"Lyrics of Lowly Life," by Paul Laurence Dunbar, was first published in 1896. It was a milestone in the too-short life of Dunbar (1872-1906), a pioneering figure in African-American literature. In his introduction to "Lyrics," William Dean Howells notes that Dunbar portrays African-Americans "with humor, with sympathy, and yet with what the reader must instinctively feel to be entire truthfulness."

Dunbar's poetry generally falls into two groups: those written in a "high" literary English, and those which reproduce American vernacular speech (the "dialect pieces," as Howells calls them). Dunbar's gift is that he excels in both modes. He is adept at using a number of different meter and rhyme schemes; the best of his poems achieve a musicality and technical proficiency that compare favorably with the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

Yes, some of his poems seem quite dated today. They are often excessively sentimental and sometimes tediously conventional. But "Lyrics" is also full of some really outstanding, thought-provoking pieces. Consider "Frederick Douglass," a stirring tribute to the great African-American writer and activist; Dunbar follows 9 stanzas of iambic pentameter in an ABABCC rhyme scheme with a concluding ABABCCDD stanza. (Indeed, I find half the fun of reading Dunbar to be analyzing his diverse poetic structures.)

In poems like "Song" and "Ode to Ethiopia," Dunbar shows a pride in the African-American people. And although some poems seem to present a romantic, sentimental view of slavery, consider the brilliant "An Ante-Bellum Sermon": this "dialect" poem satirically demonstrates how Black slave preachers managed to subvert the racist biblical interpretations of the slavemasters.

Other outstanding selections include "Religion," which envisions a humanistic faith; "The Spellin'-Bee," a longer narrative poem of small-town life; "The Colored Soldiers," a tribute to the "gallant colored soldiers / Who fought for Uncle Sam," and "When de Co'n Pone's Hot," a celebration of traditional soul food.

Dunbar's poetry can be seen as a forerunner for the work of such American poets as Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. And for a fascinating complement to Dunbar's poetry, read the poetry of his American contemporary, Stephen Crane (1871-1900); "The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane" have been edited by Joseph Katz. To sum up, Dunbar is a poet whose life overlapped the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but I believe that he has something to say for contemporary readers and scholars.

I was first introduced to the works of this remarkable poet in my American Literature high school class . My favorite and first Paul Laurence Dunbar poem is We Wear the Mask, and I have found that the rest of his poetry is just as honest and as well as heartbreaking. I would recommend this book of poetry to anyone because it does not just show the tragedy of slavery and effects on the soul of racism, but also represents the feelings of ostracism found anywhere.

But what book about Machaivelli could possibly be sufficient? Only "a commentary consisting of many volumes" could accomplish that.

Nonetheless, this book is almost sufficient for understanding The Prince. One can only hope that de Alvarez is busy preparing a commentary on the Discourses.

Cosimo: send me an e-mail. I would love to discuss this book with someone who knows what he's talking about.

Leo Paul deAlvarez has finally released the book that many people have been eager to read for the past several years. Called the "Master of Machiavelli" by one of his students, deAlvarez has the uncanny ability to discern the many strands of the artful web of writing woven by the wiling Florentine. When we see that Machiavelli's primary audience are those thinkers who came after him, we begin to see the magnitude of his enterprise. He seeks to rule all those who come after him by keeping them ignorant of classical thought. Just how he accomplishes this task is now more exposed because of the work of deAlvarez. Dogmatic Pocockian Republicans will be aghast, but so will those who fail to see that the true evil of Machiavelli is his obfuscation philosophy.

Cosimo Rucellai

An Irish poet who has become, or must be becoming, an American poet does more than bridge the Atlantic with this grand work, singlehandedly with it he redefines American literature. Monticello through Lewis and Clark to Chomsky, Detrrida and Hawking, he, phrasing in its final lines, "...has sent a shiver, de dum, de dum,..." The poem's complexity pushes the sum of all Western tradition from the Classical Greeks to sinter in the American crucible. It is a poem about our history.

Even as a longtime fan of Muldoon's, expecting a certain amount of obscurity, I found this book-length poem unexpectedly difficult. The text is studded with obscure historical and poetic references, no doubt intentionally producing a constant feeling that one is missing some of the point. But the sheer virtuosity of the work more than makes up for it -- the profundity and humor it provokes in its reader, the formal and technical excellence, and the sheer hubristic ambition of it all. (Who writes book-length poems anymore?) Muldoon is perhaps the greatest living poet writing in English, Nobel or no Nobel. Do read this.

Paul takes his readers back in time and lets us be a part of the family togheterness as they prepare their holiday decorations and hunt for the perfect Christmas Tree. There's the teasing of a big brother, and the scheming of a well-meaned father. What a surprise the entire family gets whe it really is Santa that appears through the magic telescope. The magic doesn't stop there, however. The telescope disappears! What is found in its place is a treasured keepsake ornament that Paul has kept in his family ever since. It's a token reminder of what happens when we keep our childlke faith and we truly believe.

This book takes me back to when i was a child and how my brother laughed at me for still believing in Santa Clause. It reinforces what my father told me many years ago, "Great things happen to those who believe". This book has become a favorite to both me and my son who insists that i read it to him every night. I would highly recommend the Magic Telescope to anyone who believes in the magic of Christmas.

Sad to see that Paul Pearsall's books are out of print. I found this book to be a great influence on my life during a time of change and search for meaning in 1992. Reading is easy and Pearsall gives a convincing perspective on how we fit into the universe and connect with others. I hear that Pearsall has since faced further medical conditions and he continues to stand by his spiritual convictions. He does some public speaking and hopefully will write again soon ! Whatever your religion or spiritual beliefs, you will enjoy reading the books of Paul Pearsall. Share this book with a friend when you are done.

The 1991 review is harsh and unfair to say nothing of patronizingly ignorant! Many people today not only know about some of the principles of new physics, but are searching for ways to utilize these principles in business, relationships and health. In spite of the opinion of the reviewer, Paul Pearsall DID experience something unexplainable and he tries to make sense of it in a way that is ahead of his time in '91. I found much of what the author suggested to be of interest and comfort as I search to understand reality and my role in creating it. This book is a song of hope and love. And I'm glad to see Paul Pearsall continues his excellent work.

Dr. Robinson was a professor of mine at the university. He has a real understanding and love for children. This book is applicable and comprehendable to everyone. I think every parent or anyone who deals closely with children should read it.

I don't know why it's out of print. It's WONDERFUL.

It has great ideas on Natural Methods of Parenting. It shows how to train kids to do what they should do. It shows ways of training them to quit doing things they shouldn't do.

This book is written by a man who practices what he preaches. He has two children, but has also taken in MANY foster children over the years (even violent ones), and the methods he teaches in the book work just as well on the difficult foster kids.

--George Stancliffe

Anticipating the defeat of the Third Reich, Reichsleiter Martin Bormann set up 750 corporations in neutral countries, primed as vehicles to receive the liquid wealth of Germany in addition to patents and other proprietary industrial information. An organizational genius and the real power behind Hitler, Bormann, known as the "Brown Eminence", successfully fled Europe for South America and administered a "Reich in Exile" in the years following the war. With remnants of the SS as an enforcement arm, former Gestapo chief General Heinrich Mueller as security director, the 750 corporations as a base of economic power and the willing silence and cooperation of the Western Allies, Bormann guided his organization to a position of consummate power. One banker quoted by Manning termed the Bormann Organization, the "world's most important accumulation of money power under one control in history". Controlling Germany's major corporations, the Federal Republic itself and much of Latin America, the Bormann Organization also maintained a formidable circle of influence in the United States. Paul Manning has written the definitive text on the Bormann Organization.

Manning worked with CBS radio during World War II in London as a member of the elite Edward R. Murrow/Walter Cronkite team. As part of his coverage duties, he was the only member actually allowed to fly on U.S. Air Force missions as a fully functional crew member. Having qualified as a gunner, his flights included B-17 missions with the 8th Air Force over Germany and several B-29 missions to Japan. On behalf of CBS, he broadcasted the surrenders of Japan and Germany. In 1948, along with fifteen other distinguished war correspondents, he was awarded a medal for his reporting of the unconditional surrender of the Germans at Rheims. After the war Manning continued his journalistic profession and also served as a speechwriter for Nelson Rockefeller.

Several decades after WWII, Manning stumbled across the U.S. military CSDIC (Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centers) interviews of members of German industrial and banking magnates in the US National Archives. Aghast at the findings, Manning set out to write a book about the secret machinations of Nazi money laundering. Unknown to Manning, the manuscript was a stake in the heart of former CIA director Allen Dulles (brother of Allan Dulles) who represented many German interests on both sides of the Atlantic during the 1930's and 40's through his law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell with offices in New York and Berlin. Upon the German surrender, Dulles was instrumental in quietly recruiting Hitler's chief intelligence officer General Reinhard Gehlen and many of his key operatives. They were brought to Fort Hunt, Virginia and folded into the American O.S.S. which was converted into the C.I.A. with enactment under Truman of NSC-68 in 1948. Gehlen remained covertly in full U.S. employ until returning to head the German BND in the fifties.

Concerned over public exposure of Manning's investigation, Dulles volunteered to "help" the unsuspecting Manning with his manuscript, and sent him on a carefully orchestrated wild goose chase, searching for Martin Bormann in South America. Without knowing that he had been deliberately sidetracked, Manning wrote a forward to his book personally thanking Allen Dulles for his assurance that "I was on the right track" and "should keep going." In actuality, Dulles' assistance was aimed at sending Manning and his manuscript into obscurity to avoid disclosure of the transfer and protection of Nazi money.

Through its connections with major American corporations, the Bormann group successfully pressured publisher after publisher to decline Manning's manuscript. Of particular significance in the suppression of Manning's book was the Thyssen family.(patriarch Fritz Thyssen was Hitler's earliest and most prominent backer among German industrialists) His grandson, Count Zichy-Thyssen, who controlled Thyssen Steel from his base in Argentina, let it be known it would be very much appreciated if American publishers "stayed away" from the Manning text.

Manning finally found a home for the book at the maverick publishing house Lyle Stuart. In retaliation, the head of the publishing house had his legs broken the week the book was released and reviews of the book were blocked in major newspaper markets and mainstream publications. In 1993, after another decade of intense research, Manning's son Jerry, was senselessly and inexplicably murdered. Based on information garnered from his contacts in the intelligence community, Manning concluded the killing was in retaliation for his continued work and intent to publish a follow-up book, "In Search of Martin Bormann". The death of his son devastated Manning and stymied completion of the 2nd book. He died shortly after in 1995.

In December 1998, California-based researcher and broadcaster Dave Emory conducted a live, on-air radio interview ... with Manning's surviving son, Peter, concerning the Bormann flight capital organization and his father's work in bringing its activities to light. Peter movingly recounted the difficulties his family experienced as a result of his father's work on the book. In addition to surveillance and harassment, the family experienced economic and mental hardship as a result of deliberate efforts by elements hostile to its message. For obvious reasons, copies of this book were assiduously removed from market and have, for some time, been unobtainable. This landmark work nonetheless remains the unvarnished truth regarding Germany's post-war economic rebirth and lays the groundwork for understanding its current bid for dominance in manufacturing, banking and most importantly, publishing. "Martin Bormann: Nazi in Exile" is without peer in detail, accuracy and courage in probing the most important and successfully concealed story of the twentieth century. Mandatory reading.

one of the most disturbing and truth filled books. read this and you will never backdown from the facists again.true grit.

I found this work to be an extremely thorough examination of Pope John Paul II's views, thoughts and teachings that helps shapes contemporary Catholic thinking.

Antoine Nachef has a true vision into the Catholic faith, this book has incredible insight into the philosophy of Pope John Paul II and his ministry, it is an excellent read and only superlatives can adequately describe this magnificant work. As a former student of Nachef I have read all of his works and they are wonderful and Mary's Pope is no exception, an essential read for the faithful Christian.

i couldn't say that you will "learn german" from reading this, meaning that you'll speak like a native...but it is quite the handy reference. for anyone who's studied german for more than a few minutes, you know it can be a bit tricky in places... this book helps distill the difficult parts into easi(ER)-to-understand charts, examples, etc.

I found this book a great starting point for learning German. I am learning the language for the fun of it, and this book is great for beginners. It covers all the basics thoroughly, but quickly, and proceeds on to more complicated subjects in grammar clearly and in a logical order. There are lots of tables, which I find very helpful in sorting new information. It also distinguishes all English text in black ink and German in red ink, also very helpful. So many books seem to jam a ton of information into a book in no particular order, basing chapters on real life situations. I found this frustrating because I wanted to learn WHY and HOW a sentence is structured, not just how to say popular phrases. I would definitely recommend this book for serious beginners.

This book is the best guide to FX markets and the corresponding instruments. The book structure and contents are extremely well planned and written to provide not only a beginner with first hand knowledge, but can be a good refresher for others.

This book is a definitive masterpiece.