Treasure Island is no doubt a good read and deserves any reader's full attention for it is filled with the most excitement and adventure.

Jim Hawkins, a young boy that helps to run an inn finds himself stumbling into an adventure after another. After the death of an old pirate that lived in the inn, he founds a treasure map in the dead pirate's chest that more than he thought are after... He sails with his adult friends to find this treasure aboard the great Hispaniola. When a dreadful plot of treachery and mutiny is exposed, Jim begins to see how dangerous this sea adventure really is. Once upon the island, Jim and his friends find it harder than ever to keep grasp of life...

A truly great book with the classic theme that never grows old. The old-English and pirate slang that is written in this book is a bit tricky but does not interfer with the plot and the adventure.

So, all hands on deck and grab Treasure Island!

'Treasure Island' is an adventure novel that was written for children, but it will none the less provide much pleasure to the grown-ups. In this book, Steven tells the story of a young Scottish boy named Jim Hawkins, who stumbles upon a dreaded pirate's (Captain Flint) treasure map, and goes in search of it along with the village doctor and the squire. However they are not the only ones who knew about the hidden treasure. They are pursued by the former ruthless crewmembers of Captain Flint, these men will stop at nothing to lay their hands on the map!

'Treasure Island' is absolutely great. From the beginning to the end its filled with non-stop action. Jim Hawkins is telling the story, so as young people are, he is straight to the point. No unnecessary details are given which will certainly appeal to youngsters and best of all it is written in simple and plain English. For children this is a must-read.

If you think 'pirates', 'treasures' are too childish for you then I suggest you read it in your leisure moments. I'm sure you won't be able to put it aside till you've read the last page!

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is by far one of the best adventure stories I have ever read. This book deserves all five stars, it has everything you could ask for such as, suspense, comedy, action, drama and a great plot line. R.L. Stevenson puts a lot of detail into his main characters such as Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins just to name a few. He describes the scenes with such great detail that at times I had to remind myself that it is only a book. I spent more than 2 months reading this book and I enjoyed every part of it. I could RARELY find a paragraph that was dull, the book was very exciting overall. This book is fairly easy to read and I would recommend it to adults and children of all ages. The book moves at a very good pace, not too fast, not too slow. This book is anything but boring, something new happens in every chapter for instance, when Jim witnesses a murder and when he gets into bar fights, those are just some of the many things that happened. I was very surprised myself when I read this book because it seems a little childish but in fact it's quite the contrary. I highly recommend that you go out and read this book!

Required reading for anyone considering Exam 5 of the SoA.

For those interested in pricing and underwriting of group insurance this reference is a must. The previous editions have been used as the basis for seminars for years. I am using it myself as a tool for my underwriters. The techniques can be applied for Life and Disability Insurance and I am recommending it for my company reference library.

The author is attempting to define a form of Confucianism for non-Chinese. One of the main problems is translating the Confucian notion of ritual/etiquette into Western ideas. Neville relies on Fingarette's study, "Confucius The Secular as Sacred" to do this: basically by using a much wider concept of ritual, referring to all the *signs* in our relationships: signs of friendship, love, commitment... it goes beyond courtesy, to a definition of roles in relationships, although these can be very flexible.
Next Neville, who is a Christian, attempts to reconcile Confucianism and Christianity, and to do this he looks for some form of transcendence (an absolute beyond the perceptible phenomena) in Confucianism to match the transcendent Christian God: Hall & Ames have shown that such a transcendence does not exist in early Confucianism and I don't think that Neville succeeds in proving that they are wrong. He does point though to the Neo-Confucian concept of "principle" that is transcendent since it structures all things and man. This then could be a bridge towards Christianity.
Well the great thinkers (Neville, Hall & Ames) have given us a green light: we can be Western Confucians!
Thomas

"The Human Condition" is one of three volumes from the three year long project run mainly by the Boston University School of Theology called the Comparative Religious Ideas Project (CRIP). The idea was to get together a group of scholars, one representing each major religious tradition (but not of that tradition him/herself), plus a group of "comparativist" scholars, to meet regularly and discuss three main topics: the human condition, ultimate realities, and religious truth. Volumes then emerged on each topic.

The religions covered are: Chinese Religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. Most of the scholars are from the faculty of Boston University (School of Theology and Department of Religion).

This volume contains a well written foreword by Peter Berger, who talks about globalisation and pluralism. There follows an introduction by Robert Neville, who chaired the project. Then individual chapters follow, one each per world religion, in which the relevant scholar tries to analyze how that religion (based mainly on its texts) has viewed the human condition. The volume ends with chapters trying to draw out some comparisons.

This volume will be of use to people interested in comparative religion. It will not be enjoyed, perhaps, by those who disagree with its methodology. For example, as the title of the project suggests, the study confines itself to "ideas", not practises. It therefore lacks something in the way of anthropological and historical approaches. It does not take into account more recent approaches such as narrative theology. And the compressed nature of the chapters means that much of the complexity and polyvocality present in any major religious tradition disappears (an understandable problem if one tries to answer "How does Islam / Christianity / etc. view the human condition" in 30 pages).

The book ends with a section on selected works for further reading.

This book is the second in the Comparative Religious Ideas Project (CRIP), a project in which one scholar representing a major religious tradition (but not of that tradition him/herself) puts forward a view of that religions view on a major issue (in this case "ultimate realities") combined with a bit of work on trying to draw out a comparative framework from this. The religions covered are: Chinese Religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. The scholars are predominantly from the faculty of Boston University (School of Theology and Department of Religion).

This volume begins with a foreword by Tu Weiming. I think the forewords in this series are perhaps the best part of it. There then follows a chapter each per religion, and a final three chapters on the comparative framework, and the nature of drawing comparisons at all. This is rather dry stuff.

One wonders who this kind of book will benefit most. Scholars of these religions are unlikely to gain much from a 30-page condensed chapter on that religion's views (especially since the authors, who are all good scholars in their own right, have already written a number of good books in which they put forth their views in a much more developed and understandable way). On the other hand, if you are unfamiliar with a given tradition, you are not going to learn much in 30 pages. So, primarily this work is for those interested in comparing religious ideas (not "religions" because this involves much more than just the ideas) in a rather traditional (but very methodical) approach.

If this is what you want, then this will be an excellent addition to your collection; otherwise, I would look elsewhere.

The book ends with a section on selected works for further reading.

Dr. Sebesta's textbook is excellent because he goes through the material step-by-step, using easily understood language to explain key concepts. After having him as a teacher in my undergrad days I'm very pleased to see his skills as a teacher expand to the written word!

i would have to agree with the negative reviews i've seen, and also the majority of travelers i have met in china. we all carry around the lp "bible", but also agree that it is one of the worst publications they have. it seems as you travel along that maybe lonely planet has not visited china or the places it talks about in a while. unfortunately it is one of the only publications of its type and it does contain a minimum of information that one may find useful at times. most of the informatino is outdated, even though i'm using the 2003 edition. Not to mention that they add the poorly written humor instead of a little more chinese script, which let me tell you goes a long way in a country where once you're out of the main cities, very few people speak english, and when they do it is not the best. some more useful word and phrases would be great, instead of how to say "eel fried with spinach and mushrooms". just the words for muchrooms, noodles, and rice would be nice, instead of forcing you to buy the mandarin phrase book, just to get the basics. another complaint i would have is in the compactnes. i realize this is a large country, but i feel like a lot of the space dedicated to useless information and adveritisments that you can't ever remove (for more lp bibles...) could be put to some much better use. All in all i have to say that while containing some very useful information, you're much better off photocopying the important pages and leaving the book at home.

My friend and I have been in China two times: each for 3 weeks. LP was one of the guidebooks we used throughout. The first trip was to the South (up to Lijiang in Yunan) and the second was to the west (up to Turpan). Both trips planted in us rewarding experiences and beautiful memories. We wanted to go to Tibet, but we had no enough time (by bus, it already would have taken 3 days to Lhasa from Qinghai).

While reading some of the reviews on this page, IMHO, I think that if you'd like to learn more about history of China or language, you should buy history books or some sort. LP mainly serves as a "survival" guide. If you ever are in China, you will know how much "survival" means to you.

About inaccuacies in this book, you should keep in mind that China is still a changing country. Everthing was so unpredictable. But that's actually one of the things that makes China so fascinating to travel in. Nevertheless, I found that the info was as much accurate as it could be. For example, in Beijing, you can follow the direction in the book to get the cheapest money exchange rate (a laundry shop in an alley was actually there!).

If you're planning to spend time in China on your own, I highly recommend this book. You also need one or two good phrase books, if you don't know about Chinese. If you are also interested in historical part of China, also bring with you a good history book. But I doubt it, for the following reasons: 1) the experiences, sceneries, people, etc. will make you forget about history, and 2) they are all to heavy to carry. Imagine you are loading your backpack on your back walking and looking for a place to sleep, or on a bus with a map in one hand. I wouldn't carry a lot of books.

I have found so many intersting people travelling in deep China, most of them from European countries. They all carry this Bible with them.

If you're traveling in places like China, I advise you have a special home-made wallet that sits between the innest shirt and your skin, or inside the underwear. You should keep all your important documents and money in this wallet.

I first travelled to China in 1998 and brought with me the then current edition of the Lonely Planet. My review of it is here somewhere. Despite being on a guided and highly structured tour, I found the guide absolutely indespensible and I used it constantly before and during my trip.

China has changed so much in just two years. The change is even more evident in the major touristy type cities such as Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. Fortunately, as China changes so does the Lonely Planet guide. And fortunately, the guide is just as good as ever.

I enjoyed the LP China book for two reasons. First off, the background information is so awesome for preperation for a trip to China. China is a great trip, but at times it is not an easy trip. However, the guide does a good job of letting you know ahead of time what wonders, amazments, and frustrations may lie ahead.

Once in China the book is awesome on where to go, the background and history of where you are, and how to get there. The maps and train times are oh so important.

China is a great and challenging trip. To do it right you need to be ready for it before and while there. Simply put, the LP book is the best way to get ready for a big trip to China.

This book never left my side during two trips to China. This book is worth every penny it costs.

This textbook was very hard to understand. The authors discuss the material in such a way that unless you spend all your time reading their book, you won't ever get it. I spent way too much time over a full academic year trying to figure out what the book meant. And when I worked the problems, I often times didn't understand the material well enough to even begin to know how to approach them. The problems in this book are usually set up so that you have to derive your own equations *based on* the equations the authors discuss. The authors take a very loopy, confusing approach to thermodynamics (I had to try to forget a lot of the stuff I learned from this book when I took Physical Chemistry courses). Further, the chapters on thermo are not nearly complete enough, and the analogies used are usually bad. This book covers all the basic topics, like any other standard physics text, but the level of discussion is just slightly too advanced for the John Doe taking a General Calculus-based Physics class, whose only background is high school physics.
Look into some other textbooks...I hear Serway's book is
good.

Following this text can be quite difficult for one who has a weak command of mathematics or of basis physics principles. The examples are quite interesting, unlike many other textbooks. I must admit that most physics texts for scientists are more complicated than this. When the material is reexplained in a clear manner, the book makes perfect sense. I think that frustration with this book is due highly in part to those who took physics not realizing how challenging it can be, especially for those who do not understand such concepts easily. As for simply skipping lectures and trying to understand physics by reading the book, this is likely to be a complete failure; I don't know if any physics book could appropriately explain physics in an understandable manner without supplement. The problems, however, in the text are excellent, and while sometimes challenging, they are essential for a student to be able to solve problems on exams.

I used this book in high school for AP Advanced Physics for mechanics and electromagnetics, but unfortunately did not take the AP test. So now that I am in college and am taking physics - only the second semester electromagnetics and optics, guess what, it is the exact same book. I can see how people find the book not very easy to read. I didn't understand much of it in high school. Now that I am taking it for a second time in college though, I can read the book and it makes perfect sense. I skip lecture about 50% of the time, and have a 97% in the class. Problems at the end of each chapter aren't that difficult.

We recently traveled through Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia and found this guidebook practically useless and certainly frustrating--definitely not worth its weight. We have used other LPs in the past and found them to be at least adequate but this one doesn't even rate that well. It lacked many important details--such as the time/distances between many points, availability of various transportation options and routes, decent maps--the list goes on and on. Even though prices change often and currencies fluctuate, even a vague idea of prices (is it $10 or $100??) would have been quite useful to help us plan better. Although we ran into many people all 'armed' with the LP, they all had the same complaints.

This book is an adequate guide but it needs improvement in several areas. I used this book during Janurary and February of 2000 when I traveled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Last year I used the Lonley Planet-India and found it was much better than Southeast Asia. Here are the weaknesses. 1. The numbers of the locations on the maps should be used in the text describing the location. This would grealy improve you ability to plan your day or route. 2. Maps should be improved. I would be willing to spend a few dollars more for better maps. 3. Hotel, restaurant, etc. names are not printed in bold type. This makes it more difficult to use. 4. It would be very helpful to grade the sites with a priority to reduce the time one spends reading fine print and get on with seeing the country. When I return to this part of the world next winter I will try to find additional books to correct these weaknesses.

I travelled through Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong using this book. I initially bought this book with weight in mind. I did not want to carry three more LPs along with the other country books (LP Taiwan, Japan). Although much of the information needed to survive was written in the book, it certainly did lack the detailed maps and background information needed to have a care-free journey. SOmetime it certainly was a struggle , especially in Thailand. The Thailand Section prices were extremely outdated. Even in the height on the "asian economic flu", I had to triple the prices listed. The Hong Kong section was adequate, but HK is an efficient and easily travelled city. Of the three, I found the Philippine section the best, but some of the hotel quality ratings are out dated. Please do not stay at the Hotel Mercedes in Cebu!

I wouldn't bother to write a review of this book, except I always remember spending my last couple of dollars on a book only to find something like this.

First, the author and his artist wife are no doubt kind and sincere people who intend well. They offer this muddle to those who need to use some scientific jargon in justifying their belief in God.

Muddled scientific jargon is precisely what's wanted by lots of folks, and for them this book provides reassurance. All the right questions are asked. And if you're not real picky about answers being true or not, then this book's for you. It's probably very comforting. Even the childish artwork probably appeals to readers who just want to feel wonderful about the world no matter what troublesome facts get in the way.

But the frugal book purchaser who wants/needs explanations instead of groundless speculation is well-advised to keep looking. If I may, I'd recommend Milton Munitz's "Cosmic Understanding." And hang in there...things in cosmology are very gradually improving...

Robert C. neville explores the metaphysical foundations of modern scientific concepts in a tradition that goes back to the great writings of continental philosopy such as Hegel, Husserl and Bergson. But, being an American in the end of the twentieth century, Neville uses the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and the metaphysical concepts of the ontology of Martin Heidegger, together with contemporary quantum physics theory and the big-bang theory, to give us an holistic account of the concept of time as examined through the context of Eternity, that is complimentary to Christianity thought, Buddhizm and Zen. No other book that I have read deals with such a deep philosophical question concerning time in such a broad context. You can never tell if neville is more faitefull to modern science, continental philosophy, religion or eastern thought. Neville is a modern theologian, a briliant scholar, that does not forget modern science, and treat it with due respect, like he treats continental philosophy and metaphysics. Although he deals with religion, metaphysics, moral philosophy, philosophy of science, physics and zen philosophy, Neville never fails the temptation to write in a popular way or in indoctrinical voice. He truly take the imposible task to write a complete metaphysic of time and Eternity, in the same context that Hegel judged Descartes, Spinoza, Liebnitz, Lock, Berckly and Hume to have their own metaphysics. Because Neville's book borrows from three main systems, that is from Bergson, Whitehead and Heidegger, and synthesise them together in order to find the answear to the question of time as this concept is used in physics, western culture, Budhism, Judaism and Christianity, it is not too exaggerated to claim that it is an original thought that have its place as one of western culture keystones - but still, only intellectualy, since this book is very rarly known in philosophical circles and university departments. The only flaw of this book is the trust that Neville feels (to my mind) towards the western modern sciences of astronomy, chemistry, physics and astrophysics. It seems to me that in bringing science into philosophy Neville have made this book a waste in a hundred years from now: it will be old instead of immortal. As science change, it will make this book redundant. For now, this book have a superb analysis of self-will and self-responsibility, that is based on its excellent understanding of the meaning of time (and subjective time) as related to the concept of Eternity.