The authors, two Leninist economists from the (then) Soviet Union, drive the last nail into the coffin of central economic planning, also known as the command economy. While still favoring Socialism (collective ownership of the means of production; as in Lenin's New Economic Policy of the middle 1920's), they point out in great detail why individual enterprises and individual workers must be free to make their own decisions in the marketplace. Countless examples illustrate the folly of one-size-fits-all regulation. The book shows how the Soviet economy, then one of the world's largest, was essentially reduced to operating on a barter basis for wholesale (what are now called Business-to-Business) transactions.

It will greatly temper expectations of what can be accomplished by, and the price to be paid for, government intervention into the economy, whether done from Moscow or (for example) Washington, D.C.

An absolutely amazing book. The theories presented are beyond interesting. A must read for anyone interested in physics, mathematics and time.

If you want a deeper vision of God read it. Draws his sources from the Church Fathers of the east. This book will stir the fire in your heart to want to know God in a deeper way. He shares the church fathers love and vision of God. He brings to life the essence of eastern mysticism which is to enter into the heavenly realm.

In the mid-80's, this guy's biweekly food/family/life columns were the best part of the Village Voice. This book is a compliation (and expansion) of some of his finest. John Lennon's assassination, Phyllis Shlafly, Reagonomics, and other 80's phenomena make occasional foray into his reflections, but his main subject is his growing, changing family. I loved this book and wish there was a second volume.

Although this book is short (also, contrary to the description, it is paperback), it gives the reader an unusual perspective on what Lenin was thinking less than a month before the Bolshevik Revolution. Reading such primary sources is not a common occurence.

This book is very good for students engaging in wind engineering.

If you have read Vladimir Peniakoff's memoir, then you will undoubtedly have an appetite for "With Popski's Private Army" by Ben Owen. It is the essential complement to Peniakoff's book, relating the perspective of his men. Ben Owen's book is a more intimate account of life - and death - in the ranks of the British Army's smallest independent unit, and leaves one missing the company of the men he so fondly recalls. The author gives a vivid portrayel of the warmth of comraderie set against the attrition and suffering of conflict,and breaths life into the discreet cameos of Peniakoff's book. Along with humour and pathos this book is richly adorned with accounts of breath-taking daring, skill and guile. This is a superb account of a vanishing breed, and I urge you to acquaint yourself with these remarkable men. Copies of this book are available from the author.

The World of Art (Mir Iskusstva) is the stuff of legends. The World of Art refers to both an artistic journal and an art movement that held sway in Russia at almost the same time. The movement was a break from the traditions of the fabulous "Wandering Artists (Peredvizniki). That group of artists was absolutely the most dominant in Russian art for more than thirty years. In order to understand the impact of the artistic movement "World of Art" we must go back some thirty years before to divulge some information about the existing order that was the Wandering Artistic Group.

The Wanderers were the first Russian artists to move out from under the umbrella of the Russian Imperial Academy of Arts so that they could paint what they saw as opposed to classical art that forced them to paint subject matters in the style of ancient Greek and Roman art. These painters became a part of the movement by the Russian intelligentsia that wanted to expose the injustices of the prevailing social order. They insisted on painting Russian life as it was. They became marvelous plein air painters depicting for the first time Russian nature in all of aspects. They took portraiture art to new heights and incorporated drawings as a pure art form for the first time in Russian art history. Before this drawings were used only as preparation for the main painting which was to follow.

The Wanderers boasted some of the most famous artists in all of Russian art history. Names such as Repin, Savitski, Savrasov, Surikov, Levitan, Makovsky, Yaroshenko, Shishken, Kunji, Ghe, and Kramskoi among many others. They painted the paintings that most Russian art critics would consider to be the very best of what Russian oil painting has to offer. For over thirty years and numerous exhibitions the work of these artists were all that mattered to the people of Russia. After some years of open conflict with the government and the Imperial Academy, it was the government that submitted to the artists. You must understand this before you can realize how important the World of Art was. It was incredibly important, if only for the reason that it supplemented the Peredvizniki. In reality it was far more that. Whereas names such as the art critic Stasov, and the great collect Tretyakov are indelibly linked to the Wanderers, equally important names such as Sergei Diaghilev and Leon Bakst are just as cemented to the movement known as the World of Art.

The World of Art appealed to a new and younger group of artists. They wanted even more freedom of expression and to paint something new and fresh. The icons of their movement were Serov, Kustodiev, Vrubel, Benois, Somov, Ryabushkin, Korovin, and Petrov Vodkin, and again many others. The World of Art brought a new focus on art that ranged from the sublime to the fantastic. In addition the World of Art incorporated the Russes Ballet and a new emphasis on Russian theater art. The world of art went to Paris and London and demonstrated to Europe that Russian artists ranked among the best in the world. It is safe to speculate that the reign of dominance of the members of the World of Art would have had a grater life span if it had not been for the Russian revolution and the subsequent turn to social painting that followed.

This book is rich in its art and its information. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either art or Russia. The plates of the paintings are spectacular and should make anyone hungry for a trip to Russia and the Russian State Museum of Art.

The Defense by Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov is absolutely superb. It is all at once humorous, morosely serious, and fascinating. Of course, any book about an insane grandmaster has to be good. As a matter of fact, this book was so good that it was made into a movie, which was equally impressive. The best line out of the book, which I often shout out loud in public, is, "Your son is a cheat, just as you're a cheat. I'm surrounded by cheats!" My recommendation: read the book. It's a fantastic emotional roller coaster ride that leaves you out of breath! Oh, yes, and DON'T read the last line until you get there! It leaves your mouth agape and makes you go want to cry in your room for a few weeks.

I truly loved this book;it would be in my top 5 of all time.The atmosphere is masterful,so different to anything ive read and the language and method of description is simply brilliant.To think that Nabakov is writing in his 2nd language really boggles the mind.The central character Humbert Humbert is truly a pathetic specimen yet the reader inevitably identifies with him despite the horrendous predilections he has.Unbelievably,one is convinced he really,i mean really loves the 12 year old girl he is obsessed with.This novel and the way the language is used is nothing short of a brilliant satire,at times a ringing indictment of America and its gaudy self-important bland culture.I feel this is a true classic,as good as literature can be in terms of evoking reader response,imbuing a mood,using language and challenging the prevailing mindset of society.5 big stars.

I should probably be better prepared before writing about an important piece of literature such as LOLITA, yet had to jump in to defend one of the most perfectly crafted books I've ever read. Of the readers who are APPALLED by the pedophilic (sp?) aspect of the story, I wonder if they realize that the novel is esentially a comedy. The book is loaded with humor, with the situation between Humbert and young Dolores satirizing several things. Mainly, (and just off the top of my head), the fact that Lolita is such an ordinary, bratty girl makes Humbert's overblown fascination seem funny. Not only is she the wrong age for him, she's so shallow and mundane that she doesn't seem worthy of worship. Doesn't this say something about pop culture, and about whatever your own sexual obsessions might be.....how the most ridiculous, ordinary things can reduce us to dithering idiots? In a broader sense, the book satirizes that whole genre of novels in which innocent American girls (such as DAISY MILLER) go overseas, only to end up being ruined by suave, continental men. In LOLITA, a sophisticated European comes to New England and is demolished by the girl next door. A girl in roller skates with scabs on her knees.
What makes the book haunting, though, is the dark sadness that runs beneath the situation. Because Humbert Humbert and Dolores Haze are so terribly mismatched, (their age just being part of it), they can never achieve true love. And even if Dolores could return the older man's affection, he'd stop loving her as she grew up. Yes, if the story were taken seriously, it would be disturbing. But who's taking it seriously? And what no review can convey is the quality of Nabokov's prose - - his sheer gift for the use of language. The words carry you like a river.
Incidentally, if you respond to Nabokov's tone, you might check out another book that made me think upon reading the first page, "God, this writer is a real craftsman." I AM MARY DUNNE by Brian Moore.

I truly loved this book;it would be in my top 5 of all time.The atmosphere is masterful,so different to anything ive read and the language and method of description is simply brilliant.To think that Nabakov is writing in his 2nd language really boggles the mind.The central character Humbert Humbert is truly a pathetic specimen yet the reader inevitably identifies with him despite the horrendous predilections he has.Unbelievably,one is convinced he really,i mean really loves the 12 year old girl he is obsessed with.This novel and the way the language is used is nothing short of a brilliant satire,at times a ringing indictment of America and its gaudy self-important bland culture.I feel this is a true classic,as good as literature can be in terms of evoking reader response,imbuing a mood,using language and challenging the prevailing mindset of society.5 big stars