"Almayer's Folly" adequately introduces the theme of culture conflict, an angle that is expressed more fully in Conrad's later works. I would certainly recommend this to anyone familiar with Conrad's body of work, which is not to say that readers new to his work should avoid this novel.

This tale, set in the colonial-era East Indies, narrates the brief rise and slow descent of a man's search for fortune and adventure. Quite simply, the treasure never appears and Almayer is left to ponder what could have been. His woes are intensified by the departure of his daughter, one of his few links to "civilised Europe." Classic symbolism occurs late in the novel, as Almayer erases the footprints of his daughter the day of their parting. While "Almayer's Folly" doesn't reach the heights of Conrad's longer (read: better) works, this effort still captures the romantic essence of the Far East in the classic Conrad style.

Although not to be compared with his major works, this is nonetheless a most impressive first novel. Perhaps because he was already well into his thirties when he wrote and published it, the book contains all the major themes that one associates with Conrad. If one has not read any Conrad at all, I would recommend going to his great masterpieces first (VICTORY, NOSTROMO, THE SECRET AGENT, UNDER WESTERN EYES, HEART OF DARKNESS, THE NIGGER OF THE 'NARCISSUS', or LORD JIM). But for anyone who enjoys the work of Joseph Conrad, this book can hardly fail to fascinate.

This is one of several books that attempt to get at the root texts of Joseph Smith. We are in an unusual position with Joseph Smith: we have no autograph manuscripts of previous church leaders, such as Buddha, Moses, Mohamed, or Jesus Christ, but whit Joseph Smith, we have a tidal wave of primary documents that can be studied.

This book has the precious 1832 autograph history which has the second earliest version of the First Vision ever recorded, the earliest being D&C 20:5. It also has transcripts from his official journals. It is wonderful to have this book of the real words of Joseph Smith. The most surprising thing is to see that there was no monkey business going on with Joseph Smith's official history.

This edition is by Signature Books, which is a publishing house not friendly to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which makes this book even more interesting. The problem comes with the silent editing (p. xvii) that occurs with the book, especially with the disputed texts, such as the 27 July 1838 entry (see footnote p. 198), or the 26 September 1843 entry associated with the temple endowment, where the silent editing becomes rather loud.

The font is somewhat small, but it is quite readable, and this edition contains the manuscript strikeouts and misspellings, which impede reading a bit. This book has great biographies on people mentioned in the journals, and has a superb index, and a chronological overview of Smith's life. On the down side, there are no illustrations, except for the RLDS portrait of Joseph Smith.

This is a good one-volume alternative to the two-volume "Papers of Joseph Smith" published by Deseret Book, since it covers his entire life, stopping days before his assassination on 27 June 1844.

In the 1842-43 journals, it's written "I wish you had my soul long enough to know how good it feels." I suppose that I came to this book trying, in a sense, to borrow a little bit of Joseph Smith's soul long enough to see how good it felt-- or at least trying to understand a little bit of the person behind the history.

It's more opaque than that. Although there are flashes of personal insight-- particularly religious insight-- these journals are more the record of Mormonism and the issues about it that concerned Smith as he moved across the country. From lists of payments and donations, to intra-faith quarrels, to visions of Nauvoo, to complaints about lawsuits, it gives a clear day-to-day picture of the man and his movement.

The diaries and journals were written by a mix of Joseph Smith and various secretaries acting in his name. In the introduction, the editor comments that he was trying for ease of reading rather than faithful photostatic reproduction-- and I have to say that I would have hated to see what happened if he'd tried for faithful, because the major problem I had with the book was that I found it very difficult to read-- all shorthand, omitted words, crossed out words, and misspellings were noted as they occurred in the text and while I'm sure that it's more valuable as a scholarly text because of the inclusion, it was very distracting. Also, some annotations about historical events wouldn't be amiss rather than the reader always being forced to refer to the (very sketchy) timeline at the beginning. I suppose that most people who will read this would be scholars of Mormon history rather than people with a more casual interest, but it would have illuminated parts of this book much more clearly for readers like myself.

This is an excellent collection of the personal writings of the founder of the largest pseudo-Christian cult in America--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly known as the "Mormons"). It is a valuable resource for any cult apologist or theologian desiring to better understand the Mormon cult founder

If the topic interests you, read this book slowly, savor and process the information it offers. Joseph Dan offers a careful summary of some of the major themes in early Jewish mystical writings - hechalot, merkavah, chanoch-metatron, sar hatorah, Sefer Yetzirah. Dan offers enough quotations (in English translation) from the writings themselves to bring to life his summaries. He also responds to the quotations, sometimes offering several interpretations of them, sometimes evaluating them from a moral or intellectual perspective. He does not shy away from the weird or the unsettling aspects of the tradition, but takes it as a whole.

I originally read a library copy, but am going to buy my own!

A previous reviewer seemed to take issue with Dan's description of Sefer Yetzirah as a primarily philosophical, rather than a mystical text. I have worked as a professional philosopher for many years now, and I have to say I agree with Dan! As respect for Greek philosophy declined among Jewish intellectuals, they paid less and less attention to the main philosophical themes in Sefer Yetzirah, and more to the hints of mysticism it offers.

This book is a great introduction to the early Jewish mystical traditions found in various forms of literature written between the 3rd and 7th centuries, particularly in the Hekhalot and Merkavah tractates. Dan is from the Gershom Scholem school of thought and therefore he does a lot of textual - followed by historical - analysis. He also does a nice bit of comparative study between Christian and Gnostic thought whenever there are similarities. Dan also analyzes several major themes among these works, such as Messianism.

The mystical literature of this era ranges from the pseudo-biblical apocalypse (such as the Book of Zerubabbel), to the magical (parts of Hekhalot writings), to short treatises whose purpose is not yet entirely known, despite their vast influence (Sefer Yetzirah, Shi'ur Qomah). Several of these writings are really heretical/heterodox when compared to the Talmud, and Dan makes note of this.

It is interesting to note that Dan views Sefer Yetzirah as being primarily a philosophical text that was supposed to fill in the gaps in the biblical account of creation, NOT as a magical or meditative text.

As great as the content of this book may be, however, this is absolutely the worst print job i have ever seen in any book in my whole entire life. Each page looks like it was copied on bad, bad copy machine. Perhaps in the future they can correct this.

Nonetheless, I still recommend this book to those interested in the history and development of Jewish mysticism, as well as its later manifestations in the medieval Kabbalah.

its better than ok but not great. its a long one or at least it feels as if its really long. although its thurough and hits beginning to end.

I have nothing against religion, but I was very surprised to see that a large portion of this book is a fictional account of Joseph writing about fathering Jesus. Yes, there are probably good lessons to be learned here, but I couldn't get past the religious aspects of the writing to see them.

Becoming a father is a very good book for those who has never been a father. I think this book can prepar you for a baby. It help me so much and i go back to the book to see how to deal with what ever come up. So if you are about to be a father read this and keep it near.

John Hart has written about being a father, but this is really about being a man. In a delightful style, this book touches the heart, engages the mind and moves the soul.

I purchased this book because I needed riddles to include in a newsletter. There certainly are a lot of riddles in here, and the index is very helpful so you can find ones on certain topics, but many of the riddles sound old-fashioned, like they were from the 1960s or so. I assume kids are the ones using this book the most, and I can't imagine that they relate to many of these riddles. Also, many of the riddles are only lukewarm (not that witty or funny). Maybe this isn't a problem for kids. But for an adult writer or riddle collector, I'm not so sure.

i found the book had some great riddles in it,but it did not have the paticular riddle that has had me and sevral others stump for a while. i heard the riddle from an elderly man sometime back. the riddle is. A MAN WITH NO EYES(OR I'S)SAW PAIRS IN A TREE, HE TOOK NO PAIRS,HE LEFT NO PAIRS,HOW COULD THIS BE. I do not know the answer to this riddle, but i would like to buy the book that does. Could you please give some kind of feedback to this. It would be a great thing. thank you clovis

This book, has loads of riddles like Q:If you throw a pumpkin in the air, what will come down? A:Squash And more stuff! So buy this book now, and laugh tomorrow!

The person who buys this book thinks it is good for ALL Suzuki Swifts.......that's not true. I own a Suzuki Swift Gti 1.3 4 cylinder DOHC, and this book tells almost NOTHING about it, just some references here and there, it may be good for a 1.0 liter, 3 cylinder Swift (although I doubt it)....money thrown to the waste basket!

I wrote my first review 5 months ago. During that time I have gotten 5 emails- about one every month or so asking "How do you rate this book?" I've had 5 months to rely on this book- and its saved me 400 bucks. Someone sent me an email quesiton to me tonight and I delted it by accident (I'm on my laptop and it just got connected to the net ok?) and so I'm writing here to help out the guy who emailed me with a quesiton about a 1994 Swift 1.3 liter Lsi. Yes you need this book- you just don't know that yet. The rest of you- yes, if you have a suzuki you need this book. OK, its 9 PM and its bedtime. Good luck everyone!- Larry Trail, Port Orchard, WA

Wonderful book, and is totally complete. But,,,Both Haynes and Chiltons should be ashamed of the incredably piss poor way they've sat with they're thumbs up there asses on these cars. Look- The Offical Suzuki Books are like 250 bucks each, and one is sheet metal, one is mechanical and the 3rd is electrical. Supposedly Chiltons and Haynes puts out the book 3 years after a car is made so do it yourselfers have this information. Well I have a 1995 Suzuki Swift,,,,and I waited,,,,and waited,,,,and waited,,,,and wrote a few letters. Then finally, 7 years after my Suzuki was built they publish the book? Well if anyone from Haynes or Chiltons is reading this- first off tens of thousands of people depended on you for this information. You screwed them over- I'm very disappointed in the publishers. Next time I buy a car- I'll simply order the manuals from the factory as a condition of the sale and cut both Chiltons and Haynes out of the money loop. Any Questions? Email me at Larry2001t@yahoo.com

Salmon , as a species , are no where near to being extinct, as this book would lead one to believe. Can we improve on the way we as U.S. Citizens treat our Environment? Certainly!!! Do we have the will to do it? Who Knows???

Joseph Cone's book, "A Common Fate: Endangered Salmon and the People of the Pacific Northwest," tells a story that combines over two hundred years of U.S. history with the prurient facts of salmon and political science. Cone, in unflinching detail, and with a flair for dramatic storytelling, chronicles the ins and outs of the on-going battle to save the Pacific Northwest salmon runs and their surrounding watersheds. The overview of the salmon issue this book provides is astounding. From all sides' viewpoints, from Gordon Reeves, a fish researcher and ecologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the U.S. Forestry Service in 1988, to people like Mike Draper, spokesperson for The Western Council of Industrial Workers and Antone Minthorn, council chairman of the General Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Cone weaves a tale that can be described as nothing short of sordid. Elucidating the deceptions, feints and dodges of bureaucratic interests and what motivates them as well as he does the struggles, fears, and hopes of the environmental activists, Cone shows an in depth knowledge of both salmon biology and political policy, all the while moving his story throughout Pacific Northwest and salmon history. Flashback narratives back to the very beginning of Pacific Northwest history with the arrival of James Cook, Robert Grey, on through Lewis and Clark and John Jacob Astor provide a sense of historic perspective on the abundance and exploitation of this incredible fish. Cone chronicles the wasteful days of the Hapgood & Hume canneries, where, after a day's work, if the canners couldn't keep up with supply, hundreds of fish would be shoveled back into the water, wasted. He describes the migrant cannery fishermen and the disputes between gill-netters, those who used fish traps, and the canneries themselves, the strikes and violence associated with them as everyone struggles to take all they can in a living description of human economist Garrett Hardin's essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons." He describes with harrowing precision the two steps forward, one step back dance of environmental policy, as environmentalist minded scientists cross swords with policy makers and industrial advocates, as treaties and alliances are formed and broken again and again over the same ground year after year, decade after decade. He shows again and again the complexity of the issues, the difference between conservation and preservation, and the fact that thus far, in the struggle between fish and man, man has won time and time again, and that time for the Pacific Northwest salmon is running out. Though one review on the back of the book suggests that Cone offers up cooperation as the solution to the salmon crisis, in truth, "A Common Fate" illustrates the fallacy of cooperation between the two sides of industry and environment. The evidence he presents illustrates clearly that, as the industrialists call for a "balance" to be struck, in truth, the salmon are systematically being balanced out of existence. For anyone looking for a clear, concise overview of the issues surrounding the salmon crisis in an easy to read format, this book comes highly recommended.

This book covers many of the studies done on the salmon populations here in the Pacific Northwest. The information comes from many experts, who do not have a political or business agenda...people who truly care about the survival of all the ecosystems involved.

With this book i've entered client/server programming and i can say i've learned a lot. The reason i gave 3 stars is, 1) this book is quite old and only describes delphi 2 and 1 2) it does not give a lot about servers other than interbase 3) the Author is not a delphi expert (he is clipper orianted) so i think the delphi code is not perfect. and... 4) the cd-rom given with the book is rather useless.. it has 5 chapter's code (total 18 chaps.) and you have to edit some of the code in order to make them work..

I bought this book becuse it was the only delphi c/s book i could find.. (another written by Ken Henderson for delphi 3 was out of stock)

I can say you can either try out this book or buy a specific book for your target platform (oracle etc.) and when you finish it find some other source to learn about delphi's components. and you become a c/s hero :)

Joseph D. Booth does a pretty good job explaining the fundamentals of database designing, most of which i'd already knew, but i wish i had this book when i was learning them. he explains normalization in 4 pages, the no'nonsense way.

he's very objective when talking about database servers.

the only thing i didn't like is that it is based on delphi 2, so he misses to explain some components like decision cubes.

other than that he covers quite well the rest (and more used)of the components, describing every single property and method.

Delphi Client/Server Developer's Guide by Joseph D. Boot

The Radetzky March, which precedes this book, is a big, fully conceived novel of the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with memorable and unique characters from the von Trotta family, vivid description, and narrative and thematic unity. The Emperor's Tomb, by contrast, is an incomplete outline, lifeless, cold, and mournful. Continuing the story of the Trotta family, this time concentrating on a branch of the family which did not receive a title or its privileges, Roth limply attempts to bring Austrian history from World War I up to 1938, the year of the book's publication.

In 1914 Franz Ferdinand Trotta is a young man with no real goals, other than pleasure. When the Emperor declares war, he becomes a soldier on the Eastern front and, very quickly, a prisoner of war sent to Siberia. Upon his eventual release and return to Vienna after the war, he finds the monarchy gone, the financial system in disarray, and his personal life in tatters. What remains--and never changes--is Trotta's lack of direction, his lack of purpose, and, most distressingly, his lack of motivation regarding his future.

Trotta's refusal to recognize that he can and must now assume power over his own life leaves the reader with a character for whom there can be no epiphany and no real climax. Trotta is a throw-back, insisting even twenty years after the war, "I still belong to a palpably vanished world, a world in which it seem[s] plain that a people exists to be ruled and that, therefore, if it wishes to continue being a people it cannot rule itself." Though the political situation in post-war Vienna, leading to the rise of Hitler, could have led to a chilling, dramatic story, Roth steers clear of this, choosing instead to memorialize the vanished past by giving us a character whose failure to adapt to change reflects some of the very characteristics which destroyed the empire he mourns....

"the emperor's tomp" continues where "radezky march" left off. Unfortunately it is not one of joseph roth's best books, despite some very touching scenes, when he writes up to his usual standards. roth aimed to write a story of the austria before hitler, but it seems he lost it somewhere in the middle, and couldn't remember what he was doing. at the time he was writing this book roth was already a lost-to-the-world alcoholic, which shows. Still, the heart-wrenching sadness of some passages make it an interesting read. I wouldn't recomend it as a first introduction to roth's work though (better start with radezky march).

Spanning the First World War, this short novel outlines the fall from grace of a minor Austro-Hungarian Noble, a scion of a once proud and heroic family.

It is quite a bleak book in many ways - and reminds me of the world Beckett creates in Waiting for Godot. There is an inevitability in the fall and no action could have prevented it.

The language used (at least in this translation) is minimal and strips to the bone images - making those that remain quite haunting. One which has remained with me for several days is the image of violets blooming from the bones of dead men.

Certainly a great, if troubling, book.