There are some who consider Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln the two greatest writers in American history- and not in that order. Others have compared Lincoln's eloquence to none other than Shakespeare. Both are wonderful compliments, and in my mind highly accurate. Abraham Lincoln was a master of the English language.

This is a nice single volume of Lincoln's best known writings. It has all the great speeches you have heard of (Gettysburg Address, etc.)plus many the non specialist might have missed. If you are a specialist, you probably already own Roy Basler's nine volume set of Lincoln's writings. If you do not, this fine volume will suit you nicely and help you to understand why Lincoln is the revered man that he is.

This is a great book. I think the introduction is the best. It is interesting plus you really feel Lincoln was a man of the people. My favorite part was when Lincoln had one of his sons in a wagon. Lincoln was so much in his thoughts that the child fell out and was crying loudly and Lincoln kept walking dragging an empty wagon behind him.

I have a large Civil War library, and if there was a fire, this is the one Lincoln book I would try to rescue. Despite being written almost 50 years ago, the book's strong point is not its selection of Lincoln's writings (although that is quite good), but its masterful biographical sketch of Lincoln by Stern. Almost seven score since Lincoln's death, there is still no other satisfying BRIEF biography. In about 200 pages, Stern has managed to capture, in skilfull prose, all the important facts while still having room for some less-wordy, interesting comments. Each important event is succinctly captured in a couple paragraphs. I like that Stern actually calls Lincoln "neurotic" in certain personal aspects. I also like his passages on Willie Lincoln's death, emancipation, and the war's closing. There's really not enough room for any heavy politically-influenced interpretations of issues like those in modern long biographies,and that's why Stern's sketch can't be considered outdated. Some people may not like the short description of Lincoln's assassination, and I thought Stern spent too much ink on Lincoln's final attempts to compensate the South. Since the book predates the most comprehensive, closely-inspected collection of Lincoln's letters, there may be some inaccuracies in the writings reproduced here. However, the selection is an excellent one, linked together well with intros by Stern. I can't imagine this was an easy job for Stern and I'm lost why it's been virtually ignored. But all in all, I can only repeat, if you want to know the most about Lincoln in the fewest words, and have your interest held throughout, just buy this book and you're set!

There are two principal reasons to recommend this book. First, it is one of the rare books in approximation theory that covers complex analytic functions. Second, the selection and presentation of the material is unusually clear and full of useful examples. The author balances the level of generality against the usefulness of the result. In other words, he avoids the trap of stating the result in such a high level of generality that the usefulness of the result is completely obscured. Another good book in this area at a slightly higher level of difficulty is "Theory of Approximation" by Achieser. This book is suitable for self study by a graduate student in the first year or a very advanced undergraduate.

I read this book some 10 or more years ago. It's very interesting and very funny. The story starts when the author reads a glowing review of his doctoral thesis. There is, HOWEVER, a catch, and it leads the author on a quest for the correct spelling of the mathematician Chebychev's name. I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I'd say he does pretty well, and would expect good and humorous things from him.

This book was a sheer joy to read and digest. The authors skilfully comingle history, mathematics, philosophy, and biography. The result is a truly fantastic voyage into the meaning and gist of discovery and conjecture. In chapter after chapter important ideas like Fourier analysis, Non-Cantorian Set Theory, and Objects and Structures are scrutinized in a very interesting manner.

The deeper you go into the book the more will you revel in the sheer majesty and scope of the topics. I had to read the chapter on Inner Issues twice to really get everything out of the text. Topics such as Teaching and Learning are very insightful and full of little hidden gems.

If you are prepared to expend some effort and if you wish to know what mathematics "really is like", grab this book. I am sure this will become a permanent treasure in your library and you will peruse it often long into the night.

It was about five years ago. Physics suddenly seemed fascinating but I was struggling with math. My tutor suggested two books for me. One of them was this book. I cannot say this book was particularly helpful but it gave me a good sense of what mathematics is: its people, culture, history, and philosophy. Quite unlike E.T. Bell's Men of Mathematics, this book does not contain romantically presented stories of some math heros. And unlike some popular math books by Ian Stewart, it does not attempt to explain (rather unsuccessfully) some esoteric theories. It is just as the title suggest--what a mathematical experience can be. A book of this kind is rare.

P.S. Now, some five years later, I am not sure if mathematical knowledge maintains a separte existence as Plato had thought, and as the authors believe. (Ref. Plato, Phaedo)

The best book I have read of it's type. Seemlessly incorporating Mathematics, Philosophy and History. Makes one want to really read everything in the Bibliography.

A great way to familiarize yourself with the Dead Sea Scrolls. I like the layout of the text, examining the scrolls cave by cave. Many beautiful color photos, almost a coffee-table book, but more than just a photo album. For those hesitating to purchase this book because of Davies' involvement, I would suggest that his minimalist views on the historicity of the Bible are not a factor in this book. My only complaint - more than once, documents/scrolls were mentioned in passing as if the reader should already know about them, then, a few pages/chapters later, the document was explained in detail. Coupled with "Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls", the reader would have a good introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Where does one start the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls? One would do well to start with copies of the texts. The biblical texts may be found in _The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible_ translated by Martin Abegg et al. The non-biblical texts which includes the sectarian texts, may be found in _The Dead Sea Scrolls_ translated by Michael Wise et al. (Incidentally there are no unpublished texts of any significance. These two volumes cover the field.)

Then one needs a book which explains where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found such as Jodi Magness' _The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scolls_. But as the starting point one needs _The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls_.

Philip Davies, George Brooke, and Phillip Callaway have written a "complete" introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls. The first section of the book discusses the discovery of the scrolls, their editing, and their publication. The second section discusses the history of the time of the scrolls, including the sects of that time.

Perhaps the third section should have been divided into two. The third section begins with chapters on how to make a scroll, script styles, Carbon-14 dating of the scrolls, and how to reconstruct a scroll from fragments. (If one has never read of the techniques for scroll reconstruction, this chapter is a must.)

Next comes the bulk of the book. The most significant scrolls from each cave are discussed. Cave 1 had a number of the sectarian scrolls. Cave 4 had the largest number of scrolls. The scrolls from Caves 5 to 10 receive only two pages of attention despite the sensationalism surrounding the Greek scrolls found in Cave 7 (and see also page 190).

The fourth section of the book discusses the settlement of Qumran. (One should be sure to refer to Magness' _Archaeology_.) The fifth section discusses the meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I will leave these for the consideration of the reader.

Included in _Complete World_ are a list of the contents of Discoveries in the Judean Desert, a chart of paleographic Hebrew, a list of the scrolls by cave, etc. _Complete World_ is a feast of reading with the scrumptious photographs of a coffee table book. This book deserves more than a five star rating.

The three authors on the latest book about the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the top in the field of archaeology. Together, they present careful evidence into the history and meaning of the manuscripts found in the Dead Sea. The book is easy to follow, starting with the finding of the scrolls, then moving into a historical backdrop of the world as it was in ancient times for the authors of the texts. An added advantage in this book is it lays out exactly where each scroll was found, the condition the text was in, and the background for the scroll being reviewed. A small section was devoted to the Copper Scroll, one of the biggest mysteries in all the scrolls found to date. This is an easy read with a comprehensive account of one of the most important archaeological finds in the past century

Philip J. Davis, the author, is Professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University. In the mid 1980s, he was briefly a Visitor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where his (fictional) tale is set.

I recommend the book highly. It provides great insight into the traditional methods of study and reflection used within Cambridge colleges, and Thomas Gray the cat is a most engaging fulcrum who effortlessly imposes her (that's right!) personality upon the direction matters take. Philosophy, history, love and mathematics all come together in a Cambridge environment where the landscapes are as lovingly described as the abstract ideas.

If you like academic wit and charm, and think you might enjoy a fanciful story about a cat named "Thomas" and *her* friend Lucas, both of whom ponder questions mathematical, philosophical, practical, and romantic, then this book is for you. Else, I'm not sure. You might get happily lost in the writing, or you might ask, "what in bloody blazes is this all about?" on page five. But as for me, I enjoyed every bit--even the parts I didn't understand. Marguerite Dorian's illustrations are *wonderful*. Another good and comparable work by Davis is _The Thread_ (which does not appear available on Amazon, but ought be).

It's a pity this is out of print, because it's a great read. Very intelligently written with an expectation that the reader is at least fairly well-versed in literature and other scholarly pursuits, it is nevertheless not at all dry or difficult to get through. A lovely story about an eccentric professor and his cat, Thomas Gray, it is an engrossing and thought-provoking read with a great touch of humour to its style. As someone who loves both books and cats, I can recommend this highly.

Sea Shapes allows children to learn about shapes in their environment, creatures of the sea, and how to draw them. Bright colors and simple shapes help to make learning fun.

A fine account of a most interesting and crucial series of Civil War battles. Stackpole treats everyone very fairly. Broad in its scope, audacious in its execution this book analyzes the Confederacy's third and final invasion of the North. A very excellent work that is well worth the time.