Rudolf Wittkower is a pioneer in the interest of Baroque art. He favours Caravaggio, the Carracci's and Bernini, to name a few.

This volume is one of three. Originally, all in one book it was more roughly 7" x 6" in size. Being 8.5" x 11" makes the reproductions bigger, but unfortunately, the majority are still in black and white or not there at all. Many works mentioned, are not included in this (or older editions). What good is mentioning a work of art, the reader is likely not to be familiar with, and have a hard time finding elsewhere? This makes the text, frustrating.

Starting with Rome in the first chapter, following with Caravaggio, the Carracci, Caravaggio's followers, Painting outside of Rome, and ending with Architecture and Sculpture. An introduction giving a brief biography of the author and enlarged bibliography has been added.

Wittkower is an important art historian and gives a comprehensive analysis of this time period which is essential for anyone interested in Baroque art. If it had all colour reproductions and included more of them, I would give it 5 stars.

This is one of the most intelligent book I've ever read about art. It's simple, complete, full of original point-of-views. In asingle word: you can't miss it if you like the Art History!

My son has a passion for Ancient Egypt. As a homeschool mom I have tried to encourage this, however, I felt that he should understand that history did not come to a screeching halt in Egypt after the death of Tutankhamen. In reading this book we not only enjoyed a page turning adventure that we couldn't put down, we also opened up an entirely new line of study. My son even wrote mock news paper articles in the, "Language of the time," bearing the sad news of the defeat of the Gallant Gordon. This book was invaluable in our study.

My son has a passion for Ancient Egypt. As a homeschool mom I have tried to encourage this, however, I felt that he should understand that history did not come to a screeching halt in Egypt after the death of Tutankhamen. In reading this book we not only enjoyed a page turning adventure that we couldn't put down, we also opened up an entirely new line of study. My son even wrote mock news paper articles in the, "Language of the time," bearing the sad news of the defeat of the Gallant Gordon. This book was invaluable in our study

Okay, it's not totally 'PC', but this book is true to the spirit of childrens stories. Along with the classics (e.g. Jack the Giant Killer and Tom Thumb) there are lesser-known tales full of real suspense, action, ghosts, magic, realy wicked stepmothers, love lost, imps, and fairies. And no guns. It provides the little stressors that Disney doesn't, so that the effect is genuine - real anxiety, and real relief at the point of resolution. You can never be sure that there will be a wedding at the end of any story.

The book has beautiful word-play and rhythm, along with classic sketched illustrations - A keeper for all time.

I'll let you in on a little secret. This is actually two of Jacobs' books published together in a nice hardbound edition from the Everyman Library. This edition includes both "English Fairy Tales" and "More English Fairy Tales." Jacobs collected and adapted many tales in his lifetime and made contributions to the field of fairy tale studies. This is one of the most popular of his collections. Variations of well-known and lesser known tales are available in this book such as Cinderella and Tom Tit Tot (similar to Rumpelstiltskin).

This collection of papers on the Family in ancient Israel covers the various periods of Israelite history. From pre-monarchy to second temple Judaism the chapters discuss many aspects of the family. The various authors discuss the members of the family, divorce, inheritance, and other issues that families of old as well as modern families experience. The ancient Israelite family was similar to those in the ancient Near East in their work ethic, structure, and culture.

This book helps the American family redefine their concept of family, extended family, and household as a source of strength for their cultural development.

This is the book for anyone who has ever wondered about the political homage paid to the "biblical family" in recent years. Profiting from recent breakthroughs in the study of Hebrew scriptures, this book, one of a series produced by the Religion, Culture, and Family Project of the University of Chicago Divinity School, argues that the family in ancient Israel should be understood as a complicated, multi-generational "household" system organized around a core "covenant" between father and mother, parents and children, households and land, and families and God. The ancient Hebrew family was hardly the "nuclear family" of today. Codes of hospitality insured that even outsiders and marginal members of the community were included when necessary. Indeed, the ancient Hebrew family resembled more the "village" concept, not only for raising children, but for building up community. Religious ideas in ancient Israel gave order and significance to the practical realities of family life, and were closely connected to the realities of household labor, land, wealth, procreation, inheritance, economic profit and loss, sickness, and dependency. This book is the only recent comprehensive review in the English language of the family in ancient Israel. It is well worth reading for anyone who wants to understand the biblical families of the Old Testament.

This book is a fascinating way to help children connect with the natural world while teaching important environmental concepts. It comes with a guide to use the book effectively, and is divided into sections of special topics. Each section contains a Native American story, discussion ideas, interesting questions, and related indoor and outdoor activities. These activities can be accomplished without expensive materials, often in or near the home or school. Oh, by the way, adults will learn from this book also!

I am a homeschooling mom and I bought this book to use with my kindergartener. This is an amazing book that combines social studies and science wonderfully. It contains alot about american indian beliefs and practices, distinguishing between the many tribal groups and traditions instead of lumping them all into one large culture. It uses indian legends as a jumping off point to study the environment, how it affects us and how we affect it.

The Scepter and the Star by John Joseph Collins is an in-depth study of the complex problem of messianism and the varied messianic expectation(s) and speculation(s) during the time of Second Temple Judaism. The subtitle of the book, "The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature" is important because Collins does not restrict his study to the Dead Sea Scrolls. He goes through the Pseudepigrapha (a large, open-ended collection of biblically-related and biblically-dependant literature that is not a part of the Bible), the Apocrypha, the Hebrew Bible/Tanak/Old Testament and the messianic ideas contained within those works. Collins also deals with Jesus and the New Testament in this work, although it is on the side that these discussions take place.

Collins' knowledge of the Hebrew Bible is extensive on both theological and historical levels. His knowledge is also useful because in the Hebrew Bible are the roots of the problems with messianic interpretation - the scriptures themselves. Once Collins places particular scriptures in their historical context, he then goes on to show their influence(s) and interpretation(s) in various post- and extra-biblical works of literature. We find a pre-existent, heavenly messiah, a priestly messiah, a kingly messiah, and a militant messiah in the works Collins analyzes. At least one messiah was expected and possibly and two, depending on who wrote the work. Collins also deals with the history of the word "messiah" and its various uses in the Hebrew Bible.

In reading the book, the reader will gain some insights as to how and why the writers of the New Testament understood Jesus the way that they did, but the goal of the book is not to connect these works to Jesus. The book is, in many ways, a survey of the messianic thought during and before Jesus' time.

This book is not an introduction by any means. It is an in-depth study; some previous knowledge of the Scrolls, the Pseudepigrapha, and Second Temple history will be useful to the reader. A glossary would have been nice and helpful and would have opened the doors for less knowledgeable readers to read and understand the book. Overall, this is an excellect read. However, previous knowledge will enable - and perhaps even be necessary - for reader to grasp the many insights in Collins' work.

The Scepter and the Star is an excellent and indepth study of the controversy between Judaism and Christianity. In this book we find substantial support for the reasons that many Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah. The Jews were looking for two Messiahs- not one. There is scriptural support, which is well documented by John Collins that points to two Messiah figures of the Apocalypse. Collins also references Dead Sea Scroll material that specifically points out two figures- a Davidic and a Priestly Messiah . This book explains how two diverse religions came and stayed- Judaism and Christianity- over these differences. It shows how the Bible was more than a religious book, but a history book as well. This is an excellent, well written book that should get people to look again at the Bible and perhaps read it with insight instead of letting others TELL you what it says!!

Fr. Champlin has taken an innovation by Pope John Paul II and made it accessible to the devotion of those who walk the Way of The Cross in Lent. Basing each Station of The Cross on the passage from Scripture that covers the entire Passion and not just beginning at the condemnation and ending at the entombment this work takes on the character of "Lectio Divina". We are called to enter into the Scriptural passage and meditate on its implications for us.

The Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II is a version that uses the modern Biblical stations with a 15th station, the resurrection. My personal bias is that the 15th station in inappropriate during Lent, that the resurrection should not be celebrated until the Triduum Easter vigil.

This version in terms of gesture and music is one of the more traditional versions. It assumes a communal celebration with Leader, Reader and "All". Each station begins with a short responsory and genuflection, the reader proclaims a scriptural passage related to the station, all kneel and the leader reads a short meditation applying the suffering of Christ at the station to our lives, the people respond with a short psalm excerpt, all stand and sing a verse of the Stabat Mater. Each station is accompanied by a line drawing.

At this side of the millennial threshold, wading through the deepening waters of change, the issue of reexamining the nature and future of the church is foremost on the minds of theologians, church educators, ministers, and denominational leaders. What will the church look like at the midpoint of the next century? Will the structure of the church require change to survive? Will the mission and functions of the church change? Will the institutional church survive its own success or succumb to a structure too rigid to adapt to the winds of change? Understanding the Church sidesteps contemporary conversations of the sociological dynamics of the church or the usual speculation as to generational shifts within the body. Being a compilation of papers presented at a 1997 colloquium at Grace Bible Chapel in St. Louis, Missouri, the book reviews basic questions about the nature, structure, and functions of the church. The seven essays that make up the chapters of the book do not stray far from the biblical text for interpretations and prescriptions on rudimentary questions about the church from a strictly Protestant theology. The book begins with an almost apologetic chapter on the necessity of maintaining the primacy of Scripture in understanding the nature of the church and any interpretations as to her form and function. This foundational chapter limits its understanding of the church not only to a Protestant theology, but more, to that of the Brethren Church (and even narrower, the Open Brethren, at that). This self-limited understanding of the nature of the church is the book's greatest weakness. The following chapters explore further the nature of the church from a strictly biblical theology, and issues of the identity, nature, and character of the local church versus the universal church. The final two complementary chapters examine issues concerning the autonomy and the interdependence of local churches. Rather than providing a new vision for the church in the 21st century, the book offers up a 19th century conservative evangelical biblical theology of the church typical of what would be found in a sophomore year systematic theology course at a Bible college. The "biblical ideal" for a 21st century church that appears in the book's subtitle seems to be a call for a return to an idyllic "first century church"-the yearning to return to the days of a fabled ecclesiastical Camelot. Some will find comfort in the certitude that a propositional systematic biblical understanding of the church provides. Unfortunately, such a stance is inadequate in helping churches deal with the overwhelming complexities that the church faces in the 21st century.

In Understanding The Church: The Biblical Ideal For The 21st Century, Joseph Vogl and John Fish effectively collaborate to address such fundamental questions as what is meant by "the church" within a Christian context, the purposes of the Christ in founding the church, what resources were endowed with its creation, and did Christ intend that the function of the church be essentially connected with its nature and purpose. With scripture having primacy in exploring these issues, Understanding The Church then addresses the nature of the church, the character and life of local churches, as well as the autonomy and interdependence that govern interaction between the churches and within the broader Christian community. Originally presented as a series of essays for a colloquium sponsored by Grace Bible Chapel in St. Louis, Missouri, Understanding The Church is a welcome addition to contemporary Christian studies reading lists and reference collections.

This is not a great biography of Ford. It doesn't add anything new, and it's probably 100 pages too long(I never thought I'd say that about a book on Ford)! Read Scott Eyman, Print the Legend, and you won't even want to bother with this book.

This is a very good biography of Ford. Yes, McBride relies on Sarris and Carey Jr. a good bit of the time, yet this book remains very interesting and does a thorough job covering the many films Ford made.

Strengths of the book include an eye-opening look at Ford's WWII service, (How many other guys were at both Midway and D-Day and managed to get to Burma and Yugoslavia as well?) a clear presentation of Ford's relations with the different studios (the list of "better" titles for The Quiet Man the head of Republic tried to force on Ford is hysterically funny) and an evenhanded evaluation of Ford's behavior during the blacklist era.

Perhaps the evenhandedness of McBride's tone is what I liked the most about the book. One could take Ford's life and turn it into a straightforward case of hero-worship, or one could take an axe to him up and down the line, pointing out his failures in family life, his bigoted comments, his questionable actions in some controversial issues. McBride avoids falling into either extreme camp. We get Ford warts and all here, and it is left up to us to decide.

My only complaint is that the book is too short. I would have liked more discussion on a few films, and I would have liked a chapter on Ford's posthumous reputation. McBride raises the issue in his introduction that Ford is being forgotten by the new generation of writers and filmmakers, but he never quite tells why.

Still, this was a fine book, one that I read quickly despite its length.

As a fan of the master filmmaker John Ford, I was enthralled to find this wonderful biography. It is both entertaining and scholarly, filled with fascinating anecdotes that provide the reader with an in-depth view of Ford's complex personality. In spanning Ford's life and career, this book also provides a panoramic overview of Hollywood itself and the dramatic changes it went through over the years, many of which are reflected in Ford's work. I really enjoyed the analyses of Ford's films which provide many new insights and perspectives. A must-read for anyone interested in film.

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. While reading it, I really could not become absorbed by Conrad's dense prose, though, while occasionaly eloquent, is very thick, and, well, British. But now that I am finished with it, I can not get the images the novella invokes out of my head. The conquest of Africa by the Imperialist on the surface, and the corruption of man's very morality underneath. The story is deceptively simple, merely a man working for an Ivory trading company, ominously called "The Company", going up the Congo river to meet up with Kurtz, the archetype of Western Imperialism. During this trip, we are shown the inner workings of man and his heart of darkness. The novella is not perfect though. Conrad's condemnation of Imperialism is uneven. Yes, the only discernable cause of Kurtz's descent into evil and madness is the imperialist ethic of master-slave, and it is fairly clear that Marlowe (conrad) is condemning that ethic, but at the same time, he doesn't work very hard to elevate the view of the African natives any higher in the esteem of his western readers. Anyway, as the novella is only about 100 pages, it is something that can be read in a day. Invest an afternoon in it, and decide for yourself.

Heart of Darkness is a novella that really needs to be read more than just once to fully appreciate Conrad's style of writing. The story is an account of one man's simultaneous journey into the darkness of a river as well as into the shadows of a madman's mind. There is a very brilliant flow of foreshadowing that Conrad brings to his writing that provides the reader with accounts of the time period and the horrible events to come. Through Conrad's illuminating writing style we slowly see how the narrator begins to understand the madness or darkness that surrounds him.

I recommend this particular version of the novella because it contains a variety of essays, which discusses some of the main issues in the reading and historical information. Issues like racism and colonialism are discussed throughout many essays. It also contains essays on the movie inspired by the book Apocalypse Now, which is set against the background of the Vietnam War. I recommend reading Heart of Darkness and then viewing Apocalypse Now, especially in DVD format which contains an interesting directors commentary.

English majors are justly fond of Conrad, who packs his stories with subtlety, symbolism, parallels, and rich imagery. "Heart of Darkness" is a brief and strangely absorbing read. Its plot is simple enough on the surface, about a sailor who guides a steamer up the Congo in search of a vaunted ivory trader. But beneath the surface, in a palpable atmosphere of unease, lie the book's complicated themes. This isn't just a condemnation of European activity in Africa, but a glimpse at the evil within every man. In some ways this book is a precursor to "Lord of the Flies" and other twentieth century books of despair, and yet Conrad does not leave the reader without hope. In skilful, mystical passages about light and dark, black and white, tall and short, jungle and sepulchre, Conrad gives us much food for thought about the nature of humankind and the possibilities for both good and evil. I see this book more as a warning than a simple cry of despair - though it pays ample attention to "the horror" of it all.