read as well. Don't think that just because it is an introduction that it is beneath you. I think you will be suprised (and perhaps encouraged) by the ability of Sokolowski to state so clearly an answer to the question What is phenomenology?

Perhaps the most important philosophical movement in the 20th century, phenomenology is also one of the more abstruse and varied disciplines in philosophy. Indeed, it would be quite difficult to give a definitive description of what phenomenology is, as defined by the multifarious practitioners, and an onerous task of sifting through the thousands of pages of primary texts. Moreoever, as I can attest, encountering a phenomenological text for the first time is a daunting experience, like trying to navigate through a large city without a map or guide. While there are several good introductory texts on phenomenology in general (Moran's for example), and many texts discussing the many phenomenologists, Sokolowski has graciously and generously given us a very general and useful introduction to the basic structures of phenomenology as a method. To this extent, Sokolowski's book is strongly Husserlian and, in some aspects, echoes in simplistic terms his very good 1974 book, Husserlian Meditations. This, however, is not to be taken as a deficit. To the contrary, Husserl is the recognized father of phenomenology, and also a writer of terse and often impenetrable verse. Thus, it behooves anyone wishing to begin to study phenomenology to get the gist first before delving into the more difficult texts.

What Sokolowski has done for us is to simply explain phenomenology in much the same way one would explain their hobby or a good book they have read. That is to say that it is casual and clear, and very helpful and informative, without an excess of jargon or unnecessary info. However, Sokolowski does go through pains to clarify and define the terminology implcit in phenomenology, e.g., terms such as noetic, noema, parts, wholes, eidetic intuition, etc.

I cannot agree with one of the reviewers below, who claims that an introduction to phenomenology ought to be historical. For as much as phenomenology evolved since Husserl, it is indeed important to see it in such an historical context, however, when considering phenomenology simply as a method one does not need to know how it was transformed by Heidegger or Sartre. Further, I cannot help but feel comparison to Dermot Moran's sweeping and powerful Introduction to Phenomenology to be misguided; in either case the intentions are different. Besides, Sokolowski does mention the variations of phenomenology over the past century. All the same, the province of Sokolowski's book is an attempt to help us understand HOW TO DO PHENOMENOLOGY, as opposed to other aspects of phenomenolgy such as its history and context.

I came to this book hoping to find an overview of phenomenology that wouldn't tax my middle-aged brain with dense prose or obscure jargon. It met my expectations fully. The writing is clear and graceful; phenomenology is related to broader cultural concerns (such as the rise of mathematized science); and the narrative tackles simple issues (such as perception and memory) before moving on to tough ones (such as temporality and language). Throughout, the "natural attitude" (our experience of the world) is contrasted with the "phenomenological attitude" (our reflection on the natural attitude). The book has whet my appetite for sampling the phenomenology canon.

I gave the book only four stars because Sokolowski doesn't really engage with rival philosophical projects, especially analytic philosophy. To be fair, he does draw distinctions between phenomenology and analytical approaches to human experience; in particular, he rejects any suggestion that internal mental entities mediate our experience of the world. Unfortunately, he rarely grapples with analytic arguments in detail.

Maybe it's unfair to expect this in an introductory work. However, given phenomenology's minority status in academia, most readers will have an analytic background. Sokowlowski needed to show them, with explicit arguments, why phenomenology gives a superior account of our experience. He rarely rose to this challenge. But with that caveat, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in modern philosophy.

This is an excellent introduction to phenomenology. While the history of phenomenology is fascinating and rewards serious study, this book, unlike others, cuts through the differences between phenomenological thinkers to the 'meat and bones' of the approach and presents the basic methods of phenomenological analysis in a clear and penetrating fashion. I found it thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening. Anyone interested in philosophy would do well to sit down with this book for a few hours. It could very well change the way you look at the world and the way you approach philosophical problems (for the better!). Highly recommended.