Taking place after a nuclear apocalypse, the swords of the horseclans is a continuation of the story of the High Lord Milo and his horseclans. He and his allies have to face an army comming from the south and face the evil Witchmen (20th century scienctists) once again. The story is a little bloodthirty and is not for the timid. If you get a hold of these books I highly recommend that you read them. Be warned there are a lot more books in this series.

E.C.L. Adams was an interesting fellow. In the 1920s, he won the trust of the Blacks in his area and they told him raw stories filled with their true feelings about racial oppression as well as other aspects of their daily lives. Adams collected these stories into two volumes that are collected here (as well as some additional material)that hold up quite well today. No patronizing of his subjects, stereotyping, nor overexaggerated "Negro dialect" which marred similar collections of this kind of material by White writers. I would recommend this and Zora Neale Hurston's "Mules and Men" and "Every Tounge Got to Confess" for anyone who wants to know the real deal on African-American folklore.

One minor complaint, the editor mentions the existance of some other tales that Adams colected that exist in his papers that do not appear in this collection. Wonder why this stuff wasn't included?

Three individually published volumes in the Past Masters Series are now published together. Written by three authorities on their subjects, this volume offers a very good balance between the lives and the work of three great economists. Indispensable for the beginner, the three essays are original scholarly contributions to the history of economic thought. They are also a delight to read.

Oxford academic Adam Roberts, long considered the most influential expert on the subject of the UN system, has produced an excellent book, with great academic rigour, very comprenehsive, and very concise (or at least as concise as it could possibly be, given the enormous amount and variety of issues covered therein). With great ability, the author manages to highlight the positive and negative sides of the UN system and its work, criticizing them where appropriate and by giving very thorough explanations, and praising them in other respects. It offers information and analysis on the major challenges confronted by the UN in the recent past, and those likely to arise in the near future. The book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to know more on the UN system. It is suitable both for those intending to learn the basics, and those who are on a start of deep research work on the subject. It is a serious academic study, yet easy to read and even enjoyable.

David Adams is an amazing explorer. His feat of conquering all the seven summits and both the poles is extra ordinary. It ranks amongst the best travel books ever written. His narration is lucid, but strking. He travels with a Norwegian and their struggle in conversing with each other provides a dash of humor. If you liked 'Into Thin Air', you will fall for this one as well.

Robert Adams displays his photographic excellence in photographing the incredible power, yet subtle mergence of the Columbia River with the Pacific Ocean. The viewer is tranported to the beaches and shorelines by the excellence of Adam's incredible black & white photography.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of watching movies and forgetting what happened in them before I even leave the theater. However, after watching Fight Club, I could not get it out of my head. I went to watch Bringing out the Dead that same day and couldn't even concentrate on what Nicholas Cage was doing, because Fight Club kept playing itself over and over again in my head. The next day I went out and bought Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and ordered Survivor. I figured that if the book was half as good as the movie I would be satisfied. I read Fight Club every spare moment I had and finished it in two days. Let me tell you, this book is awesome! The movie keeps the intent of the book, but the book takes the storyline to a whole other level. No one but Palahniuk can mix together so many different story lines and odd images into a working novel. His imagery and style are breathtaking and if you're anything after me, as soon as you're done reading it, you'll want to read it again.

This is what those new age self-help books don't teach you. They don't REALLY show you how screwed up the world is with you trapped in the middle. Let Tyler Durden show you why your life is so screwed up. Is it because we've become obsessed with a corporate-infused lifestyle? Part of it. Is it because people have some sort of sick desperation in their lives? Yes. Is it because corporations have taken over our lives? Yes. Is it because people are scared to prove they're alive? Definately.

The plot basically revolves around an insomniac. Our unnamed protagonist goes to support groups to cure his insomnia, until another faker, a woman named Marla, begins faking her way through these groups. After his condo was blown up, he goes to live with Tyler, a man he met on a nude beach. Tyler's only request is that the two of them start a fight. When fight club becomes boring, Tyler decides to take it up, and fight club becomes Project Mayhem.

If you've seen the movie, you need to read the book. While the movie mainly focuses on the fighting, the book goes into a lot more detail about project mayhem. The movie probably skips about a third of the book. Plus, the book explains the true definition of what a space monkey is, the formula for homemade napalm, and the real secret formula for Tyler's soap. Only after you've read the book and viewed the key scenes in the movie does the philosophy of Mr. Durden become clear. Even if you think you know the movie, read the book. The first rule of fight club may be that you don't talk about fight club, but you will after reading the book.

You haven't read a book like this. And you really, really need to. Blame the millenium for the rash of New Age Thought books out of late (Celestine Prophecy, Ishmael, etc.), all promising to explain to you in narrative exactly why your life isn't turning out the way you thought it would. Fight Club isn't at risk of being lumped in with that lot, mainly because so many people who read this are going to misunderstand it.(hence movie reviews dismissing it as pointless homoerotic violence.) The medium is the message here, and to that end Chuck reinvents the concept of prose narrative. The storyline is less a narrative than it is a mural; a series of images and vignettes layered one on top of another to reveal the meanings "under and behind and inside" the mind-crushing mundanity of this, the American Nightmare. Each event, each dialogue, each bone-crunching scene is focused like a magnifying glass in the sun, like tallows in boiling fat, until pure meaning comes out. This prose isn't flowery, it's visceral. The ideas, consequently, hit you like a foot to the gut when you've never been in a fight. It changes the way you see things. It affects your with ideas you hadn't thought of, and wish you had.

Based upon Michiavelli's first hand experience as an emissary of the Florentine Republic to the courts of Europe The Prince analyzes the often violent means by which political power is seized and retained, and the circumstance in which it is lost. Because The Prince is a political commentary, and not a work of fiction, Michiavelli does not use "characters" in the sense of a novel or a short story. Instead he draws his examples from the current political and social events, as well as from history. His characters are the political leaders of his time. The book is a declaration in plain language the conduct of great men and the principles of princely governments. The book can be divided into four sections.

1. The types of principalities. Michiavelli lists four types of principalities.

* Hereditary principalities, which are inherited by the ruler.

* Mixed principalities, territories that are annexed to the rulers existing territories.

* New principalities which may be acquired by several methods: by own power, by the power of others by criminal acts or extreme cruelty, or by the will of the people

* Ecclesiastical principalities, namely the papal states belonging to the catholic churches.

2. The character and behavior of the prince. Michiavelli recommends the following character and behavior for princes:

* It is better to be miserly than generous.

* It is better to be cruel than merciful.

* It is better to break promises if keeping than would be against ones interest.

* Princes must avoid making them hated and despised; the goodwill of the people is a better defense than any fortress.

* Princes should undertake great projects to enhance their reputation.

* Princes should choose wise advisors to confide and consult with

3. The types of armies A prince must always pay close attention to military affairs if he wants to remain in power. A prince must lay good foundation and those foundations include good laws and good armies. There cannot be good laws without good armies, and where there are good laws there must be good armies. The study of war should be a prince's main goal, for war is a rulers only art.If princes become too refined to study this art they loose their state. The types of armies are:

* Mercenaries or Auxiliaries (loaned to you by another ruler) are both dangerous and unreliable, as they will maintain their interests preceding yours.

* Native troops composed of ones own citizens or subjects are by far the most desirable kind.

4. Italy's political situation Michiavelli outlines and recommends the following

* The rulers of Italy have lost their states by ignoring the political and military principles.

* Fortune controls half of human affairs, but free will controls the rest, leaving the prince free to act. However, the few princes can adopt their actions to times

I just had an interesting discussion with a young man who was convinced that Machiavelli was evil. I found out he'd never even tried to read "The Prince", which is the quintessential guide to Machiavelli's political mind. This young man's preconception is a very common one, alas.

In this book, presented in short chapters, one finds a guidebook to taking power and ruling a small country. Nowhere does it suggest using excessive force, nor does it suggest gratuitous violence. It is straightforward and pragmatic. Machiavelli suggests keeping one's goal, political power, in mind all the time, and is not afraid to discuss unpleasant ways of getting and keeping that power. It is the essence of ruthlessness, but what politician doesn't do this every day? In every competitive, demanding occupation, participants must keep goals in mind constantly and work completely toward those goals. Machiavelli was just one of the first to codify how to do it. And codify he does -- the book is filled with suggestions on how to handle everything from whether to hire mercenary troops to how to make the commoners love you.

Though Machiavelli's writing is somewhat archaic and definitely rich in idea density, it is worth the read. I think everybody, from students to politicos to housekeepers to entrepreneurs, would benefit from the information contained herein. I do suggest getting a decent grounding in Italian history before the attempt.

This small yet informative book is the heart of power politics. It was Machiavelli's resume, written to help save both his country and his reputation. The book is often said to present a plan of leadership that is calculating and heartless. That is precisely the point; Machiavelli is a true historian who sets down the hard realities of what it is to be a leader and ignores lofty political ideals (making it obvious how few world leaders have actually studied it). As well as giving the modern reader a much needed history lesson, Machiavelli has a nearly prophetic knack for summing up the root causes of events from the 1st World War to Vietnam in a few sentences. It never fails to amaze me that leaders today would rather look at world events through hindsight than act on them by foresight.

In addition to Donno's excellent translation, this particular edition includes key points from The Discourses, which are guaranteed to astonish the reader with their obvious truth. After reading this numerous times, I found myself highlighting Machiavelli's major points throughout the book. It is not only political instruction but words of wisdom to live by.

Though Smith's "Wealth of Nations" is a true classic written in lucid English, and the foundation of our modern economy, I cannot say that it is all-too-important for most people to read this book. Weighing in 700+ pages for a typical printing, this work is not a quick and easy read by any stretch of the imagination. Many of Smith's great metaphors are found in the first quarter of the book, and I felt bored reading the latter parts. It is not that Smith was wrong, by any means, but rather that many of his arguments are now well-accepted and can be demonstrated in much more succinct manners. I feel that Smith's multitudes of examples are not particularly important to the average man.

With that said, I reiterate that this is an important work that should be understood by everyone - but this does not necessarily mean reading all of it. For anyone studying economics, of course, this work is the bread and butter of your field - and is a must read.

Adam Smith obviously thought deeply about economics, and then traveled widely to find support for his ground-breaking theories. The result is a very long book that is incredibly nuanced. Such popular excerpts as "the pin factory" and "like an invisible hand" do little justice to the book -- just like quoting "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." does not substitute for reading "Gone with the Wind" or seeing the movie.

It is difficult to getting a good economic education today. The endless flow of government money in social science departments has twisted the subject. While modern economists use very precise methods to arrive at wildly inaccurate results, Smith dug and dug through economic records to find key patterns but did not seek the unrealistic equations that currently characterize the profession.

One final note on the reading: Work your way through a Jane Austin novel before attempting to read "The Wealth of N! ations." The language has changed in the past 200 years.

The Wealth of Nations ranks among the best of the unread classics. As a double major in Business and International Relations, I naturally never read this book until after I graduated. Similar to Clauswitz's "On War" for the military strategist, or Plato's "Republic" for the political philosopher, this is a must read for anyone who lives in a free-market economy.

Adam Smith goes through a completely exhausting and methodical explanation about the nature of money. The multitude of examples and depth of discussion could stop a Mack truck, but the lessons are critical. It teaches you about the true nature of money; where it comes from, what it means. That, in turn, as you reflect on your own life, will illustrate much about how you prioritize your own life.

Along with Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," this book will indisputably change your perception of the nature of money and a how person chooses to earn their living.

The only drawback to the book is that it is brutally boring--but get a large cup of Java, sit back, and dig in. Nobody said it was going to be easy. THIS IS A MUST READ.