An exquisite book which binds architecture and literature to create a seductive affair.

Anthony Barrett has written another excellent biography. Livia is an historical figure who has been much maligned over time and effectively turned into a ruthless serial killer in order to see her son Tiberius as emperor. Reality is a different matter and Livia emerges as an intelligent, beautiful and caring woman whose life was generally restrained by having no official political position. As Augustus' wife, she could exert a great deal of influence but until he death, when she was adopted into the Julian gens and given the title name Augusta. Mr. Barrett has examined Livia's life in detail as the wife of the princeps, the mother of the second emperor, her role as a protector and benefactor and her public and her private life.

Among the bits of interesting information I found was that Livia gave an allowance to the Elder and Younger Julia's after they had been sent into exile that lasted for the rest of their lives. Also of interest was Livia's healthy habits, which included drinking red wine each day, and that she underwent grief management after the death of her son Drusus..

Mr. Barrett separates some more specialized discussions in the appendix, dealing with such topics as Livia's name and birth to Livia's relations with Agrippina the Elder etc. The book is invaluable for the detailed listing of sources of information about Livia, including inscriptions, sculptures, books and articles and a list of abbreviations of ancient authors and their individual works. In short, this is as complete a biography of Livia that we will have in English.

Like no-one else since Plato, Damiani brings the philosophic quest back to life. After having finished the book, one's heart is imbued with aspiration to self-knowledge. A most lively and inspiring book!

This book is the most well-written book on ghosts I've ever read. The author's general story-telling style can easily captivate the reader and leave him wanting more. The author is obviously well-read, a scholar who is very eloquent, and a splendid writer. His tales are memorable and haunting, not only because of the subject. His characters and their stories will linger in your mind. I've read many ghost stories, but this is the only book (on ghosts) I choose to own.

When one takes the initial steps of such an exotic trip as the middle east, a guide is needed to educate yourself on everything. Even the experienced traveler will find their trips to Europe did little to prepare them for the Middle East. This is why this guide does so much for the independant, and is so invaluable. Lonely planet has a history of helping people travel on a meagre budget, however gives a warm and caring introduction as to why indulging yourself occasionaly in the more expensive treasures can make your vaction. The authors expell the myths of all around violence in the region and firmly warns you where not to go. The religion and customs sections are so informative that I found myself prepared for the basics of Islamic life and ready to learn more. This book inspired me to take the unbeaten path and to still take in the wonderful tourist draws. Ive browsed through the two other major guides on the middle east, they dont compare to the thorough down to earth writing that Lonely Planet produces. Occasionaly, there could be more entries on Long Distance Travel (getting there and away) and there could have been more mention of the smaller budget tours that are offered in the region, however I still contend that this is the best pick for Middle East travel guides for all traveler of all Budgets.

This guidebook by the Lonely Planet was an excellent companion on my recent trip to India. The information was up-to-date and informative, yet never too wordy or boring. The "text-box" inserts were very entertaining while at the same time useful.

This guide is perfect for those traveling on a budget or those who want to take a "first-class" trip across northern India.

The maps in the book are very useful, as is the information about how not to get ripped off as a tourist. Highly recommended to everyone (of Indian origin or not) if you are contemplating a trip to India.

In this book, based on talks given to Swedish students, Anthony Damiany gives views on almost any everyday problem adressed by students, as well as in-depth probings of difficult philosophical and mystical topics. What is best about the book is that Damiany's replies are in plain language, and often very humourous too. Relieving is the absence of "New age" jargon. Instead the book is suffused with serious considerations on the challenges of being alive, not pointing out "easy answers", but provoking more questions instead. Damiani is familiar with the great traditions - philosophic, religious, and mystical - of the ancients, as well as modern applications of them. He ranges freely from Platonism, Neoplatonism and Christianity to Hindu thought, Buddhism and Taoism, among other traditions. Psychological issues are also adressed, as well as astrological. A book of rare width, combined with real depth. A "must" book for both the layman and the seroius quester!

An excellent insight to one of the most outstanding Architects from California. it's refreshing to see a body of work so well presented.

This is a very enjoyable collection of stories based on scripts from the original radio plays.

Basil Rathbone was a "softer" version of Holmes. The original Sherlock could be hard and unfeeling - a machine as Watson often describes him.

That probably didn't play to audiences so, by comparison, Rathbone is just mildly eccentric. He's far more tolerant of the inability of Watson and others to keep up with him than is the original Sherlock.

It's a little as if someone had found the dichotomy betwen Hamlet's magnificent spirit and his fatal flaw disconcerting and had rewritten Shakespeare's classic to make Hamlet just a typical troubled young adult struggling with newfound freedom and responsibilties.

And Nigel Bruce's bumbling Watson is largely comic relief and equally unlike the original Conan Doyle version.

But at least the original radio playwrights kept the two heroes in late 19th century/early 20th century England. I think that most of the movies that Rathbone and Bruce made were set during World War II. I mean, no one could be a worthier contender against the Nazis than Sherlock Holmes, but still...

The story of how Holmes and Watson first meet Moriarty is unconvincing, as is the portrayal of Moriarty, and equally unconvincing is how, in "The April Fool's Adventure", Holmes finds all of the clues that the pranksters leave for him to find but doesn't see how they were intended to point to himself as the culprit. His inability to recognize himself is bewildering, and he must have forgotten to use his magnifying glass to look at the calendar.

But so what? When a classic is changed for mass market effect, the result is often disastrous, but not so here.

The bottom line is that all of the stories are very enjoyable. For all of the merit of the original Conan Doyle classics, they were written as a disagreeable chore to satisfy the public's demand for a character that Conan Doyle himself had quickly grown tired of.

These stories were crafted with a lot of love and care, and that might be why the two main characters themselves draw more affection than do the original versions.

Our debt to Conan Doyle for bringing us Sherlock Holmes is incalculable, but equally incalculable is our debt to his contemporaries for forcing the author to resurrect the great detective from (what we were led to believe was) the bottom of Reichenbach Falls. Perhaps the public also deserves credit for rescuing Holmes's humanity as well as his life from the clutches of his original creator, and perhaps this kinder, gentler Holmes is an example of this second rescue effort.

And speaking of Holmes's life, the last story in this collection provides a plausible explanation (entirely consistent with the Conan Doyle concordance) of why Sherlock Holmes cannot die. Literally. That's worth the price of admission, in and of itself.

I thought it would be hard (and very unlikely) for Cross to top the Fourth Guardian, one of my very favorite novels. The Lost Guardian, its sequel, doesn't top it so much as expands upon it in a wonderful and wholly original way. There are still the thrilling fight scenes and unpretentious manner of the first book, but this one is more alnog the lines of the kind of novels that aren't written much anymore. Wonderful epics with beautiful prose. The opening description of a river and countryside is simply beautiful. Another incredible novel from Cross!