I have a copy of Desiderata, eighth edition, published by Brooke House, Los Angeles, illustrated by Emil Antonucci. I would like to order copies of this edition. Is that possible? Life's lessons have never been so simply and eloquently stated. So many of us need to be reminded!!!

I can say my favorite author ever. What a statement while at the same time writing a way of life.... I have his first novel ever published from 1898, signed! He was amazing.

One of my favorite poems, a comforting and refreshing perspective on life's big picture. It purports to have been discovered in a church in the seventeenth century, but in fact it was written by a man named Max Ehrmann in the first third of this century. I have kept a copy around since elementary school (ever since I learned that Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, kept one in his office), and now keep one in my office at home and one at work.

This book is extremely well wrote. You will be entertained from the very begining as you are hurdled through the multiple emotions of ones mans struggle to be able to truely heal all who have illness. The book tells the life story of an incredible healer and doctor and his nutritional and detoxifying diet therapy that he found was able to cure some forms of degenerative disease and benefit many other far reaching illnesses such as cancer. It is the story of a heroic man full of passionate veracity who was able to escape persecution from Hitler and the orthodox establishments that found him a threat to their standard treatments of disease. Yet today people do not have the knowledge of Max Gerson's treatment in order to make their own decision about their health and the treatments they would choose for any disease they might have.
Thank God Howard Straus wrote this book!
I think it is time that the story the American Medical Establishment and Pharmaceutical Companies have been hushing the last 40 years or more be told. Max Gerson is a genius that has worked next to all the greats of medicine. His concepts were early for his time. Now is the time that his treatment methods should be accepted, publicized and used mainstream as an alternative choice for those who would prefer something beyond pharmacy pills, surgery and radiation.

This book is a wonderful and informative read. I found the storyline
portions to be riveting, especially the story of Dr. Max's escape from
the Nazis. Additionally fascinating were the historical facts of
Dr. Max's discoveries and disease-curing results and how they were
received by the mainstream medical establishments in Europe and USA.

The author's writing style is superb and very enjoyable to read.
I think that all readers will find the book interesting and will enjoy
learning Dr. Max's scientific & personal history and will recognize
the repeated chord the AMA strikes with regard to Dr. Max & the Gerson
diet. Also if readers follow recent health news & studies, they
have already seen many scientific studies
converging on the basic truths of Dr. Max's discoveries.

I strongly recommend this book and have bought copies for many friends
and relatives, and my primary-care MD... But in the
meantime, please buy your own copy and read it. It's a great book.

This book tells the fascinating story of the life of Dr. Max Gerson who developed a successful dietary-based therapy for the cure of degenerative diseases, particularly cancer. Written by Gerson's grandson, it presents a personal yet objective portrait of a unique personality who has been called "one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine" by none other than Nobel Laureate Albert Schweitzer. And yet, due to the accidents of history and deliberate suppression of his work by the medical establishment, Gerson is today not well known outside the small but growing community of alternative medicine.

The book is very well written and tells an engaging story about a subject that could easily be deathly dull or sugared with personal family recollections. To the contrary, it is a crisp, fast-moving, narrative that slows down in only a few places where lengthy sources, including some of Gerson's writings, are quoted.

The book covers two parallel stories: First, the life of Gerson, and second, the step-by step discovery of the pieces of the therapy that bear his name.

Gerson was born in Germany (now Poland) in 1881, the son of well-to-do Jewish parents. He was the product of the world-renowned German medical universities who began his practice as a neurologist. The book portrays a reserved, sometimes shy, proud man whose intolerance for foolish and petty behavior in others often earned him a reputation for arrogance and the enmity of many colleagues. Gerson is also portrayed as an absent-minded professor of medicine who leaves the details of finances and the care of the home to his wife. His complete energy and the focus of his life was directed toward the curing of his patients.

The most interesting part of the book is reading how Gerson discovered each aspect of his therapy over a period of thirty to forty years. The story begins with the curing of his own severe migraine headaches through diet modification. Over his working career Gerson modified and perfected his therapy to embrace a widening collection of chronic degenerative diseases. He seems to have been a master of observation, a keen analyst of the works of others, and a medical pragmatist and improviser. The bottom line was that he cured diseases in patients who had been given up by conventional medicine.

Gerson's life was not easy, and his amazing accomplishments must be measured against the barriers erected in his path. First, his life and medical practice was totally disrupted by the anti-Semitic policies of the Nazi party. He and his family fled in turn Germany, Austria, and France before settling in New York in 1936. There, in spite of his remarkable successes, the US medical establishment closed nearly all doors for Gerson to promote his ideas, to practice, and to publish his findings. One gets the feeling that the story is much worse than presented in the book, and that there existed a well-organized conspiracy within the medical industry to suppress Gerson's work. It seems that the author is holding back from making overt accusations that seem plain to the reader based on the facts presented.

By way of qualification, the reviewer is a cured cancer patient thanks to the Gerson therapy. So the book was especially relevant and exciting for me. But I believe that anyone interested in alternative medicine and healthy living will thoroughly enjoy this book. It adds to the growing body of literature describing Gerson's therapy, most notably Gerson "50 Cases" and Charlotte Gerson's "The Gerson Therapy". In summary, this book is good reading and the engaging history of a great man.

The photographs in this book are VERY high quality - the best I've seen - and there are lots of them. The colors are bright, brilliant even! Most photos are full page. I bought it to give as a Christmas gift to an orchid-loving friend, but I really want to keep it so I guess I'll have to get a second copy! The book is also well organized. If you love orchids, I'm pretty sure you'll love this book.

The book "The Enchanted Orchid" by Max Fulcher and Margaret Kelly have truly lived up to, if not, surpassed my expectations as far as the content is concerned. Photography is at its best notwithstanding the fact that the authors have carefully selected their subjects and successfully incorporated artifacts which effectively introduced the places where the orchids was said to have originated or photographed.

To say the I personally liked the book would be an understatement. I LOVE IT! The combination of humor with real life situations have proven the skill and talent of the authors. Among the chapters that I am amused of is that the one pertaining to the Phalaenopsis orchid wherein true passion for this wonderful flowers can really bring out the best in a person, let's say, a real adrenaline surge!

Once again, my kudos to Max Fulcher and Margaret Kelly for a very wonderful and educational book. I, myself, from the Philippines, where some of the photos were taken, is very grateful to the authors for further enhancing our already colorful culture and showcasing our rich flora to the world. I strongly believe the book will be out-of-stock from our bookstands in no time! Good luck and more power!

What a find...like a rare orchid itself. The story of a Queensland lad, used to the magic of the tropical rainforest, gradually discovering the delights of orchids. These days Max is a Sydney-sider, but the book follows his journeys throughout the world...as he finds orchids in their natural settings...and the people and the stories around the flowers. Loved his anecodote about how orchids to him, when a teenager, were something you presented to a young woman on a first date....and what they meant to the girl, but more importantly, to her parents.

His photography is remarkable - the repsect and enthusiasm for his subjects is enhanced by his understanding of the importance of natural light...and the time of day when photographs can capture the best of an orchid's magic - ie pretty much invariably about dawn or thereafter. Max's energy in getting up to get the right shot in the right place with the right light is astounding.

Anyway, it is very rare to find a book like this - a love for the natural world focussed on orchids, but with magically written stories leading from the flowers to remarkable people and places. Not only gorgeous pictures...but a most rewarding read.

I can only suggest it would make a tremendous gift - for anyone really - but if you have a flower-lover who is hard to buy for otherwise...this is it.

Steven Turner, Sydney

I was born on the island, and heard many stories from my father and mother, and my grandparents, uncles and aunts. However, Max and Gini's book has filled in all the gaps, either out of my own memory bank, or the stuff just left out by a father, protecting his daughter from the "sordid" tales. Galveston: Lore, Legend and Downright Lies has added even more to my "love of the island." I have bought the book twice, once for myself and once for my father. He loves it! I plan on ordering more from Amazon for Xmas gifts. A great "thumber" and definitely should be a part of everyone's home library. Thank you, Max, and Gini, and Robert John, and Amazon.....the world needs more books like this one!

“Galveston … Lore, Legend, & Downright Lies” is a delightful , entertaining potpourri of life in days gone by on Texas’ famed island city, once known as the Wall Street of the South. The city boasted electric lights and the best of practically everything west of the Mississippi.

The collection of stories was compiled by Gini Fendler-Brown and Max Rizley Jr., Texas writers, and published by Eakin Press, Austin, Texas in a 164 page package sure to please history-lovers near and far.

“Galveston … Lore…” brings to the reader stories ranging from the disastrous 1900 hurricane -- the worst natural disaster to occur in this country, to the fact that the extinct Karankawa Indians cared for Cabeza de Vaca and his shipwrecked party in 1588, and tales of fabled pirate-patriot-lover Jean LaFitte.

Stories abound telling of the history of Galveston’s moniker as “The Oleander City” and the true origin of the Oleanders, to the fact that Galvestonians took on the challenge to rebuild after the 1900 storm and physically raised 2,100 structures above the sand during the city grade raising to avoid any repeat of the disaster. Extreme hardship, loss and Pride.

The book, easy to read and hard to put down, is bound to be a big winner for all who are fortunate enough to get their hands on it.

Galveston Island is home to a unique community. Although it is connected to the Texas Gulf Coast by two bridges and a ferry service, in many ways it is its own society separated by much more than a mere few miles of saltwater.

This book takes us into the distant and more recent history of the island and its colorful inhabitants, telling us stories in a way that leaves one feeling like you're sitting around a fire at a family reunion recalling old friends, neighbors and family members. Some stories one might tell only in hushed whispers. Others provoke knowing interjections from all quarters. These are tales that deserve to be shared far outside the circle of sand.

Whether you were born on the island and want to learn about the gossip you might have missed, or live far away and merely wonder what life is like in a seaside city, this book delivers. From pirates to revered community traditions, it explores a vast scope of history in an easy way that leaves you wanting more.

Caution: You may be tempted to move to Galveston after reading this book, if you don't already live there.

I bought this book on sale for several people, and I didn't know exactly what to expect. When I received it, I started reading and couldn't stop. I got to the point of tears (good ones) several times! So I am keeping one for myself and ordering an extra. This is just a wonderful book about the true meaning of Christmas - the salvation, power, and love of God for mankind. Each short story or reflection is true as well as touching, and the illustrations are warm and inviting. I am giving this book as a gift to several friends who have been Christians for a long time, and also to a friend who is a new Christian. It will be meaningful for all of them, so it really is a great gift. I look forward to pulling this book out each Christmas and enjoying the stories over and over again.

This book is so wonderful that I have given it as a gift to several friends who also treasure it. The writings are the very best of Swindoll, Lucado and Colson and should be read many times.

This is a gift worth giving. It gives your spirit a well deserved uplifting, and those to whom you give it, will rejoice with you.

Harnessing 3ds max 5 is one of the better tutorial books that I've read. Although 3ds max is sometimes less straightforward than Photoshop and Illustrator, this book assists with clearly-marked sections about basic parametric modeling, basic materials, animation, lighting, etc. Even if you've been using 3ds for a while, the last 250 pages contain useful information and tutorials about more advanced modeling, materials, animation, and special effects.

Above all, as someone else mentioned, Harnessing 3ds max 5 provides a good deal of insight to 3D modeling and animation as it flows from concept to tutorial and back. If you're new to 3ds max, start here. I would also recommend this book to someone who is having difficulty understanding the principles behind the tutorials included with the software, (as I most certainly was). This book is up there with the best of Adobe and Macromedia Press.

This book is in a word incredible. I tried to use the manual and it's tutorials, but things didn't work out and I really wasn't learning anything. Their tutorials were confusing and didn't give all the necessary steps. On the other hand, this book is more accurate than the manuals and it is also alot easier to read. This book teaches as though you were in a classroom environment. I already have the confidence to try new things and can usually repeat the tutorials from memory, because they are very intuitive. I have nothing but praises for this book. It is absolutely essential for the uninitiated, like myself, who are trying to learn this mammoth application. I have nothing but praises for this outstanding teaching and reference work. Buy it today.

I have read many software books. Most are good, some are great. This one is great. 3D Max is one of the hardest programs to master. This book will give you the power to create and animate anything your mind can imagine with jaw-dropping results. With 3D Max, its all about mastering the exhaustive list of toolsets, modifiers, and other utilities this program is jam-packed with. This book makes it all happen. Surprisingly easy to read, you will finish this book with a full arsenal of methods and techniques that may be strong enough to land you an entry level job. As with all instructional books, if you are motivated, and tackle the material with 100% effort, you will not be disappointed with "Harnessing 3ds max 5."

david vizard is the best performance auther i have ever read. he only relies on things he has personally proven, and he shows you how he has proven it. he doesn't seem to be as oppinionated as other authors. i would recommend reading any of his books

This book is a must have for any performance enthusiest. The author guides you along from selecting parts to modifying them yourself for maximum performance. These are dyno proven no cost to low cost modifications. Excellent source of reference material.

I needed to build a stong motor on the cheap, and this was the guide I was looking for. He tells you all the little tricks, and tips that you need to know to build a strong competent motor without spending too much money. I highly recommend it.

I've loved this book so much that besides having a copy of my own , I've given this book to people as gifts when they have life changes from a new job, or total career change, or a new baby, or a new home or new marriage. It is so good to know that though you may not know what the next step is in your journey or where the road is going to lead or turn, that you are not alone and that Jesus Christ is walking beside you every step of the way. He's leading you and guiding you through mountains, hills, valleys and streams. READ THIS BOOK !!! You won't be sorry and you'll discover your own joy in the journey.

Great book. I bought two of them. One for my brother who is about to get married and one for my sister-in-law-to-be, who just excepted Jesus Christ as her Savior.

I received this book when I graduated from high school and I was on my way to college, and it was by far the most precious gift I received. I laughed, cried, but most of all, I felt totally and completely loved! Max Lucado brings simple every day problems, concerns, and fears and shows that in everything God is there to love and encourage us, as only a Heavenly Father can do. What an awesome thought!

Kafka is certainly a good writer, I think. But there is only one thing I can't understand: This book is not Blue. I have no problem with its color, but I was expecting something blue which would fit nicely on my shelf. It is most probably a minor point. But I think we can say of it: How can we Believe anything in this Book if it lies to us about its Cover?

Definitely not the first Kafka text one should select--but arguably the second or third (behind The Stories and The Trial.) This collection represents the closest Kafka came to helping the reader unlock the impossibilities of interpretation in his fiction. For this reason alone it's worth a look, though there are many wonderful and hilarious moments that rank with the best of K's work.

And to the gentleman from Ontario (review, Oct. 18/99) who fretted over the color of the volume in question (and the publisher's good faith): you haven't been reading your Kafka. On page 35 you'll find the following: "There are only two things. Truth and lies. Truth is indivisible, hence it cannot recognize itself; anyone who wants to recognize it has to be a lie." This volume's (non) color is Kafkaesque in the best sense of the term. EXACT CHANGE should be congratulated on their superior understanding of a masterful writer!

In the last year I have fallen in love with Franz Kafka's writings, starting with "The Trial." His works are the most truthful, soul-searching, endless, funny, and haunting tales ever written. I bought "The Blue Octavo Notebooks" not knowing what to expect. Were these to be second-rate scribblings published only to profit off Kafka's name? Not at all. These journals are as brilliant, if not better, than Kafka's stories. They reveal a complex man who was constantly challenging himself, trying to find the meaning of art, goodness, evil, truth, human nature, the eternal, and life. The entries, many of them only one or two lines, are deep meditations that allow the reader to probe into Kafka's, and the reader's, mind. Even the unfinished story fragments are nuggets of pure genius. The notebooks are intensely mystical, but frighteningly real -- like everything else in the world of Kafka's literature.

As a futures researcher at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Research I have read tons of books on the information society. No one - absolutely no one - has been as powerful and innovative as Max Boisot's. He handles the most important aspects of information and knowledge and synthesizes them in one outstanding theory: The Information Space.
The framework generates insight after insight. After my absorption of it, I simply can't resist using it in my own research and consulting. It has for example helped me evaluate business plans and think about different subjects as national strategies on education, e-communities, trade associations, innovation strategies and the philosophy of social sciences.
Read this book and learn to think about the emerging society!

The decision to read a book, any book, is an exercise in cost-benefit-analysis, usually conducted under conditions of uncertainty (Boisot, 1998). This review strives to mitigate this uncertainty and instigate you to read it!

Boisot delivers a genuine new perspective on knowledge assets quite distinct from the existing knowledge literature. First he states that knowledge is embedded in physical objects (public knowledge -like a pack of Marlboros - understood as a pack of cigarettes of a certain quality and length), in documents, and in individual brains. He builds a three dimensional Information-space consisting of codification (codified - uncodified), abstraction (abstract - concrete), and diffusion (diffused - undiffused). Plot these elements on three axes of a three dimensional rectangle and you got Boisot basic mental model. In this box (I-space) the movement of knowledge results in the Social Learning Cycle (SLC). The SLC consists of 6 phases, respectively Scanning, Problem Solving, Abstraction, Diffusion, Absorption, and Impacting. This model fundaments subsequently the rest of the book in which he illustrates the value of knowledge, two learning theories (the N-learning strategy - hoarding knowledge and S-learning strategy - sharing of knowledge), culture in relation to knowledge (identifies the centripetal culture - tunnel vision and the centrifugal culture - promotes learning), core competence and strategic intent, the impact of IT on knowledge and finally applies I-Space on two companies, Courtaulds and BP oil exploration business. The theory Boisot used to build his model and arguments are very fundamental - deep-rooted in classic philosophy-, economy-, and chaos and complexity theories. However the major added value provided lies in the massive multifaceted range of examples offered, very intelligent and smart entrenched.

Knowledge as keyword in the Amazon search engine generates more than 9000 books. However the number that fundaments the basic knowledge theory infrastructure doesn't exceed 25. There are essentially only a few you want to read the rest is all derived from this small number. Boisot book (next to Nonaka & Takeuchi) is certainly one that falls in the in the 25 cluster in view of the fact that it's an outstanding unique mental model clarified by smart examples. Downturn of his theory that's it very difficult to apply in a practical situation, nevertheless read it (absorb and exploit) and capture valuable 'knowledge' on knowledge theories.

It would be difficult to over-estimate the value of this book. It is very important contribution to our understanding of how to build and manage knowledge assets and, in particular, the rules by which knowledge gains and loses value and 'travels'.

It is directly useful to business people who have to wrestle with strategies for managing knowledge. It is also a formidable piece of analytical architecture that links the management of knowledge assets to economic theory and learning theory. Considering the depth and range of the original thought packed into it, the book is surprisingly readable, partly because of the clarity and relevance of the examples with which the author illustrates his concepts.

Perhaps of widest importance is the clarity and precision of the definitions offered, in a field in which the definitions have been notably 'muddy'. One of the things I have gained from reading the book is a much clearer 'mental model' of what knowledge management is all about, its dynamics and linkages, and what is happening at various stages in the development, codification and diffusion of knowledge.

Because of its depth, density and range, absorbing the content requires real effort, but the effort is very worthwhile. It has several different audiences.

Knowledge managers: Those directly responsible for knowledge management will want to read and understand this book in full.

Business Strategists: The book provides a coherent and well argued rationale for developing strategies around the exploitation of the value in knowledge assets, based on the clearest explanation of the dynamics of knowledge value creation and dissipation that I have seen.

Managers of Organisational Change: Anyone concerned with organisation change also needs to understand the underlying concepts for their relevance to strategies for learning and to the shaping and linking of organisational structures.

Economists: Chapters 2 - 4 provide economists with a re-conception of the production function around data as a factor of production, and an explanation of the nature and dynamics of information value that is both challenging and important in integrating the realities of information and knowledge value into economic theory.

Those with a more peripheral or general interest in knowledge management should at least read: • the Preface, which is a 2 1/2 page masterpiece in the expression of the central concept in a compressed form, • pages 12 - 14 and 18 of the Introduction and • they should scan Chapter 3: The Information Space (I-Space) to understand the author's three dimensional construct and its use. J-C Spender's short Foreword is also valuable in putting Boisot's work in context with other work, particularly Nonaka and Takeuchi's The Knowledge Creating Company.

If general readers are tempted to go further, they will find an extraordinary range of thought-provoking concepts along with quite a lot of material that may be familiar from other writers: Boisot's primary aim is to get us to think differently about our world and to recognise that much of our current thinking about information and knowledge is grounded in the very different world of the energy based economy. He provides an alternative framework that is rigorous, persuasive and practical.