R Books

The book is AWESOME.It's a must have 4 all BtVS fans.It is from Xander's point of view and has his thoughts and feelings about what's going on. It's divided into chapters/sections-here is how it goes starting after the Acknowledgments: Tonight,Part1;Teacher's Pet(6 chapters); Tonight,Part2;Inca Mummy Girl(7 chapters); Tonight,Part3;Bewitched,Bothered,And Bewildered (7 chapters);Tonight,Part4.There are also great pictures in the center of the book.I hope I haved helped you out!

Just like on the TV show Xander delivers scarcasm and humor that only he can do. He tells 3 tales of his strange supernatural romance (Teachers Pet, Inca Mummy Girl, and Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered)and proves that Buffy isn't the only one with a twisted life. I liked reading about Xander becasue he's pretty much the typical male, except a whole lot wittier, and the occasional vampire slaying. I reccomend this to any Buffy the Vampire Slayer and/or Xander fan!

Only recently have I become a buffy fan (but boy, when I fall I fall hard) This was the first buffy book I read, but it was definately worth it! Especially the last story Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered made me laugh so much I have the stiches to prove it. This book made me stop thinking Xander was boring. Definately a must to read for any buffy fan!

In order to understand the entire buffy novels,one needs to understand Xander.This book details probably the most intimate things anyone will be able to get with the character.From his feelings for his best friend Willow to chrush unfulfilled Buffy,dating and romance in Sunnydale is truly humerous.....for Xander it's the most harzardous thing to do. Full of laughs and deep thought,to understand buffy,you need to understand why she does'nt just crumple from the pressure of slaying. Because Xander will always be there...laughing at the world.

This book is a novelization of three episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The first Teacher's Pet is a homage to the big bug movies of the late fifties. Inca Mummy Girl revives the curse of the mummy and Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered explores the magic of love. In each story Xander falls in love with dire consequences. His heart is pure and his intentions good but the results are both frightening and humorous. I recommend this to all Xander fans. It could be a dating manual for the new century.

I took the book to the beach and couldn't put it down. I was riveted from the very first sentence. The author led us with such skill to the character Reb Michael Klimrod that you are hooked immediately.

Paul-Loup Sulitzer is a master storyteller. His skill and thought provoking insight into this complex character gave us an entirely different prospective into this tragic time. He lifts your soul and fires your imagination with imagery that has you holding your breath in anticipation of what comes next. This book will make you stop whining about your life and look outside yourself to the possibilities available. I'm not a person that likes to read a book more than once but with The Green King I find myself reading it once a year and feeling like it is the first time every time.

Do you have a teen that feels life is boring or that you know needs to be challenged? This book has the power to bring on a change in thinking. I read several novels weekly but this is a book you will want to read slowly and savor every word.

Movie Makers Take Notice - the world needs a thought provoking movie and this is it!

The green King is without any doubt one of the best tales ever told, about the life of a person with so much to give to the world, and so much to do and explore.For me it was amazing from the beginning, the tall blonde boy with the anger and pain of the concetration camp to the nearly end, Reb the one of the richest man alive fighting for a good cause. Read it love it, please someone do a movie about this extraordinary Man.

i read The Green King in its Russian translation 12 years ago and it remains my most favorite book... i still keep it and it is much beaten up by now... i can definetely say that the power of this Sulitzer musterpiece was a major factor in shaping my adolesent character... now i am grown up and unfortunately find it impossible to have a strong figure in my life who i would want to be like, but there is something in The Green King that will make you either rediscover the feeling or help find it for a first time....

I found a copy of the hardback English translation at a "friends of the library" sale. The tale of Reb Michael Klimrod is an improbable one, although riveting. With the start of the book with Klimrod rescued from Mauthausen concentration camps during the war, he survives amid a sea of bodies, pulling on some inner strength and self-image that allows himself to function in horrendous circumstances without letting it attack his spirit. He then goes on an adventure to find what happened to his family and their wealth, makes connections in cigarette black market trade that finance his eventual stalking down of the Nazi who tortured, filmed and killed his father.

From that tale of vengeance the book propels us into the Amazon, where Klimrod again survives a hostile environment and develops a bond with the natives in Amazonia. After emerging from there, he heads to New York where he again flourishes in the hostile environment of big business, using powers of persuasion and an incredible memory to create a number of businesses in a short amount of time and surround himself with loyal followers that become known as "the Black Dogs."

Klimrod falls in love with the unstable Charmian whose ups & downs captivate him. The scene on the boat where she actually shoots him is a profound chapter on the power of love.

Having amassed billions, Reb turns his attentions to Amazonia, creating a culture in the heart of the jungle. The secrecy and silent attraction of others to Reb make him an enigmatic lead character, one that holds our interest until the end. The ending at the United Nations where Reb, the unknown billionaire, is going to try to "come out" against boarders and nations is foiled and the novels seems to dissipate as much as climax. Denise Raab Jacobs' translation from the French reads and flows well. All in all, this is a memorable story, one that grabs you in the first few pages and takes you in numerous unpredictable directions. Enjoy!

The Green King is my all-time favorite book. I read it for the first time when on vacation in Aruba in '85 and have read it at least three times since. I found a first print in hardcover and it is the jewel of my book collection.

Reb Michael Klimrod's journey from a nazi death camp to the richest man in the world without anyone knowing him is remarkable. The detail that Sulitzer maintains in his book of the men that kept this secret is breath taking; the web of financial companies and transactions is exhilarating. This is a great book for anyone that enjoys high finance and a desire to fulfill a dream. 5 Stars are not enough for this book.

King Fortis the Brave was a fun book to read. The first chapter was a little slow, but the pace quickly picked up when Rodney and Aimee made it to Daak, and there was no looking back. From the Dismal Forest to the castle of Haeron, every page was an adventure. The book itself read like a movie, I could picture every scene in my head and know that someday this story will make a great movie. My only complaint is that it ended too soon. I WANT MORE!

My daughter isn't much of a reader, and I almost hesitated picking this book up, but I had heard good things about it from a friend who is a teacher. I gave it to my daughter for her birthday, and she carried it around with her everywhere until she had finished it. I've rarely seen her as captivated by a book as she was by King Fortis the Brave

I loved this book. I can't really wait until the next book comes out. I think Ward was the funniest character and made me laugh. Ward and Rodney made good friends. That is why I really liked this book.

I read this on recommendation from a Harry Potter fan, trying to read something else while I anxiously wait for the next one. I thought the story was pretty good, not good or great, and though I tired of reading it once or twice, I was generally swept through the story.

The only gripe I have is that there are obvious misspellings and incorrect words used, which distracted from the story as I had to figure out what should have been used and how it was intended to be read.

Overall a good read, but the author needs to get a new editor!

I have long been a fan of fantasy and science fiction but usually avoid those that I feel are "young adult". So, when my niece coerced me into reading this book, I was delighfully surprised by how good it actual was.

The characters are well-developed and portray a morality that has been missing in the genre since the Wizard of Oz.

The authors pull no punches to suit the politically correct. This is a tale of good versus evil, of tenderness and brutality, of loyalty and betrayal. But the scenes, while very well detailed, are not filled with the gore or the kitsch that is the trap of all new authors.

This is a classic story in the classic sense.

Buy it, read it, enjoy it. I did.

This has to be one of the most fascinating ,interesting ,and probably the most factual treatment of the trial and execution of the assassins of President Lincoln.
There are several reasons that this book is so outstanding.It's large size,9 1/2 X 12 inches is required to do the photographs justice.The paper, quality,printing ,color reproduction and overall construction are supurb.The two authors are outstanding in their knowledge and long time interest in the subject.It has a selected bibliography that must be as good as one will find on the subject.The organization of the book makes it a clear ,concise and easily absorbed chronology of events that was probably even more captivating in its day than the period after the Assassination of President Kennedy.
The book also shows, as a besides, the difference in the art of photography in 1865 compared to what we have come to take for granted today or in the time of Kennedy's assassination. The fact that newspapers did not even have the ability to print a photograph. Photographs were not even available until several days after taken,and forget about color photography then. Come the advances in 100 years and we watched events live and in our living rooms with the assassination of JFK.
Compare this advancement in recording and speedy dissipating of information with the regression of and the drawn out, convoluting that takes place in the legal and justice that has become the norm today. Absolutely amazing in both cases.A few weeks and negligable expense in the case of Lincoln and years and untold millions with Kennedy.There has been great advances in the information processes and just the opposite in the legal and justice process.
Getting back to how the assassination is covered in this book. The authors have been able to make the reader feel that they were living at the time the event took place and convey what it might have felt to witness those great events taking place.There have been many books on the subject,and it was complicated;but the authors have boiled it down to the essentials.The hundreds of photographs,illustrations,reproductions and illustrations are a real treasure trove that have been collected and assembled in a way that obviously must have talen taken lot of time ,knowledge and contacts.
If you want a book that details the capture,trial and execution of President Lincoln,in a clear,concise way;look no further --this is the book you are looking for.

James Swanson has done a super job at presenting Lincoln's assassins thru the the use of pictures of the individuals as well as documents of the time. An excellent source for teachers dealing with the capture, trial, and execution of those associated with Lincoln's assassination.

I saw James Swanson giving a speech about his other book "Manhunt" and found him fascinating to listen to. he knew facts that I had never heard before and could describe them with such detail I felt like I was watching it happen. I read "Manhunt" and was thrilled to have the details of those twelve days come to life. When I saw this book I snatched it up as quickly as I could. It is the perfect book for both the avid reader and for those who like to look at artifacts and photographs of the era. This is by far my new favorite Civil War book (and I have many). James and Daniel did an excellent job of laying out the story then showing artifacts and pictures from the event. I've looked at this book for hours and am only through the second chapter! Not that it's hard to get through, just fun to look at and read.

This text dovetails nicely with Swanson's recent effort "Manhunt", but more from an artifact perspective than a written one. Many of the pictures are one-of-a-kind, especially Alexander Gardner's entire collection from the courtyard at the D.C. prison where the conspirators were hung. Again, this is not a complete text (nor does it aspire to be), but a great addition to any historical collection regarding the Lincoln assasination.

This is more of a picture book than a text-laden history book, but it's the appeal of the many photos, pictures, illustrations, and even cartoons that make this book a fascinating one to read. The book includes photos of all the conspirators, in life as well as death, along with other interesting details such as a letter Booth wrote as a teenager. Today few remember that John Wilkes Booth was the teenage heart-throb of his day, making it all the more shocking when he was involved in the assassination.

The details of the trial sound like something from some fantastic kangaroo court, not the U.S. For example, the defense had no time to marshall their case, interview or call witnesses, or even to meet much with their clients. The jury was composed of generals and military men, not civilians, and their decision would be final, with no right of appeal.There were indeed judges in the courtroom, but they were watching from the audience.

The public and the press constantly talked about their favorite conspirators, of which the young, handsome and dashing looking Lewis Powell was the favorite, who attempted to kill secretary of state William Seward with a Bowie knife on the night of the assassination, rather than the president, but was foiled. Even the decision of who to prosecute left many questions unanswered, as several suspects with far more incriminating evidence weren't even brought to trial, whereas others with less evidence were tried and executed. The authors suggest that this might have had more to do with who actually plotted the murder vs. who was involved with post-assassination attempts to shelter Booth.

However, it's the stunning visual presentation here rather than the now well known history that is the star here. This book will be enjoyed by any history or Americana buffs or anyone interested in a well done presentation of a unique event in our history.

This book provides great resources to live a better lifestyle. I love the way Jeremy documents his accomplishments and failures. He proves that one should not give up on their dreams but rather set goals so they can achieve their dreams.

Jeremy's book is separated into three parts: Mind set, Nutrition, Exercise. The mind set is a motivational section that describes what tools a person needs to achieve their goals. This was my favorite section of the entire book!

The next section is the Nutrition section. In this section Jeremy talks about what foods to consider eating. This section does not contain a diet plan rather Jeremy attempts to educate the readers about the properties of the different food groups. This section contains great information and gives the reader an idea of what foods are made of thus allowing the reader to decide for themselves what foods are good and what foods are bad.

The final section of this book talks about exercise. Jeremy describes some exercises and explains some different ways to do them. This is a great section if you are not familiar with weight lifting. Some of the exercises Jeremy describes are the Squat, Dead Lift, and Bench Press.

This really is an amazing book. I don't contain the words to do this book any justice. BUY THIS BOOK!

I've read a lot of these type of books. A lot of similarities and a lot of contradictions between books. This books is the most comprehensive one I've read. I've reread it several times and get something new out of it each time.

a great book to read before your weight loss journey. Very well written and it has a good progression of all facets of a weight loss approach minus the recipes.

This IS THE BOOK ladies! It is not just for men only. If you want to be encouraged and seek the key to transfomation, Jeremy Likness hands you everything you need in his book. I am 49, mother or two, an RN for 27 years, gained 70 lbs and should have known better. This book has given me hope and encouragement and KEYS to getting fit and healthy again. YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. I intend on reading it again and again. It is THAT GREAT of a book!

KAREN S.

It has been said that the way to make money quickly in the book industry is self-help or weight loss fitness books. This book does not really fall into that category. It is written with a passion for a subject and based on personal experience and transformation. There are a number of factors that make this an exceptional book, and even more so an extraordinary fitness book. First is the way it is written - each chapter is written in two parts. It begins with the meat of the matter, the teaching about, health, fitness, wellness ... the second part of each chapter is the personal narrative of Jeremy's journey from being unhealthy to healthy. Mr. Likeness gives numerous examples from his own fitness journey and some from those he has helped to move along that path. In the same way that Sylvester Stallone did in his book Sly Moves : My Proven Program to Lose Weight, Build Strength, Gain Will Power, and Live your Dream.

This book is in part written around the philosophy from the book Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillips, yet it goes into much greater depth on some of the non-physical factors of health and weight loss or weight management. It deals with issues of stress, family life and work factors that can either help or hinder the physical transformation a person desires to make. This book has a very holistic approach to health and fitness. It presents the argument that in order to make lasting changes in your life, those changes must begin from the inside; transformation starts in the heart and in the mind and then works out in the body. Jeremy states: "Physique transformation is about more than simply losing weight. You will find that your life changes in many ways, too. You adjust to new clothing, a new image in the mirror, even a new sense of energy that allows you to achieve more during the day. Spiritually and mentally, you may change as well. Although these changes are almost always positive, change itself can be something that we fear. For this reason, it is important to understand what changes to expect to better prepare yourself as the process unfolds." Once the physical changes start to become more evident, you will have both positive and negative comments from people in your life. Likeness helps to provide some tools for dealing with both types. An example he gives is that if you have been over weight for a long time, you might not be accustomed to compliments - you will have to learn how to receive them and take some of them to heart.

This book, as the techniques in it are applied, can be a great tool for helping a person achieve greater health and wellbeing. This can be a factor in a longer and happier life. If these goals are things you have been thinking about, or have started working on, pick up this book to help boost your resolve and efforts to make your lifestyle changes.

(First Published in Imprint 2008-05-30.)

All this book is, is just a book full of "articles" from sales trainers.
It sounds , at least on paper, like a great idea but, the book is all over the place and needs some editing work.

If you have a library of sales books, this book just takes some paragraphs or articles from different authors and put it into a confusing book.

Like I said, If you have a library of sales material, the book really won't hold your interest.

With over 50 contributing Experts to this book you can't go wrong.

There is so much to be learned it is incredible.

Each leason is short and easy to read. You could take each leason in the book and apply it immediately with out any added cost.

I also had the pleasure of interviewing over 30 of the authors from The Masters of Sales book and if you would like the mp3 audio's for free Register at [...] and under the referred by section put MastersOfSales and we will email you the links to download the MP3's

Thanks Ivan and Don for such a Masterful Book.

Masters of Sales. Secrets from top sales professionals that will transform you into a world class salesman. Ivan R. Misner & Don Morgan. 2007. ISBN 1599181290. This book needs to be on every sales persons shelf beside the phone. Its been quite a while since I have found so many great sales ideas form so many to notch sales people in one volume. There is knowledge here that will benefit newbies right through to old sales dogs. Of course if you are content to not be among the top 10 % of producers among sales people who also are the most voracious readers, then you lose nothing by ignoring this book. Your loss is your competitors gain. Buy it, read it, use the advice and read it again. Yes I liked this book. Its everything that Google library says it is below:

Sold! The magic word. The holy grail. Why are some salespeople remarkably successful, while others make call after call with no results? How do some turn any no into a yes, while others can't even get their foot in the door? For the first time, more than 80 of the most successful salespeople in the world have come together to reveal their secrets to success. You'll learn what makes these outstanding sellers true masters of their craft-and how you can adapt the masters' tactics for your own. Learn Martha Stewart's secrets to promoting yourself as an expert. Discover the 11 key questions to ask from Harvey McKay. Get Anthony Parinello's advice on selling to CEOs. Be trained in guerrilla tactics for direct selling from Jay Conrad Levinson. Find out Brian Tracy's secrets on the psychology of selling. Bursting with valuable advice from Jack Canfield, Anthony Robbins, Keith Ferrazzi, Tom Hopkins, Al Lautenslager and more than 70 other masters of the art of selling, this exclusive compilation of the best sales strategies ever known puts you on the fast track to sales success.

Ivan R. Misner and Don Morgan have co-authored several books, including Masters of Success as well as this one in which 73 "masters of sales" share their secrets. What soon became obvious to me as I worked my way through this book is that I was exploring a paradox: peak performers in sales share much in common (persistence, rigorous preparation, a positive mental attitude, sharp focus, a high energy level, people skills, a thick skin, etc.) and yet each possesses a unique "something" that cannot be duplicated, or even quantified with any precision. Bill George calls it a person's "true north, the internal compass that guides you as a human being at your deepest level. It is your orienting point - your fixed point in a spinning world - that helps you stay on track as a leader. Your True North is based on what is most important to you in terms of your most cherished values, your passions and motivations, the sources of satisfaction in your life. Just as a compass points toward a magnetic field, your True North pulls you toward the purpose of your leadership."

The subtitle of this book at least implies that by learning various secrets from top sales professionals, the reader will be transformed into "a world class salesperson." That is, of course, nonsense and Misner and Morgan presumably know better. What their book offers, rather, is a rare opportunity to share insights from dozens of successful people, conveniently assembled within in a single source and presented sequentially in eleven chapters, each of which assigned a central theme. For example, "The Master of Sales Attitude: Aligning Your Inner Self with Your Outside Personal Image" in the first chapter and "Closing the Customer: It's in the WOW Factor" in the final chapter.

Most of the contributors were unfamiliar to me but I greatly appreciate what they shared. Of course, Misner and Morgan include essays by "the usual suspects" such as Jay Conrad Levinson, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins, and Harvey Mackay. There are at least two reasons why all of them are generally considered "super stars" in sales: first, they sell lots of their own stuff (i.e. books, CDs and DVDs, seminars and workshops); also, they have successfully trained thousands of others (who bought their stuff) to sell whatever their respective companies offer. But again I wish to stress that Zig Ziglar, for example, does not clone himself. His objective is to inform but also to ignite those with whom he has contact, directly in person or indirectly via his books and tapes. He urges those in sales to master basic skills, of course, but constantly stresses the importance of formulating or adopting strategies and tactics that are most appropriate to their own needs and interests. In "Sales 101: What Every Sales Professional Needs to Know" (Pages 15-19), Ziglar makes several basic points of indisputable validity - citing ten highly desirable habits that he has found to be "extremely useful" in all aspects of his life -- but this advice will be of little (if any value) unless and until another person grasps, indeed embraces its meaning and significance, then applies effectively what she or he has learned from Ziglar. The same is true of advice offered by other successful men and women who, like those who contributed to this book, share the lessons they have learned, especially from their failures.

My guess (only a guess) is that this book will be of greatest value if the Contents section is checked out first so that each reader can then determine which themes - and which selections clustered with each theme - are of greatest interest. (Caveat: It would be a mistake to ignore contributions by those who are unfamiliar.) I presume to suggest that there are three basic questions that each person in sales must be well-prepared to answer when in contact with a prospective buyer. The first two pose no significant challenges (or at least shouldn't) but success or failure almost always depends on the response to the third. Here they are:

Explicit: Who are you?
Implicit: Are you honest? Do you know what you're talking about? Have you made an effort to understand my business? Will you protect my best interests? Are you and your organization reliable? Can I trust you?

Explicit: What do you do?
Implicit: Which specific products and services do you offer that I need? Can you answer my questions? Can you help solve my problems? Will you "go the extra mile" when that is necessary?

Explicit: Why should I care?
Implicit: What differentiates you from other sales people? What differentiates your products and services from what competitors offer? What unique value-added benefits do you offer? Will doing business with you strengthen my own customer relationships?

Credit Misner and Morton with carefully selecting and then brilliantly presenting a wealth of material that can help to answer both explicit and implicit questions such as these.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out the aforementioned Masters of Success also co-edited by Misner and Morgan as well as two books by Tom Butler-Bowdon: 50 Success Classics and 50 Self-Help Classics.

This book reinforces what you've been told over and over again - selling is about relationships and you must work to be good at it. Throughout this book however, are basic principles that should be reinforced and refreshed. Especially take note of page 239. Role playing is a no-brainer when preparing for any presentation, but how often do we do it with the client who we've already sold? This book truly has light bulb moments!

This is a must read for people interested in either history, the environment, or people. It is well written and provides an excellent view about the history of the twentieth century that most people do not usually know about. Everyone should read it.

Boom. This is a biggie. Yowzah! If you want a clear view of our specie's impact on our world there is no better place to start than here. J.R. McNeill offers a balanced and comprehensive look at the century which changed everything, and his title, contradicting Ecclesiastes' assertion that nothing is new, says it all. The core idea here is that in the last century humanity moved beyond affect of local systems to dominance of the biosphere. We are everywhere. McNeill covers our impact on all of the life on our planet, from his prologue discussion of economy, population and energy, to his deeper analysis of soil, air, water and the whole of living systems. He offers clear views of the demographic and technologic forces which have shaped our modern world. Most illuminating of all are the complicated ways in which each change we have wrought has brought both destruction and remediation. Oil, the number one eco-villain in recent history, particularly when pumped through internal combustion engines, has also cleaned up city air enormously when it replaced coal and wood for heating and power generation. It also eliminated the need to remove 10-15,000 horse carcasses from average large cities each year and saved the great whales from extinction. Nuclear energy, an utter failure economically and with wastes which will be our generation's longest lasting heirloom, at least doesn't pollute the air. Population growth has had enormous impact on environmental damage, but less than I would have estimated as a percentage, and in some places it has even permitted improvements impossible without many hands. We are, in his words, the "rogue primate" which became smart enough to threaten every other life form on the planet, from smallpox virus to blue whales. Our success has paradoxically been very good for the viruses that cause the common cold and for rabbits. From the general to the specific, whole systems to individual tools (automobile, chain saw) McNeill has achieved a grasp of how and what we did, and tells the story masterfully. For readers who took up my recommendation of A GREEN HISTORY OF THE WORLD (Clive Ponting, St. Martin's Press, 1991), this one is better (and Ponting's work is one of McNeill's sources). Bingo.

I wrote my economics undergraduate thesis on development and environmental management back in 1976-77, and surely I would have enjoyed and valued to have Professor McNeill's book in my hands in those years.

His book is remarkable in many ways. It is a well written book, extraordinarly documented and well supported with eye opening statistical tables and illustrations. His material is useful for graduate and undergraduate students alike, and also for wider audiences interested on reviewing a different approach on history's complexities.

As the book front page indicates, the author centers his work on the 20th century's humankind events, termed by himself as the most influential on the process of ecology's evolution.

The book is very well organized so the reader keeps information organized in a properly way. At the end, Professor McNeill leaves many questions open that will be ample material enough to study in the years to come. Among those questions is the one concerned with society's will to deal seriously with environmental crises that have accumulated on the latest decades. We can have a readily answer to that subject if political leaders continue to privilege the narrow view of economic growth, instead of considering to seriously discuss the implementation of more integral strategies that would deliver environmental friendly sustainable economic development at the end.

Without question I recommend this book.

Sub-titled "An Environmental History of the 20th Century", this is a sober and objective survey of environmental changes over the past 100 years. I was concerned this would be an emotional appeal or judgmental polemic from the left - but not the case, it is academic and professional history from an environmental perspective (the environment, not "environmental movement"). It's encyclopedic in scope and style.

I would not call this an "entertaining" read (although some of the facts really fire the synapses), but it is deeply rewarding as a broad survey of a very large and complex problem. The chapters and sub-sections are arranged in a logical outline making it possible to read the chapters in any order.

The main idea of the title "something new under the sun" is that humans have so fundamentally changed the environment that things really are very different now than they have ever been historically. To regard our current conditions of energy availability, access to water, unending economic growth - as enduring and normal appears to be an interesting gamble given the facts.

Some interesting trivia: humans did not become the dominate primate until about 8,000 BC with the rise of agriculture (baboons outnumbered humans before then). About one-fifth of all humans that ever lived did so in the 20th century. In sheer energy terms, if all modern technology and energy sources were not available, the average American would need about 70 human slaves to maintain the current standard of living (each American "directs" 70 energy-slave equivalents). Each year, humans move more earth and soil than glaciers, wind erosion, mountain building (plate tectonic uplift), and volcanoes combined. Probably the single most damaging biological organism in earths history was the human primate Thomas Midgley Jr from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania born in 1889. He invented Freon (which destroys the Ozone layer), and also leaded gasoline, which has polluted most of the worlds soil lasting thousands of years (all of us carry elevated lead levels because of it and will continue to do so for centuries to come, leading to birth defects, lowered IQs, etc..). Midgley contracted Polio at age 51 and invented a system or ropes and pulleys to move his crippled body off the bed - he became tangled and was strangled to death in 1944 by his own invention, before learning how damaging his inventions were.

This book may be the best historical survey I've ever read. (And with an M.A. in history, I've read a few!) I got this book to complement my hard science slogging on global warming, and found so much more than I hoped for or ever imagined! McNeil's book provides the historical background and the human context for all the graphs and numbers in the science texts. If you're looking for one book to give you a focused overview of just how much human civilization has accomplished, good and bad, in the last 100 years, this is it.

The organization of the book is excellent. McNeil sources everything, ends each chapter with an excellent summary, and wraps it all up with his own thoughtful commentary on climate change. He uses an inspired mix of the small detail (birds dying mid-flight) and the enormous concept (the Aswan dam affected the entire Mediterranean ecosystem). He describes chains of cause and effect and makes connections other historians and scientists seem to miss. The chapters dealing with agriculture are, I think, particularly relevant to our everyday lives; but students in nearly every subject will find this book useful. My husband is a family physician, and has read the sections on public health; my neighbor is a biologist with the USGS, and is reading the chapter on dams and irrigation.

the title attracts you, the rest will surprise you, and may lead to a very different understanding of power...

I bought this book not knowig what to expect. I just did a lookup on Leadership and it came up. Then I thought, what not.
What I found was the Tao! A philosophy that is life changing; I recommended this wonderful translation by R.L. Wing to anyone who wants to see truth. It is the best translation that I have read of the Tao Te Ch'ing.

It is a perfect read for getting ready for work. Gives me a sense of calm and purpose.

I bought an older edition of this book years ago, and its time I pay tribute to the author for his remarkable work. Like many others, I have read several versions of the Tao Te Ching, and I think R L Wing's The Tao of Power is definitely the best, quite simply because his commentaries and explanations are easy to understand yet sharp and to the point. Wing's commentaries are so good that the reader will be inclined to read them first, before going through the original text of the Tao Te Ching.

Quite frankly, I think Wing's interpretation of this Chinese classic should be required reading at every school.

I also have Wing's other book - The Art of Strategy, which is Sunzi's Art of War, again nothing but praise. I've been searching more of Wing's books over the years, I sincerely hope he keeps up his excellent work and release more books.

The author of Tao Te Ching can never be found out with a hundred percent surety. But what is said is important not the one who said it. Tao Te Ching is basically a book that has great philosophical depth. Only religious books like "Bhagavad Geeta", "The Bible", "The Quran", "The Dhammapada" come close to Tao Te Ching. I personally feel The Bhagavad Geeta comes closest to this work. It is always a good idea to read these books in comparison.When you read the books in comparison, you will understand what the books are saying. What is clear in one book may not be clear in the other or vice-versa. Or you might find it easier to understand in another book. For example, there is a line in Tao Te Ching That says "Act without action." It needs great insight to explain that line. The Bhagavad Geeta speaks of acting without expecting reward. It should be understood that Lord Krishna or whoever wrote the Geeta is not talking about philanthropy. It is to act from a state where the one who is acting does not exist but the action goes through him. And since the actual "actor" does not exist he is not worried about the result or reward. I request you to read the books, "Tao Te Ching" { R.L. Wing's version is very good.} The Bhagavad Geeta { Paramahansa Yogananda's Translation is very good } & Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Penguin Books). I am sure you will never regret buying these books and if you read them properly they will change the way you look at the world.

I am currently in a Licensed Massage Therapy schoool and this is the best book. The illustrations are clear and detailed. I recommend this book to all future people going into the medical field.

A most impressive and down to earth guide to understanding the essential "landmarks" of the human body with regards to the needs of physical therapists, massage therapists, or anyone that uses range of motion testing, joint mobility, joint distraction, or soft tissue massage techniques in their clinical practice. Very easy to understand and relate to actual scenarios without the usual heavy reliance on dry medical jargon. Highly recommended!

A must have for all Massage Therapists! It should be the anatomy textbook in all massage schools!

I received the 2nd ed. of this book in massage school.

I purchased the 3rd ed. to study for my National test.

WOW! I truly did not think this book could have gotten any better, but it DID! It shows all different views of muscles, muscle groups, bones, boney landmarks, how to find boney landmarks to find muscles, latin/greek roots of the words, study hints, remembering devices, WONDERFUL illustrations!

I also purchased the Student Workbook - which is an ENTIRELY new text with this edition - and it has a lot of different ways to test yourself to prepare for tests.

If you need to know ANYTHING relating to the muscles/bones of the body, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! Don't let the cost fool you ... it is NOT overpriced. I used to think it was (when I found out how much it was by itself - my 2nd ed. was included with my tuition at school), until I bought this new edition.

They added an obscene amount of new pages, and updated their illustrations to make them even EASIER to understand.

If you have any doubts about this book, log on to the publishers website discoverybooks . com - there are excerpts, downloadable pages, etc.

Hope this helps.

I used this book while studying to be a physical therapist assistant. I wish I had found it sooner!!! It's fabulous. I provides a detailed description of how to find muscles, bones, etc. This is better than any other book I have used for this purpose.

Paul Hill has all the necessary credentials to write a book like this. Despite the fact that his employer, NASA, kept his interest in UFOs unofficial, he has come to interesting and well supported conclusions. The objects are real. Official disinterest in studying them and the associated ridicule are also real. He had seen UFOs himself and accepted the evidence at face value. He also makes mention of his work for a company called A.V. Roe in Canada and there is a photo of test pilots for a project he claims went nowhere. See Flying Saucer Aircraft by Rose for the connection. That project did, in fact, go somewhere.

The idea that such advanced aircraft are beyond the capability of manufacture on Earth may not be true. Also, reported abductions by 'aliens' may be part of a larger cover up as well. Perhaps this is why 20 years have elapsed since the time of writing and publication. Only recently, via an article in Popular Mechanics, have people learned about America's Nuclear Flying Saucer (actually, semi-circular). The atomic aircraft was also a program that had, reportedly, gone nowhere.

And Mr. Hill tells us that we are looking at the speed of light in regard to space travel all wrong. I recommend this book highly as a cogent and worthwhile addition to the library for those looking for good answers to this subject.

I didn't really buy this book with any expectations. and I'm not really a UFO buff but I do have an open mind about such things. When I received this book, I read it cover to cover and didn't take my hands off of it. This book, hands down, has the best explanation of the mathematics behind Relitivity, using the Lorentz Transformation, of any book I have read. After reading this book and absorbing the math, the reader will understand that interstallar travel is easily possible from the travelers reference time frame. I rate this book 5 stars and might buy another one because the one I have is starting to wear out.

I found that this is one of the best books about UFO subject from a scientific point of view.

A very good exposition for all the scientifically minded sympathetic skeptics (like me). I've enjoyed every part of this very entertaining book. However I would like to mention just a couple of points, for the sake of completeness. Mr. Hill's concept of 'effective' speed is an interesting one and quite valid for CONSTANT SHIP VELOCITY. However across pages 387-388 he makes the erroneous statement that "...all physical laws properly formulated hold good in ALL REFERENCE FRAMES." in paraphrasing Einstein. This should of course read "...ALL INERTIAL FRAMES." An accelerating space ship does NOT constitute an inertial frame of reference, hence the condition that the speed of light remain invariant in all inertial frames, does not generally hold. In fact in a non-inertial frame the value of the speed of light is C`a = C*(1+(a*cos r)/(2C*C)), where C is the usual value of the speed of light in an inertial frame and C`a is the speed of light determined in an accelerating frame. If you substitute C`a for C in Equation A5-12a you get the correct expression. This only affects the accelerated portions of the spaceship's trip. I've checked the effective speed during the constant velocity coasting and it seems to be a valid proposal.

Reference: Acceleration-dependent electromagnetic self-interaction effects as a basis for inertia and gravitation
Vesselin Petkov, arXiv:physics/9909019 v6, 1 Aug 2001.

Book like this one are a blessing, you can not miss it if you are getting serious in Ufology, only w/ all the technical juice in force field and suchs is enough to say than UFO technology is not a fantasy or scien-fiction theme as Big Brother want you to believe,(please read UFO and no ETs) is very real and a very well guarded secret, and "THEY" (the identity of this close circle of persons within the establisment is matter for a very good Tom Clancy's book), are so scare by the fact of his public disclosure, is in the word of GOD the true will prevail, sooner or later, I found "Revelations.." of Jacques Vallee a very nice complement for this book, mostly in the sensitive issue of media disinformation and distortion of this phenomena.