This is an awesome idea! When I suddenly had an opportunity to travel to France for a short time with even less notice, I came across this book, and decided to make it somewhat of a spiritual pilgrimage. I have often thought that there should be more to Christian historical travels than just Israel. We have been in a few other places. With the help of this book, I was able to have a much more invigorating and fulfilling trip. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. So I went backwards through time, visiting the Abbey de Citeaux, a reform movement that returned to simplicity and poverty. As the head of the Cisterians it became perhaps the biggest evangelistic outbreak in French history, with hundreds of monasteries throughout the world, from Great Britian to Asia, according to Hexham. I then traveled to Abbey de Cluny, out of which Citeaux came when Cluny became too worldly. Cluny itself was a reform movement, taking the power of the monasteries out of the hands of corrupt state officials and reporting only to the Pope. The abbot eventually became second only to the Pope in power in Roman Christianity. And then on to the birthplace of Christianity in Lyons, where the great Irenaeus once preached, and 20 of us were killed in about 200 AD in the first mention of the Christian sect in French history. And it was with sadness that I read and then observed the many cases where wars and especially the French Revolution had completely demolished Christian sites.

The flaws in the book were more of the nature that I wish there had been more to the book. For instance, I would have desired to actually visit sites of the Hugonauts and Waldensians, who seem to have the most revitalized Christianity in France since it's birth (despite certain heresies in the latter group). But there was only mention of what cities they had been active in. I wish there were more in this collection besides Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. It is definitely exciting to be able to locate places of one's history in different lands.

But I leave the best for last. Near Cluny I also stopped by another place, the Abbey de Taize. I am ashamed to say I had never heard of them before I read this book, and for that, I am greatly indebted to Hexham. Here is the only Protestant monastery since the Reformation, composed of monks from all over the world, and from the Roman and Orthodox churches as well. They have people regularly come from around the world to visit and worship together, coming up with a new form of worship and chanting called Taize chants, now practiced in many churches worldwide, wherein the same phrase is repeated many times in many languages. I went expecting perhaps 100 visitors. I was not expecting 3,000 people, and 4,000 more if I had made it there a few days earlier for Easter. Here people from the UK, America, Germany, France, New Zealand, Korea, and many other countries had come to simply worship Jesus together. I believe some had come to do this and were not even Christian. They gather 3 times a day, every day, to sit and chant in the various languages, lead by the monks, and beautiful hymns of praise rise to God in front of a collection of icons and candles. Most stay a week in the very cheap room and board provided there. Some of those who visited in the past were the President of the EU, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Secretary-General of the UN, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, and the Roman Pope. I am greatly glad I took the time to purchase this rather inexpensive book before my trip.

From the Library Journal, Vol. 126, No. 8, p. 117, 1 May 2001:
These guides do not lead tourists to the most popular bars or shopping districts but instead to the various Christian heritage sites in each country ... Each guide follows the same layout: Hexham begins with an overview of the history of each country from prehistoric times to the present. He then includes a chapter on literature, art, and architecture and lists what he considers the top ten Christian heritage sites in each country. Each entry thereafter is in alphabetical order ... Recommended for all public libraries.

There is a unique kind of pain caused by reading Cisco documentation... each output display a blinding flash of colors, each acronym a power drill. Alas, sometimes one has to wade through it, and this book does contain much useful information for IT professionals in charge of WAN links, ISP admins, and unfortunate consultants like me. If you deal with dial-ups on older Cisco hardware on a regular basis, you need this (because it is a book - the alternative sources of the documentation are even less pleasant).

Using 2511s or AS5200/5300s ??. This book addresses almost all scenarious you will ever face. In addition, the configuration details are very clear and vivid. Recommended.

Hi folks I just wrote this to caution you that the former reviewer is inadverently reviewing the MECHANICS book by the same author. To be short I would give this book four stars. It does a little bit of static phenomena and boundary value problems and jumps to radiation justifying the title. The level of the book is in between a grad course and an undergrad course. I think it is ideal for self study for grad students.

An excellent textbook on classical dynamics for the 'grown-up' student who wants mathematical rigor along with physical insights. Working through this book requires considerable effort and thought on the student's part, but is well worth the time spent. Highly recommended for the serious student who is not afraid of hard work.

What do you expect from a cognitive science book, which neatly separates all the major fields (Cognitive Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Language Acquisition, Semantics, Natural Language Processing, Vision), into chapters? First of all, it is not a mile-wide inch-deep book. Quite the contrary, it has remarkable detail, and it's definitely not an easy book for the beginner. However the fragments are not well-connected to each other, and there are no threads of thought one can follow through the text. Probably the most important problem of cognitive science is the gap between the disciplines, and the lack of a common terminology. The authors have adopted an information-processing view, and overstepped this problem rather than solving it. The result is a biased book, which is really nice if you like the information theoretic approach (like I do), but as a course-book, I suggest it as the supplementary reading.

Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition is a fascinating undergraduate text that accurately shows all of the subsets of the cognitive sciences. Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition introduces the advanced undergraduate student to cognitive science subsets such as cognitive psychology, cognitive anthropology, cognitive computational intelligence, cognitive linguistics, cognitive nurro-science, and the philosophy of the cognitive sciences. The diagrams in Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition are very vivid to demonstrate exactly what a philosophers/scientists sees in the subject matter of the cognitive sciences. The undergraduate text provides a very a empirical perspective of the cognitive sciences that differs directly from the classical transcendental perspective of cognition that the philosopher Immanuel Cant demonstrated in the Critique Of Pure Reason. The cognitive sciences can be very difficult to understand, but Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition is one of the best resources to explore the new empirical study of the science of the process of thought.

Please feel free to send questions or comments to mmount@essex1.com

This 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" book contains 76 pages featuring over 1,000 small full color sharp photos to help you identify Shawnee items. Year 2000 values are provided. An interesting introduction to the Shawnee Pottery company is included. Original patent reports are pictured. If you collect Shawnee Pottery, you will want this book.

Excellent reference book for Shawnee Collectors. Color photographs are very helpful in identifying Shawnee pieces.

Having several pieces of Muncie and NOT knowing it - this book helped with their idenficiations - Lots of marks - glazes and shapes - this helps from novice and expert collector as none of us have seen or will ever have a chance to see all that is listed in the book. As I have over thirty reference book - this is one of the best.

An Awesome Book and A Must Have for all who Love Muncie Pottery! This wonderful book features so many wonderful Pictures, as well as prices. An Awesome book you won't want to be without!

Although there were a few flaws, I gave this book a rating of 4 stars, because it played a key role in helping me to understand College Algebra.

I got the book in 3 days, as promised. Great service. Would recommend it. Thank You.

Enjoyed reading this book due to the fact that Deborah helps to explain the aspects of decorating and design in a way that I (the average person) can understand them. She opened my eyes to all sorts of things that I had never thought about before when trying to make my home feel like me and my family rather than trying to duplicate some photo in a magazine that I really liked , but when in fact it wasn't my style at all. I really recommend this book for anyone who was a frustrated as me when it came to decorating my home.

In Comfortable Living By Design, registered interior designer and licensed contractor Deborah Burnett shows her readers how easy it is to develop there own creative abilities, how to use the basic elements of design, and how to create a truly comfortable home, apartment, or office. Such issues as the use of light and color, the principle of balance, and tapping into personal creativity for an extra touch of "personality" in design are covered clearly and accessibly. Quick and easy design tips are offered within each chapter that will make creative efforts come alive with professional quality results. The commentary, instruction, advice, and suggestions are as practical as they are inspiring. Anyone contemplating re-doing their home or office should first begin with a thorough reading of Deborah Burnett's Comfortable Living By Design!

I bought this book at a reading that I had attended because of another completely unrelated author (Penrose). Mark Hudson brilliantly read from his book. Yet I still wasn't interested. However, when I approached the table where Penrose and he were standing and signing their book, he started automatically signing one for me. I vaguely tried to tell him I did not want to buy his book but it was too embarassing. One year later I am reading it and find it a very good, intelligent and sensitive book. Too bad it did not receive more publicity

Just like to point out that although this book was not publicised widely it managed to win the most lucrative literary prize on offer at the moment, the AT&T prize, beating Nelson Mandella, and a whole other bunch of literati. His previous book won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Thomas Cook Travel writing award. He has a novel coming out this year.

by SMFran@aol.com

It had to happen sooner or later, I suppose. Just about every topic is getting its Complete Idiot's Guide. I have one on Angels, another on Internet. My niece has one on cooking. And now they've (the publisher) sent me one - on prayer - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Prayer, by Mark Galli and James S. Bell, Jr. (Alpha Books / Macmillan USA, Inc., 1999, softcover) In 33 chapters spread over six parts, the book takes the reader through ideas about prayer as talking with God and into prayers like the Our Father and the Jesus Prayer and using the Psalms and the Gospels for prayer. With a very readable style and format, the book provides those little blurbs common to the "Idiot's Guide" - in this case - Prayer Pearls from the Good Book, When You Haven't Got a Prayer, Meanings and Gleanings, and Prayer Hotline. Drawing content mostly from Jewish / Christian traditions and sources, the book's authors also delve into mystical prayer, liturgical prayer, singing prayer, and praying with others. These authors give suggestions for distractions, doubts, even "dark night of the soul" in prayer. Two appendixes offer formulated prayers for many situations. Meant as a primer, the book can assist anyone at any prayer level toward meaningful meditation and a prayer-integrated life.

Have reviewed a number of books on prayer and they usually get too complicated and bogged down. This Idiot's Guide to Prayer is a refreshing look at a very old subject. I loved the simplicity without compromising integrity to the authority of Scripture.

Starting with a few basics, Galli and Bell then go on to look at The Lord's Prayer as a model but also an instruction on what prayer is really all about. The book includes several prayers for different occasions, takes a look at the Episcopal "Book of Common Prayer," and using the Psalms as part of our prayers.

I've chosen this book for an Adult Bible School Class on prayer, hoping to attract a number of people who think of themselves as novices or "idiots" on the subject of prayer. I'll also invite some people known for their prayer lives to participate in the class to help with the discussion and to possibly mentor people who are really struggling with prayer.

The central point I have so greatly appreciated is the authors' firm view that prayer is really only a part of our relationship with God.