I appreciate a good horse as much as the next guy. Looking at horses through Keith's eyes makes me love them. I'm not going to run out and buy tight pants and a helmet because of this book, but you get the idea. The images are well made and seen. Not all of the pictures have the tilt-shift look which has been overdone so that's good. The layout is great. A square book for a square image. Keith's little ditty about Ezekiel's Horse is a warm piece of writing. If you're a Keith Carter fan, buy the book. If you like horses, buy the book. If your interested in photography, buy the book. If your name is Mr. Ed, look for your portrait on page 29, then call your lawyer.

Whoa! No one can begin to describe Keith Carter's style and vision. You have to experience it. It's not just what he sees, it's how he renders it, making it new and timeless too. This is a book you'll want to open often.

i admit i was skeptic when i first heard about this book, and i had no intentions of buying it. i'm not that crazy about horses. but i got a look at an advanced copy, and i saw the the work was just beautiful and i had to have it. be sure to look at orange tree and nude and arabian, which are my two favorite pictures.

This heavily packed artbook of John Singer Sargent's work is worth buying for any American impressionist fans. Every page is full of excellent descriptions and backgrounds of his work and life. Not to forget the colourful pages of Sargent's painting and drawings. However, if you want a complete book or at least a heavy packed bible about Sargent and his works, well, this book wouldn't satisfy you much. This is a book more of an introductory and coffeetable book for the regular art audience.

Most likely the best book about Sargent published to date. The colours are brilliant. The text well constructed. The visual detail is quite thorough. If one's to purchase only one book about Sargent this is the one.

It's nice to find a book on the subject of painting wherein the writing is almost as good as the painting described. Carter Ratcliff has a fluid, no-nonsense style that helps the reader to understand J.S. Sargent and his milieu.

This is not a book for the average reader. Unless you are involved or very interested in the national defense structure this is not a book that will appeal to you. Keeping the Edge is an anthology of defense analysts deliberately attempting to influence the opinion of the then-incoming administration of President Bush at the beginning of 2001. The authors and editors are very up front about this, seeing the beginning of the Bush presidency as the optimum time to effect their recommended changes in policy, structure and management of the defense structure.
This is a book about the "Big Picture." When logistics are discussed here it is not the variations, trials and tribulations of projecting logistic support to Marines from Over The Horizon support ships, it is the very methods of procurement at the national level, used by the Department of Defense. When intelligence is the topic they are not discussing templated enemy positions and the "most dangerous" course of action of an enemy regiment, they are talking about reform of intelligence collection procedures and organizations at the CIA/NSA/DIA level. For most readers, for that matter for most anyone outside of the Washington, D.C. beltway this may be interesting, but difficult to follow.
If, however, national defense issues and structural reform at the national level is your cup of tea then this book is for you. Inhabitants of the various military-focused think-tanks in the Washington, D.C. area will certainly want a copy. The majority of the recommendations, even when they are not earth-shattering, do appear well reasoned and rational. If the Marine Corps and the Rapid Deployment Forces of the Army are the "tip of the spear" then this is a book about what makes that spear lethal. After all, a spear without a long pole attached is merely a knife. It takes the weight of that spear shaft to impart the energy to allow the spear tip to penetrate and kill. The authors are trying to make that shaft better, something not often addressed.

Here's a cold dose of reality that will shock moribound, parochial, tortoise-like bureaucrats in the military, intelligence community and within the ranks of civil service. Carter has assembled a host of brilliant, experienced and innovative thinkers, backed by their successful personal resumes, and has created a useful guide for necessary change within government. The author and other contributors resoundly articulate what the innovative, aggressive, forward looking and frustrated military and civilian memebers of the defense, executive and intelligence communities have been advocating since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Hopefully, several of the contributors will be confirmed for administration positions, and despite gravity, complacency and down-right bureaucratic fear, actually begin the inertia of needed change within the defense, intelligence and civil service bureacracies.

Very informative, well written, witty and interesting. A good read for a reference book. Lack of an index keeps it from being a great book.

Carter's book is not dated for me, but timeless. He has a droll and elliptical way of deflating the fatuous inclinations of book dealers. Yes, there is no index, and it is tough to find exact terminology sometimes. But this book is not a mere reference book, it is meant to be read and enjoyed and instruct you in the "what", but also the "why" and "how". Carter, in his manner and wit, shows a *way* of approaching rare books which I think is very healthy. His skewering of the term "mint condition" and his hilarious description of "issue mongers" have me revisiting this book for momentary pleasure again and again. I started in used books in a store about 8 years ago and when I was hired, my boss put this book in my hands. I have always appreciated that gesture. Any collector should find both pleasure and knowledge in this tome.

One of the earlier reviewers -- a history grad student -- noted that this book is "outdated and unorganized." Both of those claims are inaccurate. I'm a manuscripts curator by profession, and this text is certainly not outdated. Book knowledge, and the subtleties of collecting and discriminating among important texts, are the highest priorities of John Carter's book, and he imparts those things with great skill. Several reviewers also criticize the lack of an index or table of contents. Folks, it's an encyclopedia; each term has its own heading, in alphabetical order! The book IS the table of contents and the index. This book was required reading for the "Introduction to Descriptive Bibliography" calss when I first attended Rare Book School in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1998; I'm sure it still is.

It's important for historians (grad student or no) to familiarize themselves with this terminology. "All the terms and abbreviation in the book can be found on the Internet," notes the aforementioned grad student. Whoa! The great hulking trash barge that is the Internet does indeed pull up search terms for all of Carter's entries, but I don't trust them to be accurate. Many book-collecting terms are highly subjective ("first edition," for instance) and I'd never rely on an unvetted digital source for an accurate description if I knew nothing of the subject. You can trust John Carter's book. It should be handy on the bookshelf of every bibliophile. You'll find yourself reaching for it a lot. -Dan Lewis, Ph.D., Curator of the History of Science, the Huntington Library.

As a direct source this book is valuable and needed. To the casual reader of history (like myself) it is a bit of a drag. The book has highlights but the authors are writing it to their contemporaries. It is difficult for the modern reader to grasp exactly what is happening. I think a book with maps and further explanations as to motivations and battle tactics (to a layman like me) would have been of greater interest. One thing I can say, however, is that you get a first hand look at what Caesar must have been like. The book clearly shows his side in the most favorable light (not surprising) but not as much as one would think.

An account of the civil war that had to happen with two such colossal egos as Caesar and Pompey. This is a less famous episode than the Octavian-Anthony war, but just as important, as it laid the ground for the appointment of a dictator which eventually evolved into the position of emperor, and also Caesars death. Not as well written or as clear as Caesars commentaries from Gaul, but give a clearer insight into the divisions in Roman politics, as others are thought to have contributed to the writings. A great follow up to Caesars commentaries from Gaul.

This is the concluding half of Caesar's Commentaries, the first half of which appears as "The Conquest of Gaul". Everything I wrote about that book is also true here. This is a marvelous example of a first-hand historical account of major events written by the major protagonist. A rare and precious thing, to say the least. Caesar wrote his "Commentaries" for the popular consumption of the citizens back home. Propagandist though they may have been in their original purpose, they nevertheless are an accurate account of events and they vividly showcase the talents of their author. Besides being a consumate general and politician, Caesar was also a great speaker, a careful observer, and an outstanding writer. His writing is at once concise, informative and interesting.

This book includes three accounts that are thought to have been written by some of Caesar's lieutenants. While this may bring down the quality of the narrative a bit, it is certainly understandable given the human whirlwind that was Caesar during these years. From the crossing of the Rubicon in 49 B.C., where the book begins, Caesar proceeded to occupy Rome, pacify Spain, defeat Pompey at Pharsalus, establish Cleopatra on the throne of Egypt, defeat his opponents at Thapsus, and dispose of the last opposition forces in southern Spain by 45 B.C.

A few months after these events, Caesar was assassinated in Rome after assuming the position of "perpetual dictator". It was argued that Caesar sought to be King of Rome. In fact, however, he was not the first to assume the position of Dictator after emerging successfully from civil strife. Both Marius and Sulla had gained similar powers within the preceding 60 years. For those interested in a fictional, but nevertheless vivid and historically accurate account of this entire period, I suggest Colleen McCullough's series, beginning with "The First Man In Rome" and continuing (so far) through five volumes, the latest of which is entitled "Caesar". More are planned.

As for "The Civil War", it may not be quite as exciting or compelling as "The Conquest of Gaul", but it is still excellent reading. And it's all true. Try it. I think you'll like it.

The "conclusion" to the Mars series is not what I had hoped for. John Carter of Mars is actually two stories--Giant of Mars and Skeleton Men of Jupiter.

Giant of Mars is actually not written by Burroughs. The story is not nearly up to par with his writtings; in fact the story contains boring, childlike descriptions of uninspired incidents. The giant is not very interesting, and the way he is defeated is horribly boring.

Skeleton Men of Jupiter is better, actually worth reading, although I find the ideas about Jupiter to be simply ludicrous--much more so than the fantasy ideas about Mars. At the beginning, John Carter is kidnapped and taken to Jupiter. His adventures among the natives begin there. The biggest problem with Skeleton Men is that it was supposed to be the first part in a series of stories. The other stories were never written, and one is left with a feeling of "missing out."

The first half of the book is simply bad. The second half shows promise that is never realized. And finally, this book is afflicted with the same problems of books 4-10 in the series: they simply retell the same basic stories from the original trilogy, without the same flair for story-telling. Stick with the original trilogy (especially A Princess of Mars) if you want classic Sci Fi.

Other reviews appear to be speaking of the first book in the series, A Princess of Mars. John Carter of Mars is the 11th and last book of the Barsoomian adventure stories. In fact, this book is a combination of two stories: "The Giant of Mars", actually written by John Coleman Burroughs, and "The Skeleton Men of Jupiter", the first of a four-part series that was never finished.

"Giant of Mars" has long confused ERB fans, many of whom have wondered whether he actually wrote this story. The truth has been circulated for years but somehow doubt and literary legend seem to overwhelm it. John Coleman Burroughs did indeed write this story, and he admitted as much publicly.

"The Skeleton Men of Jupiter" is pure ERB space opera and it restores Barsoom's chapion to his former glory. This tale had the potential to become one of the all-time greatest ERB adventures, but he never wrote more than the first of four installments. Our hero resolves a major conflict and the reader is not left wondering if John Carter and Dejah Thoris survive, but their adventure is nonetheless incomplete.

Fans eager to read more about Carter's adventures need to get this book, but let the reader beware, it can only be unsatisfying. One is left with a sense of wonder, for Burroughs is said to have been burned out near the end of his life, but there is much about this story which is fresh and engrossing.

"John Carter of Mars" is the 11th and final volume in Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic John Carter series, and is comprised of two novellas of varying quality. The first, "John Carter and the Giant of Mars," first appeared in "Amazing Stories Magazine" in January 1941; the second, "Skeleton Men of Jupiter," first appeared in that same publication in February 1943. (For full details on the complicated publishing histories of these tales, I refer all interested parties to the ERB List, one of the best Burroughs Websites on the Net.) As most people seem to know by now, the first of these tales was NOT written by ERB himself, but rather by his son, John Coleman Burroughs, who illustrated 13 of his father's books and drew the John Carter comic strip from 1941-43. In this tale, Carter is captured by Pew Mogel, a synthetic man who is bent on conquering Barsoom with his intelligent apemen and flying malagors. The tale is an important one in the Carter saga, in that his city of Helium is almost sacked and captured at the end of a tremendous battle. Sad to say, however, Burroughs Jr.'s writing style is not up to the task of depicting such colossal doings. So this pastiche of a tale comes off like the work of a talented amateur, even though Burroughs Sr. supposedly did assist in the writing. Burroughs Jr. makes many mistakes in his writing; internal inconsistencies and inconsistencies with previous Carter books abound. For example, the characters refer to Barsoom as "Mars" in this book, and the two moons, Thuria and Cluros, are for the first time given their Earth names of Deimos and Phobos. These moons are said to travel quickly across the sky, whereas in every other Carter book, it has been said that Cluros is a very slow mover. Pew Mogel slaps Tars Tarkas, Carter's Tharkian buddy, in one scene, yet in previous books, it has been established that Tarkas is around 15 feet tall! One of the intelligent apemen falls out of a high window to his death in a courtyard in one scene, even though the characters are in an underground laboratory! The Martian rats that play such a central role in this story are made to appear similar in size to the Earth variety, whereas in previous volumes, they were said to be as big as Airedale terriers! For the first time in the entire series, the men of Barsoom are shown using radios, TV sets and visiscreens; a rather surprising advent, given all that has come before. I could go on, but you get the point. Anyone who has read the previous 10 Carter books will immediately notice the difference in style and content, and that difference is very jarring. Still, the story moves along very briskly, and the action IS relentless.
The "Skeleton Men..." tale is much better. This novella was written by ERB himself, and is a real return to form. In this one, Carter and his mate are kidnapped by the Morgors of the planet Jupiter, who intend to study them preparatory to their invasion of the Red Planet. This is the first Carter tale to take place on a planet other than Earth or Mars, and so Burroughs is given free rein to let his imagination fly. This story features some good scientific speculation on what that giant world might be like, and for once Burroughs makes no slips as far as inconsistencies are concerned. However, the story ends right in the middle of Carter's adventure; apparently, Burroughs intended this to be a multipart saga, but never did get around to finishing it. Talk about leaving the reader wanting more! But at least the story of John Carter ends on a high note here, bringing to a conclusion one of the best swashbuckling fantasy series of all time.
Perhaps this is as good a place as any to note that the 11 Carter books that I have just read were the Ballantine/DelRey paperbacks of the late '70s to early '80s. These are the ones that feature beautifully imaginative yet faithful-to-the-story cover art by Michael Whelan. Sad to say, these paperbacks are quite a mess. I have never seen books with more typographical errors in my life. It is painfully obvious that these books were never proofread. This is surprising, given the sterling job that Ballantine/DelRey did with their "Best of" series of 21 great sci-fi authors around that same time. Still, the power of Edgar Rice Burroughs' vision shines through, so that even in these poorly put-together editions, the saga of John Carter on the planet Barsoom manages to captivate the reader, even after all these years.

I have previously read classic Max Muller's version and some translations foud at numerous web-pages. I think this is clearly
the best of them. Carter and Palihawadana have retained texts lyric style but still their ambition is to bring autentic text as such to us. Hence reader have to use glossary where most importánt words and referensees are. I may be a bit annoying but
If you really want know exactly what what is in original dhammapada you has to use such method. Some at web "intreprete"
too much, then the text may look easier but It may go also wrong.
Only negative comment is that people to which english is not native language, text may have too mamy many fine but unfamiliar words. I recommend this book. It is one of the classics of Worlds religious teachings.

This is one of the finest versions of the classic Theravada text out there. Carter and Palihawadana managed to strike the perfect balance of getting the timeless message of the Buddha's teaching across while at the same time presenting it in a straight foward, easy to understand manner. Those who are unfamiliar with The Dhammapada will find this translation very accessible while those who are will greatly appreciate beautiful wisdom-filled verses that Carter and Palihawadana have so eloquently preserved. The Introduction and explanatory notes throughout the text also provide a great deal of rich knowledge which adds even more depth to this most cherished of work of Buddhist literature.

It is not easy to translate an ancient Indian language (Pali) to flowing English and retain the original meanings and senses.

This is a meticulous translation and it is clear the authors have spent time and effort to try and get it right. One of the authors being Sinhalese (which is also a language close to Pali)would have better understood the meanings and senses of terms more than most Western scholars, and the joint authorship suggests a polished and balanced approach to attain near perfection.

No translation could articulate the experiential meanings behind the verses or hope to equal the ancient material, but this one gets close representing an honest attempt at a challenging goal. The English may appear somewhat academic but the work represents a thoroughly modern translation and OUP have done their homework in bestowing authorship.

The publisher is to be congratulated and this book deserves the shelf of any good library. Penguin ought to update its totally inaccurate version without delay to retain credibility.

I didn't really get the story. I just want to know how Midge got to the littles house. It didn't make sense.

The Littles are tiny, tiny people who live in the walls of normal sized peoples houses.They lead a nice, happy life: They eat for dinner the scraps of the Bigg's(the normal- sized family they live with) supper, they ride places of the Bigg's cat, Hilly, and there two young children, Lucy and Tom, hardly ever get into mischeif. But suddenly, while Tom and Lucy are on the Bigg's roof in the sun, they see two little children almost there own ages climbing a tree, trying to escape from a playful dog chasing them. After they rescue them, they bring them back to there own little house. It turns out they live in the city, and there stranded at the Littles home until they find a way to contact there parents. But one problem. Midge and Chip are wild. Soon their bedroom is a mess, the strings in the Little's tin can elevator are horribly tangled, Henry Bigg's paraket is loose, and they have knocked over the honey jar tracking sticky footprint's in the Bigg's kitchen.It look's like they have a terrible tiny kid on there hands!

I purchased this book because I have an interest in Nuclear Weapons Systems. This book, however, kind of misses the mark.

On the plus side. the book is actually a work of several authors; each treating a seperate (and diverse) topic. The culminated work, in very small type face, is a few pounds heavy.

On the minus side, very little actually touches on specific weapons systems. Albeit,there is a great section on arming, fuzing, and firing systems, worth the price of the whole book, the majority of the book touches on policy, communications, and command/control issues, most of which was rendered moot by Ronald Regan and the end of the cold war.

If you are interested in Policy Issues of the 80's, you will LOVE this book. If you wanna see the guts of a W-80, I heartily recommend anything by Chuck Hansen or Richard Rhodes. Money better spent.......

One of the first things you notice is the weight of this tome, (1 5/8-inch spine) and the intellectual weight of contributors to the book. Household names include John Toomay, Russell Dougherty, Michael May, Paul Bracken and the editors. Flipping through the work reveals an essential list of acronyms, outstanding graphics, and thoroughly-footnoted text. The book is divided into three sections: (1) nuclear operations, (2) the command system, and; (3) policy perspectives. My primary interest was in policy, (which required reading the whole book). Highly technical subjects like communications links are rendered at a level that I had no trouble understanding. Technical descriptions are so well written that even elected officials will understand them. Common misconceptions among memebers of the public are discussed. One such misconception is that a nuclear exchange is supposed to flatten everthing in the opposing nation. An interesting, related film describing Minuteman training operations is "Missile," Zipporah Films, 1986.

This book was outstanding!