The climate surrounding our contemporary search for spiritual realities and transformation is frought with restricting attitudes and resistance which come to us from our upbringing and social conditioning. Nowhere is this more true than when trying to deal, personally or inter-personally, with sex. Many people may find, as I did, a tremendous relief in finding this book -- a sound, rational consideration, free from traditional prejudice, of the subjects that arise in considering sexual behavior and its meaning in terms of spiritual development. This book is balanced in so far as it neither dwells luridly on the prospects of tantric sex, nor offers an easy "do whatever you like" assessment; rather, the whole is a sober, occasionally sobering, treatment, but one which offers real hope to the seeker by offering her/him a depth of understanding that I've never found on offer elsewhere.

Bennett's pioneering attempts to flesh out a structural map of human nature with the shared experience of his summer school class at Coombe Springs is persuasive in terms of the sheer clarity and handling of data alone -- psychology as an empirical discipline is harmonized with spirituality, Christian theology, Gurdjieff's study of man, Jungian thought, the child and developmental psychology of Piaget, and the largely ineffable experience of Subud. Still this is no grand theory so much as a work-in-progress exploration, which gives an open-ended sense to the reader's involvement as well. Some of the best insights here are mentioned seemingly quite casually, and each reading of this book seems somehow more surprising than the first. I should think this would be valuable research, not only to those involved in Gurdjieff studies or Subud, but also to students of psychology or spirituality in general. Somehow, I doubt that will ever be.

Not a biography of Gurdjieff, but an elucidatory analysis on the development and significance of Gurdjieff's ideas and how they relate to the modern world. Bennett does his valiant best to wade through the obfuscation of Gurdjieff's teaching, to make it as clear as is humanly possible, without surrending his master's conviction that any struggle for insight can only come at a huge price both personally and spiritually. The book reveals volumes of obscure names, concepts and vocabulary, that will require intense study on the part of the reader, and sow the seeds of debate. Still I am not convinced that Gurdjieff was much more than a guy who read some esoteric books and had a bunch of unrelated bits of wisdom to proffer. For one thing, Bennett shows us that all of Gurdjieff's stories in Meetings With Remarkable Men were mere fables - fictional characters created by G. to get a point across. Learning this took a lot of the wind out my assumption that G. was some kind of well-travelled mystic seer. Nay, no real proof is ever given that G. ever studied with, or even visited the places inhabited by, those secret orders he professed to know about. Thus, the more I learn about him the less I trust anything which comes straight from his mouth, which is not the way to instill faith in a student. Bennett however is straightforward, his approach to teaching being more suited to how we in the West interpret our world. For that I can say that I learned a lot that I would never have gleaned from either G. or Ouspensky. Bennett fortunately gives us the meat and potatoes of the final "meaning of life" according to Gurdjieff, so to speak, probably the most valuable aspect of the book. In the end ironically, while G's philosophy has lost much of its charm (not because ignorance is bliss, but rather that the substance of his viewpoint is hard to swallow - and still leaves questions unanswered), Bennett's plight and search for insight have piqued my interest enough to want to explore his writing in more depth.

This book offers well-researched background information on Gurdjieff and his ideas. A previous review indicated that this book either proves or strongly suggests that Gurdjieff's adventures as a "seeker" in the "Meetings" book were mere fantasy or fable. This excellent book by Bennett does not suggest this at all. But it does point out inconsistencies in terms of the specifics and does not hide the fact that exaggeration may have been employed in the retelling of Gurdjieff's travels. Overall: this is a well-written and thought provoking presentation of G.'s ideas, as well as the man himself.

This book covers some theories about how Gurdjieff recieved his knowledge. Specifically from Naq'shabandi sufi orders, and Tibet.

My personal favourite from Bennett...as Bennett was chosen by Gurdjieff, as one of the few people who could realistically carry on the "work", and "initiate" others.

Taken from the diaries of John Godolphin Bennett, a former student of Gurdjieff's. Documenting his travels through the middle east in the 50s. Visiting holy sites and searching for genuine dervish teachers. Bennett doesn't reach the quality and depth of writing evident in his autobiography 'Witness'. However there are some interesting comments on Islam and it's role in 50s society. Bennett does find a genuine dervish, in the form of Emin Chikhou; who evidences undoubted spiritual qualities, fixed within an orthodox islamic worldview. The way in which Bennett comes to terms with the dichotomy of Chikhou's sometimes inflexible religious beliefs eg. his belief that Islam, Christianity and Judaism are the only true religions, with Islam the superior of the three and his genuine selflessness form the core of the book.
The descriptions of the people and places of the middle east are competently described and hold the readers interest. Also Chikhou's teaching stories, which he relates to Bennett are interesting, reminiscent of Idries shah's storytelling.

Nobody was more able to write so clearly about the Gurdjieff work and about spiritual work in general than Bennett! In this book he really shows, how he took on the task to apply the "Work"
and he shows a very interesting insight into the islamic world.

Bennett's "road journals" of trips to Turkey, Syria, and elsewhere in the '50's make for an interesting observation of the man (these episodes are recounted in a more abbreviated form in his autobiography "Witness"), but also raise repeatedly the question of "times and seasons" as Bennett, hungry for spiritual guidance, is in turn inspired and exasperated by men of real wisdom who nevertheless remain very biased by traditional, even sectarian, perspectives. Those who puzzle over the current vogue of opposing religion and spirituality will find much for reflection here, as will those fascinated by Sufism and its place within the larger framework of Islam.

RE: A History of World Societies, Vol. B, by McKay, Hill, and Buckler.The following was taken directly from the pages of this text; chapter 14, page 460, last paragraph, left column:

'The average runner could cover about 50 leagues or 175 miles per day ' a remarkable feat of physical endurance, especially at high altitude ' but the larger the empire became, the greater the distances to be covered.'

I had always supposed that genuine scholars wrote textbooks, and that they were intended as works of non-fiction. Instead, this text is more akin to Paul Bunyan; it's a sort of South American version of American Folktales.

Upon reflection, I don't know whether the appropriate response is outrage at the ignorance of the authors, or amusement at the gullibility of the (what ' apparently sleeping?) editors. Is the ubiquitous filter of political correctness the only scrutiny to which textbooks today are subject?

In my view, this passage calls into question the reliability ' indeed, the credibility ' of the remaining information. If such fundamentally simple information as this is worthless, to what level of factual scrutiny were the socio/political ideas subject?

This extraordinarily well written book contains every essential fact with which we all need to be familiar. No other book on the market offers so much information at such a low price. Furthermore, the structure of the book facilitates reading and also makes it more interesting. Needless to say, many history books nowadays present biased accounts of historic facts (after all, it is a well known fact that winners write history books). This book, on the other hand, provides a relatively unbiased and balanced account of world history. I have read a number of history books but none of them is nearly as well written and well structured as this one. In my view, this book should be a part of every student's book collection. Highly recommended.

The book came in good cond.and on time!... Do business anytime..referred them to other classmates

John Bennet is one of a very small group of individuals who actually managed to 'get' some of what Gurdjieff was on about. In Deeper man he combines his insights into The Forth Way Tradition with his explorations of Sufism, Subud, and other Wisdom Traditions to present a number of independently valid systems or models of Cosmology and subtle Corporeity and their inter-relation(s).

Bennet, quite unlike many other commentators, never 'believes' in the models. He understands the functions and limitations of maps and mapmaking. If one comes away from a reading with no more than this one has spent one's money wisely.

Deeper man focuses on the nature of Participating in Reality rather than merely reacting to it.

Dive in!

There is such a vast amount of understanding offered here that one might easily read this book cover-to-cover nearly two dozen times and find fresh insight with each venture. I have. If there is any author that could communicate practical realities of the spiritual search and the work of transformation with Bennett's clarity and focus, I have never heard of him (and should very much like to). The theme of this book is the study of man -- that is, the worlds we inhabit both without and within, the various selves that can open us toward or restrict us from higher worlds or indeed, the higher parts of our own nature, the laws that consciously or unconsciously determine our behaviour, and the possibility of death and resurrection that we need to understand concretely if we are to be genuinely transformed. Permeated with the teaching of Gurdjieff, imbued with the influence of Sufism, this book speaks to that in us that yearns to journey toward a reality that transcends the limits of what our discursive reason can make sense of. It speaks FROM the life-long experience of a man who most certainly had journeyed far on that path himself. I treasure this book, though I recognize that it cannot likely be a popular one.

I used this book whilst studying my Diploma in Sales and Marketing and found it invaluable. It goes through the fundamental steps of selling and gives you great examples of companies different approaches to the selling environment. A must for all sales people who want to learn the basics of selling or those who want to brush up on their skills.

A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A PROFESSOR IN ZIMBABWE (UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE) WOULD LIKR TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE A TEACHERS RESOURCE BOOK, OR ANY SUPPLEMENTS TO THIS BOOK (SELLING - BUILDING PATNERSHIP)

Great photography and sculptures, but the writing style is fool's gold. Too expensive as well, even with the Amazon reduction. It's great but not that great.

as good as the book is, i must say that it pales in comparison to seeing his work in person. i saw some of it at the renwick gallery in washington d.c. and it's just incredible. he's come out of his shell in the last few years but has been producing great stuff for a long time.

nevertheless, the book is worth it. but if you ever get the chance to see his work, by all means do so. there was an interesting piece on him by the "sunday morning" cbs news show. you may be able to get a tape of it from them.

As a professor of Art History at an Afghani University, I would like to congratulate, extol, and exult Daniel Brush's masterpiece of a monograph. Its insight and vivid explanations are invaluable and I am discussing with my colleagues about including it as an elective course for my students. Its sheer brilliance exemplifies its utter domination over any other art book. Congratulations to Daniel Brush for enhancing the art world. He will surely go down in history as the pioneer of gold sculpting and as example for all.

I am currently reading this book. I am the mother of two children, 2 1/2 years old and 11 months. This book has been very helpful in allowing our family to gage where our 2 1/2 year old is developmentally. My daughter has known her primary colors and ABC's since she was 18 months old. As a parent, I want to understand what a solid based curriculum should 'look like'. We do not want our children to be 'bored' in school and Bennett provides a wonderful checklist of what a preschooler should know. He also outlines what we as parents can do with our children to foster their growth.

Our primary role as parents should be to nurture and teach our children. Too many parents today want their children to be taught by strangers and they want as 'little' involvement in their education as possible. Shame on them! The greatest gift in life is having children --- Our main purpose as parents is to foster their love of learning and teach them to be moral and upright citizens.

In our home, we have NEVER pushed our daughter to 'learn' her ABC's or 'learn' her colors. As an infant, I read to her and drew the letters on a Magna Doodle. After a few months of this, she was able to recognize her letters and colors.

Learning can be fun and creative. We sort clothes together and she loves to help me clean the house. Involve your children in your EVERY DAY LIFE!

I applaud these Authors for their insight in education and how we as parents need to be the PRIMARY source for their education!

As a member of a public school board of education, one thing I look for is parental involvement. I like to see large crowds at school board meetings. This book is a valuable guide for parents of children up to 8th grade. Bennett stresses parental involvement. Parents should get to know their childrens' teachers and inquire about the content of the curriculum. Much of the book sets forth what children should learn in each subject area in each grade level. I found the chapter on social studies particularly interesting because that is the subject area where "multiculturalism" and revisionism can most water down the curriculum. Clearly, we should not white wash warts in our past, but we should teach history in a positive manner, while recognizing that no culture, including ours, has a perfect past. We should teach our commonality as citizens without over empahsizing our differences. Parents should know what is being taught in schools and, where children are not being taught what children should know, the parents should be active in correcting the matter.

Bennett points out that the home, as well as the school, should be a center of learning. He gives examples of activities that parents can do with children to increase their learning. He also discusses dealing with difficulties that may arise in schools, such as disciplinary problems, etc. This book also discusses innovative and controversial issues such as charter schools, home schooling, how religion should be addressed in our schools, etc. I highly recommend this book and hope that it will spur parents on to close involvemet with their children's education.

From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly Former U.S. Secretary of Education Bennett (The Book of Virtues) and his colleagues (Finn, author of We Must Take Charge; Cribb, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education) offer American parents an impassioned and straight-shooting reference for educating their children. In prose free of academic rhetoric, the authors state: "[I]f your school is inflicting a mediocre education on your child, the sooner you know about it the better." They then present a "yardstick" by which to judge the academic quality of any school (public or private). A model core curriculum organized by grade level--primary (K-3), intermediate (4-6), and junior high (7 and 8)--presents the material clearly and logically, and helps readers assess whether a child is getting a thorough dose of English, history and geography, the arts, math and science. While blunt in their criticism of decaying academic standards (evident in grade inflation, lowered expectations for students and terrible international rankings), the authors are unequivocal in their support of dedicated educators and all those willing to hold children to the highest possible standard. Parents may question some of the model curriculum's expectations (e.g., that second graders dramatize the death of Socrates), but the authors are quick to reassure readers that the book's purpose is not to serve as a list of must-haves but rather as "inspiration and general guidance" in gaining a sense of "the knowledge and skills that should lie at the heart of a solid elementary education." Bennett is a controversial figure because of his passionate cultural conservatism. But this book, despite a brief word in favor of school vouchers, is about padagogy, not politics. It's an ambitious and commonsensical guide that will inspire both parents and educators. 100,000 first printing; 25-city radio satellite tour. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Yeah, okay. So it deals with ALL of the history of Western society. So what? Here is a book so lacking in actual substance I would recommend only warding it away with burning torches. Would you study Thomas Hardy with only the Oxford English Dictionary and selected cliff notes? No. And neither should you study history with this. The earlier sections take make a brave attempt, but by the time they reach the 17th century the holes start to show. The writing is mind numbingly dull, the facts skip about like smoke particles, the maps are incomplete and the graphs are simplistic. I found myself bristling with rage at the ridiculously inaccurate depiction of the 1919-20 Paris Peace Treaties and the whole description of the 20s and 30s. I simply doubled over with laughter at the attempts to find SOMETHING to say about women in the middle ages. Women were oppressed and did little, but listen to them and women were the entire lynchpin of order. The only true stroke of brilliance is their focus on individuals of each era and excerpts from primary sources. These truly round off each chapter and save this book from the scrap heap.

For the record, I am an 18 year old male studying for the AP European History test with this book. Thank the heavens that I knew something before wading into this book, and thank heavens for my teacher Ms Boyer. Otherwise I may have actually taken this to be about history rather than a stripped down factiod reel to designed for multiple choice essays.

This tome, actually intended to be a textbook (thus the very substantial price), is a wonderful read and great for refreshing one's "Western civ" knowledge after being out of school over 30 years. I've always enjoyed history and it helps to have such a reference as this which presents a cogent overview of events. Certainly the book can't be all things to all people. For those areas of special interest, e.g., the Celts, one desires to obtain more in-depth sources. However, this work accomplishes what it sets out to do, to present in a mentally-digestible chronology the flow of the most significant events in Western society and to make it interesting and fun in the process. The fact that the book makes a fine general reference for home or library is an added benefit, i.e., it is not a publication to be perused just the one time. This is one of the very best history books of its kind!

I don't know what you kids are talking about; this book rocks. Yes, it's somewhat general, some events are drawn in broadstrokes, there are simplificatios etc. etc., but how else would you manage to go from antiquity through the modern era in such short space? I defy anyone to name a better survey of Western history. Honestly, if there is one, one that isn't overly specialized and jargonistic, I'd be glad to hear of it. I used this book nearly 10 years ago and I still remember what it said about the defenestration of Prague, the development of "real Politik", and the Treaty of Versailles, among other things.