This book is a guide to symbolism written by the Rosicrucians (the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis ), which is an organization that as best I can tell has certain similarities to the Freemasons. In any case, I found this book a rather fascinating study in primarily western symbols used by the Rosicrucian Order.

It has all of those wonderful quaint woodcuts from the 1600's and 1700's that catch the eye. You see these types of symbols on the back of the US Dollar and on various buildings in Washington D.C., such as the all-seeing eye, the eagle, the phoenix, keys, and shields. I found the chapter on various crosses to be mind whetting. This book also covered some of the geometric symbols that are attributed to Ptolemy. I believe there is a beauty in geometry that we have largely abandoned in our building, and this book can be a way to get that mathematical beauty back.

This book would be good for people who study ancient and medieval art forms, especially those interested in Cathedrals and temples. In the Torah-the five books of Moses-the temple takes center life, so all things temple are of capitol importance. Christians who have a type of "temple-envy" manifested in their cathedrals would find this book interesting, since Jesus Christ referred to the temple as his "Father's House."

What I found most interesting about this book was its description of the swastika and how it was in fact an important mystical symbol long before the Nazis (referred to in this text as "a certain noxious regime") adopted it, and the description of the symbol of the dragon biting its own tail, which is an "allegory" representing that evil often destroys itself. That noxious regime, and its leader, would later bear out this prophecy (this book was written before World War II had ended).

I believe this book is out of print, and only very old editions of this petite book are available (no more than 70 pages in length, and the dimensions are little bigger than that of the average paperback novel). I don't think this book has been in print since the 1940s, and therefore, as with many other AMORC works, the prose is very very dated.

The title of this book suggests that it is a story of a Black Police Chief, his rise in ranks, and his views on various political issues. Although the book does briefly outline Ralph's life, this seems to be the secondary focus of the book. As soon as you begin reading, it quickly becomes apparent that this book first and foremost serves as a platform for the author, Ralph's brother-in-law, to put his own political views in print. The author does this to such an extent that at times Ralph's story is overshadowed by verbose historical and political discussions that were quite loosely related. In addition, the reader is faced with the challenge of weeding through lists of people who knew Ralph at various points in his life. The introduction of these additional people would have been less tedious had the author linked those persons to Ralph in a more meaningful way, for example, re-telling a story that demonstrated their relationship.

The most refreshing portions of this book were the letters scattered throughout the book that Ralph had written to his wife. Ralph wrote these letters while serving in the military or while away for job training. The letters gave a true sense of Ralph's personality and his strong commitment to his family, friends and excellence.

Ralph Cothran appears to be a man who overcame tremendous economic challenges to eventually rise to the position of Police Chief. He seems to have been a man of great character and personal strength. It is unfortunate that this book didn't put more of a focus on the life of the man for whom it was named. I was disappointed that Ralph never had a chance to write his own story before he died. If you can weed through the lengthy historical discussions, you will find a sketch of an inspiring man that you will want to learn more about.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay

The biography of Ralph (Big Ralph) Cothran is the exciting and revealing story of a foot patrolman who rose to be Chief of Police in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Big Ralph reveals his true feelings on many social problems of our day.

For example the following questions are just samples of the questions Big Ralph seeks to answer: Who set the precedent for Black leadership? Did busing Black children render them quality education? Why did Thurgood Marshall conclude that declaring Black people inferior would persuade the Supreme court to vote to desegregate public schools in America? Has the Back intellectual community sold out the Black community? Are there any independent Black Studies Departments in any University in America? Who controls the NAACP, the Urban League and SCLC? How can the word of God be best understood? What is the relationship between independent thinking, academic freedoms and freedom of expression and those lost in a dilemma of dependency?

Did Integration, Civil Disobedience Cause Crime? Is there a relationship between civil disobedience and crime? Did civil disobedience cause a distrust for authority and society's basic institutions? This book seeks to answer many questions that have caused a dilemma for the American people. Big Ralph is a book that tells the story of a man who fought against the odds. Big Ralph was a man who gave his life for his city and is remembered for the peace and harmony he brought to his beloved city, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Ralph Henry (Big Ralph) Cothran joined the Chattanooga Police Department in 1964. By 1989 Big Ralph was appointed Chief. Thus, he became the first Black Chief in the history of the Chattanooga Police Department. As an intellectual law enforcement officer Big Ralph developed various theories over the years. These theories related to law enforcement and the social problems of society. Crime and it's relationship to Civil Rights were some deep concerns for the Chief. He also took a serious look at welfare, the removal of prayer from the schools, busing, family values and the respect for authority. Thus, the book to logically deal with these questions seeks to historically review the Civil Rights movement. For example the historical development of Black leadership styles and Black organizations are brought up for review. The book Big Ralph: Reflections of a Black Police Chief seeks to fill a void in the literature. There is a need to evaluate all aspects of society. This includes the Black experience. Many questions and concerns relating to the Civil Rights Movement have not been evaluated. This book seeks to evaluate concerns like, what is integrationist philosophy? Also did the conclusions by the Thurgood Marshall legal team cause more Black inferiority?

I know: A history book is not meant to be a page turner. But this book is written in such a dry and unemotional way that the reader wonders why he was originally interested in that region at all. It mainly consist of a compressed recounting of historical events the author has read about somewhere else. The book may be helpful for the fist year history student, but for the 'layman' who has a general interest in the region and its history, this book isn't worth buying. Sorry!

Ralph Woodward's Central America: A Nation Divided, has been the best introductory book to the region. This third edition is a clear improvement over the previous editions. Both the chronology and the bibliography have been updated and expanded. (The Bibliography is now 77 pages long!) The book is strong on the era of independence and the early national period (1780's to 1840's). It is excellent for the 1970's to the present. All of the countries are evenly covered, including Belize. However, it is not as comprehensive for the rest of the 19th century when coffee and bananas permanently shaped the economies and societies of the region. It is also weak on the Indian cultures prior to the Spanish conquest.

This was the first book I read on the subject, and it was average - lots of names and facts - like a text book, but no convincing thread pulling it all together and convincing me of the author's view.

- a cornucopia of information that mysteriously and interestingly ties together seemingly disparate areas of study into a unified powerful statement.

If you've ever wondered about the origins of Western thought - not to mention thousands of other little intellectual sidestreams, grab this book.

Its nontraditional format that seems to jump around from subject to subject is easily manageable and quite enjoyable. The wealth of information makes the whole process definitely worth it.

I highly recommend it, and would hope to accomplish something similar in my own work.

I am very interested in bears and have purchased several books on the subject in the past year. I am not a hunter, but fully understand the need for the sport and am neither for or against it. However, when the author of this book describes how he hunted down a sow bear and as an extra bonus "put a bullet through the head" of it's cub trying to excape down a tree, I even became repulsed and put down the book. Scenarios like this are replayed throughout the book to the extent that it obviously becomes a sick obsession. Your better off without it.

The education of a bear hunter is far and away the most captive book of it's kind.Written by the equally gifted hunter and author,Ralph Flowers.Any true hunter will be captivated by his autobiographical accounts of his many years of hunting both for pleasure and for hire.A true education that will enlighten and mesmerize any sportsman,or bear enthusiast.

if what you want is extreme detail, then this is the book for you. i myself found it hard to follow as every sentence is at least three lines long and interspersed with constant parenthetical notes that sometimes themselves take up three lines!

This book delivers exactly what it promises--a thorough, well-written account of the development of modern Spanish. I espcially like the connections it makes with Latin and Arabic roots.

If you are farmiliar with the subjectmatter of the Buru, then you already know that the this book will not end with the author capturing the creature and solving the mystery. This book is an honest and interesting narrative of a 1940's trek into the jungle. It's very much a travelouge, sort of the day to day events that occur on such a trip. It is slightly dated, and like I said, they don't find the beast.
Still, I give the author points for honesty, and it is an overall good natured account.

Anyone who has a serious interest ion cryptozoology would like this book.

Back in the 1940s, Ralph Izzard was part of an effort to seek out a mythical animal in the Himalyan foothills. It really was a much more innocent time, as the seekers really do expect they might find a giant, unknown (by western science) reptile that lived in the jungle swamps. They track the beast both by logic (only tribes of the plateau know of this animal, they all describe it the same way, they all describe it as living in a specific place, etc.) and by trekking into the jungles of Northern India.
The book is also reminiscent of a less enlightened time, when mighty white hunters foray into the wild with childlike, lazy bearers to seek adventure.
While Izzard didn't find a buru, the anticipation that he might is what drives this book. It is refreshing to read the accounts of a proactive cryptozoologist rather than a passive interview collector.

This book provides some good information on "off the beaten path" Inns and Bed and Breakfasts, and limited information on sites in and around major cities. The reader should be fore-warned that to conduct most of the included travel intineraries requires automobile transport. The book does reference the reader to a favored rental car company, but the details of renting a car and driving around Spain are left very sketchy (like which side of the road do they drive on?). I may try some of the sites included in the book on a third or fourth visit to Spain, but first I'd rather see the more famous tourism attractions, rather than see the "back country of Spain by car".

This book is exactly what it says it is, a guide to charming inns and itineraries in Spain. My family and I followed many of the recommendations and were delighted with the places we visited and the wonderful converted palaces, castles, medieval monasteries and manor houses where we stayed. Karen Brown's information is accurate and trustworthy and we were never disappointed. We plan to use her guide to Italy on our trip there next year.

The book is impressivley researched, but in my opinion the author never really brings the story alive. It reads like a long newspaper article, not a book. There is no emotional connection to the material on the part of the author. It winds up being nothing more than a numbing litany of names, dates and facts. Really disappointing.

This was a great book

With a reputation like Ellison has, I would expect his writings on jazz to be full of writerly insight which would bring to life the music as seen through the eyes of someone very perceptive. This is not the case. Instead, the book is a series of difficult, dry, mostly trivial essays culled together by, it seems, an editor with a taste for publishing something that would sell and impress rather than something worth reading.

Many essays in this book are reviews of obscure recordings or ruminations on artists most people haven't heard of. Most of the writings also date from the late 50's, giving the content a lack of perspective to our modern ears. Ellison also comes across as somewhat of a curmudgeon, disdaining "modern" jazz and "so-called rock and roll" (his term), adding yet another layer of unreliability.

Ultimately, I found myself skimming through essays I either didn't understand, or didn't care to. Much more relevant and lively jazz essays can be found in numerous other books.

The ultimate disappointment, I think, is that the book doesn't make me want to listen to jazz. It convinces me I don't understand it.

Ellison remains one of the finest writers on jazz to have ever taken pen to paper. "Living with Music" is living proof, even though he is no longer with us. This book is ideal for readers seeking a literary exploration through jazz. In addition to Ellison's writings, Robert O'Meally's introduction offers keen insight into the style of jazz culture.

I wouldn't recommend this book to readers looking for an introduction to jazz. For that, I would suggest sticking to liner notes, writings by musicians, and objective writers. However, for those who are looking to explore the whole of jazz culture, that moves beyond the listen, you'll thoroughly enjoy the read. My personal favorite is "Cadillac Flambe." "The Charlie Christian Story" contains some of my favorite quotes on jazz culture.