This book is a great introduction to ecstacy's history and its affect on the world. Unlike other intro books on drugs, Joseph doesn't exaggerate the good or the bad of this drug. He instead starts by giving an objective view of ecstacy, its effects and its dangers. He then moves into a concise history of the drug's effect on the rave culture and music industry. This book is very short and can easily be read in one sitting. I recommend this book to someone who knows little about the history of ecstacy and wants a place to start.

This biography essentially takes the (to my mind) correct and psychological tack to validating Poe's genius, though it be of a very peculiar sort. The problem (as any lost soul who chances upon this esoteric review of an out-of-print biography has probably guessed) is that the psychology of the time (1926) was inundated by Freudianism. Thus, we have the word "neurotic" and "neurosis" springing up time and time again when it is not at all clear that this verbal crutch serves as more of a hindrance than a help to understanding Poe. But perhaps this is just a semantic quibble. For, whatever you may call it, there was something truly out of the ordinary in Poe's psychological makeup and this, Krutch contends, is what makes for the genius of his works: They were born of the living realities that tormented his own mind, not concocted artifice.
I think Poe's quote on pages 127-128 serve best to illustrate this point, "-whether all that is profound-does not spring from disease of thought-from moods of mind exalted at the expense of general intellect. They who dream by day are cognizant of many things who dream only by night. In their gray visions they obtain glimpses of eternity, and thrill, in awaking, to find that they have been upon the verge of a great secret. In snatches, they learn something of the wisdom which is good, and more of the mere knowledge of which is evil. They penetrate, however rudderless or compassless, into the vast ocean of the "light ineffable."-To anyone associated with Romantic poetry or mystic religious literature, the adjective that springs to one's mind here is not "neurotic" but rather mystical and/or Romantic.
Poe like all the great mystics and Romantics (St. John of The Cross, Shelley, Yeats etc.) actually lived his particular credo: in his case that the most poetical topic in the world is the death of a beautiful woman. From "Annabel Lee" to (my favorite) "The Fall of the House of Usher" there is that consecrated worship of the waiflike unworldy female by the poet or his alter ego. The thing is, Poe actually LIVED this life, as any writer worth reading does in re his works. He died a virgin, and married a thirteen year old whose strange beauty made the act of sex unthinkable and evil. In short, Poe inhabited his own unique world which his works were mere manifestations thereof. This, I agree with Krutch, qualifies him to the title of genius.
Where I diverge with Krutch is in his failure to see where Poe fits into any kind of tradition, save in isolated cases such as the chord Poe struck in Baudelaire. The tradition of "morbid purity", as Krutch would have it, stretches from the Gnostics and early Christians (Origen went as far as to castrate homself) to Shakespeare "Lovers, madmen and poets are of imagination all compact" to such 20th century figures as Yeats and the novelist Malcolm Lowry (who wrote a story after visiting Poe's memorial in Baltimore entitled "Strange Comfort Afforded by the Profession"). What is most surprising to the modern reader is that no mention at all is made of Herman Melville, the American writer of the time who most resembled Poe in his psychology, who told Hawthorne of his desire "to annihilate himself."
The Gothic morbidity of Poe is unique in literature, and its correspondence to the reality of the Poe's own life is what makes it genuine. It is unfortunately true that much of what Poe wrote was inane, vulgar, or simply untrue. Yet, in his best work (such as "The Fall of the House of Usher") that morbid purity Krutch mentions is manifested as in no other writer or artist.
Krutch is at his best regarding Poe when he propounds, regarding those critical of his works, that "it is bound to seem mere artifice unless they happen to have chords in their tempraments which respond to the neurotic melodies which are the secret of his fascinations."
Again, my problem is with this Freudian "neurotic" business. The great traditions of spiritial mysticism and Romanticism cannot be simply filed away under this all too convenient convenient rubric.-Aside from this reservation, however, the biography is an exquisite and well-written description of Poe's unique contribution to literature, of his genius.

Joseph Myers has created a new version of "Looking Backward" written in the precise style and using the exact structure of Bellamy's "Looking Backward," but focused more on spiritual and moral possibilities, rather than political and economic possibilities.

Any true fan of "Looking Backward" should first read Bellamy's 1897 sequel, "Equality," which continues the story where "Looking Backward" left off. "Equality" is more convincing and more intellectually mature than "Looking Backward." But having given the "real" Bellamy his due, go ahead and read the Joseph Myers version - it is an enlightening and intellectually challenging romp through science, philosophy, religion, new age ideology, and the meaning of life.

Myers earnestly believes that he is Bellamy reincarnated. However, whether he is or isn't ends up being beside the point; the book stands on its own as an effective indictment of our society's moral and spiritual achievements every bit as convincing as the original Bellamy's critique of our politics and economics.

I am not certain that a reincarnated Edward Bellamy would take another shot at "Looking Backward." But, eerily, the Myers' version captures a great deal more of Bellamy than one would expect -- the stilted language, the unnecessary sexism, the relentlessly logical prose, and more. For example, who else besides Edward Bellamy could combine such a keen social vision with such a hapless inability to predict scientific advances? The original Bellamy failed to predict the electronic storage and wireless transmission of music that were realized just after his death. Myers' Bellamy obviously intends not to make the same mistake this time around, now predicting air cars, gravity motors, and a future geology that is - well, nothing you would expect.

The book's strength is its direct and forthright attempt to discuss hard spiritual and moral issues that cross religious, political, and national boundaries. The book's weakness is its inability to break out of Bellamy's proper 19th century voice, which is assigned to every character, even a 150-year old Tibetan Lama. The book's persistently Christian tone is moderated by the constant development of principles and theories drawn from all religions. Fans of Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael" will find a similarly impressive biblical reinterpretation.

If you believe in the value of reading books that challenge your beliefs, this one will challenge many of your beliefs. If you want to explore some ideas about architecture, agriculture, public service, psychedlic drugs, and social organization radically different from what most people believe today, you won't be disappointed. And if you want to read one of the very few utopian novels written near the end of the 20th century, you won't find one more earnest.

For four years I have used this book as the main textbook for a College course I teach in public speaking. It is thorough, covering all aspects of public speaking. It is written for the beginner in mind. Ample pictures, cartoons and quotes make it an enjoyable read. Students regularly tell me they appreciate how it doesn't seem like a textbook.

I especially like the chapters on overcoming fear, making speeches more persuasive, improving your vocal and visual appeal, and speaking on special occasions (introducing someone, receiving an award, etc.). The title says it all - you will become more effective in public speaking if you apply the truths given in the book. However, it is my belief that you cannot learn to speak well from a book alone. It is an oral event that requires personal instruction alongside. What it teaches is good, and as a class resource it is excellent.

This book provides a history of Egyptian writing, scribes, hieroglyphs, grammar, numbers and gods. It also includes an interesting section of English-hieroglyphs vocabulary. The authors tell the readers about the decipherment of the ancient language and its importance. Well illustrated, this is a wonderful introductory book, for new students.

Joe Carr has a very clear writing style and illustrates all concepts with simple circuits. His general approach is that of an electronics technologist educating a hobbyist or technician. He does a great job at this, but unfortunately devotes no effort to proof-reading. His books are flawed by numerous mismatches between text and schematics, improper symbols, etc. This will be very frustrating for the novice and obscures the points involved.

During the decade in which computer use in the USA really blossomed, the 1980s, this was the only book I read on the subject which clearly explained (using an analogy of buckets being filled with water) how the binary (on / off) concept functioned, and was then built-upon to result in functional computing capacity.

All the other books on the subject would tell you about "bits," and how Base 2 was used in an of / off fashion in a grid... and would then jump to higher functionality -- which was equivalent to being shown a brick, followed by a photo of a completed house.

Pepe and Joe have been involved in NCG research
since the first physical calculations. And
the book happened to be published in a very
adequate time range, so it contains up-to-date
information on all the developments, including
the finding of Connes-Kreimer renormalization
algebra (hopf algebras and butcher groups).

It is a compulsory complement to Connes's book.

This is a great photos book,about his 1969 return to the stage,the pictures are rares,and the documentation about this period is interresting.

I just finished my first complete read of "Emerald Knight." During the writing stages, I read different parts of the book to help my dad but I never read it cover to cover until this week. I was amazed. This book has everything a sci-fi/fantasy/historical fiction novel can have from scorcery to alien activity (?!?) to a dragon. I am very pleased with the work even though this is not my genre of choice and I would encourage anyone who does recreational reading to read this book. I gave it only 4 stars because it is a bit too short and I'm not big on nepotism. `/;>