This is an excellent book that collects and organizes the outlook of the sages of the Talmud. While the author may be more inclined to attribute ideas to historical reasons than most Orthodox rabbis, he mostly confines this book to quotations and brief explanations from the vast talmudic literature.

The comment by another reviewer of the author's failure to accept Jesus as the messiah is a sad reflection on the attempted Christianization of Judaism. One would hardly expect a talmudic scholar to accept the Christian messiah. The Talmud was written centuries after the life of Jesus and the sages of the Talmud unequivocably rejected his claims to messiahhood.

Abraham Cohen's _Everyman's Talmud_ was the first complete English introduction to the Talmud when it was published in 1928. So far as I know, it has never been surpassed.

It is admirably thorough. In about 400 pages Rabbi Cohen hits all the major Talmudic themes: God and man, revelation, Jewish practice including ethics and jurisprudence. Filled with well-chosen quotations and explicated by Rabbi Cohen's crisp, scholarly expository prose, the volume is not at all a quick and easy read; you will want to take your time with this one. But your efforts will be well repaid.

Not that I'm an expert myself -- but if I had to pick just one introductory volume on the Talmud for those who simply want to know what it says, this would be it. Highly recommended as an overview of rabbinic theology. (My own copy is the 1967 edition, so I can't comment on Jacob Neusner's introduction.)

This book is a landmark - "a comprehensive survey of the doctrine of this important branch of Jewish literature... a summary of the teachings of the Talmud..." in the words of its author. Jacob Neusner's "foreword" describes it as the "first classic introduction of the Talmud to the English language." As Neusner states: "The greatness of Cohen for the beginner is that he tells us the single most important thing we can know about the Talmud, which is what it says." Abraham Cohen was born in 1887 and died in 1957. His work is a groundbreaking opus that was originally published in 1931; he revised it in 1948. (In 1931 the Talmud had not yet been translated into English!) Neusner's foreword, as well as Cohen's original 23-page introduction, are marvelous and deserve intensive re-reading. (Just one example of Cohen's support for the novice is his practice of defining words: e.g. Talmud = "study"; Halachah = "walking", the way of life to tread in conformity with the precepts of the Torah., and so on.) The only weak area in the foreword and introduction is that of history. (Here I found the perfect remedy: part 1 of Adin Steinsaltz's book 'The Essential Talmud' - also available through amazon.com). Readers should be aware that Cohen's book is not organized as is the Talmud: you will NOT find the six orders (seder) divided into tractates (masekhet) and chapters (periqim). Instead he divides this great work into 11 chapters: (1) The Doctrine of God, (2) God and the Universe, (3) The Doctrine of Man, (4) Revelation, (5) Domestic Life, (6) Social Life, (7) The Moral Life, (8) The Physical Life, (9) Folk-Lore, (10) Jurisprudence, and (11) The Hereafter. ----- Those new to the Talmud should be advised that Talmud, which signifies "study," is devoted to the ORAL Torah (not The Bible, also referred to as TNK or Tanakh). The core of the ORAL Torah is the Mishnah, or codification of the Halachah, compiled by the Tannaim (scholars/teachers) beginning with R. Akiva and ending with R. Judah Ha-Nasi (who died in 217 C.E.). It was written in Hebrew. Somewhat later the Amoraim (interpreters/speakers/expounders) compiled The Talmudic commentaries. (In fact there are actually two Talmuds, the more prestigious Babylonian Talmud, and the less esteemed Palestinian Talmud, both written in dialects of Aramaic, the language of the people. R. Ravina completed the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud in 499 C.E.) A word of caution: the term Talmud refers to these two documents, which include both the Mishnah (corpus of oral law), and the Gemara (completion -- or commentary on the Mishnah) - but the term "Talmud" also can be used as a synonym for Gemara! (Like referring both to the white of an egg, and the whole ovoid package as "egg".) ------ As one might gather I found Cohen's book very informative. But like any summary, it mainly should serve as jumping off point to explore the original document(s). The Babylonian Talmud (available in at least two English translations) awaits me. Looks like a long journey!

Since this book was called a photobiography, I expected that most, if not all, of the photographs and line drawings would be of Lincoln. Actually, the great majority of the illustrations were of anyone or anything but Lincoln. Considering the actual content of the illustrations, a better title would have been something about the life and times of Lincoln. Maybe it is just me but I think the title is misleading (somewhat).

I first read this book when I was in fifth grade. It was the first "history" book I read that really interested me. Russell Freedman turns history from dates and facts into the lives of real people during an extremely difficult time. I'm 19 years old and currently writing a speech on why it is one of my favorite books of all time.

Russell Freedman's "Lincoln: A Photobiography" represents the ideal book for students who want something more about this subject than a book for younger readers, like George Sullivan's "In Their Own Words: Abraham Lincoln," but who are not yet ready to tackle an adult work like Carl Sandburg's three volume Lincoln biography. Freedman provides a new level of information for those who have read only juvenile biographies of Lincoln. For example, he goes into much more details about Lincoln's courtship of Mary Todd and the strain the war and death of two children caused on their marriage. For many younger readers this will be the first time they read about the complex issues that confronted Lincoln during the Civil War. In the end, students will have a greater appreciation not only for Lincoln's successes but for the problems and failures that troubled him during his years in the White House. Finally, if such things matter to you in tipping the scales, this book received the John Newbery Medal.

In the back of this book you will find "A Lincoln Sampler," which consists of things Lincoln said throughout his life, "In Lincoln's Footsteps," which lists historic sites from Lincoln's life that readers can visit, and "Books About Lincoln" for those interested in reading much more about Lincoln. Yes, the title "A Photobiography" might lead you to believe that this is a book of pictures with detailed captions explaining Lincoln's life. While this is not the case Freedman has included 88 photographs, etchings, paintings, reproductions and such in his 150-page volume. Yes, not all of the illustrations are of Lincoln, but it is perfectly allright in a biography to have pictures of the places and people, not to mention events, important in the subject's life. There were only a certain number of photographs taken of Lincoln in his life and my guess that most of them would be included in here. There is even the one surviving photograph of Lincoln in death, although you will not find the photograph of him right after his speech at Gettysburg. The illustrations remain a strength of this photobiography.

I was given my first deck of Tarot cards over 40 years ago. At that time, only Eden Gray's works were available. Those are wonderful, but require careful thoughtful study. That's not bad either, but it takes a a long time to wade through all the academe to the useful information.

I found Ms. Abraham's book about three years ago. It's delightful "key-word" system based upon the number of each card gives a quick, and reliable, reading into each card. Although I rather disagree with her treatment of the Court cards as individuals my disagreement is semantical, not philosophical. Moreover, Ms. Abraham's delightful treatment will only stimulate the curiosity of the serious student to deeper readings into the field. For that, my witch's--er, I mean my "wizard's"--hat, too firmly planted around my ears these many long years, is raised in humble respect!

Ms. Abraham uses the Rider-Waite deck for her illustrations, which is, after all, the most commonly available if not the best known deck around, but her simple "key-word" definitions and explanations will give grand results to the most novice of readers! And if the reader is really serious about the art of Tarot divination, it will only stimulate his/her appetite for more in-depth books on the subject.

All of which is to the good!

"How To Read The Tarot" is a small gem, glittering and valuable, and quite possibly small enough to be overlooked. For those with more experience, pick up this diamond, and readjust your own views! For Beginners, buy it, enjoy it, use it, but don't think for even a moment that this is the last word on the subject. See Ms. Abraham's thoughtful and complete bibliography!

"How To Read The Tarot" is a sound corner-stone for your Tarot library. Buy with confidence, because you won't be disappointed. In fact, it will only whet your thirst for more knowledge of this grand art.

this book is the first book i ever got on how to read the tarot and it was a really good buy. it taught me the basics of tarot reading and what to look for in a spread. it teaches the keywords of each major arcana and their numbers. like the keywords for the high priestess which is the second card in the major arcana is i know,so then in the minor arcana all the keywords in the 2 cards would be i know. she taught me what each suit stood for. what the court cards mean and what their combinations mean. at the end gives you a few spreads to start off with. i highly reccomend this book

I had no experience with reading the Tarot when I purchased this book. If you want to achieve the basic ability to read Tarot spreads in a hurry without much preparation time in advance, this is the book for you. Sample spreads are included. I used the book so much it finally fell apart - I held it together with a rubber band until I recently received a replacement copy as a gift. I highly recommend it.

First We Quit Our Jobs, is a chronicle of a RVing couple who took a four month trip starting in New York State, across country, into Canada, north to Alaska, south through coastal Canada back into the lower forty-eight, then east, southeast and northeast and back to New York. For those of us who have been RVing and been on the road this grand trek might not seem so unusal. For Marilyn Abraham and her husband Sandy this trek was their introduction to their motor home. It was their first experience. Until they took off that July morning they had never been in an RV before! As the title states, first they quit their jobs, gave up their life in the fast lane and traded everything in for life in a twenty-nine foot Winnie. Some of their experiences we may take for granted. For example the friendliness of people they meet in their travels and at campgrounds was surprimg to them. A good book for all RVers who take to the open raod and might consider being full-timers.

This is the best book I've read regarding the RV lifestyle. As an Escapee, a 50-something free spirit with a wife who has lived all her life in Astoria, Queens, this book says it all about the freedom from the corporate world. For those of us having to work on the road, nothing was mentioned regarding finances. This is the only shortcoming of the book. It takes guts to do it but the rewards are many.

I have been on a travel essay/arm chair travel reading kick (I am usually the legal and medical thriller fan)and picked this book on the title and cover since I did not know the writer. What a blast I had trekking across the US from New York City to Alaska down to New Mexico and back to New York City with Marilyn and her husband, Sandy!! I started the book on a Sunday morning and finished the book by Sunday night. It was like I was tucked away in their RV as they followed their dreams.

It's also an inspiring book when you learn that the author had a "choice" career as a book editor at one of the major publishers in the US and her husband, although going through a career change, was of the same ranks in careers gave it all up to follow their hearts and see the USA and make the life altering decision to give up the high stressed jobs to do this and to eventually move from the hustle bustle of Manhattan.

This book was a pure joy to read and an absolute entertaining way to getting the laundry done! For any arm chair travel reader, I high suggest purchasing this book and diving in! I enjoyed it as much as my favorite arm chair travel writer, Joei Carlton Hossack!

Waiting until Marilyn and Sandy get back on the road again!

My main experience is in Microsoft technologies and one day I cautiously embarked on a UNIX learning adventure, so to speak.
I purchased this book for a Beginning UNIX course, since it was a required course material. I was surprised by how well this book is structured and how easily it can be used as reference. It's impossible to fit all that is UNIX into 900 pages of text, although the author provided more than enough information for this UNIX novice.

"UNIX for the Impatient" patiently takes you through the most rudimentary topics like shells, kernel, and file permissions to the utilities, editors, and scripting. The section on mailers and newsreaders was most interesting to me, since I work with the Microsoft-based messaging applications.

The best thing - after reading this book, I was able to use various funky terms like "grep", "Emacs", "chmod" and "kill" which are usually not understood by the rest of the uninitiated MCSEs.

I have used this book as a reference time and time again, and own both the first and second editions. This is not an "idiot's guide to UNIX," nor is it a reprint of man pages. It falls somewhere in between, and seems to be aimed at technical professionals who find themselves in a variety of operating systems at a moments notice such as Digital Unix (formerly OSF/1), Linux, Solaris, and AIX. You name it, I've been there.

This book won't hold your hand and teach you what a file or directory is. It is not a tutorial. It is assumed that you know the basics. I have referred to this book on numerous occasions when I had to write CGI scripts, or assigned to quick and dirty projects involving some flavor of UNIX, or porting applications to UNIX from Windows/Win-32.

So, if you are like me, and don't want to spend a few hours plowing through a UNIX man pages just to remember the syntax of gzip, tar, or locating a command you used before and don't really remember what it was, this book is for you.

Of all the UNIX books I've purchased (and there have been many), this is the only one I have used as a novice, and can continue to use to this day.

One way to rate a book is to ask yourself how much it helped you as a novice, and whether you can still use it once you've become a more advanced user. While my other UNIX books are being sold to co-workers and used book stores, this is the one book I can consistently use as a reference. This is the one I will never outgrow.

Whilst Abraham has a fairly adversarial tone and presentation it is not unsurprising for a lawyer involved in the "war-zone" that divorce tends to become. Make no mistake, Abraham pulls no punches and wrings a certain amount of emotion from his writing. You may not find this emotionally pleasant reading, especially if you are married and start thinking "What if".

However, even if you are married and think life is pefect, buy a copy and have it mailed to work. If you are single, buy it. Whoever you are, buy another copy for a single male friend too. You too can save a life before it's too late.

THIS SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR ANY MAN CONTEMPLATING MARRIAGE! Abraham is right on target with this easy to read book. From my own personal experiences and those of friends who have gone through divorce, the situation Abraham presents about what happens when your marriage breaks down is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In fact the case he presents in general is run of the mill. Expect worse if your ex has filed on you. Clearly the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction, pushed by feminism and the preponderance of misleading and incorrect reports of deadbeat dads and the decline in women's standard of living following divorce. It just ain't so. The loving, considerate woman you thought you married has now become vengeful and vindictive and, aided and abetted by a legal system that thrives on an adversarial approach and won't hesitate to trample any rights a man has to parenthood or private property in the name of justice and what's "best for the kids", will take you to the cleaners. Jed Abraham, if you happen to read this, I would call upon you to take the initiative to set up an organization that will fight for men's rights, one that all men can unite behind and try to bring some balance back into family law. If this can't be done, then I would advise any man considering marriage to think very carefully about what he about to do in the cold hard reality of this book.

The above professional review is pretty accurate on this one... Even though Abraham has UC/Berkeley and Harvard Law credentials, this is no abstract academic tome. Rather, it's an easy-to-read and straight-forward description of what a typical divorce scenario is like in all its details. Sprinkled in there's a bit of informative relevant history to explain how things got into the twisted state they're in, with men being distinctly second-class citizens in the family. Not only does marriage confer no rights on men, in divorce they have negative rights (i.e., obligations and responsibilities) and are hardly better off than slaves, with the state and the ex being the slave-owner.

Abraham is especially good at debunking the commonly held and naive belief among men that it's those *other* guys who are the jerks and who therefore get screwed by their ex's and the law in divorce -- i.e., that the law is fair and that men get about what they deserve. Being male is all it takes, and no amount of "good works" or having been a good husband/father can undo the inherent anti-male sexism in the current system. While there's virtually nothing in the book on courtship, and there are a couple of minor typos, this book should be required reading for all high school boys (and would-be second wives, too). The material on pre-nuptial agreements is a must for all men considering a commitment with a woman, and the six changes in the law Abraham proposes are right on the money and easy to understand. 4 1/2 - 5 stars.

There is much to recommend in Dr. Wilson's book. The fact that he teaches two tracks, one for Jews and another for Gentiles reduces its value in my opinion. As a start in understanding the "Hebrew roots of the faith",this book is useful. For a view that there is one God with one set of rules for life this book should be balanced with Take Hold by Ariel and D'vorah Berkowitz.

When people stop by our website and ask us "where do we start? What book do we read first?" this is the book that we start them off with when they start exploring the Hebrew roots of the Christian Faith. We call this book "THE PRIMER"! A must read for every Christian to understand the first century church.

If you identify yourself as a Christian this book is a must read. Written as a introduction into the Hebrew thoughts of our roots. One can not fully grasp Christianity until one can understand their roots. Easy reading for those who are not scholarly but informative enough to challenge even the best thinkers. I found this book very helpful and find myself giving copies away.

You get the impression the author really poured his heart into this one. The book is written with a lot of heart and soul, and captures the truth of life at the street level as well as Miguel Pinero or Richard Price. My only complaint is that it is terribly overwritten in places. Back off, Little Brother, let your characters breath and let the story do the work. You don't need to sweat so much showing off your prose.

An amazing book. Gets a lil confusing at times but all is made clear. The story has many twists and turns and ends in a suprise that is amazingly simple. Very intense.

During Spidertown's first printing I read it and was so moved I passed the book along, it found its way from Co-Op City to Fordham, from Harlem to Queens ... and it may have been the first and last time that those friends of mine, some of them no longer with us, saw their lives potrayed in print with the honesty and pride that they deserve ... Abraham Rodriguez Jr. gave them something precious ... the knowledge that our stories are worth telling ... worth reading .... I never did get that original copy back, it's nice to know the book has been reprinted ... it's nice to know Rodriguez' genius has been recognized ... it's nice to have our stories told with such dignity ... finally ...

We must keep our history alive and vividly honest. If we forget or rewrite our history we are doomed to repeat it. These are words that we need to live by today more than ever.

If you have been appalled by the tragedy of our government then you must read the story of Mary Surratt. The government has failed before. It seems we learned little from this tragic story.

This book is easily read but best of all it was an "all night" read. I could not put it down until the last tragic moment. This is american history at its best and at its worst.

You will find history, intrigue, mayhem, tragedy, and tons of Civil War info. I hope you'll take the time to read this wonderful book. Enjoy!

A few years ago I wouldn't have believed what I read in Mrs. Trindal's account. Now, I not only believe it, I fear it. The same spirit that murdered Mrs. Surratt is alive and well today. That is what makes this book hard to put down. I knew the ending, and I kept hoping against hope that it would change. This is a story that cries out to be told, and the author does an outstanding job of making it read like a murder mystery. Unfortunately, it is not fiction. A must-read for anyone who has questions that aren't being answered by the dominant media.

Elizabeth Trindal has done a masterful job of weaving 15 years of research into an enjoyable read of a sadly unmentionable subject. That being the Federal Governments unconstitutional trial and subsequent murder of Mary Surratt. This could very well be a 19th Century version of Ruby Ridge or Waco. And like Ruby Ridge or Waco as long as the economy grows and my neighborhood is safe, who cares what happens to a few folks on the fringe of my sphere. I care. I believe Mary Surratt was an innocent who became a sacrafice on the federal altar of "make everyone feel good,"justice. Elizabeth Trindal's sad and truthful account of poor Mary only serves to reinforce the old adage,"bad men cannot make good citizens". I recommend you buy, read and pass along this excellent book. Anyone interested in truthful accounts of our Nation's history will not be able to put it down. Elizabeth Trindal certainly deserves an award and our appreciation for this work.

ABE starts well. Slotkin's portrayal of his early life rings true. The relationship Abe had with his parents and their place in the community sounds very realistic. At this point, I felt Slotkin had a real grasp of what Lincoln might have been like and I was really enjoying this speculative look at the young Abe Lincoln. The trip down the river changed that for me. Slotkin uses Lincoln's flatboat journey down the Mississippi as the basis of Lincoln's eventual political beliefs, but it just doesn't ring true. The journey is one event after another, with social and sexual overtones that intefere with the natural flow of the novel. Eventually, it doesn't even seem that the novel is about Abe Lincoln anymore, but some nameless boy's "journey into manhood along the Mississippi". The best historical fiction gives the reader insight into the characters; this book seems to be trying to make too strong a point, as if it were an actual historical document instead of a picaresque fiction. Like an earlier reviewer, I found this to be less than it could have been.

I will be quite honest, this is a bad book. The research Slotkin did about many of the often ignored events in Lincoln's formative years and the inclusion of some obscure celebrities of the 1830's is impressive, but attempts to connect the two are ridiculous. There is simply no reason to make up a fictional story about Lincoln's upbringing to make it interesting, unusual, and important to his political beliefs. It is thrown together haphazardly and Slotkin's attempts to occasionally use the vernacular (without rhyme or reason all of the characters and even the narrator go in and out of their unique dialects)do not help the story flow or add anything to the novel. Basically it seems that Slotkin is trying to take elements from Huck Finn, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and The Bible, stir them up and add a little sexual scandal to sell a book. It does not work and really makes for a disappointing read. I think historical novels about famous leaders are great, but there should be a thesis the author goes on to prove in it and the later part of that equation is sorely lacking here--Slotkin wants to show that Lincoln's trip down the Mississippi influenced Lincoln's future politics, but he never really demonstrates it even though he was free to make up any dialogue and events he liked in order to do it. Slotkin tried to do many things with this book, and I appreciate the effort, but it just does not work and going against the general feeling of most reviewers on Amazon, I cannot recommend this to anyone unless it all you have available to read.

After the "Lost Years" that preceded the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, the life of the young Abraham Lincoln is one of the great biographical mysteries. How did a boy, born in a log cabin to poor, uneducated dirt farmer become arguably the most important figure in the nation's history? The prominence of this position is based on my belief that no other American living during the time of the Civil War could have preserved the Union. But it is hard to reconcile the author of the rhetorical eloquence of "The Gettysburg Address" and "The Second Inaugural," both of which are carved into the walls of the Lincoln Memorial, with the young boy trying to learn to read by candlelight out on the American frontier.

What little is known of the young Lincoln serves as the narrative framework for "Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln." As he explains in his afterword, author Richard Slotkin has taken some liberties with events (he combines Lincoln's two raft trips down the Mississippi into one) and people (Lincoln crosses paths with several prominent people he probably never met). Slotkin is interested in explaining "how a man raised as a 'normal' nineteenth century racist was able to transcend the limitations of his culture." Having authored several books on the American frontier of the 19th century, Slotkin uses that background to select various true stories and add Lincoln to their telling. Readers will see a strong but ironic parallel to Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," which I am sure was intentional on Slotkin's part.

The strength of "Abe" is how Slotkin slowly has the pieces come together for the Lincoln that would preserve the Union. There is a moment relatively early on in the novel where Lincoln gets the hang of telling a story and of making a point "sideways." It is watching the young Lincoln try to make sense of the world around him, not just the issue of slavery but his strained relationship with his father, the nature of republican government, the mystery of women, and how to navigate the Mississippi River, that this novel becomes captivating. The portrait of Lincoln's parents has a resonance beyond what you can find in a Lincoln biography and Slotkin totally captures life on the frontier of Kentucky, Indiana and Elanoy.

This is obviously a work of fiction, so it is not the true story of young Abe Lincoln, but it has the feel of a real story. Certainly Slotkin can be forgiven historical liberties taken in the pursuit of a better understanding of the creation of the nation's most important political figure. Following his assassination, Lincoln, the most vilified President in the nation's history to be sure, was deified as a martyred saint. Slotkin creates a memorable portrait of Lincoln, at the time when the idea first entered his head that his goal in life was to find a part to play, and a stage to play it on. In the end, Slotkin creates a slight but significant gap in his narrative, signifying that the final chapters have caught up with the historical Lincoln (certainly more than the rest of the book). By that point, I think most readers will be willing to agree that he has achieved his goal and told a convincing tale of how Abe became Lincoln.