How to rightly apply the truths of Scripture in our lives is the essence of practical christianity. Pink gives us a Biblical perspective on how to view Christian doctrine on p.135,"There is no doctrine revealed in Scripture for a merely speculative knowledge,but all is to exert a powerful influence upon conduct. God's design in all that he has revealed to us is to the purefying of our affections and the transforming of our characters." The Christian ought always to have this in view,that my desire to know more of God's truth is that by His grace I may walk in the light of it. Some of the most helpful things Mr.Pink has written on experimental christianity are found in this book. The keeping of the heart is rightly set forth as the great concern that it ought to be in the life of every believer. Pink gives some very helpful definitions as to what the keeping of the heart is. For example on p.100 "To keep the heart means striving to shut out from it all that is opposed to God...God is a jealous God and will brook no rival;He claims the throne of our hearts,and requires to be loved by us supremely." This book will be of immense help to anyone who would like to know how they may so live,as to increasingly honour God in their daily lives.

GOD measured much light to A. W. Pink. Chapter 13 of this book is the substance pointed to by the previous 12 chapters. In it, Pink compares and contrasts GOD's decretive and preceptive wills and His foreordination and providences. He makes a strong case throughout both administrations of the covenant of grace for the providences of GOD being regulated by the righteousness, or lack thereof, of His peculiar people. It is a masterpiece on the doctrine of the obedience of faith. Increasing in holy conduct is not an option for the people called by His Name, and Pink drives this concept home.

Pink really lays down the bones of the christian faith in a way that will make you search your soul. Through the prayerful reading of this book you will have to chose to either put it down or conform your life as the Holy Spirit will convict. I have grown tremendously both spiritually and practically through the reading of this book.

Truly an all-encompassing work that bridges the gaps between such diverse fields as: biology, physics and psychology.

Anyone who can expertly discuss both helicopters and consciousness deserves a read!

In this book, Young describes a "Theory of Process" which takes Spirit into matter and back out again. It is elegantly written, the prose is effortless and along the way he gives insights into the entire spectrum of science, philosophy and metaphysics. Young has been recognized as a genius on the level of Einstein, but I can tell you, Young's theory is far more coherent. You know how a genius can make a remark on a subject, just toss off a remark, that just opens your eyes because it is so succinctly phrased? This book is like that. I consider it to be a work of genius, highly recommended, if you are into the Big Picture.

Its a shame there aren't more penetrating and expansive minds like Young's. He makes one of the best arguments for teleology in nature that I have read. The arguments between religious fundamentalists with their hopeless textual literalism and arrogant scientific materialists shouldn't keep the rest of us from seeing a reasonable and cohesive synthesis between the physical and metaphysical worlds.

I really enjoyed this book. Basically this is a history book of science and religion and how they have interacted over the history of mankind. Bertrand explains how almost every great scientific finding or revolution is oppressed ...by religion in some way or another. Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Darwin, Vesalius, Harvey, Simpson, and many other distinguished scholars have all been at least fearful of the reactions of the churches, but also of the general population. Bertrand also goes into detail how the idea of ?soul? has changed through time: ?We not only react to external objects, but we know that we react. The stone, we think, does not know it reacts, but if it does it has ?consciousness.? Here also, on analysis, the difference will be found to be one of degree.? I rate this book with five out of five stars; I enjoyed it and still do enjoy it thoroughly.

Russell's "Religion and Science" explores, in a thoughtful and intelligent fashion, essentially the dark side of religion and its historical resistance (to say the least) to scientific discovery. This is clearly a must read for any rational thinking human.

"Religion and Science" provides excellent insight into the historical struggle between religious faith and the scientific pursuit of facts. Russell outlines the differences in methodologies that inevitably lead to conflict between religion and science. He sites various examples of such conflicts including opposition to the heliocentric view of the universe and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Russell infers throughout how science is superior to religion, at least from a pragmatic standpoint. This is perhaps not a revealing fact to enlightened readers. However, as Russell points out, in every age there are religious adherents and systems that have opposed progressive ideas and technologies made possible by scientific discoveries. Russell makes it clear that the reader should at least be aware of such historical precedence in order to be prepared to handle modern instances of conflict between religion and science.

I read this book as an adolescent; about 21 years ago, and it and "The Saracen Lamp" had a very profound affect on my life and my interests. Well written and stimulating, with extreme lasting power, I have thought of this book every year since I have read it.

I would love to see it back in print. Few books since have imprinted themselves as deeply on my soul.

I read this book 20 years ago. It has remained with me ever since. Set on the West Country coast of England, it portrays the setting and the thoughts and feelings of a young girl with fantastic sympathy and eloquence.

I read this book more than 30 years ago and remembered it well enough to look it up today. Haunting and touching, it speaks to young girls without preaching or talking down. It's not current or modern, but rather classic and timeless.

This is the only book to date that I have had to stop reading
to wipe away tears of laughter. A proper, laugh out loud riot
that takes the Arthurian legends, and adds a new perspective
to the myth and magic .. lusty maidens, beggars, a overbearing
oaf as the Lord of the Manor, a priest who 'shrives' the sins of
the Lady and her Daughter by trials of the flesh ...it's not what
Errol Flynn portrayed at all. Imagine the 3 Musketeers films
(the ones with Olly Reed & Michael York), and the humour is in
a similar vein to these cinematic classics. If you like your
olden day heroes untarnished, clean and honourable, then don't
read this book. I'll never think about the Knights of the Round
Table in the same way again. Very funny, very well written with
some memorable phrases that I have used to good effect in the
years since reading it. Not recommended reading for funerals
or other such solemn occasions. Messrs Pratchett and Adams have
written some excellent books (I've read the lot) but they pale
when compared to this 'laugh until your face hurts' masterpiece.

I finally received, from an endearing, if not downright useful cousin, a copy (hardbound , first edition in fact) of Rude Tales and Glorious -- the elusive print of an equally elusive author named Nicholas Seare (aka Trevanian aka UT Professor Rod Whitaker -- he of the numerous PhD's and other alphabetically-induced suffixes).

At the risk of waxing quotidian, my only regret is not having read this piece of literature sooner. This is an irreverent, audaciously humorous send-up of Arthurian history -- albeit Arthuriana's numerous manifestations and interpretations (and those are just the "ations," as Trevanian would say.)

Chaucer finds a more than worthy if not altogether brilliant extension of his idea in Seare's work.

The novel, in classic Trevanian-esque jest and joust (similarly used in Incident at Twenty Mile) purports to have had a solid foundation in history -- Rude Tales and Glorious claiming to be a contemporary translation of the author's ancestor's work.

Set in a Welsh knight's castle on a wintry evening, two beggar's claiming to be Launcelot and the Lady Elaine(of 600 years past) regale the dinner party with tales of the "real" Arthurian history in exchange for the orts and leavings of the feast -- "generously" given by a tale-thirsty lord.

Completing the cast at dinner are the typical suspects of this genre; the bungling knight and his warped-sense of valor (along the liberal democratic tradition), a hypocritical lothario of a priest ( also along the same liberal democratic tradition), lusty maidens (thus given to same previously-mentioned political affinity), and the servile servants (as they should be..being of the conservative republican staff). All complemented with similarly-inclined characters in the tale (of Arthur) within a tale.

All this is told in melliflous euphony evidenced in the English gentry's pedant in vocabulary and Twain's subtle comedy. Existent too, are Seare's/Trevanian's distaste for his perpetual foe -- the merchant, coupled with light-hearted jabs (though painful enough) at the Academic Illuminati of which Seare/Trevanian/Whitaker was, for a considerable portion of his life, a part of.

The entire body of work is prefaced with the autumnal sentimentality that Seare/Trevanian allows to epiphanize quite rarely though elegantly (inspired, no doubt, by the aesthete on poetic melancholy, Kawabata Yasunari) in his other works.

The tale is charmingly irreverent, and the telling is valiant and inspired!

Hope everyone has the opportunity and the pleasure to read this fine work.

Boy, do I consider myself lucky to have found a copy of "Rude Tales and Glorious". Any book that has me laughing aloud as often as this deservs to be the foundation for a religion. Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett should be so funny (and they nearly are, but that's another review).

The headline says it all. I don't have to repeat myself. The book's about food poisoning on a cross-country flight. The
pilot and copilot, and most of the passengers, are affected
by food poisoning. The flight crew and the passengers affected by it had ordered the beef. The rest ordered chicken. One of the passengers was a pilot in the war. He
has to take over when the pilot becomes incapacitated. When the copilot becomes ill, the head stewardess, yes, that's what they were called in the days before political correctness, has to take over for him. However, the passenger who takes over for the pilot, hasn't flown in years and has to be talked through it by another pilot on the ground. Another review compared it to Airplane! Airplane! was a spoof of those '70s disaster movies. It wasn't based on this book.

Runway Zero-Eight is the epitome of the page-turner. A very fun read that set the stage for Hailey's later successes.

The only problem is that it's hard to read today without thinking of the movie "Airplane!"; this book was one of the primary sources of inspiration for that parody, and at key moments in the drama of "Runway Zero-Eight" you may find yourself being reminded of one of the absurdly silly scenes in the movie. Just suppress those thoughts and enjoy the story.

If you can get a copy of this you had better get it! If you like edge of your seat can't put it down type of reading this is it. It keeps you wanting more and keeps giving you more.

Very few things scare Amazon Pirate First Mate Peggie Blackett -- mostly thunder, but also the Great Aunt.

The only thing that scares Amazon Pirate Captain Nancy Blackett (well, "Ruth", properly, but Amazon Pirates are ruthless) is the Great Aunt.

Great Aunt Maria Turner, who raised Nancy & Peggie's widowed Mother and their Uncle Jim, is a formidable maiden lady of firm opinion, unbending will and repressive manner. "Having fun" is not on her list of summer tasks that well-brought-up children need to perform during the Summer Holidays. And dressing in comfortable shorts, knit shirts and red stocking caps is hardly suitable for Young Ladies in their early teens.

Not that this is particularly worrisome in the normal frame of things, because she lives Far Away.

But somehow Aunt Maria gets word that Ruth and Margaret are to be alone for a goodly part of the Summer Holidays as Uncle Jim (Captain Flint) takes their mother on a cruise for her health... and decides to visit Beckfoot for most of that period and make sure that Nancy and Peggie don't get into trouble.

Not that this, even so, would be worse than Unpleasant... except that their friends, Dick & Dorothea Callum ("the D's") are to be staying at Beckfoot... and it's a sure bet that the Great Aunt would visit a devastating scold on their Mother if she found out that they were having other guests their own age to stay, to be supervised only by Cook.

And so, quicker than you can say "Are you sure this isn't a Bad Idea?" Dick and Dorothea, city kids with limited experience at camping and fending for themselves, wind up ensconced for the length of the GA's visit in "the Dog's Home" -- a one-room stone forester's hut in the woods up above the lake.

And, since a number of people know that they're supposed to be at Beckfoot, and don't know it's a secret, and because Dick is supposed to be working with Captain Flint's friend on Captain FLint's houseboat on some chemical analysis of samples from a mine they discovered in the previous book and because Murphy's Law applies to everything in life, from there the story becomes more and more complex and full of hair's-breadth escapes and humourous adventures and close calls (the burglary at Beckfoot being particularly fun).

In the end, of course, all is (relatively) well, the GA gone, the D's have their own boat to race with "Swallow" and "Amazon" and the Swallows are due to arrive any day and most of the Summer still stretches ahead.

Like all the rest of the series, humourous adventure fiction for the YA age group. (And perhaps a bit younger; since they were mostly written for British juvenile audiences, and sixty to seventy years ago to boot, the "Swallows & Amazons" books may contain references and language that today's younger readers may have some problems with. OTOH, i first read "Swallows & Amazons" [the first book] at age eight or nine and i had no problem with it.)

Which is not to say that adults can't enjoy them -- many do. Buy them for a son, daughter, nephew or niece and give them a try before you pass them on; Ransome has a huge adult readership worldwide, even today.

One of the greatest of the series, this book unusually partners the Ds and the Amazons, with the Swallows not arriving until the day after the last page. As usual Nancy and Peggy are in dire straits, this time thanks to a surprise visit from the dreaded Great Aunt. With their guests, Dick and Dorothea just arrived, they are forced to take extreme measures to keep life on, what they consider, an even keel. Dragged into their web of deception are a myriad of 'Natives' including the doctor, Squashy Hat, Cook and the postman. As usual, there is continual suspense and excitement and once again we are transported to a better world and left the better for it.

It's another fun holiday with the Amazon Pirates, Nancy and Peggy, until their Great Aunt discovers that Mother is away, and they have no one to look after them! Nancy and Peggy know they must hide visitors Dick and Dot, but where? Of course! In an old abandoned hut in the woods! They will be "Picts" while the suffering Amazons will be "martyrs." Will the G. A. find out? Will the doctor give away the secret? Will Dick be able to help Timothy with his experiments? Will the amazons be stuck in frilly frocks for the rest of the summer?

Sail with Dick and Dot on their new boat--the Scarab--in this funniest of Arthur Ransome adventures through the Lake District.

I read this book for a class on the emergence of state society. The book was great for its review of Aztec ideology and its resulting effects on the society. Too many authors ignore the importance of the way people think. However, archaeological evidence does not support their conclusions about the Inca's ancestor worship. But the book was good read, very fast paced and enjoyable. I recommend it.

I read this book as part of a research project into the rise and fall of the Mexica, or Aztec. This book offered an interesting view of the Aztec, as a warfaring society which was propelled by a religous zelous that got out of hand and eventually caused the destabilization of a great empire. While I happen to disagree with certain arguments in this book they are all well justified with valid arguments. This field is constantly changing and is full of writers who don't have the background or the backing for their arguments, this is not one of them. Conrad and Demerest use fresh, compelling, and well thoughtout arguments to make an interesting point. If researching the Inca and Aztec this is a must read to achieve a good view of these two expansionist empires.

The book really gets into the nuts and bolts of the empires, showing you how ideas could give birth to and help expand the two cultures. But it also shows how the same ideas could hinder and even start to destroy the empires later in their existance. Yet it is not hard to read and even delightful at some points. They answer alot of questions I had about the Aztec and Inca, making sure to support everything they say with lots of details. A must of any history library.

I had the pleasant opportunity to meet with this fine author during his book signing. Several of my friends and family have passed a copy of "Remembering Father Flye" and they all read it cover to cover without putting it down. A unanimous response that it was a story worth telling.

Father James Harold Flye is best known as the mentor of Pulitzer Prizewinning author James Agee. William Hampton's new biography of the eccentric, independent, and unforgettable priest should give Father Flye his own--well-deserved--billing.

Father Flye, born in 1884, lived a a full century--more than twice as long as Agee--with uncommon relish. It's clear from the recollections that Hampton has gathered that Flye had a lasting effect on everyone who met him, from the mountain boys he taught to the New Yorker writers who visited him at his cluttered apartment in Greenwich Village.

And now, when our country is presented with unprecedented challenges, the story of Father Flye-who knew history, loved humanity, and endured with strength-is especially relevant.

Father Flye's story is not without heartbreak and loss. It's about life, after all. But a remarkable and exuberant life. The stories collected in this book are mostly transcribed radio interviews and letters. They focus on the particular, and that's what makes them so charming.

Father Flye was married at age 30 to Grace Houghton, a quirky portrait artist 10 years his senior. His first parish assignment was in Milledgeville, Georgia. After that small disaster, he took a temporary job at St. Andrew's School on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. The school was founded by monks of the Order of the Holy Cross to teach local mountain boys who came from extremely primitive circumstances. Father Flye, a Yalie, and Grace, who had had a studio in Italy, stayed at St. Andrew's for 36 years.

The Flyes had no children, but the St. Andrew's students were their boys. Grace painted their portraits and sewed their clothing. Father Flye gave them elocution lessons. He taught them history. He punished them for trying to flush a frog down the toilet by making them stand outside and recite poetry. He gave them self-respect, respect for learning and life, and futures. "Piffle," they called him. His antics left them wide-eyed. His love filled their hearts. His poetry settled in their minds. He corresponded with them for decades after they left St. Andrew's.

Readers looking for intriguing history, biography or "something inspirational" will love Father Flye and his quirky wife, Grace. Grace was "no bigger than a bar of soap after a hard day's wash." A victim of Addison's disease, she became more reclusive with age. Father Flye was a vegetarian. Grace, anemic, ate a little meat. She saved tea bags to shred to make nests for the mice at her "Noah's Ark." She moved her broom to different locations on the porch as a signal to her neighbors that she was fine, still alive. She is listed by the Smithsonian as one of America's finest portraitists.

In a recent memoir published in American Places, historian Bertram Wyatt-Brown writes affectionately that the Flyes were unquestioned intellectuals. He describes them entering the chapel in their black robes, looking like nothing so much as "a pair of underfed crows."

The book is "Mr. Holland's Opus," "Music of the Heart," "Dead Poets' Society," "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," the Mitford books, and a costume drama. Its two eccentric protagonists will warm the hearts of readers as the Flyes warmed the hearts of those they befriended, from Appalachia to Greenwich Village.

Mr. Hampton, a retired radio announcer, was one of the lost boys that Father Flye saved.

And through this book, Mr. Hampton has saved Father Flye for us.

I have just finished reading "Remembering Father Flye" and I wanted to acknowledge how deeply moved and impresed I am with Bill Hampton's extraordinary work of oral reminiscenes that are fused so well together in the telling of the journey of such a remarkable human being as Father Flye who was consumed by history in all its elements as well as the beauty of life itself.

Hampton has magnificently woven a rich mosaic diffused with both light and darkness of the life of a man whose pilgrimage as an educator of both young and old minds from, "the Mountain" of Sewanee to the streets of the City of New York, was always filled with enriching the lives of those he met on his way with great compassion and love.

In this expansive work of love, in which the meticulousness of historic detail is in itself a wealth of knowledge, Bill Hamptom has shared not only an unusual story but years of wisdom and grace that are not often found in an ordinary life.

I bought this book several years ago in a second hand book store, I originally bought it just becuase of the title but once I started reading I became quite engrossed, the book is very factual and to the point and not at all like alot of the so called satanic or occult books on the market that glorify perversion and depravity. If anyone wishes to find out about satanism historically as this is quite an old book or just out of general interest I would recommend this as a thoroughly good overview and actually made quite alot of sense as it takes a hedonstic view on the subject. If you enjoy an alternative lifestyle or if you would like something a bit different to read you should read this book. It deffinently gave me a view on life which I had already started on but made me feel much more confident in the process.

This is an absolutely wonderful book about Satanism. The author actually has a sense of humor, such a rare thing when writing an exposition on modern Satanism... Read this book.

This book belongs on the shelf next to LaVey's Satanic Bible, for it puts Satanism in more of a historic and modern context. The chapter on heavy metal was particulary interesting. While the public's "fear" of this type of stuff has abated during the 1990s, this book remains a must-read.