The categories of the sublime and the beautiful seem, on first contemplation, an 18th-century distinction with little meaning for our own time. I read this book while preparing a course on J.S. Bach's "Goldberg" Variations and Beethoven's "Diabelli" Variations. The idea was to find a way of talking about the difference between the two pieces. At first brush, the Bach is "beautiful", the Beethoven "sublime", but only a little thought leads to a more complicated view. Both pieces have aspects of both qualities. Nevertheless, my students found the question a fascinating one.

Of course, the book goes well beyond the characteristics of the two qualities. It focusses on the interesting question of how human nature leads us to experience the two qualities. To me much of Burke's discussion of this point seems quite contemporary.

Burke's preference for the sublime over the beautiful reflects his time at the beginning of the Romantic period in literature, and anticipates Goethe's (and Beethoven's) celebration of the individual and direct appeal to the emotions. His essentialist views of the beautiful as a feminine characteristic seem gratuitous.

I wonder what Burke would have found to say about, say, the Goldberg, with its formality and artifice. These characteristics would seem to place the piece in the beautiful rather than the sublime. But the piece is clearly not merely a frill, nor is it at all sentimental.

Burke's book is well argued and challenging to the modern reader. Give it a try!

As a physical therapist and a specialist in Sports Medicine, I must admit that I did have some background knowledge in the management of athletic injuries before i read this book. But I realized, after skimming threw the pages of this wonderful manual, that I really didn't know that much after all !

As a brief manual that athletic trainers and coaches can carry in their pockets, this well compiled book focuses on several important aspects of sports nutrition.

Ranging from the importance of macronutrients like protiens to the micronutrients like vitamins and minerals, this guide equips medical and paramedical personnel, along with athletes and their families alike on the do's and dont's of sports nutrition in the event of injuries. Now that's something that few athletes stop to ponder !

This was one of the most useful books on art criticism that I have come across. One of my concerns as an art education student is the question of how to critique works of art, and furthermore, what methods may be used to pass on this knowledge to my future students? This book, since it was written for practical purposes to be used by art critics, artists, educators, and students alike, supplies its reader with very valuable information regarding the concept of art criticism, the various types of critical review, how criticism is used and applied, and the various "problems" and issues involved in art criticism. Feldman was able to make the issue of criticism easier for his reader to understand, through his use of examples of established artwork, illustrating his thoughts and ideas with easy-to-understand language, and identifying what is perceived in each work of art using various methods of interpretation. Through a variety of ways, Feldman instructed his reader as to how to interpret, judge, and defend their criticism.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and relatively easy read. I would highly suggest this book for anyone interested in understanding works of art -especially teachers and students. The illustrative examples and explanatory writings relate to the art world of today, but also aids us in our understanding of how to interpret art of the past. In combination with other art criticism books, it is my belief that anyone may learn to interpret, judge, and defend their art and art criticism. Edmund Feldman is a wonderful author and teacher; able to guide his audience through the complex issues surrounding art and its criticism.

For a political biography, THE RAGE OF EDMUND BURKE/ PORTRAIT OF AN AMBIVALENT CONSERVATIVE by Isaac Kramnick goes a long way into the psychology of social breakdown. Burke is remembered mainly as a conservative, old enough at the time of the French revolution to be appalled that anyone thought an attack which left the queen's bedchambers in Versailles full of mayhem and dead bodies could advance civilization. The revolutionary freedom which America is currently attempting to bring to foreign portions of the world by demonstrating air superiority might be considered as deranged as the situations examined in this book, which was published in 1977, when hardly anyone had reason to suppose that the form of freedom offered by American military conquest was similar to the acts of Medea conjured by Edmund Burke into a description of the nature of rebellion in his REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE, quoted in this book as an instance in which "Burke might well have sensed the relationship between his own radical streak and his enduring hatred towards his father. Guiltily, however, he recoiled from the bloody horror and emphasized the loving and caring son. The good subject, he insisted,

should approach to the faults of the State as to the wounds of a father, with pious awe and trembling solicitude. By this wise prejudice we are taught to look with horror on those children of their country who are prompt rashly to hack that aged parent in pieces and put him into the kettle of magicians, in hopes that by their poisonous weeds and wild incantations they may regenerate the paternal constitution and renovate their father's life." (p. 64).

Other major figures mentioned in this book include Bedford, James Boswell, Charles James Fox, Warren Hastings, Tom Paine, Joseph Priestley, Rockingham, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Richard Shackleton, and Mary Wollstonecraft. The beginning of the book emphasizes the role that religious dissenters in England played "in scientific and political innovation." (p. 13). Joseph Priestly, "founder of the modern Unitarian movement," (p. 13) opposed the "Poor Laws, which for the bourgeoisie were one of the most onerous of the old order's interferences with economic liberty." (p. 14). In those exciting times, a mob "burned his laboratory and home in 1791, sending him to finish his days in dissenter's paradise--America." (p. 13).

Freud is mentioned well a few times in this book, showing that it is possible to take a modern view of times that were shaking the foundation of everything that was not America. People who are used to the pampered civilized existence which Americans of today expect others to worship even as they experience extreme forms of chaos might learn a few things that provide a better perspective for understanding Freud than the middle class version of conservatism provides. This book is interesting, if you can stick with it.

This book is important for the historian who wishes to get a glimpse into the workings of the mind of an important figure in American Revolutionary history, but it doesn't stand on its own. It is written almost entirely as a response to Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France", so I would not recommend reading this one until and unless one has read that one. Otherwise, it is impossible to judge the fairness of the rebuttals of Burke's points, as one only sees them through Paine's perspective, and Paine is far from a fair and impartial debater; he misses no opportunity to belittle his opponent's arguments, and even his opponent himself. I would not be at all surprised to discover that he gives an inaccurate picture of what Burke had to say, particularly given that history speaks rather better of Burke's misgivings than of Paine's panegyrics. Both books were written before the Reign of Terror that resulted from the revolution in 1793; the second part of this book came out in early 1792. Also, history shows us just how silly some of Paine's claims for a Republican, representative government are: 200+ years of representative government in the US have hardly banished wars, or the high taxes associated with them, even though the world as a whole is far more democratic than it was at his time. He makes some good points, and certainly it is hard to stand up against him in favor of hereditary monarchy, but it is apparent that he failed to see that not ALL "democratic" movements were necessarily benificent, even if it would be hard to have much sympathy for the autocratic regime that they overthrow.

This book, above all others, reveals the breakdown of classical (libertarian) liberalism into the statist liberalism of today. Although the first part of the work, being a refutation of Edmund Burke's silly nonsense, is stellar, and is well worth reading. Regardless, the second part, the chapter on "Ways and Means" in particular, is composed of the most despicable, anti-liberty doctrines that one can find. What Paine basically proposed was a late 18th century form of the welfare state, replete with progressive taxation, subsidies for child birth, and other fine statist amenities. Thus, as all of these things are, in his words, to be claimed as rights, the title of this book comes to mean nothing whatsoever. It is indeed sad that Thomas Paine has gained such an enduring legacy as a friend to liberty. In truth, he is actually one of its worst enemies, as he combines a just zeal for resistance to oppression, revolution, and reason, he sabotages his entire political philosophy.

Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man" is truly a classic defense of self government and reprsentative republicanism. Paine copmletely demolishes Edmund Burke's defense of aristocracy and monarchy as outmoded and absurd institiutions. Paine shows the immorality of monarchy and the plunder that it commits on it's own people through high taxes,unjust property laws,and priveleges for the nobility. Paine shows the virtues a representative system has over the monarchial form. He denounces aristocracy and monarchy as "frauds" and based upon tyranny. The first review by Will Murphy critsizing Paine as a sort of statist is way off the mark. Paine did recommend many ideals of the welfare state. It must be remembered he was speaking to an age where a large wealthy aristocracy ruled alongside the monarch, living in luxury off the high taxes drained from the middle, lower and working classes. Paine was one of the formost defenders of freethought in religion,speech, and ideas.To imply Paine was a sort of 18th century fascist is utterly absurd and ahistorical. Paine was not an enemy of property, just an enemy of aristocracy,who in his day did not obtain property by hard work. Usually property rights in monarchial nations were written to favor the wealthy and powerful, and grant them priveleges at the expense of the populace. Paine completely destroys the ideal that a chosen few were meant or ordained by God to rule. If you love freedom, you can't go wrong with the "Rights of Man".

I had bought the book to help me with Mtn. bike training and my son with running. The book didn't provide information for mtn. biking though it did have a section on road biking. The running chapter seemed incomplete. The major table that was supposed to explain the heart rate targets was not explained fully. Also, oddly, there is a quote in there that is identical in two chapters but attritubted to two different people!

In summary, I was disappointed with the book but it may be helpful to someone else.

This book tries to do too much: it wants to be a heart rate training book AND a book about training for sporting events. The book is only 200 pages...get the picture? The book provides cursory information on training for various sports: walking, running, cycling, in-line skating, and triathlon. Obviously, if you really wanted to learn how to train competitively for these sports, this ISN'T the book for you. If you're looking for a book that tells you how to create a workout you can do at a health club on a stair-climbing machine or elliptical trainer, etc....this is NOT the book for you. Sure, there's a chapter on "group" exercise (i.e. aerobic class), but it FAR from practical. The introductory chapters merely delineate the heart zones rather than offering suggestions for combining them meaningfully or providing progressive programs. The book simply tries to cover too much in order to increase its market.

Given some of the less-than-favourable reviews here I thought I was going to find an average, if not hum-drum book. I was very pleasantly surprised! This is a great book, very detailed with good descriptions of the Karvonon method of calculating HRR (Heart Rate Reserve) and its correlation to VO2 Max and Net VO2 and how to use this information to determine appropriate training zones. It had some good sections on various other fitness activities (such as cycling, swimming and walking) and serves as a good resource for anyone wanting to get fit faster while lowering your chances of injury or overtrainig.

I think if you combined this book with "Heart Rate Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" you'd posses all the information you'd ever need to train to maximum effectiveness with your heart rate monitor.

I bought this book expecting to find useful information about nutrition for all sports as well as seeing at least one regimen from an accomplished cyclist. This book emphasized power sports and was not what I have come to expect from Dr. Burke.

BOOK REVIEW: Avery's Sports Nutrition Almanac

Every day in school everyone is talking about going to the gym, buying supplements at GNC and the Vitamin shop. Looking good by having a solid body has taken over the minds of adolesents. High school kids today are obssesed with getting "ripped" or "huge". Some kids that are athletes take good supplents and "hit the weights" on a normal scheduale, On the other hand, other kids who do not have a clue spend lots of money on athletic supplements they see on TV, hear about from others, and just get jealous about the "ripped" kids. Those are the ones that usually get hurt and give up anyway. I am also part of that group that likes to improve my muscle tone. I saw a book called, Avery's SPORTS Nutrition Almanac written by E. Burke, and D. Gastelu. It is a basic reference manual that offers tips, guidelines, and advice for a wide range of sports-nutrition subjects. Because I do competitive Judo and wrestling--and nutrition is very important to me as a way of building strength-- this book will come in handy to me while I train.

The organization of the book makes it easy to use. It is broken down by sections like weight training, carbohydrates, protein, and profiles. You can look up the specific topic you are interested in and find information about it fast. The first topic I read was on protein and carbohydrates. I learned how these two elements are essential in an athletes' diet. Athletes that run like marathon runners require lots of carbohydrates; on the other hand an athletes like power lifters require lot's of protein.

Avery's sports Nutrition Almanac is a little too complicated for an athlete that just wants to eat right and perform well. The book talks a lot about the biological section of sports nutrition. One thing I learned is the how a muscle is formed. First a group of Amino Acids conbine to make a protein, then those proteins come together to form a muschle tissue. Thia all occurs in an athlete's sleep.

This book is great for an athlete who wants to improve his or her performance by getting proper nutrition. I reccommend this to athletes who compete nationally or internationaly. Sports Nutrition is being updated almost every six months. One supplement that may be considered effective today, may not be tomorrow. Avery'ssports nutrition Almanac ,is the most current in sports nutrition .A complete and up to date guide to effectiveness sports nutrition and fitness can be yours!

...It was pretty well buried and anonymous. For these reasons I thought I was probably taking a big chance in buying this book, and that ultimately, I would be disappointed. To the contrary, I have been pleasantly surprised. I still don't get why this isn't a runaway bestseller for athletes, but here's my take on the book. Pros: Extensive information on Carbs, Proteins, Amino Acids, Fats, Water, Vitamins, Minerals, Electolytes, Supplements and even ergogenic Herbs (there is no info on steroids). The strength, I find, in this book is its authoratative tone, and drilling down to reveal esoteric facts. The authoratative tone isn't just evident in the language [the book having been very well edited], but in the knowledge presented. As a strength athlete (bodybuilder) I already know some lesser known facts about nutrition. To have those lesser known facts presented to me in this book makes me trust all the other information in the book that I didn't know. We're not talking about fads or unproven, hyped supplements, but reliable info on which supplements are likely to help, and at what doses. The high-profile supplements are covered (e.g., creatine, ribose, tribulus terrestris, MSM, NADH, HMB, and many, many more), but in a way that is neither pro- nor anti-supplement. You get fair, unbaised opinion on whether the supplement works or not, with case studies cited. There's also an excellent glossary. And there's a very useful website appendix to further your investigations. Lastly, reference sources are cataloged. On the Con side: This is a nit, but there's a section on Who's Who in Sports Nutrition. I disagree with some of the entries, and didn't feel everyone had been covered, but, by nature, this is bound to be subjective; you may find it's just perfect. Also, there's advice sprinkled throughout the book that borders on a recommendation for certain supplements by brand name. I honestly don't think this is because of any tie-ins with the publisher or authors...mostly because they mention numerous and competing brands...but it is a little off-putting at first; at least until you let your guard down and accept it as honest opinion. Anyway, this is a tremendous resource for sports nutrition, and I especially recommend it for my brothers and sisters (there is much on female-specific nutrition) in the iron game. Naturals, in particular, should run...don't walk, to get this book.

An interesting title, for an interesting molecule. Too bad the supplement doesn't work in athletes. Too bad there is not direct science to supporty it. To bad each study examing the effects of d-Ribose come up empty - kind of like your wallet if you buy the produc or this book.

Burkes book is the only book to be found on this important supplement. Ribose is a carbo found naturally in the cells of the body. Physical stress can increase the loss of nucleotides (such as ATP, ADP and AMP) from the heart and skeletal muscles. Ribose helps prevent the loss of these. Those of us who exercise strenuously need to supplement because our environment is toxic and our lives are stressful; therefore we need additional boosts to keep our bodies healthy. This book is information packed but quite the bargain.

This is a VERY basic introduction. It is a large book and has a large number of beautiful color pics of the artwork, but when it comes to learning about art in my opinion this book is on a high-school level. This book introduces very general concepts of art history.

The book is supposed to give insights into off-season for cyclists, and according to its description one is led to believe that it caters to seasoned cyclists as well as recreational athletes. I felt that the whole book is a synopsis of articles appearing in cycling fitness magazines, and that it is not a useful book at all. To be more precise, I expected some sample programs of what one could do in various winter situations. (Off-season in Germany is very much different to off-season in Arizona) What kind of different sports? at what intensities and with what combination? What do high caliber athletes do? Track riders? Criterium specialists? Time trialists? How about individually (according to bicycling discipline that is) categorized schedules? How about the major question of how to combine weight training (especially squats)and aerobic sports without injuring your knees as I did this past winter! I didn't find any of these questions addressed anywhere in this book. Instead, one finds general information on weight exercises,some information on indoor training, stretching, and so on. Personally, after having read "smart cycling..." by Arnie Baker, I feel that all the information that the "Off-Season" book contains is included in Baker's book along with a whole bunch of other useful training advice. In fact, if one subscribes to any bicycling magazine would know of all the topics the book addressed. Therefore, why buy an individual book on off-season training? I expected more from Ed Burke whose articles I read often. I was dissapointed and I would not recommend this purchase.

The only good advice this book gives you is how you should combine weightlifting and cycling throughout the year. It does so by illustrating different exercises, but no schedules or programs are provided. Interesting, but the rest of the off-season advices are more how you do it than why you should do it. How will a certain exercise make me a better cyclist? That is what I want to know. It seems like a lot of good advices have been bundled together and thus lacking an overall plan. Sorry, but I expected more from Ed Burke.