I thought Collins did an excellent job at covering how Jewish eschatology came to be. He asserts that apocalypticism did not form in a vacuum, but was instead part of tradition of biblical prophetic and wisdom literature. Collins does good work also in including the apocryphal books of 1 Enoch and 2 Esdras.

Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls is well written and informative. The basic thesis in this book is the differing Apocalyptic views that prevailed during different periods of history, with the Dead Sea Scrolls being the main subject. I found this book interesting, and informative without criticism. There is also information in here as to the book of Enoch- very early beliefs. From there it goes to Dead Sea Scroll sects and the expectation of messiahs, the teacher of righteousness, rewards and punishments in the last Apocalyptic days. This author, John J. collins, wrote an excellent overview of similar but varying belief systems. He goes to show how history has affected and altered beliefs, but not completely! This book is well worth its price for anyone interested in Apocalypticism.

Great book for beginners on the subject... even for experts ! Even if this book was edited in 1997, it is a good apoptotic reference ! You like cell death subject ? You'll like this book. Based on pharmacology, you will take a look around lots of areas.. heart, GI tract, genetics, brain, AIDS and signalling pathways... You will like this book.

This book summarizes in a neat way the major differences between CDMA and WCDMA technlogies and gives a overview of the same in each of it's chapters. A very good book to start on CDMA or WCDMA, bereft of major mathamatical jargon, very useful to hands-on engineers who are looking for that one book which can summarize difference between CDMA and WCDMA. Since the book was written in 1996, when the WCDMA is still in it's infancy, an upgrade is essential in my opinion.

This book is a listing of every Old Aramaic inscription, papyrus, stele, or any other sort of writing found before the date of its publication. It is VERY thorough. Only short inscriptions of a few words are printed in this book (in the quadrat script). Larger inscriptions and texts are simply noted with the museum that posesses them, any printed editions that have been made, any translations that have been printed, and any scientific articles and monographs that have discussed them. The book is well suited to hardcore researchers and students wishing to build their own libraries of Aramaic material, but it is not simply a selection of texts that a student can practice reading. The book lists great numbers of such anthologies however.

The recent surge in popularity of on-line genealogical searches shows that as we move into the 21st century we are still looking backward at our family roots. How fortunate for history that author Kristi M. Youngdahl has taken the time to help an Idaho family chronicle its past in a remarkable book called The Arams of Idaho: Pioneers of Camas Prairie and Joseph Plains. I was impressed with how the author used family interviews and records, newspaper accounts and the like and wove them seamlessly into the narrative. This wealth of detail draws the reader into the story, making it come alive, and what a story it is! The Arams trace their lineage back to England (and to a notorious criminal and folk hero, Eugene Aram). The Arams became part of the westward migration after immigration to the U.S. in 1806. After stops in the Midwest, California and Oregon, members of this pioneer family helped settle one of our last wildernesses, central Idaho, starting in 1864. Ms. Youngdahl ably portrays the challenges of living in this rugged territory, as the family works to build shelter and plant crops, faces the Nez Perce Indian War of 1877 and establishes a cattle ranch. When James Aram loses this ranch in 1930 to foreclosure, this sad event feels to the reader as if it were a setback to one's own family because the author has shown the years of toil and tears leading up to this day. Son Jim (with one arm amputated due to an accident) helps his father rebuild through the Depression years, but finally the time comes when the Arams all have "scattered like so many seeds in the wind" to the world outside their remote ancestral home. This brought a real sense of loss to me. But fortunately memories of this period of history have been preserved in this book: memories of everyday ranch life, of cowboys and cattle rustlers, of Saturday night dances and basket socials, of surreptitious sampling of "moonshine" whiskey on holidays, of a family's love and loyalty to each other and to their home through generations. And at the end of this story the author says that the Arams still have the strength "inherited from their pioneer parents and grandparents--a strength tested daily in their youth by a wild and beautiful land." And we --and succeeding eras--have this wonderful book. I recommend it highly.

This book is an introduction to the archaeology of California for a general audience. It is written in a clear style that is relatively free of technical jargon. If you are a non-professional interested in California's archaeology, I recommend you start here.

The book is divided into four periods: the Paleo Indian, Archaic, Pacific and Historical. Within this framework the different geographical regions of the state are described for each period. The nice thing about this book is that it also touches on the historic period in California, which most books on California's archaeology don't really touch on.

The book is richly illustrated with photos, maps and drawings which excellently augment the text. The book also includes seven appendixes on topics ranging from the history of California archaeology, college and university programs, and films on California archaeology for the classroom.

The biggest negative is the information contained within the appendixes. This information was compiled in the mid-eighties and a lot of the information is now out of date. (Ex. contact numbers and names for universities and museums.) However, if you are a teacher who is having to teach your students about California's archaeology or just an interested person this is a good place to start.

I confess I only read D. C. Somervell's abridgment of Arnold Toynbee's first six volumes A Study of History, so I cannot claim to be a student of his work, but I was impressed mightily by that reading. This biography of Toynbee by the eminent historian William H. McNeill is of consistent interest and does not fail to relate Toynbee's troubled personal life as well as explore his eminent historical writing life. After reading this bio I concluded that Toynbee's theories and prophecies have not proved overly valid. E.g., he feared the U.S. more than Soviet Russia, and that is a novel and unspportable fear to me, naturally. Toynbee, along with most great thinkers, did not foresee the Soviet collapse. I think an interesting work would be an exploration of the why so many people looked on Communism as the wave of the future, even including Whittaker Chambers. Does anyone know of a good book exploring that phenomenon?

This issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies offers a useful and illuminating collection of articles from major neuroscience researchers (including Ramachandran and Zeki) on how the architecture and organization of the brain influences our perception of art. Zeki's article formed the basis for his new book ("Inner Vision: An Explanation of Art and the Brain"), while Ramachandran obviously enjoys the opportunity to show off his erotic art collection! Highly recommended for anyone curious about how the brain constrains and channels our perceptions, and our appreciation of art.

This book should be part of any basic library on government funding of the arts. Ziegler does a very good job laying out the problems, which unfortunately have been ignored for decades. Recommended reading.