Bogle is brilliant on so many of the investment issues that matter most to individual investors -- investing intelligently, the fallacy of active management, how the investment-management industry screws its customers and gets away with it, etc. But as good as he is as an investment "guru," he is even better as a writer.

His writing combines a deft mastery of mathematics with the ability to lay it out on the page so carefully that you'll wonder how you didn't think of the idea. His prose is simple, concise, and often, funny. Bogle is best in speeches and essays, this book combines a very well selected combination of both.

I read other investment literature, and I frequently see the articles and speeches in this book cited. Any interested observer of financial markets, investor wanting to keep from losing his shirt, or professional in the investment management industry would benefit from reading this book. I heartily recommend it!

The first two sections of this book changed my investment outlook. I now intend for the majority of my investments to be invested passively using index funds.

His arguments that most mutual funds underperform their respective index is convincing. This coupled with the difficulty of picking the managers that will outperform the index over the long term in advance, has convinced me that only by investing in the index can you guarantee that you will be investing in one of the leading funds.

The other 3 sections while interesting are more ruminations from Bogle about life, business and the stock markets. Interesting but not world changing. In fact I suspect that most people would be better off buying "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" by Bogle.

I would heartily recommned this book to anyone who wishes to be convinced that they can maximise their return, while avoiding the risk of underperformance by investing in index funds.

In this 443-page compilation of 25 of his speeches over the last 25 years, John Bogle effectively addresses topics of interest to both investors and those in business. Fans of earlier books, including his Common Sense on Mutual Funds, and devotees of passive stock and bond index strategies, will enjoy this book.

It is especially interesting to read John Bogle's speeches delivered from 1-25 years ago and compare his predictions of the future to what has actually occurred. Comparisons to the market of today can then be made.

For example, in a speech given a year following the "great stock market crash of October 19, 1987", John Bogle on p.68 related his analysis of why the market downturn occurred, including these two reasons: (1) stock prices too high (p/e ratios hitting 23 for the S&P 500 index in 1987); (2) some deterioration in the economic outlook, with no progress being made to reduce the Federal buget defict and a whiff of inflation. Sound anything like 2000 and 2001?

A more recent speech included in the book, from January 2000, predicting that the market's heady optimism will depart and leave stock market returns of 5.2% or so over the next decade. As John Bogle readily admits, however, anything can happen in the stock market.

There are many sections which detail the evolution of, and triumph of, passive indexing over active management. Other speeches provide a historical overview of the founding of Vanguard and its rise over the last 25 years.

Business leaders will find inspiration from several speeches delivered with a more personal note, in which he provides perspectives on the need for persistence, the need for lifelong learning, and the desire to build meaning into life through devotion to commitments to others. Very moving is his speech following his receipt of a transplanted heart.

More recent speeches by John Bogle, which give you a sense of what can be found in this book (but not the added value of looking at speeches from years past and comparing predictions made to what has actually occurred), can be found at the Vanguard website. Look for the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center.

This is not the first book a reader interested in investing should tackle. That honor belongs to John Bogle's 2nd book, "Common Sense on Mutual Funds." Other books should follow, including, perhaps, those by Larry Swedroe, Burton Malkiel, and Bruce Temkin.

For those who have already read several books on investing, the speeches in this book provide added perspective and reinforcement regarding the role of passive indexing, the folly of trying to outperform the market over the long term, and the philosophical ideal of service to others through truth and fairness. For these readers I wholeheartedly recommend adding this book to your investment library.

This book discusses key post-Soviet archival discoveries and discusses a critical historical issue -- the COORDINATION OF THE GESTAPO AND NKVD in liquidating the Polish elites as part of the 1939 Pact and invasion. That was more than enough to get me intrigued enough to buy this book. There's a lot more that I learned from the author's research -- even as an analyst in this field (former, now with the Cold War over).

The world still knows very little about the Katyn Massacre, and until recently many people believed that the massacre had been committed by the Germans, so effective was the propaganda machine of the Soviet Union and its supporters and collaborators the worldover. Today we know the truth. The other major event was Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33, instituted by Stalin and the communist regime, which the Soviet government was able to keep hidden for decades, and which is only now beginning to be acknowledged.

Yes. The Katyn massacre is a grim reminder of what the Soviet Union and its supporters and sympathizers were all about. Like the Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33, the Katyn Massacre has been kept hidden by the Soviet Union until its disintegration. Both are still not widely known - unlike the Jewish Holocaust. Far too little information has been brought to light on either subject. More needs to be done. "Katyn" is a must book for those who want to understand the brutality of the former Soviet Union.

This prequel to Voices From Cemetary Hill focuses on two Civil War sisters and their search for God in the frontier south of the mid-1800s. Letters from family archives serve as the source material for this presentation, rare in its presentation of the writings of two antebellum period yeoman class sisters. Black and white vintage photos pepper the account.

Sisters Of Providence: The Search For God In The Frontier South 1843-1858 is based on the lives and writings of two sisters, Jennie and Ann Speer, daughters of a yeoman farmer and sisters to Civil War Colonel Asbury Speer. These were two remarkable women who developed an affinity for Yankees and Yankee ideas, the rights of women, northern reform movements, and a dedicated opposition to the institution of slavery. Both sisters wrote with eloquence and grace of their observations, reflections, and opinions. Sisters Of Providence is a remarkable and much appreciated contribution to the annals of 19th Century American history.

With words, women of this era were set loose from their confining environment. In today's world, where the young can openly explore most anything, words have lost their allure. These pre Civil War women sought meaning and truth in their writings, many of which were written only to heard in the privacy of their own minds. This work should be read much like one would read an Emily Dickinson poem, taking each entry and exploring it for its many layers of meaning.

These are the sounds and images we need from poetry, and find too seldom -- finely wrought passages of beautiful yearning, with a flat naturalism that is compelling and achingly true. Accessible on multifarious levels, these poems show us life on the inside of man -- a haunting look at times, but affirming in its struggle to survive on its own terms. "American Crawl" is fine storytelling -- and finer art.

I've seen a few of Paul Allen's poems before, and have looked forward to a collection. Finally, this volume provides us the chance to experience the range of this poet's gifts. Allen is very much a story teller in the Southern narrative poetic tradition that produced Warren, Dickey, and Bottoms. This is not, of course, to pigeon-hole Allen as a type of poet, but only to point up the fact that narrative poetry is a difficult feat, especially when the poet so effortlessly works in concrete images of such stunning power. But perhaps the most captivating quality in Allen's writing is its deep religious character, not in the ordinary sense, but in the sense that poetry is really about our desperate attempts to save our benighted souls. Allen catches those moments when we are aware of just how lost we are and just how frail are our efforts to get home. But there is hope, and that lies in the poetic sense. Allen's narrative style make his poems easy to read, but imossible to forget.

This is a wonderful book! Seiss does a first-rate job of concisely introducing the reader to the fundamentals of the Judeo-Christian spiritual content of the Great Pyramid. He does this in a way that is very engaging, and it makes the book hard to put down. It is also easy to read, despite Seiss' use of Victorian English writing, which is another plus. All in all, this is a book that I would highly recommend for anyone interested in studying the spirtual and scientific truths embodied in the Great Pyramid. It is concise, practical, and informative. In other words, it is excellent.

It is ammazing how Seiss reads the physical structure in light of biblical history. The comparison of the dimentions of the Great Pyramid to Scripture and history of Gods' people both Jew and gentile is very thought provoking. I have found that recent findings do not discredit any of Seiss' observations. This just helps to enforce the divine being active in the building of this Great Pyramid as Seiss explains. The nonbeliver will have difficulty not to investigate further.There is very strong EVIDENCE of the divine intervention in the building of the monument. Divine science is displayed or should I say Science before science was discovered is displayed. For those who need proof of a God this book is a strong evidence that can not be overlooked. A must reading for those who wish to see where the divine is active in the physical aspect of man's workings. Another foot print of the almighty creator left on his creation for man to see and ponder on. Seiss is a man who has been blessed with great insight to the workings of God. His book on the Apocalypse also displays this.

In a characteristically perceptive and graceful introduction, Paul Goldberger suggests that the world has caught up with the good sense and refined sensibility of this Seattle firm. This is a handsome, expansive study of a dozen houses, built for people of means and taste-a rare combination. All but two are located in the northwest, and each immerses you in the natural beauty of its site and its inner serenity. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

This book wisely does not try to show all the work of Olson Sundberg Kundig and Allen, one of the Northwest's leading architecture firms. Instead it focuses on a small number of selected homes designed by the firm, and then guides the reader through the creative process, from design through construction to finished product. What emerges is an elegant book of even more elegant homes, each quite different from the other, but all seeming to harness to the max both the power of line and the nurturing complexity of light.

If you've ever wondered what God put animals on this Earth for, reading this book will give you an immensely practical and satisfying answer. Animals are our teachers, says Boone. Great teachers, too. Intelligent, aware teachers. What have I to learn? you may ask. Reading this book will give you example after example in the form of fascinating true stories written with clarity and humor. A must read for the spiritually open or for anyone who loves animals.

This is a wonderful book about a tough period in our history, the 20's. It shows many hardships that the people went through, even though it was a "golden" age. I am a history teacher that thought he knew everything about the 20's. This book offered me insights that I had never known about. It was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.

This is a must book to own for anyone interested in Christian Rosenkreutz. This great and mysterious personage felt it to be his mission to make it possible for every human being, no matter where he stands in modern life, to rise to spiritual heights. This book contains the definitive collection of materials about true Rosicrucianism as it has manifested itself in the course of history. There are copies of many prints that can be utilized as art work for the 21st century.

If you are currently collecting or playing Magic cards, I suggest buying this book if you dont have it NOW! It is filled w/ information, fully illustrated cards, interesting facts, playing tips, etc. Also, buy the Magic Encyclopedia Volume 1.

Great book of pictures of Mirage, Visions, 5th Edition, Weatherlight & Portal. Helps alot with viewing the cards for collecting.

Richard Garfield is the creator of Magic The Gathering card game. This book gives the reader an in-depth look into the game and shows the beautiful illustration that each card contains. This is a must have for all players and collectors of the card game.