Western Books

I thought the book was well written even for someone that has never sailed. The book made me want to learn to sail and look for adventure like the Pardys. My only question would be if it would be the same sailing throught the Med sea today. i hope so!!!! I went out and ordered more of there books right way and I can't to explore with them again!!!!!

As I returned to this site to order the remainder of the series, I thought I would share the experience. The sine qua non for me in books is well-written. This book is a welcome relief from the average poorly written cruising book. The sailing jargon is a bit daunting, but appropriate. I learned to like these people and would love to meet them and know if they are still asea. I wish that they had a web site like Rita Golden Gelman's, (the author of the great book "The Tales of a Female Nomad") to keep us abreast of their latest adventure. They left me aching to get started on my very slow circumnavigation; now, all I need is a captain.

Seraffyn continues to be the third crew member of this respected cruising couple's adventures. Each chapter seems to be written by this "crew" from a wave away prospective showing how to do it as well as how to enjoy the cruising lifestyle. I look forward to new insights of this type of motor-less sailing in the future. Please, Lyn and Larry do not stop writing these adventures from the sea. There are a whole new group of readers ready for your reprints to come out. Please do not let us down, remember the Spirit that helped you name your new boat-Tristan of Fiddler's Green. There are so many islands to explore, moorings to find and people to meet: keep looking for that piece of wooden handle just below the surface transcending into a quiet mooring and reflective tales of new places to explore. From Gibraltar to Malta and beyond, Seraffyn had the readyness of friendly and helpful people and cooking aboard fishermen's trawlers from a simple but tasty meal. Simplicity at it's best best describes the oneness of this couple where-ever they go sailing. Lyn and Larry expose the real demerits of the unnecessary things aboard both their boats. Experience less is a better value when crusing couples wish to cruise longer and fill the cruising kitty in less time. This book continues the saga for Lyn and Larry in a pleasant cruising lifestyle. A captive, leasurely read.

This was my first book I have read which is a narrative on what it is like to cruise for years in the Mediterranean on a 24 foot sail boat. I am planning on a 3 month cruise in the summer of 2002 and wanted info on what it is like. The Authors had a good mix of experiences from Lessons-learned, weather/seas in the Western/Central Med, and alot of good narrative about the people they meant in a variety of ports. It was just what I wanted to understand what the experience is like. I was a little disapointed when the book stopped short of the Greek Island which is where I am planning on going. Over all, if you are thinking of cruising and want a little feel of it with out ocean spray, this is the book for you...

This is the third book of the Pardey's four book Seraffyn series. Once you start them, it's hard to put them down. Lin Pardey has an easy, comfortable, writing style. One is really pulled into their travels.

This book is a must-read if you are interested in the inside-the-head experience of a soldier in Vietnam. It is a fantastic, stunning, awe-inspiring and troubling book. I could not put it down once I started and I suspect I will read it again soon.

Originally self-published in 1984 under the title The Negligence of Death, this short work of fiction from a former Special Forces Sergeant who served in Vietnam carries the full authority of one who has been there. I hesitate to use this term, both because its overused, and because it can have a negative connotation, but the story is hallucinatory. And by that, I mean that it flits around from scene to scene with little sense of standard narrative, but is full of mood and tone that places the reader firmly on the shoulder of the title character.

Dickinson is a Special Forces radioman in the Central Highlands, where his small units work closely with the "Yards" (Montagnards, a French term for the various minority ethnic groups in the Highlands, such as the Bru, Jarai, Jeh, Nung, and Rhadé people), and are often ignored or forgotten about by the regular U.S. forces. The few battle scenes are typical wartime madness, bleak resignation, and absurdity. Scenes at HQ and in the hospital revolve around the stories told by other soldiers, which reveal a certain element of addiction to the rush of battle. Indeed, many finish their tours only to re-enlist over and over, not because they have a death-wish, but because once there's nothing in civilian life that can match that high, and no one back home can hope to understand that. It's both awful and gripping at the same time, all written in a simple but fluid style that can only come from having lived it.

There are hundreds of works of fiction about the Vietnam War, but this has to be one of the rawest and more important.

The war in Vietnam has been over for 25 years. The US embassy in Saigon has been torn down and the city renamed. Vietnam's young capitalists are running battlefield tours for aging veterans. Jerome Gold's Sergeant Dickinson (first published in 1988 as The Negligence of Death and republished in 1999 under the current title) brings it back with stunning immediacy. This book is the perfect cure for nostalgia. Whether you are a young reader new to Vietnam or one who has been there and read that, Sergeant Dickinson is a must.

This book says it all with perfect pitch. It captures the visual imagery, dialogue, and complex psychology of the combat experience in a way that is unlikely to be equalled. The radio operator is the perfect observation post for a vietnam novel and Gold clearly knows that role. The sit reps from other outposts are simply brilliant. The elephant bombing, unkown americans entering the perimeter etc. These things really happen. They are not, as I read in a literary journal review, simply a metaphorical device through which the author describes the absurdity of war. The creative reach presented here in a short work is incredible. The wounding and hospital scenes, the inevitable stateside disconnection with civilians followed by the death wish return to the people and circumstances you know. I thought that Micheal Herr's Dispatches had realistic dialogue but he was a journalist not a soldier. If you could leave on any heliocopter, you could never tell the whole story. I have always hoped that someone who fought in the war would get it right. This is it.

I could not put Sergeant Dickinson down. This from a guy who has a house full of partially read books. This is a book for those who were there. And especially a book for those in Special Forces. Jerome Gold's first two sentences took me back to Vietnam. To the grinding of latterite dust in my teeth. To the stench of the dead. To the fear as I had known it. This is a miracle of hard work done by a tough but sensitive man. Gold has captured the raw edges of those things that will be with us forever.

Hugh Nibley is a famous LDS scholar known for his great erudition and his defense of the Mormon Church. He was fluent in at least 10 languages including many ancient languages, and used these skills to develop much of the foundation for modern LDS apologetics. He was a very colorful, interesting person and was also known for his criticisms of LDS culture. This book covers a period of his life of which little is known. He didn't publicly discuss his war years much, but in the last few years of his life, his son was able to glean some information from him and published this book.

The book starts when Nibley was an LDS missionary in Germany in 1927, and describes an incident when he crossed paths with Hitler. It then goes into Nibley's college years where he earned a PhD from UC Berkeley, and then a job teaching. When the war started, he enlisted as a private in the army at the age of 32. He went through various assignments and ended up in intelligence due to his language skills and became a sergeant. What follows is a fascinating story of his experiences in the army that included a landing at Utah Beach on D-Day, participation in the Battle of the Bulge, and the final occupation of Germany. He was involved with many of the key events and characters of the war.

The format of the book was interesting. It consisted of summaries by the author, quotes by Nibley, copies of letters from family and friends, many sidebars explaining certain events, and helpful footnotes. It's unique for a history of this type, but seemed to work well. I highly recommend this book for people wanting to learn more about Hugh Nibley; but the stories are great for anyone interested in WWII, especially the 101st airborne division to which he was attached.

This book was given to a friend as a gift. His wife is reading it to him since he is in poor health. They both are enthusiastic about its contents and style. Thank you.

This book is written from a very interesting perspective. Hugh Nibley was 32 years old and had a Ph.D. when he enlisted in the army. He went into intelligence, and presumed that he would get assigned some nice safe assignment writing reports or something like that.

But those of who have been in the Army know that the Army Gods don't work that way. He was assigned to work with the 101st Airborne, and was scheduled to go into Normandy on D-Day by glider. (Unlike the paratroopers, the glider infantry was not composed of volunteers and did not receive the extra pay.) At the last minute a General bumped him off the glider so that he went in with the 4th division over Utah Beach. (The General, sitting in Nibley's assigned seat was killed, and all the men in the glider were captured.)

Being both older and better educated Sgt. Nibley was able to see and understand a lot more about what was happening than reports from the commanders or the normal soldiers. For instance, the stories about the 101st are legend (Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, etc.) but Sgt. Nibley points out that many of the volunteers were some fairly tough soldiers that had been given the choice of volunteering or going to prison.

There's a lot of comments of a similar nature throughout the book. Sgt. Nibley was a keen observer. This book belongs on any World War II library.

Hugh Nibley was gifted and had a great curiosity. His WWII experiences would enlighten him as to the 'conspiring men' who seek riches from the troubles of others. He describes the sillyness of the War that was fought in places where the Romans fought and Napoleon fought. He describes terrible waste and destruction that war brings. A great adventure in which he was preserved, while others around him were lost. He describes the choices made my those in command to further their own carreeers while engaged in war. And the efforts to keep the war going.

This book contains the wartime memoirs of Hugh Nibley, former professor
of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, as he participated in
combat operations throughout Europe during WWII. Professor Nibley
passed away in February 2005. The book was compiled by his son Alex
Nibley from interviews and letters collected over the years. What
makes this book so interesting is that although Hugh Nibley already had
his Ph.D before the war started, and had been a member of ROTC, he
elected to enlist in the Army as a buck private, rather than become an
officer. The juxtaposition of his highly educated and intellectual
perspective against the drudgery and horror of a common foot soldier
makes for a fascinating read.

Brother Nibley wasn't in the Army very long before his education and
extensive language proficiencies were discovered. The Army promptly
pulled him out of his job as a weather forecaster and sent
him up to work in military intelligence. Once given access to
classified intelligence data, the full power of his intellect became
unleashed, to the potential benefit of the Allies. Unfortunately,
things didn't always work out that way. Although he accurately
predicted when and where many German surprise attacks would occur, and
even the date when the war would end, he couldn't get many of the top
military brass to believe him simply because he was just a lowly
enlisted man. The book documents Brother Nibley's frustrations as he
watched helplessly as numerous Allied troops were killed needlessly
from attacks that could have been avoided.

The book includes a number of spiritual elements as well. It documents
how LDS Church Apostle Melvin J. Ballard set Brother Nibley apart for a
proselyting mission to Germany in the late 1920s, and commanded him to
tell the people to repent or they would be destroyed by fire from
heaven. It was to Brother Nibley's great sorrow that he observed many
of the German cities to which he had earlier cried repentance destroyed
by Allied fire-bombing during WWII.

If you like books on WWII, and anything Nibley, I highly recommend
this one for your collection.

Anyone who wonders what he or she is about today will find great directives in this book. It is so full of old cultures and tradition, the genuine feel of which we seem to lack to-day in our hasteful, almost superficial world. From viewpoints of ancient times comes a timeless voice, rich in human experience and wisdom. It is the great accomplishment that ancient knowledge has been made accessible in a modern, somewhat therapeutic way. The book is clear, honest and compassionate, and renders a good insight in what sin is precisely, and our human ability to make good and beautify our souls and existence. To everyone withdrawing once in a while to be with themselves: read this book!

Schimmel defines the sin and then describes the results of this defect of character. Examining each sin from a classic Greek, Jewish and Christian perspective Schimmel then recommends secular pschological remedies. This, I feel, is the books only failing. I must say I loved the book and everyone I have loaned my copy to has loved it also. I treasure my copy and have gained insight into my character by studying it's every word.

Sin is a dirty word in most modern psychotherapy. How refreshing it is to find a book that tries to revitalize the notion of sin while tempering it with modern thinking. But make no mistake: this is no religious rant, no fundamentalist tract. Far from it; here is a wise, cautious attempt to marry modern psychotherapy with traditional wisdom. The author's rather conservative (or at least traditional) Judaism shows on every page, but he is still a thoughtful and tolerant writer.

The book is laid out in a very plain fashion: an introduction ("The Persistence of Sin"), chapters for each of the seven sins, then a conclusion ("Sin and Responsibility"). There are abundant references to Chaucer, to Shakespeare, to lesser-known Jewish and Islamic thinkers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The sin # 1 chapter, Pride, gives us the Satan of Milton's PARADISE LOST as the prime example. Sin # 2, Envy, has Shakespeare's Iago; the third chapter, on Anger, has King Lear's opening scene featured (see pp. 106-107), and discusses the American mania for lawsuits as a means of vengeance. The Lust chapter is the most delicate one in the book; Schimmel here has to temper modern notions of healthy sexual self-expression against the dangers of lechery and overindulgence. This chapter fades nicely into Sin # 5, Gluttony, which we moderns might call Overindulgence - of food, sex, or drink (or even drugs, but Schimmel oddly doesn't go there). The wisdom of the ages has no consensus on which sin is the most deadly, but Schimmel's placing of Greed as the sequential penultimate Sin seems far from arbitrary. Think of the obsession in the modern West with what the Canadian thinker and politician Eric Kierans recently called the "accumulation" mania, a sickness summed up by the 1990s bumper-sticker, "he who has the most toys when he dies, wins."

Onto Schimmel's seventh and final sin: Sloth. Here is the book's most troubling and troublesome chapter. Sloth here is only minimally what we usually associate with the word: laziness, laying-about, being a couch-potato. Far more important is Schimmel's attachment of Sloth to what we might call "existential despair." Sloth is not only physical, but intellectual. If we lay back, hide, retreat, take cover because life is just too overwhelming, then we are guilty of Sloth. It seems to me that Schimmel is here (and only here) a bit cruel to those of us who may have biochemical imbalances and severe mood swings. But this chapter seems to urge us to carry on even if we are clinically depressed and intellectually despairing. It is odd how Schimmel, elsewhere in this book so adept at linking the ancient wisdom to the modern, can go on about Job (194-95) but never mention someone like Samuel Beckett.

Here's an activity for a serious dinner-party or an intelligent classroom: compare the sequence of the seven sins in this book's chapters with the progression of the seven in the late 1990s movie SEVEN (with Brad Pitt as Bad Cop, Morgan Freeman as Good Cop, Kevin Spacey as psychopath villain).

This is a beautiful book written by a man extremely well educated in religion, psychology, ethics, and philosophy. The wonder of the book is how the author manages to both contrast and integrate the different schools of thought. The main premise is that secularism has not provided adequate replacements for the ethical (and other) religious teachings, and that it should do so. His suggestions is that modern psychology should incorporate the wisdom of the saints and philosophers, which is has not so far done. His discussions go to the heart of the matter, even dealing with issues of free will versus determinism. The discussion is often very concrete with stories of specific persons and their problems. A fascinating integration of ancient and modern thought. Schimmel was propetically named by his parents, as was the biblical Solomon, he is very wise man. This is a great book to read and re-read for anyone seeking to heal themselves and those around them.

I have read many such books and I find this one to be the most informitive and well-written

This book is amazing! I learned so much that no one is really about to talk about in a yoga class. The history of yoga was only scratching the surface, but it was still so much to absorb. This is a powerful book.

This book gave me a clearer understanding of Yoga. My greatest compliment is that it sustained my interest enough to read the book to the end. I enjoyed the humanistic tone of the book, and the simple ordering and structure of topics which brought clarity to a potentially overwhelming subject. I look forward very much to reading more of Georg Feuerstein's books.

When looking for books on Yoga, I had no idea where to start and I didn't want to read some...American trying to cash in book. I saw this book and it seemed real. Wow, I'm glad this is the first book I read on Yoga. Georg Feurstein fully knows and understands the essence of Yoga. The book touches on everything from the history of Yoga to a Yogi's diet. I like how Feurstein always refers back to the old Sanskrit texts of Yogi practices. However, if you are looking for a book where you actually do the postures then look for another book because this book doesn't satisfy that. You should read all you can about Yoga before attempting it, I know my presumptions on Yoga have been changed from reading this book.

I'm in training to become a Yoga teacher. This is a book I will come back over and over again to share information with my students when I start teaching.

Another wonderful introductions to yoga. I recommend it very highly. This is a book that you will read and reread.

I grew up reading these tales of Jonah Hex, and I always considered him the Josie Wales of the comic books. The only complaint I have about this collection is that it is in black and white instead of color, but if you like westerns, you will love Jonah Hex!

If you want to read a Sergio Leone movie in graphic art form, Hex is the book for you. Most of the stories are a step up from your ordinary western fare. Its like Shane/ The Man With No Name or Gary Cooper riding across these pages. For a comic written in the early 1970's it takes on topical issues and doesn't hold back.This is not the Vertigo version of Hex but it provides one with a wonderful feel of after the civil war Americana. Most of the line work of the artists work well in this black and white format. I only found two stories where it seemed the source material didn't scan well. You get 500 plus pages of very entertaining reading and its well written. Five stars for DC. Their version of Essentials blows Marvel away. Better paper and the pages are numbered and the bindings doesn't fall apart after one read. My only complaint is how long before volume two ???

While it's always nice to read a good book, perhaps the greatest pleasure comes from the books that exceed your expectations. I'm not a huge fan of western comics and prior to reading Showcase Presents Jonah Hex, I knew nothing about the character. My only guess, based on his last name, was that there may have been something supernatural about him. I was wrong, and was delighted to find that this book, from which I expected nothing, turned out to be far better than I would have thought.

Jonah Hex is a bounty hunter in the post-Civil War West. Although he fought with the Confederates, he soon became disillusioned with their cause; he wasn't much happier with the North, however. Along the way, in a way that's left unsaid (at least in this volume), he was hideously disfigured and rather embittered at the same time. A great gunfighter (in fact, deadly with almost any weapon), he sullenly wanders from town to town, seemingly with no interest other than money.

What makes Hex such a wonderful character is that he has more depth than he lets on. As mercenary as he often acts, he actually has a moral code. His callous attitude is really more of an emotional wall that keeps some obvious pain hidden. He knows that he will never have a normal life and sometimes that bitterness seeps through.

Of course, it also helps that the stories are almost all well-written. Hex may be almost unbeatable as a gunfighter, but he is often manipulated into bad situations. Typically, at the end of a Hex story, there are few people left alive, and most of the dead deserve to be (at least in Hex's mind).

The only negative to this book is that it is not all Hex. The last fifth of the book features other characters in stories that are best forgotten. Maybe in another context, these stories may be passable, but after the excellent Jonah Hex tales, they are a major letdown. Nonetheless, I am giving this book a full five stars because most of the Hex stories are that caliber. Even if you're not a fan of western comics (as I am not), this is still one collection worth reading.

"He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers. He had no friends, this Jonah Hex, but he did have two companions: one was death itself... The other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke..." - the intro that ran on the title page of several stories in this volume.

Let's get one thing out of the way: though this Showcase Presents collection is entitled "Jonah Hex", that's not entirely true. In fact, Hex shares this volume with Outlaw (DC's take on Billy the Kid), plus one other western tale. The thing that links "Jonah Hex", "Billy the Kid: Outlaw" and the "bonus" story together is that they all appeared in the same series: "All-Star Western" (which was retitled "Weird Western Tales" shortly after Hex began appearing, not by coincidence).

So, in reality, this book's title is a misnomer. It might have been more accurate to call it "Showcase Presents: Weird Western Tales", since all the stories are from that series (again, with some of them from before the "Weird" moniker was attached to the book). I suspect that was the original plan, but marketing wisely decided to put the most recognizable name on the cover, in part to create synergy with a new Hex monthly comic that is just launching.

Of course, that does nothing to diminish the contents, which are great seventies-era westerns. They offer three distinct takes on the Old West. Hex was a stark departure from the straight-laced "Roy Rogers"-style westerns and "western superheroes" that had dominated the genre in comics for decades (and I say that with affection for both those kinds of western comics). "Billy the Kid: Outlaw" is more of a conventional action-adventure western, with just enough of an edge to make it interesting. And the final tale, "Night of the Snake" is just a fun story by some very good creators that fills out the volume. But looking at them one at at time:

Hex showed obvious influence from Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood westerns, though Hex's stories didn't go quite so far with the depressing themes and nihilist overtones as many seventies movies. His stories were about halfway between Steve McQueen's "Wanted Dead or Alive" TV series and the aforementioned films. That's the best way I can find to describe the tone of the stories. Either way, nothing was quite as clean as in other western comics. That much was certain!

Jonah Hex was not a classical western "good guy", but rather he was one of the first anti-heroes in comics. He led a hard life, and it left him scarred physically, emotionally and even spiritually. Hex was a man with a shattered soul, who did a very unpleasant job (bounty hunting) because he literally had nothing else. No family. No friends. No home. No good reputation. Even his face was horrifically scarred such that most people couldn't bear to look at him. And then, there was a great irony that lay at the core of Jonah Hex. He was a brutal killer, a loner with a deserved reputation that made everyone fear him as much as they feared the devil himself, yet deep down, Jonah was a kind soul who routinely risked his life to help others, even as he talked tough. He was desperately alone and routinely opened himself up for hurt because he allowed himself to get attached to people. And very often, these people he encountered ended up being the real monsters, instead of the scar-faced "devil" Jonah. At the end, Hex almost always rode away alone, numb to his existence. The reader could feel Jonah's isolation and pain. That's not what the stories are about, but this is the subtext that makes the tales so exceptional. It makes us care about Jonah, so that his tales are not just standard pulp western fare.

These stories were done by a stellar group of creators. Hex's original creative team was writer John Albano and artist Tony Dezuniga, both of whom were deserving of far greater acclaim than they ever achieved.

Later, Michael Fleisher took over the writing credit and propeled Hex to even greater heights, staying with the character for decades. Other contributions of note include a story by Arnold Drake (of Doom Patrol fame) and a story drawn by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC's "it" artist at one time in the late seventies).

"Billy the Kid: Outlaw" was written by the great Robert Kanigher, who is most famous for his war comics (Sgt. Rock, Unknown Soldier, etc), but Albano wrote several of the latter Outlaw stories (In "real world" time, just before creating Jonah Hex! Was Outlaw wrapped up specifically to create a spot for Hex? Could be!). Dezuniga did most of the artwork, but legendary creators Jim Aparo, Neal Adams and Gil Kane all contributed excellently.

The final story was something of a Gil Kane special. He wrote and drew the story, with Denny O'Neil doing the dialogue over his story and Dezuniga inking (an interesting, if odd combination of styles).

All in all, a satisfying package. I just hope no one snatches it up expecting 560 pages of Jonah Hex, because Hex is really only about 70 percent of the book. That might diminsh their enjoyment, which would be a shame, because this book is a winner when taken as a whole!

And material like "Outlaw" will likely never get reprinted any other way. Kudos to DC for finding way to get good stories without marquee appeal back in print. Is this an experiment for future volumes? Could we see more of DC's legendary backups reprinted as filler for other Showcase volumes? I would vote for that! It would be a nice bonus to separate Showcase from the color Archives in terms of content. If I own a color hardcover of Superman, I might not buy his Showcase volume of the same stuff (speaking hypothetically. I'd really buy it anyway). But throw in some classic sixties backups from Action and Superman, and it makes it extra-special! So I hope the non-Hex material starts a trend.

By the way, as with all Showcase Presents volumes, these stories are reprinted in (quality) black and white. Don't let that worry you one iota. I'll be the first to admit that losing color can negatively affect comics at times, especially when dealing with traditional four-color superheroes, but the starkness of black and white works very well here. The reason is two-fold. First, the realistic subject matter works well without color; there are no garish comic-book costumes that require color. Second, the artists involved here are particularly talented, and the lack of color only serves to enhance their amazing line-work. You get to see just how good guys like Dezuniga and Kane really are!

And at a great price.

Recommended

Jonah Hex, DC comics 1970's version of Clint Eastwood's Man with no name character from the Good, The Bad and the Ugly, was a staple in the DC universe. Howeever it also played outside the DC comics realm (Superman, Batman, Justice League, Wonder Woman) as did such characters as Sgt. Rock, The Haunted Tank, and the Losers.He appeared in All Star Western and Weird Western Tales before getting his own book.

Hex was a bounty hunter. His stories weren't the John Wayne All American type of Western. He was an anti hero hero. You can see many old western style stories stolen and adapted within the Hex collection, from such Westerns like The Man who Shot Liberty Vallence, Shane, the Shootist, Sante Fe, The Searchers and Red River

Also in this collection towards the end of the book is the back up tales of Outlaw, DC Comics's jesse James style book. Some with great art from Gil Kane, showcasing his artistic skills.

This volume only touches the Hex comics history, with any hope there will be a volume two and three and so on. One can hope that DC is smart enough to also release a further volume of Western Characters like Scalphunter, El Diablo and of course the loveable rogue Bat Lash in a separate collection

It nice that DC Comics started to release its older comics and unique series in a black and white format similar to Marvel Essentals

Its a great collection for anyone who like the Hex Legend

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

The universal ethical truth, seeing others in their true light or darkness, and true faith, (not the modern version of faith) is what you will get from this read.

One will come away from this extraordinary book with a realization that there is a universal truth and that the only way to fully grasp it is to put oneself totally in Gods hands, and realize that it is he not we who are in control. This book will bring about inter contemplation and seeking which will strengthen ones ability to help find ones true self. In doing so it will help you shread any vestiage of the modern faith which is devoid of seeking truth.

If you want an affirmation of your true inter-self to surface then I highly recomend this book.

Herein lies many of Kierkegaard's most vehement attacks on his utter disgust as what he sees as the shallow and hypocritical Christians of his time. In fact, the rantings rank up there with Nietzsche's tirades against what he liked to call the "rabble."

As you may have guessed by the title, this is not to be an uplifting book. Kierkegaard will never be mistaken for Robert Schuller - that much is for certain. In it, the Danish philosopher (generally considered the father of existentialism) grapples with guilt. Not just anyone's guilt, either, but Soren Kierkegaard's guilt. In page after page he discerns how man's sinful nature is corruptive to his relationship to God. What is worse, no matter how hard he tries, he can't stop sinning any more than he can consciously stop breathing.

Kierkegaard then looks up from his desk and wonders why all those so-called Christians out there aren't doing the same thing that he is. The Dane is introspective, to say the least, and the nucleus of his thought emanates from Socrates' words at his trial, as recorded in Plato's APOLOGY:

...I say again that the greatest good of man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, and that the life which is unexamined is not worth living
- Plato, APOLOGY, Trans: B Jowett

Here is a great man's attempt to follow the dictum of Socrates, and examine his own life. In this sense, THE SICKNESS UNTO DEATH is comparable to St. Augustine's CONFESSIONS, albeit a bit on the morbid side.

One of the Dane's favorite metaphors was of driver falling asleep at the reigns of his wagon. So too did K believe that that is how most of us live our lives. With this in mind, it is not surprising that he anoints this work as an "awakening" for his readers.

In perhaps his most relentless probing of the human condition, Kierkegaard's "The Sickness Unto Death" rediscovers the very notion of "sin." Having been tossed around by anyone and everyone in the Danish Christendom of his day, the word "sin" has lost much of it's original meaning; hence he chooses the term "despair." By doing this, Kierekgaard rediscovers "original sin," or that notion of sin which has been lost through misuse. For Kierkegaard, "despair" or "sin" is not simply an individual act, but it is a state of existence. Only when an individual acknowledges the inherent human situation, one that is "in despair," can one then "actively despair" and move out of the aesthetic mire of common existence. It should be noted that it is an ill advised version of Christianity which is "in despair," such a Christian wanting a simple solution without having to face the terrifying problem of our being. Kierkegaard not only documents the different levels of "despair" (no one type is exclusive of others), but he looks into why it is that we often refuse to accept our condition, such denial forcing us to remain "in despair." As he himself makes clear, "The very nature of despair is that it is unaware of being despair." There are endless implications from such an important work, not least of which is the idea that words can hold as well as lose their meaning, depending on how they are used and who is using them. But over and above a theory of semiotics is Kierkegaard's belief that authentic Christianity can only arise for the one who faces his/her desperate situation; and upon doing so, sees no other way out than total submission to "the Power that posited it."

which, in response to Kierkegaard's brilliance Allen succintly noted, "and I have trouble writing two sentences on My Trip to the Zoo."

I am not a philosopher or even a literary person by any stretch, but I found this book surprisingly accessible. I believe it is essential reading for anyone dealing with despair (depression) in their lives- especially Christians.

The jewel that I was able garner from this book is that faith, fundamentally, is forgoing our common senses and putting our hope in God even when all our senses and previous experiences tell us otherwise. Because with God, everything is possible.

Clearly a labor of love, this book covers in detail the history of the singing cowboy in popular music -- and the American imagination. Mini-bios of dozens and dozens of not-so-well-known singers and Western musical groups, in more or less chronological order, stand beside fuller explorations of the work of the Sons of the Pioneers, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Tex Ritter. Green also puts the singing cowboy phenomenon into cultural context and delineates the shift from ranch-hand songs, to romantic paens about the West itself, to the current mini-renaissance. This is no hard-eyed social history, but an affectionate valentine. My only complaint: Out of humility or whatever, Green gives himself and fellow members of Riders in the Sky relatively little credit for the resurgence of interest in Western music. So let me add a footnote: For many of us out here, Riders in the Sky reawakened long-buried childhood dreams of tumbling tumbleweeds and blue shadows on the trail, making awesome music and contributing some classic songs to the canon themselves. For that -- and this excellent book -- thanks!

This is a most informative book...with enough information to keep the truly serious Western Music researcher happy, while not "drowning" the average leisure reader with "monotonous" facts.

Douglass B. Green (aka: Ranger Doug, "idol of American youth") is a very important figure in the preservation of Western Music History. His book is strong enough to be used as a college text, yet engrossing enough to keep most reading to the very end.

This is a most enjoyable book.

Singing In The Saddle: The History Of The Singing Cowboy by music historian and performer Douglas B. Green is an engaging and impressively informative presentation of the history of western music, films, and performers of America, both before and after World War II. Black-and-white photographs enhance this avidly detailed and lovingly written survey of an aspect of American Popular culture. Douglas B. Green ("Ranger Doug" from the Grammy Award-wining group Riders in the Sky) is to be commended for his expertise, his ability to write for the non-specialist general reader, and his ability to acquire anecdotal stories and recollections by some of the most experienced and influential members of the "singing cowboy" community.

"Singing in the Saddle" is a very nice book with a slightly different angle to to it's counterparts. There is information in this book that I have not found in other books about the singing cowboys. All in all the book is very well worth it's money for what it offers. What I do find disappointing however is the fact that the book does not quite live up to it's title.For example the book covers a lot of information about artistes who had nothing to do with 'singing in a saddle', such as radio and stage singers only, a good many of whom either died a long time ago and/or I have never heard of.

Personally, I would have liked the book to have covered only the movie singing cowboys, not enough was said about some of them, apart of course from Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter.

As a book that deals with the history of country and western music and the performers of such, then you are getting good value for money.

Green's Singing in the Saddle provides an articulate wide-ranging history of the Singing Cowboy from its origins in western folk culture to the triumph of the B Westerns. He draws strong portraits of both primary stars and lesser known actors who contributed to the genre. An excellent introduction and a must for country music collections.

I am an avid western reader, (L'amour, Will Henry, Zane Grey, Frank Bonham) and this book is a "Must Read" for anyone that likes western novels!! I thoroughly have enjoyed Six Notch Road!! A great story!! Can't wait for the other 2 books!!

This book has a unique plot line and is a good read even for those who do not like the Western genru. I have checked the factual setting and find that the writer does a fine job of being historically accurate. I would recommend this book to all who love Western fiction and those who simply enjoy a good, well told story. Malcolm

Mr. Santee transported me to the actual place and time of this great adventure. I was spellbound for two straight days. The only thing that could have possibly made it better... is to have been sitting around a campfire listening to Mr. Santee tell the story in person. Keep up the great writing. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the other two books.

This is without a doubt the best book I have ever read.I couldnt put it down.The writer is very good.Hope the other two will be out real soon.Just cant wait to read them.Please tell the author to hurry,hurry.A fan in waiting.....

This is a great book ! I'm not a western fan but it was suggested I read this book -- I could hardly put it down ! My girlfriend read it & had the same reaction---she read it in one sitting! The scenery descriptions & insights into the lives of the miners, coal & gold, were beautifully written. The emotional feelings of the characters were powerfully portrayed ------ I feel like I personally know each & every one of them & am anxious for the sequels----HURRY UP Mr. Santee !! What happens next? P.S. ( work on the punctuation )

I had to write a term paper for my critical thinking class in college, and it was on Aristophanes. The topic, more specifically, explored how Socrates' fate would have been different, had Aristophanes not written the play "The Clouds." This book was helpful in explaining the play, Aristophanes, and his relationship with Socrates. If you're studying anyhting of this nature, or are just interested in the two men mentioned in the title, I strongly recommend that you read it.

This book is a detailed analyasis of Aristophanes plays, their themes and their political, if we must say it- cultural, sigfigance on Athenians and the larger Greek world. This book is so interesting because a philosopher is anyalysis the works of art and then comaparing them with his intimate knowledge of classical political philosophy. The highlight is how well Aristophanes does in depecting accurately the life of 'the' philosopher, the philosopher par excellance- Socrates. If you have a favourable prejudice towards Socrates, you may not like this book because Strauss is rigourous in his insistence on detailing the real Socrates, the famous natural philosopher who is fascinated by insects and what they can tell him about the whole of life, even morality. Morality seems to be a distant, almost unimportant concern to the natural philosopher Socrates. But nay, it is this very point where Aristophanes' perspective on Socrates falters and it is why poetry cannot comprehend philosophy. Strauss subtly argues only a philosopher, like Socrates and Plato, can be the ultimate judge of good and evil. Where Aristophanes is dependent upon the city for approval, and looks to the city for his poetry, although he claims to be the originator of it, Socrates looks beyond the city, philosophy is concerned with the transpolitical.

While the introduction, conclusion and first essay (on "Clouds") is apparently anchored in an argument between philosophy and poetry, the further Strauss leaves "Clouds" behind, the more we see through his close reading of the plays, in a way we never do from the younger Plato, the cultural disintegration of Athens under the assault of the war. Euripides, not Socrates, emerges at the real opponent and comedy triumphs over both tragedy and philosophy as the best teacher. This brings us close to an historical experience so often lost in classical studies, particularly in political philosphy, the madness in the streets of Athens and the fully-formed, transcendent characters which emerge with the comic treatment. These are not the spoiled aristocratic youth clustered around Socrates or the sophists (Plato's real enemies - not the poets). These are the men and women at the corner bar. This book makes you wish Strauss had done a "Hobbes and Shakespeare." His evident enjoyment of his subject leaks through with increasing intensity the further he seems to drift from his dichotomy. Could it be Strauss wished to remind his followers, ever so gently, to, like, lighten up and read a good comedy, even in the Greek some labor so hard to acquire? The book at least raises two questions: how did the bold Aristophanes avoid capital punishment? why did the ironic, diplomatic Socrates accept his?

This book follows the typical Strauss pattern: In the first few pages he makes a blanket statement (in this case, Aristophanes is a reactionary; in Thoughts on Machiavelli it was, Machiavelli is evil), then follows it up will a torturous and nuanced analysis of the thinker's ideas until you begin to wonder: In what way is Aristophanes a reactionary or Machiavelli, evil. He tells you the picture is black and white, then he brings you in so close that it all turns gray. Be this as it may, Plato's Symposium and Republic (especially Republic X where Socrates bans the poets from his just city) tells only half the story (philosophy's side). In this book Strauss tells the other half (poetry's side). In essence, Symposium and Republic (and to a certain extent, Phaedo) make up Plato's case as to why philosophy should be the teacher of public morality instead of poetry. Strauss' book takes Aristophanes' eleven existing plays and presents his opposing arguments, his defence of poetry and attack on philosophy. Interesting read for we who sit the other side of Plato's Republic (i.e. Medieval Christendom, where there is no longer any contest between Thomas Aquinas and Dante Aligheri).

In this book Leo Strauss takes Aristophanes depiction of Socrates as a serious political attack. No longer is Aristophane's attack rationalized away as a mistake as it is ussualy done by many authors (e.g. that he mistook Socrates as a Sophist) or that Socrates was an easy target for riducule because of his 'ugly' looks. Strauss, writes that Aristophanes personally knew Socrates (unlike for example Aristotle), and as seen in the Platonic dialogue 'The Symposium' he was also a good friend of Socrates. Thus, Aristophanes attack on Socrates is not done out of hate, rather it was done in friendship. The same kind of friendship that we also see in Plato's Republic, where Socrates attacks Thrasymachus while at the same time becoming his friend. What Aristophanes depicts in his play 'The Clouds' is a "young" Socrates, one who does not know yet the wisdom of respecting a city's Gods. The Socrates that we all know and like, emerges much later and it is the Platonic Socrates, not the Socrates that Aristophanes knew. The Aristophenian Socrates had yet to learn his 'lessons'. Strauss is not biased against the profane language found in Aristophanes plays and does not view Aristophanes any less of a wise man for it. Indeed, Strauss seems to share some of the same convictions in regards to Aristophanes as Friedrich Nietzsche. In Nietzsche's book Beyond Good and Evil, one reads: "As for Aristophanes-that transfiguring, complementary spirit for whose sake one forgives everything Hellenic for having existed, provided one has inderstood in its full profundity all that needs to be forgiven and transfigured here-there is nothing that has caused me to meditate more on Plato's secrecy and sphinx nature than the happily preserved petit fait that under the pillow of his deathbed there was found no "Bible", nor anything Egyptian, Pythagorean, or Platonic-but a volume of Aristophanes. How could even Plato have endured life-a Greek life he repudiated-without an Aristophanes? (section, 28)