Europe Books

In "Emerald Gems", Larry Lambrecht has been able to capture the feel and distinct nuances of the Irish links. The stunning photographs and accompanying stories provide the reader with an incredible sense of how golf was and is meant to be played and enjoyed. David Owen said, "The thing I like best about golf is the sense of infinite possibility..." Emerald Gems presents a real glimpse at that possibility and is a must read for those fortunate to have visited and played, and those who dream of doing so.

Albert B. Antonez

I have seen Larry Lambrecht's work before in the annual "Emerald Gems" calendar and notecard series. Lambrecht is a world class photographer with a particular specialty in shooting Irish Golf Courses (as well as many others across the globe). Not only does Lambrecht capture a view of a spectacular golf hole through his camera lens, he also has an incredible eye for catching a moment in nature using golf landscape as a backdrop. (see page 18, 98, 114, etc.)

Ireland's "Links" courses are built along the coast, and as such in Emerald Gems, the connection between land and sea is apparent in many of the images.

Emerald Gems sits on a table in our home and is admired by guests and friends for the simple beauty of the Irish Countryside. Be warned though, If you have an affection for the game of golf and have never been to Ireland, the images of Waterville, Old Head and Lahinch alone will have you calling a travel agent. If you don't play golf, and have never seen the coast of Ireland, you may suffer the same impulse.

This large pictorial covers every major links course in Ireland with beautiful pictures and course commentary by Irish writers and architects.This is by far the best book to help plan an Irish golf trip or to relive a past trip.It is well worth the cost and will be your reference for Ireland's links for years to come

This book has incredible beautiful photographs of ALL of the great courses in Ireland and a wonderful written talk about each course. The book is big. It will have to go on the coffee table and not in the bookcase, but it is truly beautiful. Very highly recommended.

Emerald Gems is a terrific compilation of golf landscape photographs in a large coffee table type of format (11x12?). Many if not all of the very best courses of Ireland are reviewed.

One key element I'd like to point out up front is this book is very strong about landscape photograhy, but not so about the golf and how to play the game in Ireland. Thus I would say you need to be prepared to just enjoy the pictures for what they are: fantastic and breathtaking landscapes. The golfing is secondary.

Some may think my last comment is crazy, but I think if you take a closer look you will realize the photographs do nothing to prepare the golfer for what to expect golfing wise. Laurence's vantage point for 90% of the photographs consists in seeking the highest dune (usually behind or beside the green) and then frame for the landscape and make sure to include the green. Given this, you simply will not be able to figure out if the hole is a par 3, 4, or even 5. You will also have no idea how it's played. You simply do not get the golfer vantage point from the fairways and bunkers. The only exception to this is on par 3's where you guess the vantage point is from the tee. Unfortunately, the captions to the photos do nothing either to tell you if it's a par 3, 4, or 5. But then again, maybe this is by design because it wouldn't matter. Case in point: page/slide 200 illustrates a wonderful rock outcroping from some cliffs with a tiny green on a shelf. The caption reads "4th at Kilkee". Great landscape picture, but what does it tell you about the hole? Does it matter or help the photograph to even know this?

Instead, it's best to just admire the quality of the photographs. You start to appreciate the framing of the photos, the colors, the foreground and background and how it all works together seemlessly, the elements of wind/sun/clouds/shadows and how they contribute. It makes the golf part of a whole. One thing you will notice is the tremendous ruggedness of the regions and their dunes. This book is broken down into regions like the Scottish Golf Links book, and again here you'll grow to appreciate the differences from region to region. I still keep coming back to the print on page 182 of Royal County Down with a surreal set of colors and an almost mystical background. Just an unbelievable print. Simply beautiful in conveying what the landscape has to offer. I find myself gravating over and over again towards that region of northern Ireland.

The text is fairly simplistic with nice historical notes about the course being reviewed and is at times amusing, but don't look for grand explanations about a given course and it's holes. Granted there are a few highlighted holes here and there, but it's usually to express how difficult they are. Little is imparted on how to approach them. There's also very little if any correlation between the text and the holes being photographed. That aside, I think the best thing the text does is reinforce your desire to go over and visit Ireland for yourself. Some of the charming Irish culture comes through in areas of the text and it makes you want to appreciate the whole package in person.

In the end, I think this is a wonderful effort from Laurence. Beautiful rugged dune landscapes with intriguing surroundings in a perfect format convey the grandeur of Ireland. Tremendous colours and textures breath life into the prints. The regional variety expresses the richness the links have to offer. As for the golf, I think it acts more as a complement to the tremendous scenery being displayed.

My name is Max Stappler however my parents, Edith and Siegfried, born in Austria changed the spelling from Stapler. My parents were able to escape Austria to the USA a few days after Hitler marched in. This is the story of the rest of my family from Poland who were not lucky enough to escape.

In the book The End of Days, by Helen Sendyk is telling her life story of when she was a young Jewish girl. She wrote the novel in first person so it was like she was telling her life story to me. The choice of words she used in the novel were very descriptive and explained very clearly how it was. She moved the book along at a pretty fast paste which I really liked. I could imagine everything that was happening in my head as if it were a movie.
The theme in the novel is her telling the struggles she went through in her life. She was a young Jewish girl when her and her family were put in a concentration camp. The novel explained some of the horrible things she went through in the camp and the many family members she lost. The part of the novel that had really saddened me was the fight after the camp to stay sane. I would recommend this book to anyone. This book will change the way you treat different people and how your actions can affect people. I was amazed what happened to this poor girl and who ever reads this will be also.

Six million dead is hard to bend your mind around. This small book gives part of the experiences of one family and ultimately one survivor. If you have a hard time grasping the enormity of the Holocaust read this book. It is raw, open and honest. It is one person's experience of the monstrosity of the Third Reich. Sendyk tells her story from the perspective of a young girl and with the wisdom of a mature woman. Three from a family of ten survived. Many more from their extended family were killed. If you are studying the holocaust, read this book. It puts a human face on Six Million.

The End Of Days: A Memoir Of The Holocaust is the personal memoir of Helen Sendyk, one of very few Jewish women to survive the living hell of a German slave labor camp during the Nazi Holocaust of World War II. A personal, eye-witness testimony to brutal and horrific inhumanity inflicted upon the women by their Nazi captors and collaborators, as well as a testament the enduring strength of Helen Sendyk's inner qualities that enabled her to survive when so many others could not, The End Of Days is a moving account and a very highly recommended contribution to Holocaust Studies reading lists and reference collections -- especially in view of the pernicious attempts in some quarters to deny the appalling atrocities of the "Final Solution".

Helen Sendyk was a Jew who lived in Chrzanow, Poland, before WWII. She describes Jewish life in pre-WWII Poland, the German invasion, the horrors of the German occupation, life at a German labor camp at Reichenbach (present-day Dzierzionow) in Silesia, "liberation" by the Soviets, etc.

Before the war, Poland's Jews enjoyed an economic hegemony which the Poles attempted to weaken or break through boycotts. On one hand, the hegemony had tended to be self-perpetuating, because of the following: "Jewish families in Chrzanow knew each other for generations. Traditions and family status, yichus, were very important, and children generally followed in their parents' footsteps. An official, respectful distance was kept between Jews and gentiles, but the Staplers had an unusually close relationship with our non-Jewish patrons." (p. 3). On the other hand, the boycott was far from universal. Her Uncle Pinchas regularly sold shoes to Poles (p. 50).

Sendyk's description of the German conquest of Poland includes that of a dogfight between the Polish Air Force and the Luftwaffe. Occurring on Sept. 3 (p. 57), the Polish airmen emerged victorious in this particular encounter: "When the buzzing intensified, we looked up to see a German airplane. Huddling together, we awaited the impending disaster. But the bombs never came. Instead, we saw five Polish planes in pursuit of the enemy plane. A short battle ensued, and soon the German craft burst into a ball of flames, burning shreds falling like fiery torches to the ground. There was exhilaration and happy waving at the Polish planes, with some people applauding the Polish heroes who had just saved their lives." (p. 60). Her testimony adds refutation to the canard about the Polish Air Force getting destroyed on the ground on the first day of the war.

The Judenrat and Jewish police are described in nuanced terms. Some of them tried to ease the plight of their brethren, while others eagerly collaborated with the Germans for personal gain (p. 137).

It is well known that the Soviets raped German women and girls in their drive across German-held or German territory. What is less known is the fact that the Soviets did the same to Polish women and girls, and to females of other nationalities. When the Red Army liberated the camp in which Sendyk had been held, the soldiers later returned, forcefully and persistently contending that they were owed sexual favors for liberating the Jewish women (pp. 216-218, 224). Other females in the area were raped.

I am a law student in the university of Plymouth and i would like you to send me some information that this book contains, concerning the subject of the separation of powers. Your advice will be of great help. Thank you.

First, to the reviewer looking for the doctrine of separation of powers: you'll find it in Montequieu's "Spirit of the Laws". Also check out "The Federalist", number 51.

Now then, Bagehot, like Madison, describes the operation of a modern liberal regime. The trick for founders of liberal government is to produce a government that permits the people civil liberties, but does not permit the people to abuse those liberties, or in the words of Madison, to create a government that is "democratic yet decent". Madison and the American Founders accomplish this end by so constructing the institutions of government that mens' selfish natures will be turned against each other ("ambition is made to check ambition"), rather than united in tyrannical concert.

Bagehot too describes the operation of a system of government that rules by the consent of the governed, yet which does so by restraining the vices of those who ought not to rule. Bagehot argues that the English government is moderate and decent because of a division of government into the "dignified" and the "efficient" parts, and a "noble lie" about the relationship between the two. It is this noble lie that permits the government to operate without the interference of those who would turn it away from the public good. But to discover the noble lie, you'll have to read Bagehot.

Warner Winborne

Professor of Political Science

Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney, VA

This book stimulates the little gray cells. Every time I watch Prime Minister's Questions, the superiority of the Cabinet system over the Presidential system is painfully obvious. If Bush were subjected to the kind of scrutiny, in Congress, that Blair is subjected to every week in Parliament, he would have been exposed as an impostor long before supreme executive authority was placed in his hands. Refering to our Civil War, Bagehot wrote: "The notion of employing a man of unknown smallness at a crisis of unknown greatness is to our minds simply ludicrous. Mr. Lincoln, it is true, happened to be a man of... eminent justness... But success in a lottery is no argument for lotteries."

Well, we used up all of our good fortune in the 1860s. We've come up craps in this millenium.

If this is the unaltered version of the book of the same name and same author that I read about 30 years ago, it is a classic. It describes how the classic English Constitution worked, before Britain joined the European Union. Especially it explained how it worked without being written down, largely by constitutional convention which was morally binding but (quite often) not legally binding.

Walter Bagehot was a journalist and a social and political thinker of the middle Victorian period (1850s and 1860s). His classical work "The English Constitution" comes as a collection of polemical assays upon the structure of the British political system. Cabinet, monarchy, Houses of Commons and Lords, execution of political power, and the foundation of the systems of checks and balances are explored in the book.

Throughout the book a comparison and contrast of Cabinet system and the Presidential system (a.k.a USA) is a constant theme. Bagehot does not hide it preference for the Cabinet system, which in his view is a both more dynamic and more effective. One of his main points is that direct popular election is a myth, since most of the electorate are ignorant of the nature of the political power (and moreover are forced to this ignorance by the effective uselessness of the legislative debate in the USA as opposed to the UK). Moreover, a result of the direct election is a static Presidential term of 4 years, which allows the executive branch to execute almost unchecked control of the political process. According to Bagehot, the indirect electoral system of the Commons, where people vote for the MPs and they then select the PM amongst themselves produces a more effective government, which is more responsive to the popular will since it can fall at any time due to policy disputes. A hidden secret of British success according to Bagehot is a fusion of legislative and executive powers in the Cabinet system. In the latter chapters, Bagehot exposures two forms of power - the dignified power (in the person of the monarch and the lords) and the effective power as exemplified by the Cabinet. Dignified power serves as a façade of legitimacy under which the dynamic and opportunist real effective power can subsist. He follows through to explain how each of the minister of the government exercises its power for the common goal, what are the legal powers of the monarchy and how it is exercised indirectly via control of the composition of the peerage and the power to dissolve the Commons.

Bagehot's style is clear, flavorful, his knowledge of political process is profound (with a qualification of more so of British then American), his research is well done, and he is a master of dramatic tricks to keep the reader interested. I would recommend the book as both a scholarly reference, and a well presented popular case.

I recommend the book Escape to Murray River to any one wholikes adventure.The book Escape to Murray River is foll ofsurprise.The only character I did not like was mr.Burke.I did not like mr. Burke because he framed Patricks father and said that he would help him in court.

This book starts getting exciting in the FIRST chapter! Patrick's father, John McWaid, is convicted of somthing he didn't do and is getting sent on a prison ship to Australia. The rest of the McWaids follow only to get in deep trouble when they find out that the man that wants John McWaid dead, Conrad Burke, followed them TOO!!

This series, Adventures Down Under, is full of adventure.

I Really liked the Escape to Murray River book. I liked it because I love to read.It was fun to read because it is mysterious.

We think Escape to Murray River is a great book for almost all kids. It makes you want to read more and more,you never want to stop reading once you start. It really makes you think that this is really happening to you. We think you will really like this/these books.

Jessica 4/10/00 This book is really awesome. If you like adventure,you should read this book. It`s filled with excitment, suspence,and a little romance. Robert Elmer puts very good details in his stories. Patrick, the main charecter is seperated from his family. Along with his new friend Jefferson. Patrick struggles to find his sister Becky ,his brother Micheal,his mother Sarah McWiad,and his father John McWaid, who was sent from Dublin to Australia. John McWaid was framed for being a Fenian in a bribe scandle, by Mr. Burke and head of chief police. Now Patrick tries to find his parents. So hold on to your seats and enjoy the ride with Patrick and everyone else.

Suppose that one of the men in the Band of Brothers had also been a top-caliber writer with a keen eye for detail, and a man who wasn't afraid to tell his story without glossing over the grey moral and ethical middle areas all men face in combat, and you will only begin to understand the greatness of this book. As a WWII writer, I've read literally hundreds of memoirs, but none hit me so viscerally as Frank Irgang's powerful 'Etched in Purple'.

Originally published in 1949, only a few years after the war, this book has been given new life by the nation's largest military publisher, Potomac Books, and is being touted as 'The Rediscovered Classic Memoir of World War II'. And that it is.

Mr. Irgang landed on D-Day with the famous 29th Infantry (think Bedford Boys), and the memoir begins as the men load up into their ships for the trip across the English Channel before that momentous day in June of 1944. Originally a medic, Irgang's unit took such heavy casualties that he soon found himself a rifleman and sniper. He witnessed the heaviest fighting in Europe in one campaign after another, and the book tells his story in spare, lean prose. Irgang's writer's eye for detail draws out the intensity of each scene as the reader experiences men fighting for their lives, watching comrades die, dealing with the killing of the enemy and the suffering of the civilians unfortunate enough to get in their path. Along the way, Irgang is wounded, evacuated, treated, and sent back to the front. He tells of watching a Black soldier slowly bleeding to death because the white southern doctor doesn't want to treat the man until Irgang protests. He tells of watching a German woman pouring a kettle of boiling water onto the face of a wounded American soldier, and his instant reaction of shooting her. He tells of watching his friends die, not only from enemy fire, but by malfunctioning hand grenades and stray friendly fire. Jotted down as they happened, each scene has an immediacy that allows the reader to feel they are sitting right next to the young soldier.

In the end, the book tells a reader exactly what war was like, stripped bare in all of its brutality, ambiguity, and heartbreak. But it also shows the loving bond of men fighting and dying side by side in some of the most brutal fighting of the European war. You don't just read this book, you experience it. It will move you to tears at times.

I cannot recommend it highly enough. A must-read for anyone interested in the infantryman's experiences from D-Day through the Bulge and into Germany.

This book is one of the hidden treasures in World War Two personal histories. It is clearly one of the best I've reviewed over the last few years. It is an outstanding read and one I wish I'd read sooner.

The author starts this book on Omaha Beach where the author lands among the first wave of Infantry men to fight in Normandy. His division is the famous 29th Infantry Division. While he serves as an unarmed medic, it is clear his heart is with the infantry. This book details his heroic efforts over the next year as he fights in some of the biggest battles fought in World War Two. Eventually, he becomes a full infantryman.

Interestingly, enough, he never mentions his division by name, and seldom mentions the names of his fellow soldiers. In many ways, this book reminds me of Audie Murphy's To Hell and Back. He tells you very little about where he comes from, his training, and how or why he was involved in the war. He leaves it a war narrative cobbled together from his personal notes.

The book is detailed enough that one can watch the books progress with a map and divisional history of the 29th. However, it never bogs down the way an overly written book tends slow down. In fact, I had a hard time putting it down and was almost late to work because I found myself glued to the last few pages!

Frank Irgang is a real warrior. He doesn't sugar coat his story. This book details close combat from the perspective of a man who did it. He fought with a rifle and his hands. He describes weapons transitions in combat, bayonets and more. It is one of the few books I've ever read that describes brutal hand-to-hand combat with and without weapons. He even had US artillery called in on his position.

This is an amazing book considering only 3,000 were originally published and this book is just now seeing a return to print. I really think it's a major contribution to the history of the 29th Infantry Division's History as well as history in general. I really wish I'd learned about this book long before I made my trip to Normandy in 2004.

Any collection strong in World War II memoir needs ETCHED IN PURPLE: ONE SOLDIER'S WAR IN EUROPE, first published in 1949 and offering the author's personal record of his experiences as a combat infantryman during the war. It's a candid, sometimes brutal survey of first-hand experience and is a rediscovered classic and is a 'must' for any serious military library.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is a raw look at life as an infantryman in WWII. Well-written, honest and poignant, this painful recounting of one soldier's experience will stay with you forever.
Don't hesitate to order this book!

In a thrilling, and disturbing, biographical narrative, Irgang reveals the personal hell of hand to hand and squad-level combat in World War II from the Normandy beaches, through the Battle of the Bulge and into the heart of Germany. This is not a broad strategic work, profiling salients and counterattacks, but a step-by-step, ravine-to-ravine account of one soldier's fight to stay alive, and to make any rational sense of the hell played out every day in front of him. Parts resemble the last scenes in "Saving Private Ryan," but this gripping book is much more grounded in reality. What's most interesting is that the book was first published in 1949, when few recently discharged veterans had the stomach and inclination to relive the war. Now, the book has been reprinted in 2008, amid efforts by World War II veterans to keep their stories alive, so the world will have a greater appreciation of the sacrifices they made, and an understanding of the moral judgments that were forced to be made in an instant. There's fascinating detail: such as the order to tape dog tags together that was issued before the invasion, so their clinking sound would not alert enemy soldiers; a morbid description of how German soldiers' bodies decayed differently than Americans; and how uniforms of those landing at Normandy were treated with an anti-gassing repellent. In one digression, Irgang while in Paris is caught up in a raid on Army deserters who were engaged in the black market; and he finds through a newspaper clipping while in combat that his State-side sweetheart was married to a man with a deferment. In an almost unbelieveable coincidence, a clipping from home informs him that three of his good friends died in Normandy. While in an Army field hospital near the landing beaches, he come across the graves of two of them, found in a hastily built military graveyard in Ste. Mere Eglise. For those of us raised on films such as "The Longest Day," "The Bridge at Remagen," "Battle of the Bulge," and "Saving Private Ryan," which provide the geographic context and broad-brush overview, "Etched in Purple" presents the real story of ground fighting by The Greatest Generation. The book is sparse on geography and dates, but time and place are not part of a soldier's mission. It's hurry up and wait, or take that next village or town. There's much bonding here between soldiers -- bonds that in many cases are cut short by artillery attacks, snipers' bullets and simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This is a wonderful addition to any home library for anyone interested in the religion of Antiquity and Italian folklore. All of Charles Leland's writings are wonderful, but this book in particular is of great merit. Leland travled the Italian country-side and recorded many of the tales from rural folks, some of which still practice the "old religion" both overtly and covertly within the Roman Catholic structure. It is through his recording of these stories that we can see the evolution and continued existence of the Gods of the Ancients. This is a must read for any serious mythographer, folklorist or modern day observer of the Old Ways.

Another fine example of the work of Leland, and an excellent source document for those who seek pre-Neo Wiccan non-fluffiness. Craft with real teeth for the serious only.

This book is a classic text on the "Old Religion." The author Charles Leland was a folklorist performing field studies into Italian Witchcraft during the 1800s. He describes witches as worshippers of the goddess Diana, and refers to a specific group as the "good witches" of Benevento. Leland points out that "bad witches" also exist and he includes several spells to illustrate this.

Etruscan Roman Remains carries a feel of antiquity as Leland introduces ancient lore and its revelance to the witches of Old Italy. This book was the first of its kind to present material drawn directly from people claiming to be witches during the 19th century. Along with Leland's Aradia; Gospel of the Witches, this book presents the foundation of many concepts now found in modern Wicca, including a full moon sabbat, the worship of a god & goddess by witches, ritual use of cakes and wine, and witches as healers and magic users. After reading Leland's accounts, there can be little doubt that Gardnerian Wicca was founded, at least in part, upon the writings of Leland on Italian witchcraft.

In addition, Etruscan Roman Remains contains a great deal of information on old superstitions, folk spirits, and folk magic. This book is an important addition to any library on Witchcraft.

This book is really interesting in the fact that had not Leland gathered all this information it would most likely be lost to us today. I would not however recommend it as a BOS to follow ,mainly because we do not know the real context of these spells. Even though Leland has written them down they are from another time and one we are no longer a part of. This is just my opinion and I recommend if you do use a spell from this book you should know why you are using a certain herb, object etc. and WHO you are calling on!Just a precaution I would take. Ciao!

Leland provides great insight into suppressed information related to the old Etruscan Paganism of the Early Roman Empire and Italy. The first part of the book contains descriptive insight into over 60 Gods and Goblins of the old religion, whereas, most other texts only contain up to 25 and often confuse the details. A greater number of suppressed names and deities are discussed in detail in this work, then in any other text I have researched in relation to this old way of life. The second part offers various Incantations, Divinations, Medicines, and Amulet Creation. The book is heavily illustrated which is another thing that is uncommon in books on this subject. This book is highly recommended for anyone studying the occult, and makes for a great desk reference for followup research.

I have never been able to finish this book because the subject matter is so depressing. But, I can say that it changed my life. After reading this book, I could no longer call myself a Christian and turned to Judaism instead. Recently, I lent this book to a Jew. Every time I see him, he says to me, "I love that book! I love that book"! Now, he is lending out his copy. It does give one the feeling that perhaps we have been lied to!

Malcolm Hay, a profoundly good man, wrote this book to document, once and for all, the history of Christian anti-Semitism (or: "Jew-hatred").

The whole history is here, folks. We have to start with the difficult facts that (1) all early Christians, including Jesus and St. Paul, were Jews, and (2) the entire "Christian Bible" had been written by Jews. Given these primary facts, it would seem insane, or preposterous, to allege that these very same Christians, and their children) would become the biggest Jew-haters in the world.

But it did indeed happen. At the beginning, everyone was Jewish -- Jew and Christian alike. But the differences in faith obviously created a schism. And so the "Christian Jews" were faced with the eternal problem of defining their own, separate, identity -- and various articles of the Jewish faith got tossed overboard. Just as one example, circumcision: mandatory for Jews, it was first discarded by St. Paul during his successful attempt to convert the Roman and Greek pagans (who, for obvious reasons, had no desire to endure this useless and painful surgery as adult males). That was just the beginning. In the end, circumcision became a way to identify persons of differing religions -- Christians were not circumcised, while Jews and Muslims were.

Are human beings petty, or not? Malcolm Hay asks many of these questions as he moves beyond the early schism, and begins discussing such major Jew-haters as St. John Chrysostom. This marvellous "saint" preached and wrote a whole series of "Homilies Against the Jews." I could quote them here, but it would be too offensive for community standards. But I will note one curious fact, that hardly anyone else seems to have noticed: the Roman Catholic Church has finally disowned those "Homilies Against the Jews." If you go to a good religious library, you can often find the old edition of Chrysostom, which contains all those nasty volumes. The newer edition simply cuts the homilies against the Jews, without a word.

As we move forward into history, into the Middle Ages, we begin to see people (i.e. Jews) being burned alive.

But I'm not going to tell you the entire story. You need to get this book and read it yourself.

And then look over your shoulder to see the latest world religion which has based itself on hating Jews.

I give this book five stars because it is an extreme form of honesty. For that it deserves to get as much credit as it can get from anyone who longs to have the opportunity to read the truth about anything. I find the book difficult to read, but people whose minds have absorbed the awesome responsibility assumed by the United States at the end of World War II for maintaining a peace which surpasses the decency of any former age ought to see if they can relate to the author's position on this work as a classic example of how historical ethics can subsequently be applied to anything which tended to favor the worst kinds of behavior.

There is something in this book, and in Isaiah, about an ox and something too absurd to relate in a review as an actual sermon that has been preserved for hundreds of years. ...The problem with reading this book (for those who would consider such an activity to be anything other than a distraction from the daily activities of our mundane world) is the problem that anyone who seeks a foundation for an honest society might still express: among whom would an honest society be more likely, or even possible?

Yes, this is an excellent book. And the prefaces by Thomas Sugrue and by Walter Kaufmann are good too.

As a Pagan, I've wondered about the horror some people have had for human rights. This goes for plenty of groups that have attacked others mainly in order to enslave them, kill them, and above all, deprive them of truth, justice, and human rights.

Pagans are not immune from behaving badly. But I wanted to see just what Christians did, and when they did it. And while Christians managed to kill most of the European Pagans they came across in short order, many Jews were not so, um, lucky: quite a few survived to be further oppressed.

Well, how did this all happen? Malcolm Hay asks this question after relating some of the horror of what happened to the Jews during World War 2. Where had this hatred and contempt come from? Why all the anti-Jewish propaganda? Was this contrary to Christianity? An integral part of it? Which Christian leaders were truly the most to blame for it? As a Christian, Hay clearly wants to know how to make sense of all this.

Hay starts with the Gospel according to St. John, which refers to "the Jews" in a very negative way, and more important refers to them in general. He then goes to the fourth century, and looks at some of the language used about the Jews by the leading Christians. That includes St. John Chrysostom, who is still very highly regarded by Christian writers. However, "the violence of the language used by St. John Chrysostom in his homilies against the Jews has never been exceeded by any preacher whose sermons have been recorded." This hatred is traced through the Dark Ages down through the centuries, to the present.

I think this confirms that a main source of the problem was from the time when Christianity first became powerful. And I think it raises the question of whether hatred was the main message of Christianity at that time.

We then see how this hatred became part of the culture, so that violence could erupt without any real provocation at numerous times. We see St. Bernard's indifference to Crusader attacks on Jews. We see outbreaks of blood-libels. Of the Inquisition. And mistreatment by one Pope after another. And of the viciousness against Jews displayed by Martin Luther. And the Dreyfus affair.

I think the most interesting part of the book is the description of how this culture contributed to slanders and injustices perpetrated against Zionists in the first half of the twentieth century. This book was written in 1950, and it is worth reading about the antisemitism of many Europeans towards the Levantine Jews (many of whom were of European origin). I think this helps one to see how European antisemitic attitudes supported some of the most racist Arabs and have helped perpetuate Arab intolerance for all non-Arabs and non-Muslims, not just for Jews.

All in all, it is a superbly written book. It's depressing to read it, of course. One wonders what is wrong with a species that can do so much damage to itself almost effortlessly.

Europe and the Jews is the definitive description of the birth and growth of anti-semitism in Europe, leaving the reader with a deep and disturbing understanding how the world can sit by and allow the systematic murder of millions of innocent people. The book is written clearly and with a surprisingly appropriate touch of irony. This book is an excellent companion to the "Hinges of History" books written by Thomas Cahill. It is a scholarly work that is extensively documented -- it would have to be considering the material covered, but it never becomes dry or impersonal. Mr. Hay never lets the reader forget he is describing the fate of millions of souls over the centuries. The lessons in this book should give us the courage to expose and resist those that would commit genocide anywhere in our world.

This book is a wonderful resource for aquiring a much more profound idea of the most renkowned thinkers of the modern era. The contents of this book includes twelve great thinkers, within the span of two-hundred and fifty years, and their ideals of the world around them.

The author has selected these individuals due to the diversity of their philisophical world-views. Just look at the likes of Rene` Descartes in comparison with the eccentricity of Mr. Friedrich Nietzsche. One of course, would see that these two are extreme contraries, thus engendering an induction of pure thought from these contrary opinions, which in turn you as the reader may attain new insights resulting in a possible thesis or anti-thesis of your own. Then their are those who share simalar ideas such as Kant, Hegel, and Descsartes. They all hold that innate thought is to be venerated as the sole good of the world. Whereas an Empericist or Materialist would rather adhere to the product of nature to find the meaning of this chaotic earth. Any way you look at it all of their views are to be reverred and worthy of thought.

With the absence of a few great philosophers of that period, I was left just a little dissapointed, but the intuitiveness and profoundity of this work has left me invigorated. So if you would like to get to know these great thinkers all little more in this miraculous compilement of thought, pick up a copy today.

The volume 'The European Philosophers: from Descartes to Nietzsche', edited by Monroe C. Beardsley, together with its companion volume from the Modern Library, 'The English Philosophers: from Bacon to Mill', edited by Edwin A. Burtt, provides a good basic collection of the major philosophical writings of the post-Renaissance to the immediate pre-Modern period -- in essence, that period that many people think of as being 'our cultural history' in intellectual terms.

The text on the European Philosophers includes many of the major philosophers from the late sixteenth century to the nineteenth century. Each of the philosophers is introduced with a brief one-to-two page biography, but by and large the editor allows the philosophers' own writings to speak for themselves. Each biographical section ends with a supplemental/suggested reading section that is worthwhile if now a bit out of date. Where possible, Beardsley has opted to include whole texts, or at least major portions of them, and the selections are much more generous than the typical survey would be. The large sections of majors works are supplemented by briefer passages that help clarify key points along the way. The translations are standard and accessible.

This survey shows the breadth of thinking that concerned the European philosophers - metaphysics and epistemology are high on the list of important topics throughout the period, as is philosophical methodology (from Descartes beginnings to Liebniz to Nietzsche, many of the Europeans seemed to be concerned to 'reinvent' philosophy in major ways). Ethics and politics take more of a back seat in many respects, particularly when compared to the English philosophers over the same period, but there are major contributions to this field, particularly near the
end.

Beardsley's essay of introduction is an interesting discussion of the development of European philosophy, showing the individuality of each of the twelve major thinkers presented here, as well as the overall trends and underlying worldview they share. Beardsley traces three primary ways in which European philosophy of this period can be considered - an expressionistic approach, an historical approach, and a progressive approach. Beardsley's compilation of texts here requires no particular approach to the exclusion of others, but the reader will be well advised to
consider how each of the approaches applies to the overall pattern in the collection.

This is not a book about philosophy as much as it is a book of philosophy -- there are few guides or notes or explanatory pieces here, save the actual texts themselves from the major philosophers. Both volumes from the Modern Library are worthy of a place on the shelf of anyone with an interest in politics, philosophy, or the history of ideas.

This is, of course, a compilation of European philosophers. The book is 870 pages long and contains parts or entire works from famous theologians such as Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Mach, and Nietzsche. Most of the primary works of these men (at least in part or in their entirety) are present in this work. Each philosopher covered is given a nice introduction describing his life, works, etc. The works are translated quite well. This book would be a great edition to add to anyone's philosophy collection, especially since it is a collection of primary works. Some of the works that are included are Descartes' "Discourse on Method," Pascal's "Thoughts," Spinoza's "Nature of Evil," Leibniz's "Relation Between Soul and Body," Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," Hegel's "Intro to the Philosophy of History," Comte's "General View of Positivism," Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil," and much, much more. If you are wanting a collection of philosophical writings then this is one of the better texts to add to your library.

This volume has two wonderful aspects, it contains the primary philosophical thought of the most important modern European philosophers (excepting the British Empiricists, such as Locke, Berkeley and the incomparable David Hume), and it is published by the Modern Library. This book is hardback, well binded and printed on good paper that stands up to underlining and margin scribbling. For a real hoot, read Kant's serious, calculated, sober and nearly incomprehensible philosophy, and then read Nietzsche with all his ! 's at the end of virtually every sentence. Wonderful.

This generous compilation of major works from the principle players in modern European (non-British) philosophy remains the one-volume sourcebook for every undergrad who has to write a paper and, more substantially, everyone who wants a real nose-to-the-grindstone encounter with the major philosophers. Spinoza, Kant, Rousseau, and Nietzsche are represented by substantial, and judicious, abridgments of major works (the "Ethics", "Critique of Pure Reason", "Social Contract", and "Beyond Good and Evil" respectively), while Descartes' entire "Meditations", the famous "Discourse on Metaphysics" and "Monadology" of Leibnitz, and the Introduction to "The Philosophy of History" of Hegel (which essentially comprises a book unto itself) are complete. Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Idea" is also given about eighty pages, and the seldom-seen Fichte leaves a powerful mark with the Third Part of the "Vocation of Man". Fleeting but powerful selections from Pascal provide the dissent from the Age of Reason. Comte and Mach are, at least by my prejudices, footnotes today (their offerings, particularly the latter's, remain mostly unthumbed), but appendices of brief selections from Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche offer further elucidations of some of their key concepts and arguments (this volume makes for a particularly good introduction to Descartes and Kant). The brief editorial prefaces are also noteworthy both for their keen appreciations of each philosopher's contributions (the tone is always sober but generous-- sober indeed largely because of the editors' awareness of just how much we owe to these thinkers) and for very full catalogs of available editions of the philosophers's works in English and of scholarly examinations of their lives and work. To put it banally, this is one-stop shopping for the Descartes-to-Nietzsche block of post-Renaissance thinking. And the spine on my copy has proved surprisingly enduring-- despite being blown off a truck, left in a hostile dormitory for over a month, and constant perusal, it has remained largely intact, though I'm about to lose a few pages of Spinoza. After ten years, this is saying a lot.

Have you ever asked your grandmother or your great-grandmother what things were like in the good old days, and then she told you stories that filled your mind with images of a world far removed from your own ... a world where children became excited by getting an apple and an orange at Christmas, a world where ladies never went without a hat, a world where it seemed that Every Day Was Summer. This is the world that Oliver Wynne Hughes brings alive and captures in his book.

Based on the memories of his mother, Laura, and her two sisters, Elsie and Beatrice, the reader is transported back to a place and time filled with happy memories and presented through a picture of the Welsh town of Harlech, prior to World War One. Every Day Was Summer is steeped in history and nostalgia, making the reader yearn for a bygone time. The book takes the reader on a journey through Harlech: we visit the townspeople through various good humoured anecdotes - and for a town with a population of just over 1000 people, it certainly had its fair share of famous people visiting or choosing to live in the picturesque seaside town. The Queen visited and was said to be mesmerised by the view; another visitor was Denys Finch Hatton, an adventurer made famous by the book `Out of Africa', who also spent many a summer in the town. Everything from shops and schooldays to childhood games and chapel are all lovingly remembered and explored throughout the pages of this book.

Although Hughes conjures up wonderful images of Harlech in the reader's mind, he does not shy away from the tragedy that sadly touched the town. Hughes peppers his book with the hardships that the townspeople of Harlech faced, from families touched by poverty to the tragedy that hit many families with the start of the World War One. That said, at no time does the book become morose or bitter; it keeps its whimsical style throughout and is an absolute pleasure to read.

I think every family should have an Oliver Wynne Hughes to capture its history through photograph, poem and anecdote so we do not let our children forget the places and people who have touched our hearts and our memories.

A very enjoyable a snap shot of life in a Welsh Town before the First World War. An interesting commentary on the interpersonal relationships between the social classes and different cultures.

A Nostalgic look at a much loved Welsh Town through the eyes of three sisters who lived and worked in Harlech at the turn of the 19th Century. A very enjoyable read, particularly for those with an interest in Social History.

What a charming book! Laughter, love, tragedy and humanity. It is all here and itis a true story. I would love to travel back in time and be a part of those girls lives, it is so what we all crave in our fast lives of today. My wife LENT me her copy - we have promised ourselves a visit to Harlech, Wales to find the places and see if there is anyone still there.

This is a delightful book, very evocative of that wonderful era before the first world war. Full of wonderful personal stories, based on the memories of 3 young girls who grew up in Harlech , a small coastal town in North Wales. Both humorous and sad it is a thoroughly good read and provides amazing insight into a generation that suffered huge hardships, yet seemded to live happy fulfilling lives.

This book will appeal to all ages and to anyone interested in the Great War, family history, the English Aristocracy and Wales. A great present.

After reading all the great reviews online, I decided to purchase this guild book for Barcelona, but since I never purchased a guide book by eyewitness, I was skeptical... so I bought the Rough Guides' Barcelona as well. Turns out, this one is SO MUCH BETTER and comprehensive than the Roughs' guide! During the week that my boyfriend and I stayed in Barcelona, we brought both books with us everywhere. I would say 90% of the time, this guide was able to provide us the accurate info to the sites we wanted to visit. One day, we accidentally left this book in the hotel, and got lost using the Roughs' guide! Anyway, I would highly recommend if you only going to buy one guide book for Barcelona, you purchase this one. It made our trip much easy and enjoyable.

This is the most helpful book I have seen on Barcelona. I believe it should be combined with a more indepth guidebook wo one can look up the most interesting locales in more depth. It is very hard to get perspective on sites to take in when there are so many fascinating places to visit. This helps with the highlighting and the winnowing. I got a total of five of these books and passed them out to all the other groups going with us.

I spent 7 days in Barcelona in Nov 2006 and though I did some research before I arrived, took only this book with me. As an independent traveler (no tour groups) I used it very heavily during my stay - not only as my primary map and metromap, but as my only reference for locations, hours, and priorities in determining my daily itineraries. I also occasionally used it for restaurant, tapas bar and shopping recommendations. It never led me astray.

It is very current - it even references that a few places will be closed for repair until month X to save you the effort of going there. And the way one large section of the guide is broken out by neighborhood makes it extremely easy to figure out the best way to spend your time in a given part of the city (it also suggests itineraries for each neighborhood if you don't want to plan them out yourself).

It's also a great size - easy to toss in a daypack, purse, or even jacket pocket.

I fully agree with the two previous reviews that the layout of the maps and color-coding of the sights makes it very easy to keep on track - even in a city as large as this one. And that Park Guell ought to be in the Top 10.

My only suggestion for how it could improve would be to give even more "tips" than it sometimes does on the sides of pages. For instance, visit the National Art Museum of Catalunya in the latter afternoon on a Fri/Sat/Sun and stay for the Magic Fountain display at dusk. Visit La Pedrera near sunset (unless midsummer does not allow it) and go up on the roof as the sun sets and the lights come on. It's magical.)

I've traveled pretty extensively and used a lot of different travel guides, others of which I can also recommend. But this is hands-down the very best I have ever used and I cannot recommend it highly enough if you are spending even one day in Barcelona.

It was the perfect guide for my independent trip to Barcelona. It is the most user friendly city guide I used (I've also used Rick Steves and Rough Guide). The guide first identifies the top 10 sites and then what I loved is that it marks them on a map with numbers making it really easy to spot. The map in the guide was great and in color. It made my trip so enjoyable because I knew what I wanted to do and where to get there. Also, becasue it showed all the locations of the sites on a map I could easily plan which sites to see all in one area and thus make the most out of my days. It also gives history behind each site and also lists the top 10 things to see at each attraction!
I loved this guide and wished they had one for more cities!

The one complaint I have is that I really think Park Guell should be listed in the top 10. I almost missed the park (where the tradmark colored frog is and Gaudi's home) but a hostelmate told me about it. It is listed in the top ten for parks but just be aware that that park is a must see.

I decided to check out the Top 10 guide for Barcelona given the excellent experience I had in London with a similar guide on a past trip to the UK. I noticed the same compelling points with this guide as I'd noticed with the London guide -- a concise list of things to do in city, a list of various neighborhoods, list of best cafes/bars and sample itineraries for spending an entire day in each neighborhood, the top 10 things to look for at each attraction, and the best feature: the compact size of the guide.

But I was looking for more than just the above -- I was traveling to a city where people don't talk in English after all. What I really liked about the guide was the main map that showed all the important street in an uncluttered fashion, and the mini-maps that were included in the assorted Top 10 lists, making it a breeze to locate the attraction or cafe/bar. I also loved the list of the Top 10 drinks you'll find only in Barcelona like the "Orxata", the "Granissat" and of course, the "Sangria" that is refereshingly different from what you might have had anywhere else. There are similar lists for food items (definitely try the "Pallela"), shops, etc. These are the things that make you blend in with the locals with confidence.

I also loved the section on Streetsmarts -- when you're in a country where English is not the first language, you sometimes need a helping hand with even the simplest of things -- like what is the best deal on the Barcelona Metro? Should I buy single tickets or a "T-10" for 10 tickets? How do I make a local phone call? What should I avoid? (Answer: touristy scams at La Rambla). The Top 10 guide's Streetsmart section covers many of these "small" things on your mind and also include a few pages with popular Spanish/Catalan phrases with translation in English, eliminating the need to carry a phrase book, if any.

With this guide, I was able to see Barcelona according to my schedule and tastes. I took in all the touristy attractions and spent time exploring specific neighborhoods like El Raval, Eixample and interesting detours. Not a day went by when I wasn't glad for having this guide by my side -- and at under 10 bucks a pop, I'm quickly acquiring a collection.