All the nuts and bolts you need to start writing like an expert copywriter. Without a doubt, The Copywriter's Handbook is the Bible of the copywriting industry -- and has been for quite some time.When I began my career as a freelance copywriter back in the '80s, I called several gurus and asked for advice. They all referred me to Bob Bly's material. When it comes to teaching the trade and explaining how to break into it, they said, he is king. And I agree.In this single guide, Bly takes you by the hand. He starts with the basics, explaining the purpose of advertising and copywriting in its many forms. He shows how to write winning headlines and body copy for ads, brochures, letters. He gives practical tips on writing for magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, commercial and non-profit groups. He includes tips for designing sales/promotional literature and offers good advice on using art. He gives numerous check lists for improving your copy. He also uses great examples from different industries to illustrate his points.The book is so rich and relevant in content I refer to it all the time. In fact, I have worned out several copies and often buy extras to give to colleagues and clients.One thing readers will appreciate about Bly and his work is his honesty. He's very objective and fair in his assessment of the copywriting business. He offers no hype. And his work is not filled with self-promotional rubbish. Instead, he comes across as a true professional, a real expert and simply a sincere man who actually cares about his readers. No wonder the book keeps getting raved reviews. It was also praised by the lengendary David Ogilvy and other great advertising giants.Another thing readers should note about Bly is that he writes from experience as well as research. Unlike many so-called experts who make their millions from seminars --with little or no experience in actually doing what they teach -- Bly is a working writer. In addition to being a prolific author (with over 50 books published), he makes his living writing winning copy for the top businesses in the country.If you want to learn and master the fundamentals of copywriting, don't waste your money on a $2,000 seminar/program given by a self-proclaimed guru. Instead, spend a few pennies and get this book. It's all you'll need.

Independent writing consultant Robert Bly cuts through all the hype surrounding promotional copywriting and `creativity', with a no-nonsense guide that covers everything.

I too am a copywriter and, for the first time, empathised almost entirely with what a fellow writer was saying.

You see, the subject matter is steeped in misunderstanding. What the aspiring writer needs to know is that almost all copywriting is about selling.

Robert Bly understands this, and communicates it well. He knows it's not about clever headlines; it's not about puns; it's not about abstract concepts. Yes, the copywriter is a salesperson - one who is paid by his clients to sell their products.

This book recognises this with a relish. It urges us to identify the USP (that which makes a product different and saleable) and to put it right up-front, to deliver simple messages that everyone can understand, and to write precisely for the intended audience.

Bly's comprehensive guide covers pr! ints ads, brochures, radio and TV commercials, direct mail and PR material. There are also chapters on getting a great job in an agency, and going freelance.

The only element with which I would take issue is Bly's somewhat dismissive attitude towards graphic design. I can think of many designers and art directors who would be hopping mad over Bly's comments about `fancy visuals' that don't add to the selling process, and about the limited value of white space. Surely someone who has worked so much with designers knows about their contribution to the `pickupability' of advertising material? A minor quibble, but a valid one.

As Bob explains, the goal of advertising is to make sales, not to entertain. Bob exposes this common error and offers many other copywriting techniques and tips in the book. He also gives some helpful information about freelancing.

I'm a technical writer (not a copywriter), but felt that this book had good things to offer. I think it also helped define my own style of writing.

If you are into freelancing and consulting, I'd also highly recommend his 'Six Figure Consultant' book. He gives a lot of good practical advice and seems to have a lot of experience.

One wouldn't think of a book like this to be the life-changing kind. But it can be. I read this books a few years ago, getting a copy in the strangest of ways. I read the first book and loved it. But this one is something else. Little I would know that I'd find myself on a trip to India and learning japanese fencing and solving Zen koans inspired partly by it. A very impressive close to the story, and I certainly regret there is no third installment on the series, for it would make a hell of a story. Historic timeline is sharply set aside, but it takes a history freak to check all the details out, so most people won't notice. Even better than the first, and the emphasis on spiritual experiences and growth is more marked in this book. The end is majestic and adequate to a marvelous saga. I almost hope to find a reference to a wandering japanese monk in Shea's next series: Saracen. It wouldn't be too hard.

This is a story that takes us through the lives of two young people. One is a fearsome warrior from a secretive monk caste who is born from a Mongolian father and a Japanese mother. His growth throughout the story, with having to deal with the struggles of not fitting into a discriminating Japanese culture, allows us to readily identify with him. The other character is a very young girl who is to be sent away from home to meet her husband, prior to her prearranged marriage. From there on it is a tale of Combat, Love, and Friendship against the backdrop of Feudal Japan during a war of the clans. The tides of war and betrayal then take our subjects to China during the invasion of the Mongols, and then back to Japan under the newly proclaimed Shogun, preparing to face the Mongol Hordes. If you are considering reading this series, stop considering and get it. You will want to reread them over and over. Monks, Samurai, and Mongols ... what else is there to say.

This is definitely one of the best books I have ever read, a story about love, war, tragedy, honour, courage - you name it this book has it. The book is so interwoven, a truly marvelous tale, the characters will always be with me (I know that sounds kinda sad but read the book and you will see what I mean). Beware however this is only book 1, and you do need both books to complete the story. Buy book 1 and you will be desperate to get your hands on book 2.

I don't think I've ever read a book that created beauty out of a post- nuclear holocaust setting- that is, before finding Robert Merle's "Malevil". There might be nothing beautiful left in rural France after Armageddon unless it is in the hearts and memories of its survivors, scattered and few. Emmanuel Conte, bonvivant and owner of a small horse stud, is one of these few and recounts the events of the first year or two after. "Malevil" is very French and therefore very unusual in a Genre that generally is even more American than the rest of SciFi

I'm so glad to read the reviews of others in regard to this wonderful book. Perhaps someone in the publishing business will see our reviews and reissue Malevil. I remember reading it many years ago -- probably over two decades -- and it's one of the few fiction books that I held onto. Usually I give away my fiction books.

I enjoy reading post-apocalyptic stories; I suppose it's a morbid fascination -- you know, what would I do in the same situation? Other books in this genre that I've enjoyed include Swan Song and War Day but Malevil is one of the most original stories in this regard. For one, it doesn't take place in the United States; it takes place in France on a wine estate (hopefully I'm recalling this correctly?) The characters who survive happen to be in the wine cellar at the time that the bomb is dropped. Robert Merle's imagination introduces the reader to characters and situations that are amazing in their uniqueness and visual vividness. There is also a love story that is like no other love story I've ever read. Touching, beautiful and original.

If the publishers are reading this, please bring this book back into print. It truly deserves it.

For years there have been 2 Reader's Digest Condensed Books sitting on a shelve, untouched and unread. Only recently did I flip through one, straight to Malevil, and decided to read it. I love horses but had not the slightest clue what Malevil was about so there were a few surprises that delt directly with myself. That was the first post-end-of-the-world book I've ever read and it will NOT be my last! I was intrigued enough by it that it took me two days to finish it all. If ever there was a book I think almost anyone can enjoy, it would more than likely be Malevil.

from Neale Donald Walsch (author of "Conversations With God")

I consider Robert Roth's book, '"The Natural Law Party: A Reason to Vote'" to be one of the most important books of the latter part of the twentieth century. It infuriated me. It enlightened me. I believe the Natural Law Party is the political mechanism of choice for decades to come.

I consider myself to be politically very well informed, but until I read 'The Natural Law Party: A Reason to Vote,' I had no idea how the Republicans and Democrats have blatantly and consistently violated the very spirit of our country's tradition of democracy for which they claim to stand, making it virtually impossible for Third Party organizations or candidates to effectively engage the American political process.

Having continually thwarted any attempt by Third Party candidates to present themselves to the electorate in a viable way, the two parties then assert that it is necessary to eliminate Third Party candidates from debates, joint television appearances and other forums and activities that should be open to all-by claiming that they are not viable candidates. The level of this hypocrisy is shocking.

That Americans have indulged this silencing of their voice for so long is the real shocker. I am certain that it is because most people do not know the extent to which their rights under our founding political mandate have been denied.

It might be argued that none of this would matter a great deal if we were all satisfied with our current reality, but when the vast majority of Americans are deeply unhappy with their political system and the values which run their government, not to be able to do anything about it produces a palpable national frustration, leading from disappointment to anger to apathy-and that is the death knell of any democracy.

We have run out of time on this issue. That's why I am supporting and joining the efforts of the Natural Law Party to reopen the American political process and reform the democratic system, to provide our citizens with true choice once again. I have chosen this particular party because I profoundly agree with the basis of its positions on the major issues confronting the human family -a basis in natural law.

To me the term 'natural law' means the ordinary and exquisite functioning of the Universe when it is left to its own devices. Can such universal life principles be applied in any practical way to a human system of politics and governance? The answer is, profoundly, yes. Indeed, it is the ignoring of such basic laws and principles which leads to our peril.

I am proud to take a political stand in America at this crucial stage in our history. Proud because the Natural Law Party gives me a party, a political philosophy, and candidates of which I can be proud-and with which my soul deeply agrees. It has been a very long time since I have been able to say that.

Robert Roth clearly articulates the political malaise affecting the American voter. If only half of the eligible voters who did not show up at the polls in the last election were to at last have a reason to vote, we could easily elect a Natural Law Party president in 2000. The "lockout" of new ideas by the two major parties as described in this book makes one realize that if the same undemocratic ballot access laws that are in force today had been on the books one hundred and fifty years ago, the Republican Party, which was the "third" party at that time, could never have elected Abraham Lincoln.

Abe Lincoln once called America, "the last best hope" for the world. Robert Roth's The Natural Law Party: A Reason to Vote - Breaking the Two-Party Stranglehold and Bringing Effective New Solutions to America's Problems may well be the last best hope for America and the world. The bottom line - even if you've given up on politics as a field of mud, blood, and influence peddling this book will send you back to the voting booth.

Roth's personal and powerful first person narration leaps off the page. As press secretary for the NLP, the fastest growing political party in America, he has stood on the front lines of third-party battles to reclaim democracy, and to regain third-party access to the ballot, debates, and airwaves. He begins by taking us there, and unmasking our democracy to be the most exclusionary and undemocratic of any on earth.

"...Republicans and Democrats have written the laws that grant themselves automatic access to the ballot. On the other hand, in 1998, a new party must collect over 5 million valid signatures to run a full slate of candidates nationwide."

This is only the first hurdle in an obstacle course built by the two major parties, and supported by the mainstream press. We hear harrowing experiences of NLP volunteers who, in 1996, faced unconstitutional opposition from the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Election Commission, and the courts (whose members are all either Democrats or Republicans) and still achieved ballot access for NLP candidates in fifty states. And we share in their exhilarating discovery that it is possible to meet the challenge of a nation in transition.

That transition from a world of disconnected, selfish, quarreling factions to one of purpose and unity, is profoundly described by the doctors, scientists, teachers, and farmers that Roth interviews. We learn how intimate "natural law" is to our lives from world-renowned Unified Field physicist and NLP Presidential candidate, Dr. John Hagelin.

"Everything we accomplish is achieved by applying natural laws," he says. ''We have the electric light courtesy of technologies that apply natural law, a man walked on the moon and a rover scoured the surface of Mars because of technologies that harness natural law, and we treat our sick with medicines that utilize laws of nature.

"The problem is that technologies can be used for good or for bad....With so much money invested in the research and development of new technologies, these technologies often get shoved into the marketplace before they are adequately tested for safety. To protect their investments, these industries also pour megabucks into the treasure chests of both the Republican and Democratic parties."

And the amazingly simple solution - the NLP's fool proof formula for assessing new technologies - only that they must work! It rings true even in sound bitten ears. Mike Tompkins, NLP Vice-Presidential candidate, and descendant of former Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, tells us why, enlightening us about our nation's natural law origins,

"... before the Republicans, before the Democrats, before all the other political parties there was natural law. One of the founders of our country, John Adams, called natural law 'the Great Legislator of the Universe.' And in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, in the very beginning of the document, derived our very existence as a country and also all our rights from what he called the 'laws of nature.'

"...Our founders believed that if we could gain knowledge of natural law, of how it operates both inside us and all around us, then we would grow as individuals and also as a nation."

For the facts about genetic engineering that few reporters are aware of or brave enough to print Roth turns to Dr. John Fagan, the leading molecular biologist who in 1994 returned $614,000 in grant money and withdrew proposals for $1.25 million more from the National Institutes of Health in protest of the direction in which genetic engineers are leading us. No fuzzy science here. Fagan delivers a jolt of the real stuff, exposing the real dangers inherent in manipulating a system which has taken millions of years to evolve.

Then another jolt as we learn that

"...the testing of genetically engineered substances at present is largely voluntary-more than 90% of genetically engineered foods are not required to be tested before they enter the market. Consequently, the details of the testing programs are left primarily in the hands of the developers-namely, the biotech industry. We've left the fox guarding the chickens."

Still, Roth lifts us up again with the story of the Mothers for Natural Law, Laura Ticciati's amazing nonprofit group that has formed an unprecedented coalition of statesman, scientists, doctors, clergy, farmers, and businessman to stand up to the biotech industry.

We hear leading physicians describe America's 'disease care system', a system that results in more than 3 million injured by medical mistake, and more than 180,000 deaths from 'correct practice' each year. But relief is in sight with our own body's inner intelligence and natural medicine quickly rising to become the new world standard with proven preventative measures and zero negative side effects.

Crime? Drugs? No problem. With powerful techniques like Transcendental Meditation, judges report addicts stay out of prison and off drugs, and the American Heart Association reports the neglected victims of crime , the elderly, become free of hypertension.

From schools that foster creative genius, to a global information economy that encourages perpetual learning, to a peacekeeping force that will make war finally impossible, Roth keeps the emphasis on powerful, practical, and proven solutions. The appendices, with a Fifty-Point Action Plan to Revitalize America and the NLP platform, are packed with solutions.

It's an invincible book and it will empower all who read it. Free of the Donkey and the Elephant at last, we could vote with our heads on straight this November 3rd! We now have a reason to vote.

This book is a great summary of the sinking and discovery of the Titanic. My 6 year old loved it as did his parents! I recommend this book highly.

Children will enjoy this book and the illustrations clearly depict TITANIC's sinking and discovery. My daughter pointed this book out to me in 1991. I was surprised to see my picture in it! ( I was one of the US Naval officers to accompany Dr. Ballard on his 1986 expedition to the site.)

I am in love with the great liner that took her first and last voyage over 86 years ago. Titanic's 45,000 ton body was built in Belfast, Ireland, and now rests two miles under the sea! For many, many decades the question was put, over and over again- where exactly is the great liner in the sea?The question (along with many other questions) were answered when Robert D. Ballard discovered the long lost ship. Ballard's book, "Exploring the Titanic" takes you 12,460 feet under water to Titanic herself. "Exploring Titanic" has wonderful pictures, graphics, diagrams and intense information. Even though it is written for about the age of 8, adults might find interest in the book as well. I would have given it a 10, but graphics are not as clear as they could be, and is written quite simply.

Despite the heavy emphasis on chemical negatives, this book's essentially a clinic on Adams' Zone System for contrast control. As such, it's still totally relevant for the digital age. If you're using chemical negatives, this book's an absolute must have.

Adams' attention to detail in testing contrast and resolution in various lighting situations forms the core of the Zone System and of this book.

Issues such as filtration remain the same today as they did with negatives. Although pushing and pulling film is carried out differently in the digital age, it's not impossible if you have even a modicum of exposure control (for instance, overexposing and lowering brightness will still yield lower contrast). And if you are into digital, you'll gloat at your full control of exposure tweaks beyond the one-dimensional control you get with timing chemicals in solution.

One thing that may be disappointing is the emphasis on black and white. There's a brief description of color, but it really deserves a book of its own. This is especially true for filtration and contrast control.

The three books in this series can be read independently, but together provide a complete clinic from positioning the camera to displaying a final print.

The book were Ansel Adams explains his well known zone system.

It is the best book of the three books of the series "the camera", "the negative", "the print". The camera book is more interesting to someone using a view camera. The print is more interesting for someone doing a lot of photography printing. But the negative I found it interesting for someone interested in advance photography and that wants to learn how to better control exposure. In that area this book is a classic.

It is not a simple book for a beginner, so if you are picking a camera for the first time and just want to know how to load the film there are better books in the market to fulfill with that purpose.

Ansel Adams expressed more with B&W then most can even DREAM of doing with color...

This is my second foray into learning the basics of exposure through the Zone System, and who better then The Master himself to lead. He has taken a fairly technical system and made it a breeze to grasp. No misleading sidebars or relationships here. Just the facts. Much better then my first indoctrination. No matter how deeply you wish to delve into his techniques, even a redimentary understanding of previsualization before exposure will improve ones photo making, even in color. An outstanding reference. The entire series, Book 1: The Camera, Book 2: The Negative, and Book 3: The Print are invaluable additions to a personal photography library.

A heart breaking and powerful book about the women and scientists who are pioneers in the fight to cure breast cancer. One of the first compelling and accessible books about how scientific progress influences our lives. It's an important book, one which I recommend to any woman or any person who has dealt with this devastating disease. I was reminded of "The Band Played On" which also showed the workings of a health crisis from a human perspective. Robert Bazell has written a beautiful and important book. I couldn't put it down.

I wish I had read this book last year. I ordered while my sister was being treated with Herceptin for a recurrence of breast cancer. Unfortunately, she died before I could get the book.

This book give real insight into the politics of cancer treatment - the passiveness of some oncologists, how an executive's own personal experience with a disease can determine if drug development will go forward or not, and how women are becoming more aggressive in monitoring their own treatment.

Bazell talks about the frustrations of critically ill and dying women in trying to work through the medical, academic and managed care maze to get the treatment they need.

This drug has been the 'magic bullet' for many women. It has been called the start of a new era is disease treatment. It is essential for anyone involved in this disease to read this book, to understand what they are up against and how they can help themselves.

This is the thinking woman's cancer book. If you are a science buff, cancer pioneer or a woman who wants to know what really happens in the world of science and drug revolutions, read this book.

It's well written, bitter-sweet and manages to be simulataneously scientific and humanistic.

I love Ringer's books. Though I've never met the man, over the years I have come to regard him as a kind of trusted advisor.

When I screw up (and that happens a lot) I can always pick up "Looking Out For #1", Ringer's previous book, and see why. Invariably, the cause of my failures can be easily traced to my lack of adherence to the "Universal Truths" found in Ringer's books.

These "Universal Truths", however, are found in just about every other book on success ever written. What makes Ringer special, then, is his humorous, no b.s. style of writing. He goes out of his way to relate his own failures in life--something few success authors do--with such self-effacing humor that you won't mind when he slaps you in the face to point out where you need improvement.

With "Million Dollar Habits" Ringer somewhat rehashes his earlier material--thus the four stars. He uses the time-tested technique of all successful authors in fluffing up a spin-off to his earlier works. Indeed, you will find that "Million Dollar Habits" feels surprisingly familiar to "Looking Out For #1", and it is.

Nevertheless, I will likely buy and read just about anything Ringer publishes. I need to hear what he has to say from time to time. We all do.

Million Dollar Habits is a book which will make you think about success and what it all means. The habits such as: simplicity, attitude, perspective, morality, human relations, drain people habit,present living, self discipline, and the action habit are habits that people face everyday. The book is packed with a lot of commonsense practical ideas which can only help anyone improve. The present living questions such as what do you enjoy? are an excellent way of oneself reflecting on what one wants. The perspective habit where Ringer goes to mexico with his pregnant wife and lands himself into some tricky situations is a moving experience. One of my best chapters is the human relations habit there are list of qualities which may be achieved with God in a persons life. They may be simple like compassion, discretion, genuineness, graciousness, refinement, responsibility, tactfulness, tolerance these are not your everyday TV qualities. There are many excellent examples where these ideals have shown the author that they are important. Reading Million Dollar Habits is worth more than the price paid. This is one of my best books the insightful ideas have inspired me to grow especially the action habit. I am surprised that this book was not put in audio form; furthermore all of Ringers books have not been released in audio. Their are blind people around who can only hear; moreover it is common for authors to use audio format. There was 'living without limits' which I have which has Million Dollar Habits ideas in it. Which is a great audio programme. Ringer is an excellent speaker one of the best I have ever heard. His new book 'Use Your head to Get what you want' will be interesting to read and I hope that is in audioform. I want to mention ' Thank you '

A lot in this book is very helpful. Ringer says the habits are simple. Well, if they are so simple, how come everbody doesn't follow them? But then I read the founder of Gateway (or was it Dell) Computer's quote when he was listed on the "Forbes 400". He was on that list as a billionaire. He said, "Business is simple. It's not easy, but it's simple." And it made me think of this book. Losing weight is simple. Even Forrest Gump could comprehend that to lose weight, you need to eat less than you burn off. But then 54% of the USA is overweight-to-obese, despite how simple it is to lose weight (it's just not easy). Well, same with this book. The rules related are simple, but not easy. And one thing that makes Ringer's advice something worth listening to is, he has messed up a lot. He made and lost a fortune twice, and was $1/2 a million in debt after the second time. But climbed his way back to wealth a third time. So that suggests his rules work. A lot of people get rich through luck. But if they went broke, they'd stay broke (as some do). But if Ringer can become rich three seperate times, maybe so can the rest of us. He messed up, but learned not to mess up, so maybe we can learn too.(He relates some of this in the "financial hurdle" chapter in his book LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER 1).

In this classic work, John Bunyan paints a detailed picture of the Christian life/walk, giving true-to-life insights and experiences. The despair, sorrows, trials and temptations that a believer may face are depicted in an allegorical manner, as well as the hope, joy, and salvation found in Jesus Christ. The main character Christian (once named Graceless) sets out on a lifelong journey from the City of Destruction, where his family disowned him, and encounters many persons and difficulties along the way to the Celestial City (heaven). The characters he meets are given names that reflect their mindset or what temptation they bring. At times he stumbles and at times he perseveres, but all by the grace of God. The second portion of the book tells of the conversion and subsequent sojourn of the wife (Christiana) and children of Christian. The discussions of Christian in the first part and Christiana and her companions in the second part are very interesting, as they defend their faith and explain their purpose to those they meet along the way. The book is quite different from your ordinary novel, and has many interesting words of wisdom for the Christian life. Readers should be aware that some of the language is antiquated and has unfamiliar usages, so its a little bit of an adjustment to read.

A letter to Marvin Minsky about this book:

I urge you tolook at a remarkable book by the English Puritain John Bunyan(1628-1688), "The Pilgrim's Progress", which is one of the great evangelical Christian classics, though clearly that is not why it interests me and should interest you (although I AM interested in the puzzle that is the religious sense, which even the irreligious feel, and this book can give remarkable insight into that as well).

Rather its fascination lies in the pilgrimage it depicts, or in the fact that human traits, vices, virtues, &c are PERSONIFIED as particular individuals who are their living and speaking epitome, and who are encountered along the way in revealing situations.

Bunyan's hero is appropriately named Christian. Someone once wrote that "Christian's journey is timeless as he travels from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, meeting such characters as Pliable, Talkative, Giant Despair, Evangelist, Worldly-Wiseman, Faithful, Ignorance and Hopeful."

At first this personification is merely amusing, even a bit annoying (as caricatures or truly stereotypical people can be); but after a while I found myself enthralled because I realized that the effect of this odd literary device was to give unmatched insight into the nature of such traits. The force of the whole thing comes from the fact that one journeys about in - literally INSIDE of - what is both a comprehensive and finite moral and psychological landscape (a "psycho-topography"), very much as though one were INSIDE the human mind and your "Society of the Mind" was embodied in the set of actors. This is more or less the opposite or an inversion of the 'real world' of real people, who merely SHARE those attributes or of whom the attributes are merely PIECES; in "Pilgrim's Progress", by contrast, the attributes are confined in their occurrence to the actors who are their entire, unique, pure, and active embodiment, and humanness, to be recognized at all, has to be rederived or mentally reconstructed from the essential types.

The effect, for me, was something like experiencing a multidimensional scaling map that depicts the space of the set of human personality types, by being injected directly - mentally and bodily - into it by means of virtual reality technology.

So Bunyan's book has something of the interest to a psychologist, neuroscientist, or philosopher that Edwin Abbot's "Flatland" has to a mathematician.

I don't mean to overpraise "Pilgrim's Progress", of course; it was written for theological rather than scientific purposes, and has conspicuous limitations for that reason. But its interest to a student of the mind who looks at it at from the right point of view can be profound.

- Patrick Gunkel

Pilgrim's Progress is without a doubt one of the true classics of time--an allegory that has remained a best seller years after its introduction.

My first introduction to Pilgrim's Progress was as a child in parochial school. I had to do a book report on it in 5th grade and ended up reading numerous times for various projects throughout grade school.

The reader follows the main character--aptly named "Christian"--on his journey to the Celestial City.

Along the way, Christian passes through the many trials of life, symbolized by intruiging characters and places along the way. An early temptation is the "City of Destruction", which Christian narrowly escapes with his life. The various characters are perhaps the most fascinating portion of the book--Pliable, Giant Despair, Talkative, Faithful, Evangelist, and numerous others provide the reader with a continual picture of the various forces at work to distract (or perhaps, encourage)Christian on his ultimate mission.

Of course, the theology (for those of the Christian faith) of Pilgrim's Progress is a constant source of debate, the book is nonetheless a classic of great English writing.

It's not a quick read--that's for sure--however, I certainly would recommend that one read it in its original form. Don't distort the beauty of the old English language with a modern translation.

The late professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge University, C. S. Lewis wrote his Christian apologetics in a popular style. In his book on miracles, he states that "logical thinking--Reason--had to be the pivot of the argument." Indeed, in chapter three, "The Cardinal Difficulty of Naturalism," he depends so completely on the contention that human reason can only be explained by invoking the supernatural that he bets the farm upon it. I will also briefly repond to Micah Newman's review in which he attempts to rebut my observations of difficulties in Lewis's argument.

What Lewis points out is that a belief caused by a "logical consequent from a ground" is an entirely different cause than the "non-rational causation" to which Naturalism is supposedly limited for giving explanations of events in the world and in people's heads. Moreover, he explains that a physical cause is not a valid ground for an inference. For example, we do not consider as valid the conclusion that unicorns are real if the evidence for them is the experience of someone whose brain is chemically dosposed to having hallucinations of unicorns. As Lewis succinctly puts it, "To be caused is not to be proved." Therefore, according to Lewis, the difficulty of explaining rational thought from "non-rational causation" justifies us in concluding that its cause is actually supernatural, thus opening the door to the miraculous. However, his argument suffers from at least three serious problems.

First, although he is right that a logical ground for a belief is not the same kind of cause as "non-rational causation" and although he is also right that a belief being physically caused would not mean that it was proved, it does not follow that having a physical cause would ipso facto prove falsehood.

Secondly, the same argument for the supernatural cause of rational thought may be applied with equal utility to irrational thought. For in both cases, we are equally ignorant of how to give a full account, in terms of "non-rational causation," of the natural brain functions involved. Shall we conclude that our cognitive errors are also caused by the supernatural? If so, then our supernatural source is either unreliable or even malicious--necessary conclusions that will obviously be unwanted by proponents of miracles.

Thirdly, Lewis appeals to our partial ignorance of the mystery of human consciousness and rational thought, and he uses this ignorance to support supernaturalism and the miraculous. Micah Newman contends in his review that I have misunderstood and misrepresented Lewis's argument here. However, for Lewis's case for miracles to not be an appeal to ignorance, there must be examples of faculties of the mind that are not brain-dependent. Neither reason nor moral judgement nor any other function of the mind can be shown not be brain-dependent. As is obvious from books like that of neurologist Richard M. Restak's "The Modular Brain," change the brain and you change the person--even "spiritually."

Moreover, appeals to ignorance cannot prove the existence of the supernatural. For example, it would obviously be erroneous to conclude that the acceleration of a car by merely pressing a small peddle was miraculous just because we were too ignorant of electrical and mechanical functions to explain it from natural causation. By the same token, without knowing everything about the natural functions of the human brain in the process of creating rational thought, we have no rational validity in jumping to a supernatural explanation.

What his book proves, therefore, is not that we now have rational grounds for belief in miracles. What it proves is that miracles have always been believed not on rational grounds but by the faith that "is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). For although his argument fails to prove supernaturalism, belief in it nevertheless continues.

Anyone who thinks that C.S. Lewis only wrote children's stories, fantasy and science fiction tales probably wouldn't be reading this book anyway. But if they did, they would find a book written by one of the 20th century's great thinkers. "Miracles" begins with an early quote that sets the tone for the rest of the book: "What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience." Two experiences or worldviews are contrasted - the Naturalists who believe that nothing exists except Nature, and the Supernaturalists who believe in something beyond Nature. Lewis spends quite a bit of time examining the two views. Readers may think that too much time is devoted to this subject before getting to a discussion of miracles themselves, but the time spent is a necessary foundation to everything that follows.

How exactly do you define a miracle? Lewis defines a miracle as "an interference with Nature by supernatural power." Lewis then presents many questions. Are miracles in contrast to the laws of Nature? What exactly ARE the laws of Nature? Are exceptions possible? How does probability fit into the discussion of miracles? Later in the book, Lewis focuses on three categories of miracles: The Grand Miracle (God becoming man in Jesus Christ), Miracles of the Old Creation (miracles of fertility, healing, destruction, etc.), and Miracles of the New Creation (miracles of reversal, glory, resurrection). This last portion of the book I found to be the most fascinating as Lewis examines several specific miracles from the Old and New Testaments.

"Miracles" is a relatively short book, but properly read will take a little time to read. Take time to absorb and contemplate each chapter. Lewis left us with a lot of things to think about here, regardless of your worldview. You may not agree with everything Lewis says, but it will cause you to think long after you've closed the book.

Not the best place to start if you don't consider yourself to be a first-rate thinker (Lewis' own _Mere Christianity_ offers some of the same arguments on an easier-to-digest level)... but if you're up to the challenge, I cannot recommend a stronger argument in favor of a fully supernatural Christian philosophy. NOT an attempt to explain the whole thing away as an allegory, as many so-called "apologists" do. NOT an attempt to use the Bible as a starting place, as many so-called "apologists" do. Lewis begins with only one assumption--one that every thinker uses for every theory ever attempted on any subject--and from that position carefully weaves the most detailed and skillful argument in my experience showing the existence and character of God. An extremely challenging book, especially for sceptics of Christianity, but one which they owe themselves to read (if nothing else, it will increase their faith in their own position and strengthen their mental habits!) This is the book which got me through college; and, next to the Bible itself, the most important book I've ever read. Note: if possible, order an edition printed after 1960, as the late 1940s edition contains a few logical errors which were later corrected. If you need help understanding the book or its arguments, feel free to e-mail me at the address above (flamemail, though, will be promptly deleted... honest criticisms will be attended to.) Good books to read after completing _M:aPS_... the New Testament itself (New American Standard or New International Version is probably best); Lewis' _Mere Christianity_; and then Lewis' _The Problem of Pain_.