If you are not a Christian, don't assume that this book is only of interest to "the Godly" or those who want to promote Protestant education. Watt was a conservative but scientifically enlightened preacher and his advice, particulary in part II, where he discourses elegantly on how to be an effective classroom teacher, very often rings as true in the 21st century as in the 18th, and is full of common sense suggestions for any kind of teacher, from evangelical to atheist.

Isaac Watts has left us a rich inheritance in his book The Improvment of the Mind. His approach provides excellent advice on how to obtain knowledge through all aspects of life, yet keeps the larger reality of God always in view. This book is loaded with thought-provoking gems to make us more efficient and proficient at true learning. Dr. Watts' has established a sound basis for education from early youth all the way to old age. This book is a tremendous resource for educators, parents, and anyone concerned with making solid decisions about how to teach and how to learn. I consider this work to be a blessing offered to us as the legacy of a great man of God.

I must recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their mind, learn new study techniques, the true way to study, the reason for study, etc. This is a highly enjoyable book. Written in sections, you can pick it up and start reading anywhere that you find it interesting. There is a section on raising young men and women. A very godly man wrote this, and it shows through.

Sheldon

I still remember being intimidated by this book when I was in grade school. You see, Asimov was what "smart people" read. I also remember the summer that I read the entire trilogy, it was the first time that I was completely immersed in a satisfying, intelligent, alternate reality.
Epic, is the only way to describe this opus. Starting in a Galactic Empire that is starting to slip into decline, then on to the monastic settlement of the Foundation and it's mission to preserve the best of the old civilization, then on to the recivilization of the ruins of the old Empire. If I recall correctly, it takes around 1000 years, but without the foundation it would have meant 10 times more chaos and darkness. It is the sense of mission and purpose that holds the whole thing together. And if you like mysteries and surprises, there is the matter of the Second Foundation....
Asimov wrote this when he was pretty young. He still had an unshakable faith that science could accomplish anything. Indeed, he saw a traditional clockwork universe that a sufficiently great mind, like Hari Seldon, could mathematically unlock. Later on in his writing Asimov matured- until he saw the galaxy itself as a living, evolving organism- a grand Gaia hypothesis.
One other thing, having grown up in New York, I think young Asimov saw himself as Hari Seldon in seeing a decadent and declining civilisation before anyone else. You know, he may just have been right....

Asimov participated in American science fiction's golden age, helping to convert pulp fantasy stories into realistic predictions of the future based on current science. It is remarkable that he wrote the Foundation while a young man, barely 20 I believe, a work with grand themes and the cornerstone of his massive and sprawling future history of mankind, which I believe went into more than 50 volumes.

The basic plot is that a scientists created a new discipline, psycho-statistics I believe, that could predict the future behavior of huge masses of humans. He then attempts to mold - or at least influence - man's fate over the next 30,000 years. What is truly amazing is that Asimov succeeds in these volumes. In a way, he should have stopped here with the series. The ideas are crisp and not yoked into a determined framework, so are fresh with lively characters. Later novels in the series feel more stilted, bound by concepts more than by a plain old good story.

A sci fi classic.

This contains the three books I would recommend to any person new to Issac Asimov. There are many more to read, but I like this series best. This is a great book for people of all ages!

A must for your favorite limerick lover. These clever rhymes will have you on the floor in no time! Rolling with laughter, that is! I love Asimov and Ciardi paired in this way. Makes a great gift.

Isaac Asimov and John Ciardi were both two brilliant men the likes of whom the world is lucky to have known. Both full of genius in their own way, they were, one imagines, excellent friends, and yet equally excellent enemies.

This is one of the finest collections of limericks I have seen, certainly one of the finest contemporary collections, and the introductions to the two books contained within make the bouquet so much more rich. Their sparring of words, of dashing insults and quick recoveries, is almost as fun to read as the poetry itself.

And the limericks... ah, delightfully scandalous. I suspect you will find yourself respecting John's concept of meter and stylistic master-strokes far above Isaac's, but at the same time will feel that somehow, for all his lack of understanding the mechanics properly, Isaac understands what the content of a limerick is meant to be.

That content, of course dear friends, is most often risque. I would certainly not caution parents against letting their children read this collection, but do be warned: The limerick is a bawdy form, and it is hard to fit anything but lewd intonations into its loose meter.

I recommend this book, for a gift, for something to read on a plane, for something for the WC, a coffee-table book, or any other use you might conceive of. And I will leave you with my own feeble attempt at the form, written post-haste and most likely in poor-taste.

"A book of fine lim'ricks was writ,
And though many said they were just... pooh,
I laughed till I wept,
And this fine book I kept,
And to this day I still will read it."

I really can not remember if I read all of the limericks, but before leaving I gave this excellent, witty, naughty book to my eldest son, who must have thought his Mom was rather 'naughty' herself to have such a kind of literature! Few of us can write limericks, because in a few words you have to paint the whole picture and what a one that is! I have the highest esteem for Mr. Isaac Asimov, who sadly enough, left us too. I seem to remember he did not enjoy at all flying airplanes. But he left us all sorts of very interesting material to be read by us. I give 5 stars to this collection of limericks. Thank you Mr. Asimov.

Even ten years after it was written, no other book documents the origins and failure of deinstitutionalization of people with severe mental illness so well. I only wish that the authors would update the book for the new decade.

I am so disappointed that this book is out of print! I have been recommending it to everyone including political leaders. This book explains so well why our mental health system is failing! From the ACLU who allow our loved ones to "die with their rights on" to the anti-psychiatry movement who deny that mental illness exist.The authors have uncovered the web of a failed system which advocates need to have as a resource. This book needs to be available.

Public policy regarding mental illness has been shrouded by myth, ideology, and fanatiscism. Madness in the Steets explains the history and myths that have caused the criminalization and neglect of people with no-fault brain disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Those myths now exposed, it is a clarion for legislative change. A must read for sociologists, legislators, and those who understand the tragedy of lack of treatment.

Jorge Isaacs (Cauca, 1837-1895) es el autor de la excepcional María (1867). María dista de ser una novela interpretada de un modo unívoco y siempre aprobatorio. La crítica le mezquina de ordinario lo que el público lector de lengua castellana le ha brindado, casi desde la primera hora, hasta convertirla en una de las obras más leídas y con mayor número de ediciones en la literatura de nuestra lengua.

Es, de las novelas decimonónicas, la historia de amor funesto más sugestiva, sentida y llena de signficado. La novela narra los amores de dos jóvenes adolescentes que dan contenida vida a su primer amor . . . . El encantamiento sensual o la vehemencia de la pasión juvenil es sublimada en objetos o manifestaciones diversas del amor por el otro --flores, guedejas, pañuelos, anillos--; objetos que sellan una promesa, pagan una culpa o compensan un agravio. Una sensualidad delicada y real se manifiesta en roce de casualidad, presiones tiernas, besos, visión sorpresiva de la desnudez de hombros, manos o pies, que son objeto de maravilla constante.

This is a beautiful 19th century novel, a classic of Latin American literature. It's about the story of a young Jewish Colombian woman (Jorge Isaacs was Jewish) and the love of her life, a young man she grows up with. It's set in the Andean region of Colombia with beautifully depicted imagery of the natural settings, and the customs of the times. It is both tragic and inspiring, and there is a good reason why it's a classic. It's characters, the scenery, and the haunting ending are very memorable.

The book is a great example of a expresident setting the tone for his country. A nice example of the romanticism period

This is a collection of three novellas and one short story: "The Martian Way" (1952) is a story about colonists on Mars who must find another source of water since a Joseph McCarthy-like polititian on Earth is threatening to cut off Earth's supply of water for Mars (the story came out right during the McCarthy problems in the U.S. Senate). "Youth" (1952) is about two pre-teenagers in a post nuclear-war world who come across some small "animals" that they wish to take to the circus not realizing that they are intelligent beings who had come to make contact with the youths' fathers. "The Deep" (1952) is focused on beings who live in the interior of a planet (their sun is dying and the inhabitants keep migrating deeper into their planet for the planet's natural heat) whose social structure considers maternal love to be a taboo and degenerate. They are forced to come into contact with beings (Earthlings) who they regard as obscene due to the presence of this emotion. "Sucker Bait" (1954) is centered on a world having two suns (the two suns and the planet form a Trojan orbital system of an equilateral triangle). A previous colony of a thousand members had died a hundred years earlier and a new expedition has been sent to discover why. Asimov also suggests in this story that scientists in the future may become so specialized that they will be unaware of basic facts anywhere outside of their specific field. I really doubt that. Anyone who has a love of science has a joy of all science. That will be true in the future as well (However, there will always be people [in any field] who are narrow minded.).

This is a terrific book. Asimov gives us a realistic dilema with technology, that at least from my "arm-chair" physicist point-of veiw makes sence. Going from point A to point B in months makes sence as it's unlikly we'll be warping around when all we've got is a martian colony. Using water for fuel seems plausible (since they use hydrogen and O2 already)and other problems (such as the expedition running out of drinking water) also make sense, seem plausible and are dealt with realistically. One exciting scene is ripped off by the movie Armageddon when the miners deal with what happens when two asteroids collide, and there's one more good scene where.... well, I'll let you read it.

Still some of the best science fiction stories I have ever read. Asimov definitely takes the cake.

'On the Shoulders of Giants' (which shall hereafter be referred to as OTSOG) is the quintessential study of the nature of academicism. It is thinly disguised as a dissertation into the origin (and originality) of Newton's famous aphorism 'If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' However, once the reader finds himself confronted by what might or might not be an attack on Richard Burton (the one that wrote 'The Anatomy of Melancholy'), suspicions grow, and in short order one begins to understand that a leg or two is being pulled.

Of course, it does not end there. Displaying the kind of dazzling scholarship that most academics can only aspire to, Merton zigzags across the intellectual horizon on a quest for the lighter side of truth. In doing so, he exposes many of the pretensions of scholarly work, plagiarism and specious logic. Leaving no stone unturned, we are as likely to find ourselves in pursuit of Tristram Shandy as we are to be wandering through the transept of Chartres Cathedral. All in a mad search to uncover who really used OTSOG first.

It needs to be said that Merton is, on his own, an extremely respected sociologist, one who often has used the scientific and academic world as the focus of his remarkable eye. OTSOG sets out to make points by mimicking its subjects rather than lecturing about them. Whimsical and witty, it still touches on serious issues while exposing a great deal of fascinating minutia. Certainly it is a one of a kind work that enjoys a large cult following among those who are reluctant to take themselves seriously. Look out for Umberto Eco's foreword and Merton's riposte-face as well.

Every scholar should this wonderful, joyous book

with Sterne. He comes off third best. First, of course, is the master himself. Second, comes Umberto Eco for his witty, catholic and erudite Forward. Nonetheless, Merton treads where no others have dared in his re-creation of the "Shandean" style. For this, alone, he deserves credit (and reading.) Because Merton chose real characters it was inevitable he failed to reach the pinnacle achieved in Sterne's fictional master-creation: Uncle Toby--one of the great characters in all literature. Do read Merton, and Tristram Shandy.

The 1981 editors of Asimov's magazine use stories from their own periodical to illustrate some excellent points about how to write good science fiction. Do not worry if your stories do not involve robots and aliens, any fiction writer would find plenty to help here.

Despite the outdatedness, as the editors lecture on how to set your typewriter in order to produce clear manuscripts, using the short stories is a great idea. Even the stories' authors admit their work is flawed. Throw in a great bibliography and reading list, and some very funny observations from the editors about submissions (they are rejecting papers you typed on, not you personally) and this is a quick read and very informative. I highly recommend it if you can find it!

This book is not only suited for people preparing their break-through as a science-fiction author. It
is as well suited for all who care about books and do not just simply want to consume them.
Instead of reading tons of boring theoretical papers on literature, those people should rather
consider reading this book. Besides a theoretical introduction, it contains commented short-stories.
A very good mixture.

After chatting informally with George Scithers a few times in the rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup, I decided to get the book and read the answers to all the questions that I didn't dare blurt out in the newsgroup, primarily "how do you get published! "

This book did a wonderful job of showing me the other side of the desk, of what editors are looking for when they look at manuscripts and how to ensure the story you tell is the one that they absolutely must have. (It's not a formula book; it's showing how to shape your story so it fits the -story's- needs, rather than a preconceived notion of what the editor wants.)

Highly recommended.

Important for its non-conventional translations and its profound Hebrew etymologically-based commentary which affords many a Spinozistic innsight. There is much you will not agree with or even be turned-off. However, partake of the work as you would a pomegranate; relish the flesh, but spit-out the pits.

Also recommended to be used with Hirsch:

Gesenius 'Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures' - ISDN 0801037360.

James Strong 'The Comprehensive Concordance of the Bible' - ISBN 0529063344.

R. Hirsch's goal is to learn the Torah from itself. He shows you through an intricate dissection of the text how, when read very carefully, the Torah provides the same conclusions as taught in the Talmud. The logic is compelling. I find studying his commentary to be intellectually breathtaking. Additionally he takes you across the entire landscape of Jewish law providing both a logical and ethical support. Above all he reminds you what a tremendous gift Jews have and what it means to be a Mensch!

Hirsch's natural genius, rigorous religious education and secular studies provides indepth insight into the five books of Moses. He takes the reader deep inside the meaning of the book; constantly providing illumintaing insights from the Oral Law to the Shulchan Aruch. His knowledge base is vast and his writing ability is surgical.

Isaac Asimov (the coy Dr. A who authored this book) is well known, not only to science fiction readers but many others as well, given the astounding breadth of his interests and his writings. With several hundred books to his credit, Asimov wrote on subjects as diverse as science, science fiction, literature, the Bible and so on. Sadly, few people know him as the author of The Sensuous Dirty Old Man (SDOM). Sadder yet, this book is very hard to find.

From start to finish, SDOM is a laugh riot as Asimov mercilessly parodies all and sundry. Ostensibly a guide for the Dirty Old Man to indulge his fascination with the female of the species, this little volume is a great helping of tongue in cheek humor at its best. Always outrageous but never really offensive, Asimov takes aim at fashions, at politics and just about everything else. Nor does he spare history or literature - witness his re-naming of the famed picture of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as the Bosom Rehabilitation Associates (or BRA!) and his hilarious send-up of the Verdi aria Oh Mammamobile from Rigoletto.

Asimov's well known writing strengths shine here as well. Written almost in conversational style, the book includes numerous vignettes of history, art and literature, all twisted by the author to his wicked purpose! No matter whether you are dirty, old or male: you will find yourself laughing helplessly all the way through and wishing there was more.

A couple of weeks ago I finally got hold of something I had been looking for since a year ago, a book you wouldn't believe: "The Sensuous Dirty Old Man", by Isaac Asimov (writing as "Dr. A").

Like I said, you wouldn't believe it. One of the people who had recommended the book to me thought that my web site ...was inspired by it, and I don't blame him. It is written almost 30 years ago, and it is philosophically so similar to DOMAI that I was shocked, but very pleasantly so.

Isaac Asimov was one of our great authors, and had published over 400 books on science, science fiction, and numerous other subjects. He was a respected scientist and the president of Mensa. The Sensuous Dirty Old Man is a small book, out of print unfortunately, and it is not only a sane and wonderful look on being a DOM, but also funny as heck.

The book describes how Dirty Old Manhood is something high and honourable that one should aspire to, in order not to become that pitiful creature, the Clean Old Man (like for example president Nixon).

It does take courage, sensitivity, and a lot of practice, but with enough intention and hard work, one might become a Dirty Old Man at a very young age.

The very famous quote: "Sex is dirty, if you do it right" is from this book.

Asimov tells us that the most important tool the Dirty Old Man has is his eyes. Eyes are for use. When you look at a woman with a brief, stolen glance, you are insulting her beauty. He says: "Don't peep at girls, STARE!"

A Dirty Old Man is far more attractive to women than young men, because of his sophistication and experience, his wisdom and his honesty.

From The Sensuous Dirty Old Man:

===
Let us imagine that you are a dirty old man but are dedicated to keeping it a secret because you are a bank vice-president and are interested in exuding an odor of sanctity so that no one will notice, until it is too late, that you are preparing to abscond [run away].

Now a lovely girl walks past you with a dress whose neckline is generously loose and under which there is clearly and obviously no bra. What do you do?

What you do is roll your eyes briefly in their sockets with the eyelashes lowered so that no one will see what you are doing. The result? You don't see anything at all, except perhaps for one flash of quiver that is far more upsetting than sating.

And what is the girl's reaction? She sees that flicker of eye even if no one else does (since she's watching for it) and despises you as a rotten little coward. You see that look of contempt in her eye (for it goes through you like an ice pick) and your self-esteem is shattered. Indeed, there is a very good chance that the girl will instantly realize that a man who would look at her with so miserably sidelong a glance is a man who would abscond with every cent of the banks property and she will inform on you at once.

But suppose you are not only a dirty old man, but are proud of it, too, and suppose the same girl walks by in the same condition. Now it is possible to be joyous and open. You can emit a melodious whistle or a snort of pleasure. You can stare openly. You can walk over to get a closer view. You can address the girl in friendly fashion.

And how does the girl react? She is pleased that she has created such an obvious stir in a gentleman of such substantial and prosperous appearance. She realizes that you agree with her own opinion of herself and this can't help but impress her with the excellence of your taste.

Seeing in you a person whom she can respect, she will think, "What a nice, gentlemanly old man," and will smile at you. From that to a friendly word or two is but a step, and from that to a pat on the cheek or some slight pressure on the upper arm is but another.

You own self-esteem will shoot up and if you are the vice-president of a bank, you will be so buoyed up by all the this that you will go right to your office and put back all the money. This is only one example of many I can cite in which being an open and honest dirty old man is an enormous aid to public morality.

[... and from later in the book:]

Oliver Wendell Holmes, the great Supreme Court Justice, in his last years (he lived to be ninety-four), was walking down Pennsylvania Avenue with a friend, when a pretty girl passed. As all dirty old men must, especially when the dignity of the Supreme Court is at stake, Holmes turned to look after her. Having done so, he sighed and said to his friend, "Ah, George, what wouldn't I give to be seventy-five again?"
===

Isaac Asimov tells us that after the eyes, the verbal skills of a Dirty Old Man is his most important tools, so he better can give compliments to the girl to let her know how beautiful she is.

So you see, fellows, we are not alone, and have never been. The wisest men up through history have always been Dirty Old Men as well.

I picked this book at a used book store on a whim because of its quirky title and even more amusing was the authors name who was attached to it. Something was not right, so I was curious to check it out. I began reading (like all my books) and soon discovered the hilarity and wit that Dr. Issac Asimov can convey. From what I understand from talking to some films is that Dr. A was indeed a Drity Old Man. The book is a guide book for the young and old alike, the male and female (but mostly male). It acts as a handbook for the pickup artist. To ogle at women with a smile. To take your hand off her knee if she asks, and to put it on her thigh. Clever and indeed insightful, even if its all tongue-in-cheek. Dr. A., and his photographic memory of quoting some wacky moments of history past is just perfect for the confidence level that one places when seeing a hot broad strutting down the street. Afterall, if she is showing cleavage, should not men look at it? What else should we do? As it states: "Don't peep at girls - STARE!" Other anecdotes to those who are inferier to approaching good looking women are those with morals. "Many regard the matter of mammary display as a frontal attack on our standards morality. Sometimes, I tend to agree with them. Many is the occasion on which I have looked down on low-cut dresses." Dr. A's historical satire is wonderful, as mentioned earlier, is not just a remark on the confidence level one should have, that a man who peeps, leers, looks or smiles in the direction of a female, but also a gesture to the woman that your confidence equals that of the female who is looked upon. Dr. A. says "[Joe] Green, having emigrated to Italy, adopted the Italian version of his name, Giuseppe Verdi. For reasons known only to opera buffs, the Italian name is actually better known today than the name he was born with in Pughkeepsie, New York." Verdi was a Dirty Old Man. And Vice-President Charles Curtis was a Dirty Old Man. Oliver Wendell Holmes was not. Asimov fans may not appreciate this book as much as his science-fiction or works of non-fiction, however, those who are looking for a genuine laugh, and those who love literature would surely find this little book a gem. Unfortunately, now it is out of print, and unless you want to pay heavily for first prints, a paperback would suit the purpose.