This book has absolutely nothing new to add to the existing knowledge base about the history or background of the SS.

Matter of fact, there were quite a few inaccuracies and falsehoods, that one must wonder if it was sloppy work or intentional. This was written by someone who was far removed from the subject and just rehashed a lot of old news and old propaganda.

If you want to read a book that panders to those who love to hate the SS, then this is it. For serious students of the subject, look elsewhere.

Its very lacking and he does a lot of guess work instead of putting down historical accuracies. Stick with Soldiers Of Destruction, i found that a book worth reading over and over again.

Before I say anything anything else I want to let everyone to know I HAVE NOT read this book. Obviously the reader above was either misinformed of mislead by this book. The totenkopf division was formed at the beginning of WWI in Honor of Emperor Francis Ferdinand's assasination. The name totenkopf originates from the skull and cross bones on his coffin at the time of his burial. It is true that 1 regiment of the totenkopf was involved with concentration camps, but the division was mainly a frontline unit the entire part of the war. Fighting in the BoF (battle of France) then on the eastern front for the majority of the war.

The Game of Go by Arthur Smith is not a good choice for getting someone started in the game. The examples are of poor quality and confusing. Like the book by Lasker this is primarily of historic interest - it was written many years ago before good introductory books were available. Better to start with Go for Beginners by Iwamoto or the introductory series by Janice Kim. Also the beginning book by Cho Chikun. For teaching young children look at Milton Bradley's book (the go player, not the game company).

Compared to the introductory books on Go written by professional players such as Janice Kim, Kaoru Iwamoto and Cho Chikun (and my apologies to anyone I left out), this book falls short in every important way. Somewhere inside it is everything a first book on Go should have, but the presentation is tedious and windy.

A century ago, this book and those like it were the only resources available to Westerners learning Go. Today, there are far better books on the market. Buy some of them.

There are some very good insightful books about Go. This is not one of them. It was written in a time when there were really no good Western Go players. This book muddles the game and loses sight of the key elements. Look for other, better books on the subject.

This book is a complete disappointment. I did not read one sentence that was intriguing. I think I could have learned more from reading basic research web-sites on the Internet. I could have written a better book after my first year in college. I would not recommend buying this book...it was a complete waste of my time and money.

Please tell me something new! "Customers are important" is a cliche we all know. Needless to say, all this book essentially does is repeat the obvious and adds little to one's ability to effectively compete for clients. I was surprised as to the generic nature of the advice. To get customers, you cannot rely on a business consultant's slogans.

Yeap, "Customers are important". Try NOT to be a customer for this unimaginative, bland and mind-numbing product.

Mike Wing has written a terrific how-to-get- started manual for the small business owner/operator to the corporate executive! This large book in a small cover is a stimulant for the thinking manager or owner who believes in the value of serving and listening to her or his customers. True, the answers are not in Wing's book . . . but, if they were, this classy treatment of why and how to get to know your customer would be a heavy volume and many times the price. As the owner/manager of a market research firm that specializes in customer service research, I can tell you that this book is right on the mark! A must read for anyone who is serious about business and customer service!

I bought this book because there was a good plug on the back from Bruce Sterling, and he's usually interesting. But I don't know what he was thinking; maybe he was stoned. In fact, I am at a loss to explain any detail of this book's existence without supposing that everyone involved was seriously impared in one way or another.

Here's a sample paragraph, from page 83:

"As for the technocrats? They have long ago blasted off into hyperspace, filled with sad, but no less ecstatic, dreams of a telematic history that will never be theirs to code. An evangelical class, schooled in the combinatorial logic of virtual reality and motivated by missionary consciousness, the technological class is already descending into the spiralling depths of the sub-human. It wills itself to the will to virtuality. In return for this act of monumental hubris, it will be ejected as surplus matter by the gods of virtuality, once its servofunction has been digitally reproduced. In Dante's new version of the circling rings of virtual reality, this class operates under the sign of an ancient curse: it is wrong, just because it is so right. For not understanding the virtual hubris, it is condemned to eternal repetition of the same data byte."

And that's one of the clearer paragraphs.

The endless stream of sentences that parse, without actually saying anything, eventually put me in the mind of "travesty generators" -- computer programs that, given a set of phrases, and a passably complex grammar for combining them randomly, can spew out infinite amounts of blather, just like the above. For example:

"If one examines social realism, one is faced with a choice: either reject the neoconstructivist paradigm of narrative or conclude that the collective is capable of significance. Therefore, the subject is interpolated into a postcapitalist sublimation that includes art as a reality. Any number of narratives concerning textual objectivism exist. 'Class is intrinsically dead,' says Sontag; however, according to Scuglia[1] , it is not so much class that is intrinsically dead, but rather the failure of class. In a sense, Lyotard promotes the use of postcapitalist sublimation to deconstruct society. The subject is contextualised into a predialectic capitalism that includes language as a totality."

That paragraph was generated by a computer program.

And that program didn't even need a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, as /Data Trash/ says that it did.

Whatever ideas (as opposed to mere themes, which is all I can find in most of the book) of worth that there might be in this book are buried under prose too turgid to imagine.

The questions need to be asked, true. Our society's fetishization of technological progress and free markets need to be challenged, and that is the best role for the Krokers and similar critics: poking the hornets nest and seeing who gets stung.

But there is bigger question when studying Data Trash, Hacking the Future and the Krokers' other techno-dystopian tomes: does all this jargon and rhetoric actually add up to anything? The Krokers are great at stirring the pot, but seem to have some fundamental misconceptions about the nature of technology and how, in a practical sense, it is accepted or rejected by people.

contrary to the prior reviewers, and despite my heavy training in university level (hons) british-style analytic philosophy, i found their book incredibly interesting, particularly their concept of the virtual class, a concept i've already written (crystal clear) papers on, one prior to kroker et al., and one in response. i believe they have much to say, but like most postmodern writers, get swamped in "blather" as the other reviewer called it, and spew out lots of characterisations of internet culture while disregarding clarity. but this is nothing new for postmodernists. it's quite conventional, in fact. they substitute philosophic rigour for flair. IMHO, if you're interested in internet as a cultural phenomenon, you MUST read this book. even if it displays some technological ignorance and a lot of lack of rigour. i found it fascinating, but turgid....

Being a long-time Seattle-dweller, and even longer-time Western Washington native, this book irritates me. The author hasn't spent enough time in Seattle to truly appreciate the wonderful things about the city, not to mention he consistently dates both himself and the text by referring to events/people/places that are no longer in rapid use in the Seattle vernacular/mindset. Seattle is about MORE than coffee, grunge (ugh.. could that irritating phase have passed more quickly?), Microsoft, Boeing and rain. I'd recommend the Fodor's and Lonely Planet series to anyone who really wants a good feel for the city. Fodor's may be snooty, but at leats it's up-to-date instead of dated.

I very recently relocated to Portland, and getting prepared for my move I went searching for guidebooks. Since the title word "Irreverent" caught my eye, I was thinking this book would be a great "insider's look" to Portland and its quirks.

Now that I am living in Portland, I found that this text lacks severely in the "insider's look" aspect. I would especially NOT recommend this for younger people like myself. This "insider's look" is definitely not geared towards my generation. For example, the flannel and torn up jeans look is so outdated, yet the author writes about Portland fashion like it's a crime to not look like you just rolled out of bed. For much better insider's info, pick up a free Willamette Week when you get to Portland.

This guidebook does have its merits. It is written more personally than many guidebooks, it's easy to follow, and it has its humorous moments. However, you can find better (and free) technical info (where to stay, how to get where you want to go, best bets for visitors, etc.) at the Portland visitor's website, or at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. For a good guidebook for "Generation X", and those about to relocate to the Pacific Northwest, I would highly recommend Best Places Portland. It provides much more detail and I find that the price guidelines are super helpful for people like me living on a limited budget.

Had I relied solely on Frommer's Irreverent Guide to guide me through Portland, I believe I would have been completely lost upon getting here. Save your money for a movie and a beer at a McMenamins theater.

Though I appreciated its humor, this book was a little lacking on some of the basic necessities in living in Portland. The sections dedicated to parks and recreation, for example, don't mention as much as you would want. On the other hand, it gives excellent background, trivia, and local interest facts. It's a fun book, but if you want something a little meatier, I recommend the City Smart Guidebook of Portland by Linda Nygaard.

The worst part about this book is that it [draws] you in with reasonable looking cover models. Origamists have thirsted for a great castle for years; this one is definitely a mirage that will leave you parched.

Once inside, however, prepare for the worst looking, worst locking, and by far the worst folding.

You could make better people by crumpling aluminum foil. The castles are nothing more than poorly-locking, crease-ridden bands of paper...

I had brought this book expecting it to be a good book. However, I found out that the models needed more than one sheet of paper and would require gluing and cutting which totally turn me of. Obviously if you don't mind these kind of things and don't want any challenge then this book is for you

There are some confusing directions (such as the difference between a "connector" and a "sleeve"and when and/or why to use each when assembling the castles). My son loved the castle I made, but I'm sure he doesn't realize the hard work involved in making what for him is a big paper toy. Still, it was a worthwhile project for me and I'm glad I tackled it. I never made any of the figures, so I never experimented with laminated papers. Maybe another time...

I had to read this book for a Literature class I am taking. I found it difficult to read. The characters names were often so similar that you were confused about who was who.

I did think that some of the stories had cute references about how things came to be (i.e. the story about the Chop-Sticks).

Unfortunately, had I not been forced to read it for class I don't think I would have read further than the first couple of stories.

This book, which won the 1926 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature, is a collection of stories about the Chinese told as if they were folk tales (however, I have later discovered that they may not be true folktales but Chrisman's original stories). I didn't really care for them and I wouldn't recommend them strongly for children today. But, I'm probably in the minority with that viewpoint.

This book was a collection of Chinese folk tales for children.A few were cool,but some were boring.If you love newberrys or folk tales,you'll like the book.I only read it cause I like newberrys and hope to read them all.Also they sometimes use Chinese words and tell you what they mean,but the sentence won't make sense.

Drawn by the copious and attractive illustrations, I picked up a copy of this book, which promised to educate me about a process and period of European history that I knew little about. I had heard the word "Counter-Reformation" used in college history courses as well as seen it in many a history book, but had never really managed to grasp what it referred to. I thought that A.G. Dickens' THE COUNTER-REFORMATION would be the ticket. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Every page is packed with names, events, and terms referring to schools of philosophy, church decisions, titles of men, and titles of books, the sum total of which is to lead the reader to total confusion. Furthermore, as it is obviously a rush through the whole subject, you seldom meet any of these names again. A chapter is enough to send you reeling. I wonder for whom the author wrote the book ? If it were for specialists, this book is obviously too thin, too quickly paced, and without documentation. No, it was not for them. So, I suppose,(and also because it is one in the series called "Library of European Civilization") it must have been meant for the general reader like myself. The result, I fear, is quite appalling. Why should anyone try to punish themselves by reading this book when there are so many excellent histories in other areas available?

The Counter Reformation, by A.G. Dickens is certainly not for the uneducated and does require an extensive vocabularly to read with ease. However, in relation to other books on the subject, it is one of the lighter works. The pictures are fantastic and the book is of high quality. Dickens is quite objective in his representation of the counter reformation and links it in with Luther and Calvin quite well. This is a scholarly book, though also an overview rather than an in depth study. Dickens provides a helpful discussion at the end of the book to interact with the reader on all that he has read.
Not for the faint hearted, but if interested in this particular it is worth adding to your collection of others on the same topic.

This book is a good idea. But there is room for litterature that can tell the same in a more lively way with far fewer words. ...or can tell four time as much with the same number of pages. - The language of most of the authors is such that you wonder WHY they have chocen to say what they attempt to tell in such flowery ways. After a paragraph it's hard to remember "What did he try to tell me now." It's easier to think: "Yes. I can see that you have learnt a hole lot of words, and adjevtives in particular." - I have found litterature about the same topic, put in a different language that manage to do this far better. In fact I've found public reports that with regards to the ability to convey a thought is far more readable.

I had a much harder time getting into this volume than the two previous ones. It is far more limited geographically in that about 90% of it is about France and it is also edited rather poorly: many of the chapters are chock full of vague generalizations that require far more historical knowledge than I had to evaluate them (my failing, perhaps, but also an indication of the level of the book). Finally, many of the chapters were far less fun than the ones in the previous two volumes.

That being said, there are absolutely wonderful nuggets embedded throughout the book. This is, afterall, the era when the individual emerges en masse from the "community" mentality of the middle ages, as the absolutist state (and its embryonic legal system) replaces the more relationship-based bonds of feudal communties. This had innumerable consequences, including the development of public schools on a widespread basis and a sense of justice as administered by the state rather than by a feudal lord who demanded personal loyalty.

THere are also many episodes within this that make for great reading. For example, there is a whole chapter on the development of accepted manners for the middle classes and even below, based on those of the court but also on books on etiquette such as one written by Erasmus himself, which astounded me as I learned its various editions were influential for over 300 years on wuch topics as acceptable table manners. THere were also chapters on charivari - a kind of moralistic razzing of newlyweds that combined extortion and youthful exuberance, carried out as they were (sometimes for months) by amoral thugs! Even the notion of childhood - of the child having a distinctive personality with his/her own requirements and needs - was developed in this period. ANd of course, there is the growth of the practive of friendship by choice, so rare in the middle ages, rather than via kinship ties or feudal obligation, which had subordinated most feelings to the survival of the extended clan.

Nonetheless, these delightful chapters are buried in many dull and poorly written ones that were a terrible slog to get through. I was very disappointed by this, having loved the volumes on the ancient world and the middle ages. Perhaps it was marked by the death of the founding editor. I will try the later volumes, but worry they will not measure up. The title is also misleading: this volume is less about the Renaissance than what followed, that is, the period of religious wars and the development of absolutism.

REcommended to those willing to make the effort, but not for the casual reader.

Man: Hello. Come in to my small Parisian apartment overlooking the river.
Woman: I can't stay but a minute.
Man: Come closer...take off your corset.
Woman: You're pretty fresh, you are.
Man: A kiss!
Woman: Somebody might see!
Man: We can go somewhere private.
Woman: It's too far...my sister...
Man: Cognac?
Woman: I'm not thirsty.
Man: Stupid thing! My treasure!
Woman: You're tearing my chemise...oooh...
Man: I love you! Let's screw!
Woman: No! Oh, okay.

Later -

Man: (weeping)

Woman: What's your name again?

The play is composed of 10 scenes, and the subtitle of the play is "ten dialogues". In Scene One, a prostitute and a soldier meet up and he attempts to seduce her. She arranges to meet him the next day, but they immediately have sex on a riverbank. His face is hidden. The soldier treats her callously. In Scene Two, our soldier is with a maid in a park, he seduces her and they have sex. Again, his face is hidden. He treats her like an animal. He moves on to the next woman.

In Scene Three, our maid is at the home of a young gentleman. The gentleman and the maid have sex, then the gentleman leaves. In Scene Four, the young gentleman and the young wife have sex. (she is married, but not to him....) He makes elaborate preparations before the encounter. They make a big deal of their relationship. She says that she loves him. They plan to meet again.

In Scene Five, our young wife and her husband are present. Husband tells the wife how hard it is to be a man, how sexual insecurity must be overcome before marriage (what a trial!). The wife challenges him on his double standard. She calms down and they have sex. He tells her everything she wants to hear. In Scene Six, the husband entertains the sweet young miss. In a dining room, no less. Of course, they have sex. The husband is challenged on another double standard. He wants to know if the lady is married, but she isn't supposed to have the same curiousity. He calms her, and she warms back up to him; they plan to do it again in a more private setting.

In Scene Seven, our sweet young miss is busy with a poet. The poet acts like an artistic type. They profess their mutual love. They have sex. He says that he is Biebitz, and he says that he's not. She doesn't care. They act like they are in love. They part. In Scene Eight, our poet is actively romancing an actress in a country inn. The actress is difficult; she makes the poet leave, call up to the window, then he returns to bed. She puzzles him with a riddle, then, in a shocking turn, they have sex. The actress and the poet then bicker about plays, acting, and performances.

In Scene Nine, our actress meets up with the Count, this in the actress' bedroom. The Count is a pompous braggart, but that doesn't stop them from having sex. They are both happy with it and decide to do it again. In the final scene, the count meets up with the girl of the streets (from scene one). He is sitting on the sofa; she is in bed. Apparently, they have already had sex. He acts as if he doesn't believe that he's done it. He tries to advise her on her career and way of life, then reflects that all women are after money. He decides that he likes the honest approach, and announces that he will return. As the count leaves, he and the maid trade greetings.

The playwright apparently was making fun of the Viennese sexual code of the day, which must have been a sort of "everyone does it, but no one talks about it" scene. He portrays a society of shallow narcissists, interested only in pleasure and the maintenance of appearances. Along the way, Schnitzler challenges several assumptions regarding sexual behavior and gender.

I suppose all this was scandalous and forward-thinking for early 20th century Vienna, but it's boring and predictable now. The dialogue of the play is often interesting, but it doesn't rise above interesting in most of the scenes.