This book contains all the essential ingredients of a captivating novel. The plot is swift moving; the characters are well developed, the plot intriguing, it is historically accurate and the revelation of the title's meaning is an interesting piece of information. Am looking forward to the sequel.

Just about everything happens in this book, and you get really caught up in the lives of the people it's all happening to. The fascinating main characters, the former sea captain, Cornelius Maximilian, and his bride, Vanessa, are solid, courageous people determined to help the exploited immigrants they find working in the Shelbourne mine. The story of the town they build, after the mine is flooded and later reclaimed, with the help of the inventive genius, Andrew Campbell, is as intriguing as the obstacles they have to overcome. There's great romance in the book, too, but also the terrible pains Vanessa and Captain Max endure when their son, Joshua, grows up to be a mean, envious man who plots to destroy his father and everything he has built. Their daughter, Anna, is a delightful girl, in the mold of her strong-willed, independent mother. "Gates of Horn and Ivory" will keep you involved as the town and the family grow over the years. I can't wait for the sequel (which I hope the author is writing!).

This book is a very good introduction to special teams from both a team and individual perspective. Allen was one of the first coaches to commit equal time to the practicing and coaching of special teams. Although the book covers most evryhting in great detail, it can be very elementary at times. Most good special teams units employ a multiple approach just like the offense and defense. There are shortcomings in this area but, with a little imagination, you should be able to add to the base of knowledge given here.

George Allen gives an indepth look at all phases of the kicking and punting game. Full of different coaching points, schemes, ideas, and scouting charts. Very helpful for new ideas or to strengthen your current beliefs.

If you have just purchased a revolver style of pistol, this is the book for you to learn all about its operation and safety. However, if you would like to learn all about your new semi-automatic pistol, this book does not discuss semi-automatic pistols...

Written by a veteran firearms instructor, my best friend, the late George Lane Tooley, this book addresses the profound need for basic instruction in safe firearms use by the beginner-the new firearms owner, as well as the police cadet or correctional officer trainee in the academy-in dire need of instruction in how to safely handle and care for their new weapons; and not only to use them safely, but effectively, accurately and with good judgment and skill. With 45 years of experience, much of it in training others to use firearms, no one was better equipped for writing this book than George. His down-to-earth insistence on addressing the basics, his continual attention to safety, and his detailed explanations of the inner workings of firearms make this book unique in its field.

George Tooley was killed in a traffic accident in 1995, and he left this book behind, finished except for the drawings and photos, which I completed. All proceeds from the book will go to his widow, Darleen.

But, don't think of your purchase of the book is an act of charity. Far from it! This is, without a doubt, the best book of its type that I have ever seen. I've used firearms all my life, shooting everything from BB guns to machine guns, and I've read about everything there is on the subject. This is the best.

The rest of them can blow about how to quick-draw, and talk about all the bad guys they've shot, and how it felt. George gives you tips on how to shoot accurately. He tells you what to do, and what not to do with firearms.

For $8.95, it's the bargain of the century. Don't pass it up.

Joe Pierre

James White, author of The Potter's Freedom, states that Bianchi's book raises thematic issues rather than lists of texts. Although this is true, I would qualify it by saying that the book raises, and defends, Calvinistic themes. Bianchi's intent is to provide a simple, clear and consistent presentation and defense of the Reformed understanding of the Gospel without extensive exposition and stacking of "proof texts." This does not mean, however, that Bianchi doesn't utilize his own "proof texts" in an effort to support his Reformed interpretation of them. Although this is a good, simple introduction to some of the key doctrines of Reformed thought, there are better, more in-depth introductions that I'd recommend instead such as R.C. Sproul's "Chosen by God." There are also better Calvinistic defenses such as James White's "The Potter's Freedom" (which Bianchi suggests for further reading). As a non-Calvinist, however, I think Bianchi's book fails to address certain crucial issues like the divine rationale for establishing the so-called "total depravity" of ALL of Adam's descendants in the first place. He merely posits the doctrine, based on certain scriptures, and then argues for the merciful divine election of SOME based on it. This implies an unconditional divine reprobation of all those not elect in Christ. I can't tell whether Bianchi is a supralapsarian like, for example, R.C. Sproul, Jr. who, in his book "Almighty Over All," does provide a rationale for unconditional divine reprobation with, I might add, disturbing clarity. Personally, I think Sproul, Jr. is more consistent than many other Calvinists (including his dad) when it comes to the implications of Calvinism (such as the unconditional divine reprobation of some), although I fundamentally disagree with Calvinism in general because of its understanding of the biblical parallel between Adam and Christ in Romans 5. I think Calvinism does not do justice to the biblical parallel because it defines original sin as the total depravity of ALL in Adam which is then used to support the unconditional divine election of SOME in Christ. This, to me, supports the idea of unconditional divine reprobation and/or damnation.

For an alternative, challenging attempt at understanding the biblical parallel between Adam and Christ (and the so-called "universalistic texts") than the one usually given by most Calvinists, Bianchi included, I recommend the books of Calvinist Neal Punt, a retired pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and a graduate from Calvin Theological Seminary. Although Punt's books didn't make a Calvinist out of me, he certainly contributed to my eventual renunciation of Arminianism with its "conditional" divine election of some based on God's foreknowledge. For additional insights, see my reviews of Punt's three books: "Unconditional Good News," "What's Good About the Good News?," and "So Also in Christ."

"For those who need a clear, understandable and lucid definition of the Doctrines of Grace, better know as the Five points of Calvinism, this is it! Bianchi's theological training and experience as a journalist really come through! He is easy to understand, and his profound yet simple exposition of God's Word will make every "free willer" who is lauding Dave Hunt's abomination, What Love is This? cringe in embarrassment at their own position. Honestly, it is really hard to understand after reading this book how anybody in their right mind could be an Arminian. This is the best treatment of the subject I've ever read. The book was given to me by a friend...I just could not thank him enough!!!"

The book was interesting. After reading the book of Castner's explorations in Alaska I would find it hard to believe that Lt. Castner would ever have a part in letting a boy go along on the exploration. Castner was a very strict man believing in discipline at all time.

It was enjoyable to read.

This book shows history of Alaska.It shows what it was like before it became a state.From the fishing to the rafting I liked this book and I think you should read it too.

It's not that this isn't a helpful commentary. It's very good. But the exegesis is a little thin in places and there are more fanciful interpretations than one would like. It also seems to have a predisposition to being down on some of the historicity of the Gospel of Luke. But the introduction is great (even though it's starting to become rather dated!) This is no longer a first or second choice for Luke commentaries. I would get Bock and Nolland first. And Green's "The Theology of Luke" or Marshall's "Luke: Historian and Theologian."

Vol. 1 of a 2 vol. work, Fitzmyer gives the most thorough and well-balanced analysis, explanation, and exegesis of Luke in print. Not a light read, but it will pay continued dividends every time you return to it. Historical and linguistic insights, and very balanced "moderate" criticism. Enoromously valuable footnotes and bibliographical references. There are more recent "Luke" studies, but Fitzmyer will not be "dated" for many years.

LeFanu is by many considered the foremost of Victorian ghost story tellers, but (and I may now be incurring in literary sin) although his writing skills are undisputedly of the finest caliber, I did not find his stories as poignant and spine-tingling as Edgar Allen Poe's or his style as graceful and fluent as E. F. Benson's, for example; in fact, I'd say there is something a little bit too elaborate and artful about some of the passages in this book as if LeFanu had thought it worthwhile sacrificing the pleasure of reading to the exquisiteness of his occasionally almost labored literary expression. There are actually instances in which I find it difficult to picture the scenes and characters in the narrative - take the descriptions of the inside and outside of Gylingden Hall (story 2) or of Sir Ardagh's castle (story 4) - though I recognize that such impressions may of course be unjust and ensue not from the text but from the limitations of the reviewer himself.

The first and last of the four stories collected in this Dover edition are definitely the most exciting and convey a feeling of completeness which is rather absent from the second and third tales. A very striking feature of the story "Green Tea", for instance, is the razor-sharp precision with which LeFanu distinguishes between subjective and objective psychic realities, and between suggestion and predisposition. The reverend in the tale has suffered damage to the subtle involucre protecting his physical body against unwanted sensory impressions and the leaking out of vital force, and so has become permanently exposed not to hallucinations but to involuntary contacts with entities or energies pertaining to the lower psychic realms, the intimacy of which most of us are mercifully spared. The problem seems to be mendable by physically occluding the fissures produced in his natural defense and thus restoring his involucre to normality, but the reverend himself sees these deeply disquieting trials as a personal chastisement from God - an interpretation of the facts which is always a valid possibility - and eventually succumbs, not to the charges of the enemy but to his own weaknesses and inclinations. A complex and fine plot, indeed.

The story "Green Tea" should be carefully examined by all whose job it is to treat or otherwise help people who suffer from psychic disorders or claim to be haunted by hallucinations - and by those, of course, who love to spend a couple of hours by the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and a good yarn.

This is another great find. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu was an Irish writer in the 19th Century. This thin selection of short stories is a tasty little collection. It is a forgotten art form: the ghost story but LeFanu does it quite well. This is Victorian age literature with guts. The tales are spooky but also reveal human psychology in the way great literature should. This is a classic of a bygone era. I will think twice when I hear footsteps in the attic and no one else is home. Many themes of suspense and terror are set down in these tales. Freddie Krueger can not hold a candle to tales like these.

This book originally apeared in the prespectives in cognitive neuroscience series in 1993, and is the best introduction and review into the subject of hemispheric asymmetry. My earlier concerns were that it was a bit dated, but it is a cornerstone in the field nevertheless.
Hellige points out that every model of hemispheric asymmetry will have to deal with five main points: The cognitive differences between individuals, general computation diferences between hemispheres, the view of the brain as an integrated unit, the development and evolution of hemispheric asymmetry and the fact that there is asymmetry in other species as well.
The book presents extensive data and studies that illuminate aspects of all of these points, and much more. Speculation is reserved for evolutionary discussions, but the author makes sure to present only hard evidence, and to warn the reader when there is controversy. It is not very technical, and for that it is a better exposition of such a complex subject.
Now the best parts of the book are when the author sets out to undermine (still current) popular beliefs about hemispheric asymmetry. There is no simple way to say that there are right or left brained people. This is a gross simplifiation of the facts. For example, Hellige notes that since every task uses multicomponent processing and modules, and since it regullarily activate distribuited locations of both hemisphers, there is no clear division within tasks of hemisphers (perhaps with the exeption of language). Sure, there is metacontrol, but that is another interesting subject. There is also no single dichtonomy between modes of processing of diferent hemisphers. Sayng that left is analytic and linguistic and right visuospatial is another gross simplification. Computation styles vary between tasks themselves. Finally, it is also not the case that there only exists hemispheric asymmetry in humans because of language and tool use. There is evidence for it in rats, birds, old world monkeys, among other species.
This is a great book from a great series, very informative, direct, uncontroversial, as well as a good read. Anyone interested in neurosciences at all should enjoy it. IT is also conforting to see hard science taking the spotlight and not cheap self help psychology. Maybe it is my left brain speaking.

Hellige does a superb job of reviewing the field of hemispheric asymmetry. This book is well written and has much to offer to the serious researcher or just the laymen interested in the brain.

I am looking forward to a new edition, that will include the more recent research on the topic.

I needed to provide my two sons, 4th & 5th grade, challenging math because the school is not able to facilitate any to them. This book is quite self-explanatory and my two boys could follow it fine. (Note: I am NOT trying to recommend this book for 4th & 5th graders. My sons are at least 2 years ahead of average math skills. I am trying to emphasize that the problems are so well explained that my lower school sons can follow) However, this book lacks the following: Not enough exercises; no indepth exercise or problems; lack of word problems and applicaton. It serves well in the surface level of most pre-algebra topics, but not in-depth. I would recommend another one : Prealgebra by K. Elayn Martin-Gay, which is packed with exercises, and the lessons are very self-explanatory as well; and there are answers keys to the odd questions only.

If this book had been around when I was in school I might haveliked maths

The legendary History of Economic Analysis is without a doubt one of the greatest books of economic history ever written, but one should examine what kind of reading they're looking for before he or she embarks on this thousand page text. Schumpeter's unfinished history is divided into sections by ideology and time-period which is particularly useful but once you penetrate the well-organized table of contents, the writing becomes arcane and complex.

For a reader well-grounded in economic theory and history, I am sure that this is a bible; but for a curious reader interested in the history of economics (in a more political as opposed to theoretical perspective) this book may not be right. Highly footnoted and not very smooth writing, as well as obscure references to economists and theories results in a history that is very demanding of the reader. If you are looking for an economic history text that reads like From Dawn to Decadence you may be seriously disappointed, as I had been, but if you are a serious student of economics and are willing to spend the time to deliberate over Schumpeter's words then History of Economic Analysis is right for you.

After the considerable success of his then only in germanpublished Little Sketch of Doctrines and Methods, and while he wasteaching at Harvard, Schumpeter started working on a book wich would cover the ground of Little Sketch an beyond. What began just as leisure would become THE masterpiece in History of Economic Thought. Schumpeter spent ten years in this colossal effort and unfortunately did not finish it before his death. Nevertheless, nowhere else you will find a book more powerful and more profound on this theme. By History of Economic Analysis Schumpeter means the history of efforts made in the pursuit of comprehending economic phenomena, from Antiquity to present; not a book on history of ideologies. Schumpeter places the authors in their times and contexts, and tries to understand how they proceeded in analysing economic reality. A must for anyone interested in economic theory, history and philosophy.