This book is a disappointment to the serious scholar of the ceremonial traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. While the sections on current etiquette and papal knighthoods are rather handy (at least if you're planning to have dinner with an Archbishop anytime soon), the large section on clerical dress is inaccurate beyond belief, particularly when it is realized that the author had been a seminarian who studied in Rome. Besides a lack of knowledge of pre-Vatican II usages, there is a certain tone of disdain or impatience taken toward them that this reviewer, an experienced Master of Ceremonies at two churches that offer the traditional Latin Mass with full approval from Rome, does not consider to be a very "catholic" attitude in any sense. Much more useful, fully accurate information on Catholic clerical dress, insignia, and ceremonial will be found in the classic and easily-found (though out-of-print) manuals of Nainfa and McCloud, and the rare (but well worth it) "Ius Pontificalium" of Mgr Nabuco. To sum up, this item will be an expensive, pretentious, mostly misinformative waste of money for the average reader who wants to know more about the externals of Catholic worship and protocol.

Fascinating work detailing the sometimes bewildering and archaic sights, sounds and ceremonies of the upper echelons of the Roman Church. A "must-read" for Vatican watchers and liturgists. This book describes the proper forms and protocols of upper-Church functions and rites and relates the history and proper usage of the emblems and insignia. This book is decidedly traditional... if you're looking for expressions of post Vatican II liturgical experimentalism, you will not find it here.

"The Church Visible" is not about Catholic theology or doctrine, but it does concern an area of no less fascination and interest: the ceremonial life, protocol, and ritual of the Roman Catholic Church. Although late 20th century Catholics might tend to think of the Church as a purely spiritual entity, for nearly 1500 years it was also a political powerhouse and the source of almost all of the culture and customs of Western Europe. "The Church Visible" examines the present-day incarnation of the Church in her external life: ceremonies, traditions, vestments, insignia, protocol, and temporal and spiritual governance.

The book is divided into five sections: the Vatican itself, papal honors including orders of knighthood, Church protocol, vestments and insignia, and a brief history of the papacy. A glossary, a name and subject index, and a variety of appendixes including several Church documents are included. Several impressive Catholic figures also have brief forewords including John Cardinal Krol, John Cardinal O'Connor, and Archbishop John P. Foley.

Noonan has done a wonderful job of answering those niggling questions that never seem to be answered in the standard Catholic Q and A books, such as the reason why cardinals have their title placed in the middle of their name and how exactly a papal election is performed. For the latter, the author leads the reader step by step through the protocol that follows the death of a pope, citing examples from recent history, and then to the elections process and then enthronement of a new pope. He even includes sample liturgies and ceremony programs that have been used in the past. The chapter on the College of Cardinals is especially a gem.

Moving on, he examines the different papal honors, who may receive them, how they should be worn, and their relative precedence to other honors. He then studies the two major equestrian orders, the Knights of Malta and the nights of the Holy Sepulcher. For any readers entranced by the idea of knighthood and chivalry as this reviewer was starting when he was a child, these chapters are a joy to read as they reveal that true knighthood, that which begins with Christ, still exists in the world today, and that chivalry does have a place in the 20th century.

The section on protocol is very interesting and especially helpful for Americans who are not used to matters of rank, protocol, and etiquette. Here Noonan even provides sample dinner menus and invitations from past functions. The chapter on forms of address is also a practical guide for anyone who may have an opportunity to write to any clergyman. Overall, this section is will be mainly interesting for those who are curious about orders of precedence and etiquette, even if most will never have the chance to be part of formal pomp and circumstance.

The final section that will be of general interest is the coverage of vesture and insignia. Do you know what a zuchetto is? Do you know when it is worn? Know you will know. A nice addition to this section, and the whole book, are a series of color plate pages on heavy stock that illustrate the various vestments, insignia, awards, historical occasions, and other illustrations that bring to life the written descriptions.

Bottom Line: "The Church Visible" is a fun, interesting, and educational experience that any Catholic interested in the temporal life of the Church should pick up and peruse. It is a fascinating introduction to what might otherwise be an intricate web of inscrutable customs, but are now clearly illuminated as the logical product of the Church's long history as the centerpiece of Western civilization.

I home educate my 12-year-old son, so I need a textbook that gives clear explanations, includes plenty of worked examples, and provides answers to the exercises so I can check his work. This textbook is brilliantly clear and perfectly suited to independent study. Answers are provided for odd-numbered exercises only, but there are so many exercises at the end of each chapter that this has never been a problem for us: we just do all the odd-numbered exercises. Each chapter also has a chapter test and a set of cumulative review exercises at the end, for which answers to ALL of the problems are provided. This is an extremely useful feature for home educators. At the end of the book there is a cumulative test of the whole book, for which answers to every problem are provided, so you can do a thorough review with no uncertainty about marking. You could also use the final test as a pre-test to determine what areas you need to work on, if you're trying to fill in gaps from an unsuccessful school course. I only wish we could find textbooks of this quality for our other subjects!

I am looking for this book ISBN 0-321-06192-6

This is the most beautiful math textbook I've ever seen. To each chapter there are many examples that show clearly what is covered. In the problem solving questions, some are based on real life. The only little problem is that the answers at the back to the exercises are odd-numbered! I use it as a homework textbook for a math programme and I NEVER get stuck on it!

THE HONG KONG FILMOGRAPHY 1977-1997 (McFarland & Company, 2000): More than virtually any other Western critic, Canadian writer John Charles has helped to foster a mature consideration of Hong Kong cinema which extends far beyond the narrow confines of cop thrillers and kung fu dramas so beloved of cult movie fans. From his pioneering reviews in 'Video Watchdog' magazine to his ongoing Internet coverage, Charles takes his place alongside the likes of Tony Rayns, Bey Logan, Derek Elley and Paul Fonoroff as both an authority and champion of Chinese popular entertainment, combining personal knowledge of Asian history and culture with an appreciation of the personalities and traditions which underpin much of the HK movie industry. 'The Hong Kong Filmography' (subtitled 'A Complete Reference to 1,100 Films Produced by British Hong Kong Studios') represents the culmination of Charles' love affair with the subject, an encyclopedic overview of the most creative period in HK cinema history, complete with credits and video availability and an incredible index which provides an instant overview of the lives and careers of several hundred actors, directors and technicians. Except for the front cover, there are no illustrations, only columns of closely-packed text, and there's an appreciative foreword by 'Video Watchdog' editor Tim Lucas.

And yet, for all its virtues and noble ambitions, the book is a disappointment. Many of the reviews are heavy on plot description and light on critical assessment, which is both a curse and a blessing, given that few of these films have been covered in detail anywhere else, though it's difficult to comprehend the benefits of a lengthy plot outline followed by a brief analysis (often no more than a couple of sentences) in which the movie is summarily dismissed out of hand. Concision is one thing, abruptness is quite another. And if many of the titles under fire correspond with the reader's own preferences, it can seem more than a little galling, especially since publishers McFarland & Company are charging a small fortune for the privilege. Charles' brand of informed opinion is always welcome, of course, and the book will probably work best for casual readers seeking information on individual films rather than those who opt to plough through the entire volume from start to finish, but too many entries here are trashed for being 'ludicrous', 'derivative', 'badly plotted' and/or 'weakly constructed', and there's an excess of withering scorn which may alienate more readers than it impresses. While any given movie industry will always produce its fair share of turkeys, the book seems less a celebration of HK cinema than a catalog of complaint. In fact, the text only really comes to life when Charles indulges his own personal favorites (his appraisals of ASHES OF TIME, THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR and PEKING OPERA BLUES, for example, are insightful and entertaining), and the author makes a number of salient observations regarding the prejudices inherent in HK cinema (homophobia, racism and misogyny are prevalent in many highly-regarded movies), whilst also taking care to warn readers about scenes of animal cruelty, but these are minor points in an otherwise cheerless work.

That said, however, the book is a great deal more comprehensive than most other volumes on Asian cinema, and the credits provided in the main text are invaluable. This reviewer is especially grateful that theatrical aspect ratios have been included for each title, a small - but crucial - detail sadly lacking in most other movie books. However, while many HK movies photographed in anamorphic widescreen don't always provide an on-screen credit for the actual process (Panavision, Shawscope, etc.), it would have been nice if Charles had included it where known, rather than simply providing a note of the relevant aspect ratio (the various sound formats, including Dolby and DTS, are all properly credited). Overall, though intended as a definitive text on this particular subject, 'The Hong Kong Filmography' falls short of the mark, a labor of love undermined by an accumulation of biting criticisms which serve only to diminish the very industry Charles' book seeks to honor.

To get the bad out of the way:
it's expensive, there are no pictures, and the cover leaves something to be desired.

Now the good stuff...this book is amazingly detailed: cast/character listings, synposis, video distributors and more! The HKF has introduced me to a lot of new films and talked about a number of others I had found no real information about besides fanboy newsgroup ravings. Great index too. I don't agree with the review below: the book is nowhere near as negative as At the Hong Kong Movies and the amount of plot synopsis versus criticism is reasonable IMO, more so than Sex and Zen and a Bullet in the Head. I don't always agree with his reviews but I think Charles offers reasonable evaluations. I love HK movies but let's face it: there are many bad ones! I hope Charles does a HKF Sequel and covers movies from 1998 onwards.

Despite boasting one of the worst covers I've seen in quite a while, Charles's book is an essential reference guide for anyone with the slightest interest in the rich cinema of Hong Kong. While I may not always agree with the author's assessments of these films, to have all of these films carefully reviewed along with their cast and crew information is invaluable. Boasting an unbearable cover price and no pretty pictures to distract the less literate (like me), The Hong Kong Filmography isn't perfect but it's darned close. (ISBN: 0786408421)

I have studied TITANIC most of life and before the movie, TITANIC, It was hard to find TITANIC books. This one and Don Lynch's TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED history were the best out. This is like a dictonary. It has the most informaition of all TITANIC books. I would recomend this book to anyone. It is a great book for the begginer for its info and great price. BUY THIS BOOK!

before james camereon released his 'titanic'I was unaware of any facts about the great ship ,except for the fact that she hit an iceberg and sank with the loss of 1500 lives. now however after reading countless books and articles i have compiled a detailed knowledge of her . this book , althogh not 100% acurate is very good and deserves to be up there with books such as walter lords 'a night to remember' if you are not a titanic fan, you will be after reading this book.the pictures to are breath taking

A MUST FOR ANY TITANIC BUFF

This is the 4th book that I bought about the Titanic. I thought it had alot of wonderful information about the sinking and the aftermath of this tragedy.

this isnt the best versoin of cinderella i've heard!
but it is all i could find for a school project
if there was any good pictures from the book that i could have down loaded it would get 5 stars

the Book was good but i do wish they showed the picuter of the second ball whith cinderella in her gown

Cinderella lived with her two step-sisters. They gave her the nickname Cinderseat. They were really mean to her and made her do things for them. The king's son was to give a ball and everyone was invited. When the day came Cinderella began to cry and her godmother appeared and made her get a pumpkin, which she turned into a coach. She then turned mice into horses, and a rat into a coachman. Then dressed her in a beautiful dress and glass slippers. When she arrived she danced with the prince, but she had to leave before midnight. She left without telling anyone her name or anything. The next night they went to another ball and she left right before midnight in rags, and left one glass slipper behind. He checked around trying the slipper on everyone. When Cinderella tried it on it fit her perfectly, and the prince realized she was the mysterious girl he had danced with before and they were to be married. I think this is a good story for kids to read, because Cinderella was really nice to her step-sisters who were always so mean to her after everything.

The John Muir Trail runs through 210 miles of spectacular Sierra Nevada mountain range scenery. Trout-Fishing The John Muir Trail will enable the angler to plan and preparing for a trip to the John Muir Trail; fish along the trail; as well as assemble terrain appropriate fishing tackle and hiking gear. There are a wealth of hiking tips, a roster of 20 top trout streams; fly fishing recommendations, and more. If you are bound for the Sierra Nevadas and a trip along the John Muir Trail, begin by reading Steve Beck's Trout-Fishing The John Muir Trail!

It is clear in this compact guidebook that Steve Beck appreciates the special beauty of the Sierra, that he is a skilled fly fisherman, and that he has some fascination with John Muir. Almost every page has a fine color photo, and often a Muir quote. The scenery is spectacular, but there is plenty of solidly researched information for both experienced fishermen and hikers planning a trip to this area. I bought the book in preparation for an August vacation and it is hard to choose where to go with a limited amount of time. This book provides enough information for many trips!

Steve Beck's first book, Yosemite Trout Fishing Guide, was a really fine addition to my library. His latest publication on the beauty that is the John Muir Trail and its fishery is even better. I only wish I could get the book in a hard cover. This book is worth keeping and passing down to loved ones.

I felt that the first three writers were the strongest. Mintzberg promotes an idea that leader is just a role in his advocated all mighty manager. Zaleznik brings this down with his idea that managers and leaders are different kind of people and talk about managerial mystique. But maybe best advice how to solve present leadership dilemma comes from Kotter, who says that companies should pick up talented individuals and then put them to grow into leaders through tough challenges.

Gives an insightful view of a manager's job. It enunciates traits and behaviors of leaders and managers very well, and explains how it is important for a manager to have both traits. The material triggers a manager to look within to understand one's leadership and managerial styles. If one wishes to change or develop leadership and managerial skills this material is a great beginning.
It also points out that organizations and academic institutions are good at developing organizational specialists but not at training managers. The author thinks that these institutions should provide management programs that also focus on developing leadership and managerial skills. But to do that it's important to understand what managers and leaders really do.
Overall a very good read for a traditional manager to be introspective and effective.

Excellent book with eight fantastically different views on Leadership. Describes fundamental differences between leadership and Management and brings forth thought process which can help professionals in all fields. Contents are 1) The managers Job (folclore and fact), 2) What leaders really do, 3)managers and leaders (are they different), 4) The discipline of building Character, 5) the ways CEO's lead (5 different ways gathered from study of 160 CEO's),6)The human side of management, 7) the work of leadership, 8) whatever happened to the take-charge manager, also contains brief background about the contributors. Each chapter is from a different contributor

The not-so-grand finale in the Charlie Resnick series certainly exhibits the signs of Harvey's weariness with the series. The highly predictable main plot features an escaped murderer with a sordid childhood, and is the least interesting element of the book. The police efforts to stem a series of drug-related killings brings in a number of minor players from past books and is somewhat more interesting. But of course it is the developments in Resnick's private and professional life that drives the book and rescues it in the end.

I did not realize until nearly at the end that this was the last of the Resnick novels. I'm embarassed to admit that he has become a part of my life and that I awaited his next installment like a child on the first day of school. I feel like my life will somehow be incomplete without the wisdom of Charlie but anxiously await the latest character.

This series will be well worth the attention.

Mr. Harvey, how can you leave us to be a publisher? Charlie deserves to go on and on and on.

This book shows us a new dimension of our universe. It offers a theory on thought forms that we create every time we think. We create around us (astral plane and mental plane) some forms that affect us and people around us. If we have good thoughts we create pure forms and bad forms if not. Well this book describes differents forms that a medium could see and that is my main reproach. Somebody that has not this gift or who has not developed this power to be able to see in astral or mental plane can't verify this theory. Knowing that in theosophy you should verify before believing, there is a contradiction. So it is an interesting theory and that's all for most of us!

If you're into symbolism, intuition, and exploring the human condition -- Thought Forms just might blow your mind. I can't guarantee it for you, but with my life experience the author's depiction of how clairvoyants see our thoughts and spirits acting seems very true. Probably the best book I own on the occult, believe it or not, the statements made with images are profound. If you have any tendency towards being a mystic this book will give you a charge, the content will connect.

There are a number of methods that we can use to clarify and describe something elusive. In my own work I combine phenomenology (which slowly and carefully works through the ways in which something shows itself) and transcendental arguments (which move from what is observed toward what may or must be presupposed to explain what is observed). Using these two methods together can produce a (hopefully) powerful strategy for bringing the more hidden or esoteric realm into the less hidden realm of common discourse and description. Even though they did not use this technical methodological language (especially since phenomenology was just being born in 1901), Besant and Leadbeater were certainly using the same dual approach. That is, in probing into the human aura and the thought forms that emerge within and through it, they carefully describe the data that clairvoyants almost universally report. Since both authors were themselves gifted in this area, they were in a position to evaluate what others had said about those phenomena that reside outside of the immediate boundaries of the human body. The transcendental strategy comes into play when they argue that the world must be set up as a series of more and more refined fields of energy that condense themselves in order to become relevant to the physical orders. Simply put, phenomenology describes what appears in clairvoyant seeing, while the transcendental argument tells us what the world must be like in order to explain just how thought forms got to be the way they are. Three traits emerge from the phenomenological description. Thought forms manifest: (1) color, (2) form, and, (3) variations in definiteness of outline. The correlation of color with mood and even quality of thought is well known in the literature. The form of the thought is correlated with its intention, while the outline is related to the thought's intensity of focus. For Besant and Leadbeater, thoughts are causal agents in the world of so-called physical matter and can act to alter the brain states that are mistakenly taken to be their source. The aura-entwined thought form is causally prior to the later brain state activity (to which it is often reduced). The social aspects of thought form activity are given their proper role and are sometimes manifest pathologically in what Wilhelm Reich called the "emotional plague." It is this plague ridden thought form that lies behind such phenomena as fascism and group psychosis. Of great value are the many color renditions of thought forms and their emotional correlaries. Each thought contains an emotion and vice versa. Musicians will be especially interested in the color plates that depict the energetic effects (pictured as manifesting themselves high above a church wherein the music was played on an organ) of the thought forms of the music of Mendelssohn, Gounod, and Wagner. Needless to say, the music of Wagner's Overture to "The Meistersingers" has the most powerful expression of the three. It broils 900 feet upwards in mountain-like crags with intense color fields of red, green, and purple. Before reading this book I would have laughed at such an idea, but now I am reasonably persuaded that Besant and Leadbeater got it right. John Algeo's introduction locates this text historically and conceptually and prepares the reader for the strange things that are to come. "Thought Forms" is more akin to the real thing than many of the fluff books that came later. This book would make an excellent text for a seminar on esoteric thought because of its combination of careful reflection and iconic representation.

This book was OK. It did have interesting points, but I didn't feel that all the characters were credible (who could get away with killing a whole bunch of people in Mexico anyway?).

All in all, it was reading entertainment, just not too fullfilling.

(...)When John D. MacDonald, author of a dozen or more novels featuriing Travis McGee, died several years ago, he left legions of Travis fans mourning his loss. In Sand Dollars, Charles Knief brings us a Travis-like character in John Caine, private eye. Actually, this is his second appearance in what promises to be a series.

Caine, like Travis, is intelligent, ideallistic (in his own unique way), observes a strict code of ethics, chooses his own private eye jobs, and resists becoming sexually involved with clients. And like Travis, Caine lives on his own boat, comparable to Travis' Busted Flush.

That said, Sand Dollars is more or less your standard pot boiler. Caine kills a half-dozen or so bad guys, escapes from seemingly inescapable life-threatening situations, and in the end is triumphant over evil. Despite all this, or maybe because of all this, we look forward to more adventures of John Caine. Sand Dollars is entertaining reading and Caine an acceptable protagonist. He just isn't Travis McGee. But then, who is?

I couldn't stop reading "Sand Dollars" until there were only about 20 pages left. Only then did I realize the wonderful ride was about ready to end. So I slowed down to make it last a little longer. With great reluctance, I finally finished it.
*
The only potential drawback in reading this book is that the main character, John Caine -- a one-man army, who backs away from nothing to protect his clients' interests -- caused this reader to suffer from hero worship.
*
Chuck Knief's writing style is superb. His imagery, peppered with first-person wit, made me feel as if I were standing right next to Caine during all the action. When the tension nearly becomes too intense, however, Knief expertly uses his brilliant sense of humor: "I'd hit him hard over the bridge of the nose, a little too hard. When I checked his vital signs, I found none. He was dead.... I shrugged. Anybody who pissed into the wind wasn't that high on the evolutionary scale, anyway."
*
Caine, however, frequently shows his humanitarian side, making him a true warrior. For example, he lets a youthful gangster live -- a gangster who would have killed him in seconds, given the chance -- which was nicely in keeping with Caine's Navy SEAL background. Also, I liked how Caine basically goes about looking for war. Where others would waiver, rationalizing a far simpler, less confrontational way of doing business, Caine moves forward with guts and savvy.
*
There is a scene where Caine, after having saved a bunch of frightened illegal immigrants from a bandit, sends the hapless bandit away without any of his clothes on. Said Caine, "For an instant, our eyes met. I don't know what he saw, but I saw only surrender. He was finished as a bandit. He might have been finished as a man.... Not my problem." Caine's viewpoint is similar to the military mentality of seeing through the target and not being emotional about it -- the way one has to be in Caine's many dangerous situations.
*
Personally, I think "Sand Dollars" should be required reading for all SEALS and/or aspiring SEALS -- or anyone who dares to peer into that way of life. Still, the main theme is about helping people. From Caine's affluent clients to the illegal immigrants, the bottomline is being professional, maintaining the code, and always looking for war.