There are books galore about spirituality, covering many aspects from simple How To's, to the mystical insights of past and current masters. Most of these have one thing in common: they are all written by a teacher targeting a student willing and eager to dive into the deep ocean on questions about life and the divine.

Far fewer are the books which cover the deep longing, the seemingly never-ending search for answers from the perspective of the student, and the many strange paths this sometimes can take during a lifetime. The Quest Seeking The new Adam is such a book. Written as a series of often strange encounters and the ensueing conversations with a native American medicine man, this story follows the tribulations of a man called Adam - a seeker.

This short novel so very well illustrates the agony, frustrations, and doubts of the beginning seeker, and it follows through all the way to the slow acceptance and understanding of who and what we are truly are, ending in the climax of the great inner revelation, the first glimpse of the divinity we are.

And the teacher, the "Old Man" as he is known in the story? Though naturally comming from the Native Americam Indian traditions, his teachings are universal, as all divine truth must be. This universality is exemplified in one of the names by which he is known: Phanes. A greek name - and true to the name he frequently uses the greek myth of Prometheus to help bring understanding to the student.

The latter alone is a good reason to read this short story, but certainly not its sole quality. As a seeker my self (and who is not, at one time or another?) I was able to easily empathize with the character of Adam. It could just as easily been me in this story, and not some distant personae. When I started reading this book, I was unable to put it down until I had finished it from cover to back. Though many of the concepts in the book were not new to me ("Thou art God", being perhaps the most important, and sometimes shocking one to some), the path itself taken by Adam is certainly different than my own and others, and so can give many an insight to the reader.

This book is not for casual reading, but for all seekers in the world, both beginners, and for those who may have already journeyed some distance. And as such, I would recommend it to any one, any time. A book I most certainly will read more than once.

With "The Quest Seeking the New Adam" Norman Wilson has created a modern vedantic epic in which a 21st century noble prince or son questions and receives instruction from a contemporary sagacious brahmin or an aspect of the deity. In a smoothly flowing narrative he introduces the reader to many of the great questions and ideas of philosophy and modern science and makes them accessible to almost everyone. I am eagerly awaiting his next effort.

If you have read and enjoyed Pirsig's, best seller, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," you will love Dr. Wilson's "The Quest Seeking the New Adam." Being at the stage of my own life where I am questioning what's really important, I found Wilson's book to be enlightening. It renewed my interests in self-discovery, mythology, and cosmic spirituality. Well done, and well received.

It seems cruel to review this book because you can't get it anymore. My old copy is held together with rubber bands. I liked everything about it. All the characters were wonderful; the history was accurate; the mystery and intrigue were mysterious and intriguing. The secondary characters were almost better than the main characters. Good wasn't always pretty and Evil was evil with reasons and, sometimes, even strengths. You could hiss the villians and cheer the good guys but you knew that these people lived and you mourned and rejoiced with them. When the hero finally wins his lady's love, it's a timeless moment. Her love is an achievement...not a casual tumble in the normal historical bodice ripper. My only complaint about this book was it was too short and there's never been a sequel. If you can find a copy, read it - you'll love it.

I bought a copy of this book when it was first published in 1973 and it remains on my once a year "must read" list. The story of Red Adam and his lady Julitta is an exciting chronicle of romance, suspense, mystery, and contains the best descriptions of everyday medieval life ever put down on paper. Grace Ingram's tight, poetic prose puts to shame the modern ... that masquerades as historical romance fiction.
Mistaken for a peasant wench, Julitta di Montrigord is carried off one night by the drunken lord of Brentborough, Adam de Lorismond. To save her virtue, she knocks him silly with a stool. What she knocks into him, of course, is love. What follows is a most marvelous tale of coerced marriage that ripens into friendship and desire and the growing maturity of two young people who must learn to deal with villanious servants, abhorrent relatives and treacherous neighbors.
This author also wrote a book called Gilded Spurs and under the name of Doris Sutcliffe Adams wrote Power of Darkness, No Man's Son and The Price of Blood. None of these books, in my opinion, approaches the spectacular storytelling she achieves in Red Adam's Lady. Grace Ingram is a pseudonym and we have only two books under her name. Red Adam's Lady is a ten star romance. Grace, if you are still with us, give us one more!

I am so thrilled to finally discover that others love this little-known book as much as I do. I too have read it over and over for years now. I can only reiterate what's been said above: it's romantic, fun, suspenseful, well-written, and full of great characters. If only it could go on and on . . . .

We got copies for all of our friends because kids really seem to like it--the coloring part is really, really well done, and they like having the history stuff read to them (unless they're old enough to read it, themselves).

Highly recommended.

Even though I have lived in New England for years, I learned a great deal about Rhode Island from RIAtoZ. The illustrations are charming, and the text makes this much more than a typical kids book. It's written from the perspective of someone who knows and truly loves Little Rhody. There should be a book like this for every state in the Union!!

We had Adam come to perform his Acme Miniature Circus at our Theatre in Brookline MA. He brought some books to sell, and I wanted to comment on how great the books are. Our patrons really loved them. We get a lot of kids and parents as patrons, and they all thought the book was fabulous. We are not even in Rhode Island! The book is entertaining, informative, and well worth getting.

I was sure this book would get a Lammy nomination and I can't believe it didn't. It's the best piece of lesbian-written lesbian-centered fantasy I've read in years. The story is flawless, the writing exceptional and greatly moving. ...

This isn't a scary book in the least, but the emotions and powers at work raised the hair on the back of my neck at times! This was a fascinating read with fresh characters beyond Xena, Gabrielle, or Elves and the other common types in fantasy novels or series. Women,lesbians all, and profoundly human most of the time. There were a couple of stomach-punching plot twists all in all just a thought providing and intriguing and entertaining novel. Like everyone else, it seems, I want book two and I want it now!

It's mythic, it's poignant, it's tragic, it's magical. Those are the elements I love in Mercedes Lackey's work. Sleight of Hand is better, because it's also passionately, unreservedly, openly about lesbians. No teasing, no subtext. The writing is first rate -- lyrical and timeless in the parts placed in the distant past, contemporary and fitting for those parts in the present time. This is a great book, and engrossing. I want book 2, and I want it now!

This book is a great resource for developing a home practice, and learning about the spirtual benefits of yoga.

I love this book. It is one of a kind. Easy to use. There are 12 spiritual muscles to work with. You can use the book in the order you wish. The author encourages you to make your own yoga posture. A treasure of a book.

This is by far the best yoga book I have ever encountered. The content, design, photography and overall feel of the book are superb. This book exemplifies everything yoga is and will be a tremendous asset to anyone wanting to start or go deeper into the path of yoga.

A wonderful collection of black and white photography. Reproduced on quality photographic paper which is ideal to frame at the end of the year. Ansel Adams brings nature into your house in the most expert fashion. Each photograph is superbly shot. Wonderful!

Pauline Gaston

and not a wall calendar

These photos take my breath away. They've inspired me so much

Very intriguing novel. I'm looking forward to Greenberg's next book. However, being a Catholic, I found Mr Greenberg's use of Jesus Christ as an expletive on just about every other page, very offensive. In case he decides to write another novel, I wish he'd take my review into consideration and refrain from using the Lord's name in vain.

Dr. Greenberg's first novel is very exciting. I was eager to finish one page to get to the next but had to savor each page of well written characters, scenes and emotion. If you like a good thriller with complexity and depth, you will enjoy Adam's Will.

I was looking for a good thriller/mystery and I found it in Steven Greenburg's first novel Adam's Will. I was captivated from the first to the last page and I contribute this to the author's passion for the written word. Mr. Greenburg developed and excellent and exciting plot with several unexpected and startling twists that will keep you guessing at one of America's most puzzling mysteries. If you haven't read Adam's Will, go get it and enjoy a fresh and electrifying experience!

It's shocking to discover how much of real American history gets glossed over in schools. What's the point of teaching history at all if it's edited? At that point it might as well be folk tales, interesting stories lacking any real facts. Alexs Pate's version of the events surrounding the slave ship La Amistad are easy to follow thanks to his simple, direct writing style and unique ability to describe much in a few words. While a "fictionalized" account of true events, the story is nonetheless riveting and heartwrenching, astounding and sickening to behold. I am saddened and even a little angry I have so little knowledge of how the vast majority of Africans found their way to America and the truth of how my ancestors may have considered and treated them. The author does a fine job of remaining mostly neutral on the topic himself, letting the story unfold and almost tell itself. While some Africans had it a little better than others, during pre-Civil War days and even in some cases still today, no black man was ever truly free. Amistad is a brilliant book about suffering and the strength it may bring, about how hope may prevail under the direst of circumstances, about how mistakes can save lives and doing "the right thing" might end them. A quick, powerful read anyone of any color or belief may enjoy. An excellent book for anyone readying to delve into the truth of the past instead of blandly accepting some outdated school textbook of it. Masterpiece.

This was a great book. i had to read it for a book report. To tell you the truth I hate reading. This is the first time I read the whole book for a book report, it had me hooked. Now I get to see the movie. But, I understood the wording in the book, and It's just a good book the read. And I recommend it for all age groups.

There is not even close to enough words to discibe this novel by Alexs Pate which is based on the motion picture. The movie I thought was great. Take my word for it the book "Amistad", brings you into even more detail than the movie. I have read a lot of books, but this book really grabbed me into really feeling like I was there. It is a sensational and emotional book that will touch your heart and show you exactly what slavery was really like. How humans went through with this unhuman way to treat people. Filled with action and emotion this is one book that has it all.

...this is still my favorite book because it has a time machine and I wish I could build a time machine or something like it or somebody would come to me from the future. The book was very interesting and I didn't want to put it down. My favorite part was when the old woman flapped her arms and everyone laughed.

I've used this book all year as an independent reading choice in my 6th grade clasroom. It really draws in even the most reluctant reader. The kids like the combination of time travel, comic books, aliens, prehistoric monsters, etc.--just about everything a kid would want in a book. My personal favorite scene is when Brian falls out of the alien spaceship and realizes his corduroy pants had saved him, and they're NOT damaged! Very funny stuff. I think adults will enjoy the book too.

I highly recommend this book. It won the Walt Disney award for Best Adventure Book (a CHILDREN'S CHOICE award). It's about a boy who tries to get a valuable comic book in mint-condition from 1939 and ends up going on a wild journey. The boy's motives are unselfish, having to do with bringing love back into his family (I won't give anything away).

In a time when all sorts of violent and inappropriate things are starting to appear in children's books in the misguided belief that they are required to keep today's kids reading, it's good to see a wholesome adventure book with family values. That it was chosen by the children of America as the best adventure book speaks volumes about what will actually keep kids reading: a good, solid, page-turning adventure that doesn't stop even after you've closed the book at the end.

The illustrations are also spectacular. They are the old-fashioned kind made up of thousands of individual lines, giving the impression that each is an intricate etching. They fit the comic book theme of the novel nicely. An impressive 5 star book.

The second book of Cecil Adams' Straight Dope is here...
A good follow up for the fabulous first part and full of astounding data...
Get ready for hilarious laughter and information absorbtion...

Cecil Adams is a hoot. It's that simple. I'm the first to admit that his style may not be for everyone. If you don't enjoy the smart-alec humor of David Letterman, the irreverence of Saturday Night Live, and the take-no-prisoners approach of James Randi, than maybe the "Straight Dope" isn't for you.

For the uninitiated, The Straight Dope is a weekly newspaper column (appearing mostly in local "freebie" papers such as Madison's Isthmus) wherein Cecil (the smartest human alive) answers all manner of questions put to him by the "teeming millions." Do fish breathe? Do birds pee? Are there really 57 varieties of Heinz Ketchup? No question is too trivial for Cecil, and he applies a surprising degree of scholarship to all queries, mixing it all with a sharp-tongued wit and repartee with his correspondents that will leave you laughing out loud, guaranteed.

The books, numbering 5, collect the best of his columns into loosely organized chapters and include occasional updated information since the questions and answers were originally printed.

A few examples from 3rd book (Return of the Straight Dope, 1994), which is the one I happen to have from the library right now:

p. 338: Why do stars twinkle? Cecil supplies the correct answer, embedded as always, firmly within his razor sharp wit: "Ben, you amateur, stars don't 'twinkle.' They exhibit 'stellar scintillation.' The Pentagon isn't going to fund a damn twinkle study."

p. 63-64: A straight-down-the-pipe debunking of Uri Geller, as only Cecil can do. James Randi (whom Cecil sites as a source) has nothing on Adams. This is also a good example of Cecil's "dialog" with his readers. A reader wrote in to tell of his first hand encounter with Geller years before, and why Geller couldn't possibly have faked the spoon bending (or whatever) because this reader never took his eyes off the spoon, yada yada. Adam's reply shows his appropriately skeptical approach to such situations, where he stresses how many supposed "experts" were completely bamboozled by Geller's slight of hand and misdirection.

p. 349: The inertia of air, as seen in the helium balloon in a car experiment; p. 146 if you toss a ball in the air while inside the cabin of a flying airplane, does the total weight of the craft decrease by the amount of the ball's weight? (no, and he does a great job handling the physics involved).

The "Straight Dope" collections are a skeptical reader's delight, and totally entertaining to boot. I highly recommend them for casual reading, but don't be surprised if you learn something along the way.

By the way, there's apparently some debate about whether Cecil's a real person or not. I don't have an answer ... but it doesn't matter to me. The books are well written and right on target scientifically.

One more tidbit (this one from the straightdope.com web site), to a reader who asked what the deal is with Nostradamus, Cecil replied: "There are two schools of thought on Nostradamus: either (1) he had supernatural powers which enabled him to prophesy the future with uncanny accuracy, or (2) he did for ... what Stonehenge did for rocks. I incline to the latter view."

Cecil goes on to give a more detailed (and very accurate) response re: the whole Nostradamus thing, showing again his serious attempt to combat the epidemic of silly pseudoscience that so many of the "teeming millions" seem inclined to accept at face value.

And that really seems to be the bottom line for Cecil, and the best reason to read the column and the books.

This title in question, Return of the Straight Dope by Cecil Adams, et al is one the most amusing books that I have read in a very long time. In this silly little book one is told how astronauts go to the bathrrom in space, Where Pondunk is and how in the world can they have interstate Highways in Hawii when the state is an plethora of islands far away from the mainland. Cecil Adams answers to this questions are quick witted, funny and ultimately quite informative. Highly Recommended.