This is the first time that I have been asked to review a book that is simply unintelligible. The trouble lies with the author's allusive, non-linear style, where rigour and clarity are needed. His writing style is so jumbled that it is impossible to tell what, if anything, he is getting at. The range of material he refers to is unmanageably vast, but he is a long way from being in control of it. Surprising connections are made, but he seems unable to think clearly about them. The result is pretentious and bizarre.

I note that the "blurb" on the dust-jacket makes no attempt to summarize what the book is saying, neither do the prestigious people who have provided endorsements. I suspect that neither they nor the publishers could follow the book any better than I could. There may be short-term puzzlement about how Routledge came to publish such an unsatisfactory manuscript but, beyond that, it will surely sink without trace.

With such an incomprehensible book, it is hard for a reviewer to begin to indicate what it is about, but one central idea seems to be that of "live metaphor". There is no clear definition of the concept, but Gibson seems to be suggesting that much discourse in both cosmology and theology consists of "live metaphors". There are indeed interesting issues about how these two disciplines are radically metaphorical in similar but non-identical ways. That, I suspect, is the issue that the author was trying to write about, but it can't be clarified by a book of this kind. I certainly cannot recommend it. - Fraser Watts, University of Cambridge

God and the Universe by Arthur Gibson (Routledge) combines incisive interpretations of the latest scientific theories of the origins of the universe with an unparalleled understanding of their religious and philosophical implications. In tackling head-on the highly charged issue of God's relevance to contemporary cosmology, the breadth of Gibson's perspective on his subject matter is amazing: from virtual reality to the meaning of life and from Aristotle to Stephen Hawking. Books like this do not come along very often. I suggest one take a couple of mornings off and read through it. God and the Universe will provide some important novel perspectives about how things can mean from the smallest to the largest and how perhaps best to go about learning more. God and the Universe is a preliminary exploration to suggest strategies to discover ways out of this impasse, conceived as the first of a series of books. It displays many limitations: does the book cover too much ground and too many subjects? Gibson does not engage with Hegel, and is content only occasionally to treat Kant. The book addresses Aristotle's Poetics, rather than, as one might expect, his Metaphysics, and instead attempts to construct metaphysical problems out of our contemporary astrophysics, without introducing the significance of the reception of Aristotle's thinking into Christian theology. But, however one assesses, for example, Kant's contribution to `faith and reason' and `God's relation to the world' debates, the effect of systematically commenting upon Kant's great opus, or other seminal authors, is to be regulated by the controlling notions of relevance and commentary to which they subject us, and to which they have been subjected. This is not a whim by which one denounces or discards such authors, but to attempt, however imperfectly, to stand as far as is possible independently of these histories of influence and to think afresh. Yet to ignore them is both impossible and to delight in alienation. Gibson has tried to produce a different sort of use and this avoidance of authorities. The learning is staggering and can leave one wondering what are Gibson's premises. Still this read is pure adventure that many will find plenty to think about, even if the details eventually take us in different directions.It's an important read.

Arthur Seldon uses Abraham Lincoln as an example of a leader who believed in limited government, "of the people, by the people, and for the people". In actuality, Lincoln lead a failed government attempt at state railroad building when he was in the Illinois legislature. He instituted the first conscription in the United States, and the first income tax. He lead the charge of an unconstitutional export tax on Southern cotton and then an actual blockade. He intimidated the Supreme Court and executed Union soldiers for sleeping on duty. Seldon should do a bit of reading about Lincoln before he uses him as an icon for small government. I, personally, was so turned off by the introduction that I couldn't bring myself to read the book.

Collaboratively written by American economists Gordon Tullock, Gordon Brady, and British economist Arthur Seldon, Government Failure: A Primer In Public Choice is a cold, unforgiving look at governmental economic policies, ranging from how American special interest groups lobby reap enormous and destructive favors, to the manifold disasters that have come from British governmental interventions in the economy. A caution about he concentration of power promoted by the European Union rounds out this stark, scholarly, and persuasive treatise. Also available in hardcover (193086521X..,), Government Failure is strongly recommended reading for students of Economics and Political Science.

There is a lot of misinformation in this book and the contents should not merely be accepted on face value.

A fascinating and insightful look at the retailing business from a true champion of change- Mr. Arthur C. Martinez.

Does this book come with a dinner or what? I think i'll check out the public library or just sit back and wait for the movie...

I have read and grown quite fond of this book, it is the moist in depth, wonderful collection of Hudson River photography I have ever seen ! I highly recommend this book to anyone who would be intrested in a photographic tour of one of the most beautiful and history filled rivers in existance.

This book is okay if you're into community theatre, but I found that it consists mostly of cutsie little stories about their most cherished performers, who have long since left the stage. This group would do better to publish a book that summarizes their G&S style rather than focus on their "accomplishments" and nothing else.

A very interesting look at a musical theater company. Would that more cities had groups like the Lamplighters.

This is billed as the history of Moeller Van Den Bruck, the man who's book "The Third Reich", inspired Hitler.

While this book had some potential it falls down on the lack of basic material. Stan Lauryssens reveals in the last pages that all of Moeller Van Den Bruck's papers were destroyed at the end of WWII. This explains the structure of the rest of the book - a brief guide to the world in which van den Bruck lived and died. The result is that you only get brief glimpses of the man who was supposed to be the centre of this book.

It's also my opinion that Lauryssens also takes Otto Strasser (the so-called Anti-Hitler Nazi) altogether too much on his word.

Yet for all of this, it is an interesting book to read. For anyone interested in Weimar and what happened to it, it's worth a look.

I am not a book reviewer. I am not a great historian either. But I am a reader, an anybody, "interested" in history rather than a history scholar. I had (and still have) not read the book "The Third Reich" by Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, so I did not know first hand what to expect here.

Bottom line: This book is a study in character. It is not the biography of just one man (AMVB), but two: AH as well. Brilliantly, maybe even unconciously, this work reveals what I believe the difference was beetween AH and the rest of the people of his time, as exemplified by AMVB. The ideas between AMVB and AH did apparently not differ very much, yet the personalities do: human bevavior, "morals", versus absolute wild and barbaric, in-human ruthlessness. AH could kill a lifelong friend without loosing a second of sleep over it, AMVB was plagued by depression (consience?) and killed himself. History (and politics) is all about character, not about philosophies. The story of AMVB puzzles, it is tragic drama of classical a stature. The picturesque and minutely detailed szene descriptions capture the readers imagination, the reader literally lives through early 20th century Berlin and Vienna. Yet, it this, this all to human picturesque in stories about AH that could easily make one forget what a mass murderer he really was. This is the danger of such a book. It tells a story from eyewitness accounts (O Strasser, a black shirt!) and personal (the authors) imagination; it describes the philosophy of the absolut inhuman from a perspective all too human; hence it cannot claim to be objective or entirely truthful. It can only tell a story, like a novel writer does. It is work of fiction in an unfictious world. A puzzling story, yes, but how much of it should we really believe?

This book is in French, but Amazon didn't let me know. I have read the English (original)edition and thought it was great.

I love this book so much that when I travel it goes with me wrapped in plastic and I like to know it's at the bottom of my bag, the best antidote for a delay at an airport or boredom on a long flight. It's so readable and amusing and informative and funny, yet profound and moving at the same time. It's a marvellous potted history of the arts and who was who and who became who from the end of last century to the end of this. It should never be out of print.

Misia knew how to live, and seemed to have such fun and style whilst doing it, captured beautifully by the authors. They make Misia live again, and with her Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Picasso, Chanel [especially Chanel] to mention but a few. Don't take my word for it, get hold of a copy and read for yourself.

I wish I could rate this book with no stars! It's full of mistakes, inaccuracies and incorrect assumptions. The book cover depicts a picture of the Shah next to the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This would be the same as putting the picture of President Bush next to the flag of the Taliban. It's truely an insult.

In addition to the above mistake, the book is riddled with amatuer errors, such as listing Russia as a current neighbor of Iran. Any current map would illustrate that Russia no longer shares a land border with Iran, after the break up of Soviet Union.

There were too many mistakes to keep track, so the overall conclusion is how could one trust the author's reporting who can't even get the basic facts straight.

Despite that I read the book quickly, only to be additionally disappointed by the inability of the author to at least try to understand a nation with 2500 years of written history, of which only the last 24 years are without a king. It's difficult to take any of author's reporting unbiased or culturally sensitive. A great propaganda book for the Islamic Republic of Iran!

I thought this book did a tremendous job of telling the story of a controversial figure without taking sides. I found no factual errors to speak of--the other review posted mentions that the book refers to Iran's border with Russia, but it's referring to it's historic relationship, not it's current status. Propagandists for the Shah and the Pahlavi family will probably be angered by the book's references to the Shah's human rights abuses, but I thought the author did an excellent job of backing up her claims. It's well-written, and it treats it's audience--young adults--with respect. To accuse the author of being pro-Islamist is to completely miss the point of her arguments. She writes passionately about the tragedy that is modern Iranian history, and I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the region.

The by line for the book should credit Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and their colleagues. The most writing done by Minton or Shipka is the brief introductory paragraph (or sometimes sentence) before each essay written by great philosophers. The book has it's uses in entry-level courses but considering the average reader is a college student whose attention span is limited if the material is not provocative to read, the text's usefulness is greatly reduced. College professors, pass this one up.

For five years I have used the five parts of Philosophy: Paradox and Discovery to grow student minds. During this time, I have reviewed many other introductory philosophy texts. I can find none I would rather use. The strength of this text is that the powerful readings are organized by the five major philosophical questions of contemporary inquiry. Most other texts offer an array of readings by philosophers with no organizing themes. Also, the authors' statements of "Paradox" which introduce the parts, and their statements of "Problem" introducing the chapters/readings provide the student with the overviews and specifics of the readings. I heartily recommend this text for introductory courses, and to anyone interested in beginning or continuing the joy of philosophical inquiry and mind-expansion.

I was not too impressed with this mystery novel. The mystery plot, for example, was a little weak, and it was evident rather early in the novel who the murderer was and his reasons for committing the deed. I also found that most of the characters were not that well developed at all -- in fact the murderer's character was a little more developed than the rest! But only by very little, and I'm really sorry that I've let the cat out of the bag with this piece of information.

I also kept getting side-tracked by all the famous (or infamous)personalities that popped up all over the book. For example, in the first chapter Beatrix Potter is despatched from the offices of the Youth's Companion in tears by the boorish behaviour of the soon-to-be-dead editor, Samuel Bassett. And I found to my dismay that I was not really following the plot so much as keeping an eye out for further such personages to creep up!

What I truly liked about this book was the descriptions of London during the winter and the Trafalgar Square Riots of 1886. Ms Rogow not only described this event masterfully but she also provides the reader with an intelligent and informative background to the event. I also found the subtle manner in which she presented class distinctions -- the way in which she portrayed the impact of these riots and what it meant to different people of different classes -- admirable.

This was not a badly written book (especially from a historical point of view); it is just a pity that so many other things got in the way of a more interesting plot that could have saved the book.

In 1886, Reverend Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, introduces his friend Arthur Conan Doyle, a wannabe author, to his editor Mr. Samuel Basset. However, the children's editor rejects Doyle's stories even as he discards a work from a budding Irish writer named Wilde and a drawing of a rabbit from a Potter as pathetic junk. Basset is simply an ill-tempered individual who upsets everyone in his path. Dodgson turns irate when he learns that Basset sold the first printings of Alice for personal profit and not for charity as the author demanded.

However, his anger cools when someone kills Basset. The police feel the odious editor died due to Labour Riots that rock London. Dodgson thinks otherwise. Drafting Doyle to assist him, Dodgson begins to investigate the murder of the evil editor, especially when a second murder occurs and Wilde is the prime suspect.

THE PROBLEM OF THE EVIL EDITOR is an entertaining who-done-it due to the homage paid by Roberta Rogow to her heroes and other artistic giants of the late nineteenth century. Though lacking suspense, the story line remains fun because of the interplay and wit of the cast. Readers who enjoy historical fiction and fans of the two lead protagonists will enjoy the third Doyle-Dodgson collaboration (see THE PROBLEM OF THE MISSING MISS and THE PROBLEM OF THE SPITEFUL SPIRITUALIST).

Harriet Klausner