Nobody reads Rumpole like Leo McKern! I love John Mortimer's Rumpole and this tape was great. Even though the fun of Rumpole is in the writing and the play on words, Leo McKern makes Rumpole come alive.

From the outset, Dustin, McAvoy and Schultz let us know how important recreation is in our lives. As a college major and even professional discipline, recreation management is often met with snickers or skepticism as to its value. This book enlightens the reader to the magnificent responsibilities and rewards that professionals in the recreation/leisure services field are given. A short book, but contained within the 100 or so pages is depth and beauty few other professional books have. These authors have thoughtfully and thoroughly explored the essence of recreation management on public lands in contemporary America. Drawing from such disparate works as Veblen's "Theory of the Leisure Class", Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations", Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America", and numerous contemporary writers, Dustin, McAvoy, and Schultz are able to approach the centrality of recreation from a number of different perspectives.

At the root of their thesis is the idea that recreation management works best when it works for all--including the natural environment. It is no small challenge for recreation managers to attempt to balance the wants and needs of a recreating public with the restraints necessary to protect, in some cases, delicate natural resources.

This book is a must-read for anyone who manages natural resources available for recreation, for those people charged with teaching classes in recreation management and finally for those students who aspire to a career providing recreation opportunities and/or protecting the environment. "Stewards of Access/Custodians of Choice" is at its best when the reader lets go of perceived professional constraints (e.g. budgets, too little time, students who don't seem to care, professors who care only about theory and not about the real world) and soars on the wings of potential. We need not manage for the masses. We cannot continue to evaluate ethical decisions based on economics. And we will never advance as a people while continuing to think of things as dichotomous: culture versus nature. The echoing conclusion is what a magnificent world this would (and could) be if, through recreation, we encourage all people to respect, honor, and care for others and the environment.

A brave soldier and a callous, sheltered rich boy become friends on the battlefield -- they exchange identities, so the rich boy's wonderful loving fiancee ends up marrying the soldier and the rich boy goes to war as he dreamed to. But the consequences of this tradeoff are so much richer, sadder and more beautiful than either man imagined possible. The story is seen through many eyes, not least through the eyes of the granddaughter of the Swedish cavalier.

This novel is one of the sparest, most honest, adventurous and passionate works of art I have ever encountered. It is a crime that this work is out of print!

No literary novel is more moving and beautiful; no mystery novel is more exciting. Is there any way to petition the publishing powers that be to put out a new edition of this wonderful writer?

Oh, never mind --

An extremely well written, wonderful treatment of its subject. I highly recommend this book to all persons interested in excellent, powerful writing on the subject of Religion. A truly amazing, creative work. A masterpiece.

My husband and I fought for rights to read this book first. Because there are 6 short stories we alternated ownership. Very enjoyable

Sit down with a glass of Pomeroy's finest wine and settle in for a good read. Rumpole continues his battles with Judges, avoiding Chamber politics (and efficiency experts) saving Claude Eskine Brown from his failed romances, and staying in the good graces of "She who must be obeyed". Hilda gets her say in this book too, as her letter to Dodo Mackintosh details on of the cases and even she says "he was a man in his element" in the courtroom. Indeed! May Rumpole always avoid the Angel of Death!

In this latest--is it the last?--addition to the Rumpole saga, She Who Must Be Obeyed lifts a pen and the result is "Hilda's Story", an engaging piece that shows that Mortimer is still coming up with new and entertaining angles on Rumpole. The only sour note is that "Angel of Death" rounded out the third 'Rumpole' omnibus, and the devotee fears that this could be the last. If it is, it's also one of the best.

A prior reviewer (see below) questioned the value of calling John Leo a 'conservative' thinker, but, let's face it, it's an appropriate label. The subject areas he tackles reads like Neal Boortz's program notes: abortion, feminism, victimology, postmodernism, welfare, Bill Clinton, Rigoberta Menchu, and some former low-level government temporary employee named Monica. Even George Lucas and Kate Moss get ladled a helping of Leo's unparalleled common sense. And the authors he quotes without referencing their political tilt (Heather MacDonald, David Horowitz, William Raspberry...) becomes almost a running joke.

Grouped into seven parts ('Media', 'Education', 'Family and Gender', 'Race and Minorities', 'Politics and Law', 'Culture and Language', and 'Society and Social Behavior'), the body of the book consists of reprints of Leo's columns from U.S. News & World Report, each only about a page long. Unfortunately, this makes the reading feel like riding with someone who's learning to drive stick, just as he gets rolling, he stops and starts again.

The two biggest downsides to the book are not Leo's fault: first, the articles aren't dated, which would have helped put some of his comments (like those on O.J. and Amy Fisher) a little more into perspective, and second, inexplicably, there's no index, which would have saved you much frustration the many times in the future you will likely refer back to these articles again.

A good, interesting read. It's full of bite-sized articles, catagorized into various groupings. My only (real) problem is that reading article-after-article on the craziness of it all, there's never any suggested course of action. Of course, that's not necessarily his 'brief', but it would have made various topics come 'full circle'. However, that's just my opinion. I would recommend this book...and you don't have to be a screaming conservative to appreciate it either!

John Leo is frequently categorized as a conservative thinker, but such a label these days does little to indicate the actual freshness and vitality of his thought. He most resembles in this collection of occasional pieces a contemporary Dr. Johnson, for he applies a similar overwhelming good sense to a host of issues of the day. Perhaps he should be called a classical thinker. No knee jerker when commenting on contemporary matters, he is acutely aware of the claims both of the head and the heart . Underlying his treatment of the media, the educational system, etc., though, is the insistence that the head must balance the feelings in conflicts. Hence, in multiplying instances of its dismissal of facts, logic, or evidence, he exposes our age as one in which grotesque emotion seeks to, and often succeeds in, trumping reason. One leaves this collection not with a resolve to always vote Republican but instead with a determination to push for justice, but without succumbing to the forces of arrant propaganda which solicit on all sides.

This collection of papers on the Family in ancient Israel covers the various periods of Israelite history. From pre-monarchy to second temple Judaism the chapters discuss many aspects of the family. The various authors discuss the members of the family, divorce, inheritance, and other issues that families of old as well as modern families experience. The ancient Israelite family was similar to those in the ancient Near East in their work ethic, structure, and culture.

This book helps the American family redefine their concept of family, extended family, and household as a source of strength for their cultural development.

This is the book for anyone who has ever wondered about the political homage paid to the "biblical family" in recent years. Profiting from recent breakthroughs in the study of Hebrew scriptures, this book, one of a series produced by the Religion, Culture, and Family Project of the University of Chicago Divinity School, argues that the family in ancient Israel should be understood as a complicated, multi-generational "household" system organized around a core "covenant" between father and mother, parents and children, households and land, and families and God. The ancient Hebrew family was hardly the "nuclear family" of today. Codes of hospitality insured that even outsiders and marginal members of the community were included when necessary. Indeed, the ancient Hebrew family resembled more the "village" concept, not only for raising children, but for building up community. Religious ideas in ancient Israel gave order and significance to the practical realities of family life, and were closely connected to the realities of household labor, land, wealth, procreation, inheritance, economic profit and loss, sickness, and dependency. This book is the only recent comprehensive review in the English language of the family in ancient Israel. It is well worth reading for anyone who wants to understand the biblical families of the Old Testament.

David Dodd has assembled a wide variety of stories to inspire and encourage addicted people to get clean. I was impressed that Twelve Step groups were NOT the focus of every tale, and that the one constant was that each individual made a PERSONAL CHOICE to forego their addiction and live sober. For all the help some people get from 12-Step groups, there are many who don't "relate" to the religiousity. But this book shows that recovery is still possible and worthwhile. The fact that most of these tales are told by celebrities and artists we KNOW only increases their value. Plus, it's nice to know that my gut feeling about Steven Tyler is "on the money" - he truly IS a mensch!!

I was attracted to the many well-known names listed on the cover, but once I began reading the book, I was overwhelmed with its passion and solutions. David Dodd has done a remarkable job which is reflected in this collection of interviews. My favorite part, however, is the introduction to the book, where the author tells his personal story on how he became sober with the help of Steven Tyler. His vivid description of the events were astonishing to me, they were absolutely incredible. This is a wonderful book!

I've just started War and Peace.....and already it promises to be as satisfying as Anna Karenina, so I can't wait to really get 'stuck in'. It is incredibly readable, lovely to get lost in, time flies by while you're reading it. His characters are so richly drawn, his ancedotes about each one are filling and often funny. I only wish that a translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky were available as they bring a fresh modern voice to translation (I can't wait to read their translation of Anna K. and 'The Idiot' by Dostoevsky).

So why am I writing a review of W&P if I've just started it? Well, first to share the fun I'm having and encourage others to give this great book a try.....and to invite others who have read the book or are reading it to write to me and share your comments. One of the best things about writing reviews on Amazon.com is that I occasionally hear from other reviewers or readers with comments on my reviews or recommendations of their own.....and I love it.

And I love Tolstoy! I think he's the best writer in the world. Although....quite honestly, the most memorable literary passage I've ever read was found in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". But you'll have to write to me to find out which one I'm referring to!

Happy reading!

Although my blind urge to read the Great Classics has (thankfully) faded somewhat over the years in favor of reading whatever I damn please, I finally decided it was time to give War and Peace a try. After all, how can anyone who enjoys novels resist the lure of "the greatest novel of all time"? And Tolstoy himself was an unusually interesting man -- not a screwed-up genius but one who seemed to eventually figure it all out. It took me maybe a hundred pages to get into the rhythm of the book and figure out who all those characters with multisyllabic Russian names were. After that, it was totally engrossing and surprisingly easy reading. There's no point giving you a book report on what happens -- you're supposed to read it yourself -- but I do disagree with some of the other reviewers who didn't care for the sections describing Tolstoy's philosophy of history. I found those sections (a very small proportion of the book) fascinating, albeit a change of pace. This is part of what makes the book great. War and Peace is not just a story of what happens to a bunch of made-up people, but a major work of art expressing the wisdom of a great man.

Few novels have the breadth and scope of detail as "War and Peace". This is a novel that took years to write and may take the average reader up to a year to finish. It is well worth the effort.

Tolstoy has successfully mastered the arts of military and romantic literature. Often times when these elements are combined in a novel the author is not particularly strong in both areas. That is certainly not Tolstoy's weakness. Tolstoy's one weakness is his tendency to engage in long-winded narration about his system of philosophy. I've always believed that if the author wants to bring his personal philosophies into a book, they should be woven into the fabric of the work and not kept as separate parts that break up the flow of the story. Fortunately these narrations do little damage to the overall story.

I have read many non-English language books from German, French, Russian, etc. authors that have been translated into English. "War and Peace" was the first and only one of those books which made me want to learn a foreign language. Translated works, no matter how hard the translator tries, can never stay completely true to the original work. Through the translations of Tolstoy's work one gets the sense that he had a command of the Russian language equal to Dickens' or Shakespeare's command of English.

One piece of advice: if you feel that it may take you longer than six months to finish the novel, you may want to keep track of the families on a separate sheet of paper like a family tree. In can get rather confusing with all of the marriages and child births that occur in the course of these family's lives.