In an age of diminished expectations, this book remains a source of hope. A strong argument is made that politicians do not infact define an era, nor are they the fount of understanding.

If you think you would like to be a writer, you need to take a look at this book. Two past masters of the English language (Kipling and Churchill) apparently sang its praises. You can't finish the first page without nodding your head in agreement.

You will learn many things in this book which are new, and many things which are true. As an example, I will give "the Usage," a new concept for me, but one which embodied the unwritten law or constitution which supported peace in Europe. It basically says that peace will be upheld by the five Great Powers. They are not obliged to right the wrongs of another State. They are not obliged to fight a war where there is no hope of victory. But if a smaller state is being wronged, and that wrong presently or in the future imperils the interests of a great power, and if there is hope of victory, that power MUST intervene and restore the European peace.

Kinglake cites Prussia's failure to help Austria combat Napoleon as a negative example, where Prussia failed to follow "the Usage." The result: Prussia lost stature, lost moral suasion, lost its own war with Napoleon, and then vanished from the roster of European states.

One wonders if "the Usage" has expanded to the world sphere by now.

Excellent reading, and highest recommendation!

I was a former student of Chester Finn's at Vanderbilt and a big fan of his writing. This along with Senator Lamar Alexander, is an extremely well written and interesting book. Gives a perspective that many should consider. I highly recommend it.

Don McNay...

"The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant" is a project begun in 1962 for the purpose of publishing all the known letters written by Ulysses S. Grant. Volume one was published in 1967 and there are now twenty-four volumes in the series. People who follow Grant's career are aware of the inestimable value of this project. The Papers contain all known correspondence written by Grant and letters received by him. The editing of the series is unparalleled and the volumes represent primary source material at its apex.

Those who believe Grant was a "drunkard" or a "butcher" should read his own words, which show Grant's humor, pathos and unique personality. Masterfully edited by John Y. Simon, these volumes are a "must have" for anyone with an interest in U.S. Grant as a general, a politician and as a man

A vast oceanic current is named after Humboldt, and it's not for nothing. This comprehensive multi-volume tome is thoroughly entertaining. The inquisitive insights of Humboldt are well worth contemplating.

While I read it many years ago, it's something I won't forget. The vivid anecdotes Humboldt recounts make this work a veritable page turner at times.

This edition of Pope's work is very, very good. Included are all the major poems, a good selection of the minor poems, and some of Pope's best prose. Also, the edition is edited by Aubrey Williams, a Pope critic with genuine stature and ability, who knows Pope better than any of the editors of more recent editions. This book is an excellent selection for anyone looking for a one-volume edition of Pope.

The more you know about psychological theories and Winnie-the-Pooh, the more you will enjoy this book. Dr. Williams blasts away with tongue-in-cheek satire aimed at the psychologist's belief that everything that is said, thought, dreamed, and done has many layers of significance. Unfortunately, that approach means that your enjoyment will be modest if your knowledge is correspondingly limited in either area. If you know little about psychology and have not read Winnie-the-Pooh, you may not get most of the humor in the book.

In Freud-like fashion, Dr. Williams begins by descrbing the case for Winnie-the-Pooh being a super psychologist. The thrust of this argument is that Winnie employs every method ever recommended by any psychologist or psychoanalyst somewhere in his fictional adventures. In fact, he often combines them in a single fictional encounter.

The book then recounts seven cases and Winnie's role in them.

Case 1 -- Pooh Cures Christopher Robin of Arktophobia (fear of bears)

Case 2 -- Pooh Assists Piglet to Mature

Case 3 -- Pooh at His Most Eclectic with Tigger

Case 4 -- The Problem with Rabbit

Case 5 -- Parenting: Kanga and Roo

Case 6 -- Wol's Problems with Communication

Case 7 -- Eeyore: A Case of Classical Depression

The cases are written up like Freud's with the exception that they are illustrated with many drawings from the original Pooh stories.

As an example of the approach, the book Winnie-the-Pooh opens with a reference to his living under the name of Sanders. That is never mentioned again. Dr. Williams provides a lengthy argument in favor of this meaning that Winnie-the-Pooh is describing himself as the Sand man, the bringer of dreams. This is an indication of his role as psychotherapist.

In the famous story where Winnie eats too much honey and cannot get out of the hole in the tree, Dr. Williams reinterprets this as Winnie-the-Pooh making an example of himself to discourage others from overeating rather than using aversion therapy on them.

To put this prescience into context, Dr. Williams points out that the Pooh stories date in the 1920s. In the text, he finds "frequent anticipation of theories and practices which more plodding psychologists arrived at much later."

I don't know about you, but I didn't think much about Jung when I read Winnie-the-Pooh. Obviously, the references were too subtle for me.

Those who have experienced psychotherapy will probably find humor in the observations made about Winnie-the-Pooh that they may have heard applied to themselves. Could the observations be equally apt?

This book is best enjoyed by a roaring fire on a cold night with a warmed snifter of brandy, and savored slowly.

After you have finished the book, you might consider the many instances where novels do show ways to solve psychological problems through their fictional developments. Could it be that we can use fiction to be our own therapist? Or, is someone else the therapist? If someone gave you the book, perhaps they are the therapist. If so, is the author the propounder of the theory . . . or is the character?

See the possibilities for humor in pomposity everywhere!

An great text about the Orthodox Church in Russia under the Communist regime. Excellent use of primary sources allows Alexander Webster to tell the whole story, pointing out key players, and specific examples.

I highly recommend this text for anyone interested in Russian, Christian, or Orthodox, history.

-JZG

I bought this book some 20 yrs ago and find it to be the absolute authority for those wanting to build their own longrifle.My copy is right next to my gun bench and is referred to many times during the construction of one of my rifles.If you must decide between two or more books to buy on the subject , this is the one. Tim Hamblen- Secretary, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

This is really a great book on respiratory care. In many areas it beats out Egan's RC except for sections on mechanical ventilation and neonatal chapter. It has an excellent section on cardiopulmonary diseases(as does Egan's RC)and a chapter on mechanical ventilation for neonates and peds. One section that needs to be improved is cardiopulmonary A&P, which was done pretty much vaguely(Egan's has great section on this area). Also the first section is just too long (important area, but not that important to be included in a major text; needs to be shortened from 200 pgs to less than 50 and use that space for improving MV, cardiopulmonary A&P, and neonatal chapters). This book also has great illustration in 2-color and basically it is a great book; mainly for RT's, but has many sections that can be of use for med students ,nurses,docs and so on. Highly recommend.