This book is basically a re-issue of 'The Playboy Interviews With John Lennon & Yoko Ono - The Final Testament" (Berkley Books, New York, 1982, ISBN 0-425-05989-8) with a new preface. It contains the last interviews with John & Yoko conducted in September 1980 (first published in the December 1980 issue of Playboy) and is absolutely essential reading for any Beatles fan.
The interviews stand out for their honesty and frankness and provide (among other things) a very good insight into John's views of The Beatles. The part where John discusses almost every released Beatles' song is a joy to read and read again.
Of course John's relation with Yoko also gets ample exposure.
If this book is still missing from your collection, get it now!

Actually I have the original version of this book, The Playboy Interviews, but since I'm an avid collector of "all things Lennon" I'll probably buy this newer version as well. But man! What a great read this book is! I learned so much about John here in his own words. Do people remember when he was shot, and the current issue of Playboy had just come out with the John & Yoko interview? Man, I clutched that thing like a bible in those sad sad days of December 1980. That interview turned out to be just a portion of the whole interview, and now that is published in this book. A cautionary note: reading this book can re-awaken your love and feelings for John and the Beatles, and this can lead to some pretty serious melancholia. Twenty-plus years later! I still ponder the what-ifs of it all, if John had been allowed to live - for instance, how would that Beatles Anthology thing on Tee Vee had been with a living John? And would there have ever been a Beatles reunion? ( I doubt it.) Not to mention how the politics of the Reagan-80s if John had been there to help out! Anyway, buy this book. It is still very valid and even timeless in its depth and scope.

John Lennon gave two interviews in particular that were extraordinary for their length, depth, and honesty. One was his famous "Lennon Remembers" interviews with Rolling Stone in 1970, and the other was this one, shortly before his death in 1980. Lennon was a complex man, and it is interesting to compare his attitudes among the two milestone interviews. Yet this one (conducted over several days) stands alone for its insights into Lennon's personal life, his relationship with Yoko, his philosophising, and his song-by-song discussion of his work, both with the Beatles and afterwards. It offers an unprecedented glimpse into his mindset and outlook at the time of his death, filled with the usual engaging Lennon wit and wisdom. Lennon comes across not just as a vital source of information about his own life and career but as an interesting conversationalist, period. We are also treated to Sheff's brief glimpses of Lennon and Ono at work on their "Double Fantasy" album. This book is an important document for anyone interested in the man or his music.

I can't agree more with the other reviewers, and rather than rehash what they wrote, I'll simply say this: This book opened my eyes to a very simple, very painless way of meditating. I had no idea that insightful breathing could be so easy! Rosenberg has a great writing style and a wonderful sense of humor, making his book a delight to read. HIGHLY recommended.

This book is wonderful. Rosenberg's approach to meditation and Buddhism comes without the baggage of superstition and folklore that attach themselves to some books on these topics. Rosenberg offers not only basic instruction, but a path for advancing one's practice through the various contemplative steps beyond that, using the anapanasati sutra. I also love the fact that his background is from the East Coast of the U.S., and Jewish. I get a little tired of the condescending attitude toward Westerners from some of the more traditional Eastern authors and teachers. Rosenberg doesn't have a built-in cultural bias toward the East, and is clearly an experienced, dedicated and wise teacher with a sense of humor. I'm usually too cheap to buy the hard-back version of any book (sorry, Amazon), but this one's hard-back, and I'm glad for it because it's a keeper.

Simple and written in plain English. Larry Rosenberg is a wonderful teacher. I read it over and over and get something new out of it every time.

The Jerusalum Man, Jon Shannow, faces the vile Abaddon, Lord of the Pit in this perfectly written third book to the Stones of Power. I would have to say this is as good as or better than books one or two in the series, though they were good too. The first, Ghost King, I would say is a close second, but Wolf in Shadow was better. I gave it a perfect 10, though I would have given it 11 if possible. This is undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read and i would and have recommended it to friends.

You've done it again Gemmell. Not only did you get me totally immersed in your story-telling again, but you did with a novel set in a post-apocolyptic world unlike any I've ever read about. The way you could jump from ancient times to a world thousand of years in the future and manage to mesh them together without conflicts or confusion is truly commendable. Loved the book, and Jon Shannow is a memorable hero

Don't be confused by the "Stones of Power" heading this book is under. The Stones do show up in this book, but otherwise this is a completely different story than the first two books. Jon Shannow is one of the best protagonists I've ever read about. Gemmel gives us a tortured hero who doesn't enjoy killing, but is extremely good at it and has to do it far more than he'd want. Shannow is a man whose faith isn't fooled by religion: he stays true to the spirit of the law while everyone else blindly follows rules. It's refreshing to see a character that's so honest and so human. We need more authors like this!

I absolutely loved this book and have read it many times. It starts with Ireland and goes through the slavery struggle and family life inbetween. The characters are amazing portrayed and presented. Not only does it inspire thought emotion and passion, it makes you wish you could express life so creatively on paper. BRAVO Mr. Haley! I can't wait to read Roots!

Alex Hailey is one of the greatest writers known to man. He truely displayed his writing ability in his book Queen. By reading Roots, I was able to follow along as if I was there. The book was truely heartfelt and encourages me to read all the rest of his books.

I just finished reading this book, this morning. And, I read "Roots," 2 weeks ago. In both of these books, I was able to vicariously be there, and emotionally travel with each person in these stories.

And it gave me a sense of peace that I had not had before about being African-American. It helped me to come up with the most empowering responses to not only suttle racism from Euro-Americans, but also suttle responses to African-Americans who seem to be bound by expecting to just get by (who also believe that empowered African-Americans somehow owe them endless worthiness).

To me, even though this book is titled "Queen," it has many stories: politics; narcissism; racism; boys growing into manhood; belonging; the price of not having someone to verbalize your pains to; and, how whites turned their outrage over their motherland into what drove them to do the same to blacks, in this country.

During the entire time that I was reading these 2 books, as I conducted my day to day responsibilities, I felt like I had a secret weapon against being held back. And I saw things that I might not have seen before in what I could do to turn suttle racism into my opportunity to expect mutual respect between myself and my interlocutor.

I recommend this book, and "Roots" to any who is looking for a means to grow beyond your wildest expectations. You will cry with these stories, laugh, and feel every possible emotion, knowing that you are breathing new life into your life. vjudo@rmi.net. www.femcourage.com

In "Anger Busting 101" Newton Hightower provides a framework for change that anyone can use. The author starts by establishing his credentials - he is not only a professional therapist but has had an anger problem that nearly ruined his life. He tried the therapies that were thought to help but was not successful. In fact, he found that many of the traditional therapies actually made his problem worse.

In this text he goes over the techniques that he found actually worked to change his life. These techniques came out of a whole new approach to anger, this approach is to treat anger as a recovery situation. This brings me to the only item that I had a problem with in the book. In chapter 3 he discusses how to respond to questions of "why" from a spouse, sibling, or other person. For example, if asked why you got so angry and threw the lamp against the wall then you should use one of the answers given in the text. The basic idea of the answers is understandable as they focus on the angry person taking responsibility for their anger and actions. However, the way they are worded is highly questionable. For example, one response is "I'm crazy" or another is "I'm stupid". Current traditional psychotherapy would say to word it more along the lines of "What I did was a crazy thing to do" or "I did a stupid thing". Taking responsibility for your actions is one thing but taking it to the point of putting yourself down and endangering your self esteem when angry people often already have low self esteem does not seem like a good idea to me. Then again it is hard to argue with results. From the cases listed in the book and the comments from other people that have used it successfully it does seem to work.

If anger is controlling you in any way and you want to start living a postive and fulfilling life then this book is for you. I would use caution with the wording in Chapter 3 and feel that you could take responsibility without the self-deprication, but other than that this book seems to offer hope to people who have been unsuccessful in controling their rage in the past. A highly recommended read.

This is one of those books we all need to read whether or not we or a partner have a problem with anger ourselves. It's very state-of-the-art in terms of psychological insight--the kind one needs to get along in the present climate of stressed-out people. I've recommended this book to several friends coping with various stages of anger in marriage, and they've thanked me for it. Newton Hightower is onto something important with his practical, straight-from-the-hip help. Women with the "learned helplessness" of battered/verbally abused wives will see their way out in this book. Both men and women are sure to benefit. Newton Hightower is a true peacemaker, and bless him for it.

Hightower has done it again! Anger Busting 101 is a must-read for therapists as well as angry men and their partners. This book is loaded with practical suggestions for healing relationships. Hightower's lighthearted approach manages to both enlighten and entertain. With self deprecating humor(rare for therapists), Hightower places himself on a level playing field with his readers. Hightower's personal journey in battling rage addiction remains an inspiration to angry men everywhere.
Rebecca Strick LMSW-ACP

This book is really great--full of pictures and medieval art concerning armour. The chapters each cover a century in the development of armour. It takes a very archeological, historica approach to arms and armour. That's good because it makes an informative text, but I think the language a bit confusing at times, and not enough detail at other times. But it is a great book, for its pictures if nothing else.

If you buy just one book on arms & armor, this should be the one. This authoritative work is an excellent resource and reference tool. The author gives comprehensive, century-by-century coverage of the development of arms and armor. In addition to the informative text, the rich illustrations make it a pictorial archive of immense value. These not only depict surviving museum pieces, but also medieval battle scenes. The illustrations alone make this book worth the price.

Wow!

That is all I can say. This book is the one that proved that good visuals do matter in history books. Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight has it all: types of armor, weapons, historic data of where and when the weapon was used... but most important of all , VISUALS! Hundreds upon hundreds of page-size, full color photos of actual suits of armor, not crude drawings and diagrams that other books on the subject offer.

Also, I have to say that the texts is incredibly well-written an precise, the data is vast and accurate, and all the sources are quoted perfectly. This is the definitive book on the subject.

Despite the criticisms levelled at Trollope for his "authorial intrusions" (see Henry James for example) this novel is always a pleasure to read. The characters take precedence over the plot, as in any Trollopian fiction and this is what makes a novel like BARCHESTER more palatable to the modern reader, as compared to any of Dickens's. Some readers may find the ecclesiastical terms confusing at first but with a little help (see the Penguin introduction for example), all becomes clear. What is important, however, is the interaction between the all-too-human characters and in this novel there are plenty of situations to keep you, the reader, amused.

Do yourself a favour and take a trip back into Nineteenth century where technology is just a blink in everyone's eye. What you will discover, however, is that human beings have not really changed, just the conventions have.

I rushed home every day after work to read a little more of this Trollope comedy. The book starts out with the death of a bishop during a change in political power. The new bishop is a puppet to his wife Mrs. Proudie and her protégé Mr. Slope. Along the way we meet outrageous clergymen, a seductive invalid from Italy, and a whole host of delightfully ridiculous characters. Trollope has designed most of these characters to be "over the top". I kept wondering what a film version starring the Monty Python characters would look like. He wrote an equivalent of a soap opera, only it doesn't take place at the "hospital", it takes place with the bishops. Some of the characters you love, some of the characters you hate, and then there are those you love to hate. Trollope speaks to the reader throughout the novel using the mimetic voice, so we feel like we are at a cocktail party and these 19th century characters are our friends (or at least the people we're avoiding at the party!). The themes and characters are timeless. The book deals with power, especially power struggles between the sexes. We encounter greed, love, desperation, seductive sirens, and generosity. Like many books of this time period however, the modern reader has to give it a chance. No one is murdered on the first page, and it takes quite a few chapters for the action to pick up. But pick up it does by page 70, and accelerates into a raucously funny novel from there. Although I didn't read the Warden, I didn't feel lost and I'm curious to read the rest of this series after finishing this book. Enjoy!

This is the second of the six Barsetshire novels, and the first great novel in that series. THE WARDEN, while pleasant, primarily serves as a prequel to this novel. To be honest, if Trollope had not gone on to write BARCHESTER TOWERS, there would not be any real reason to read THE WARDEN. But because it introduces us to characters and situations that are crucial to BARCHESTER TOWERS, one really ought to have read THE WARDEN before reading this novel.

Trollope presents a dilemma for most readers. On the one hand, he wrote an enormous number of very good novels. On the other hand, he wrote no masterpieces. None of Trollope's books can stand comparison with the best work of Jane Austen, Flaubert, Dickens, George Eliot, Tolstoy, or Dostoevsky. On the other hand, none of those writers wrote anywhere near as many excellent as Trollope did. He may not have been a very great writer, but he was a very good one, and perhaps the most prolific good novelist who ever lived. Conservatively assessing his output, Trollope wrote at least 20 good novels. Trollope may not have been a genius, but he did possess a genius for consistency.

So, what to read? Trollope's wrote two very good series, two other novels that could be considered minor classics, and several other first rate novels. I recommend to friends that they try the Barsetshire novels, and then, if they find themselves hooked, to go on to read the Political series of novels (sometimes called the Palliser novels, which I feel uncomfortable with, since it exaggerates the role of that family in most of the novels). The two "minor classics" are THE WAY WE LIVE NOW and HE KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. The former is a marvelous portrait of Victorian social life, and the latter is perhaps the finest study of human jealousy since Shakespeare's OTHELLO. BARSETSHIRE TOWERS is, therefore, coupled with THE WARDEN, a magnificent place, and perhaps the best place to enter Trollope's world.

There are many, many reasons to read Trollope. He probably is the great spokesperson for the Victorian Mind. Like most Victorians, he is a bit parochial, with no interest in Europe, and very little interest in the rest of the world. Despite THE AMERICAN SENATOR, he has few American's or colonials in his novels, and close to no foreigners of any type. He is politically liberal in a conservative way, and is focussed almost exclusively on the upper middle class and gentry. He writes a good deal about young men and women needing and hoping to marry, but with a far more complex approach than we find in Jane Austen. His characters are often compelling, with very human problems, subject to morally complex situations that we would not find unfamiliar. Trollope is especially good with female characters, and in his sympathy for and liking of very independent, strong females he is somewhat an exception of the Victorian stereotype.

Anyone wanting to read Trollope, and I heartily believe that anyone who loves Dickens, Austen, Eliot, Hardy, and Thackery will want to, could find no better place to start than with reading the first two books in the Barsetshire Chronicles, beginning first with the rather short THE WARDEN and then progressing to this very, very fun and enjoyable novel.

I am a frequent buyer of updated home medical books, and have pretty much seen them all. This one is quite superior! It is easy to find various medical conditions, complete in its coverage, and written in a way that the average layperson will understand. The illustrated color pictures are very well done, a rare treat, and contribute well to one's understanding of the copy. In short, it's the best home medical book I've ever seen. I recommend it without reservation.

It's difficult to review something so extensive in just a few paragraphs so I'll keep it as simple as possible.....

...Bought this book for my parents and am going to buy one for myself right now. Will probably give a copy to my cousin who's just starting college. An extremely helpful and informative medical reference guide - over 1000 pages. Very well organized. The information is presented in many different ways so that all types of readers can understand - photographs, illustrations, charts, graphs, tables - simple and thorough. If this book doesn't have the answer - it will point you in the right direction to find it.... In my opinion a must for every home reference library like a dictionary or a thesaurus.

If you have reservations about purchasing it on-line, this book is worth checking out at your local bookstore.

I have over the years purchased the FOUR top rated home medical guides in my quest to find the best. By best I mean the one that meets all of my families needs. I tried to be as unbiased as possible in examining all four books, concentrating my efforts by comparing them for organization and content. Sadly all four have their own shortcomings. All provide solid a reference for home/family health. But some are far better than others. I rated all based on a max. of five stars possible. I compared all as to content and completeness of info provided. Actually comparing the info provided for various illnesses and diseases.

NUMBER ONE
I can not say enough about this book by far the best of the best at 4.65 stars. The nearest competitor came in at 3.9 stars. Very good graphics (color) and photos. Lots of extras, including contacts and web sites to further info. Very well organized and lots of info. Is by far the most complete and most comprehensive.

My husband's family is Air Force oriented with two brothers going through the Air Force Academy, and my husband was in ROTC & CAP, and my daughter was in ROTC, so this murder struck home, especially since I also live in Texas. When the story first broke in the news it was a topic of discussion at home. One cannot help but feel the military mindset contributed greatly to this tragedy. The book was well written with factual information and compelling empathy for all involved. It presented a more complete picture of the facts that could not be found in the press. Three lives were tragically destroyed as a result of the crime. The promising futures of all three were ended when the murder was comitted. This book tells of the sorrow of all involved and the shocking revelation of the murderers impacted a whole town. A must read for true crime aficionados.

Blind Love is factually correct. I have read the books, seen the movie and watched both the Zamora and Graham trials on video tape. Peter Meyer's book puts it all together as best can be presented from all the evidence available.

I*ve been fascinated with this case and watched more of this trial than OJ.I actually feel sorry for Diana and Adrienne*s family. This was the fastest I*ve ever read a book, and I really found out alot about David and Diana .I hope that Mr Meyer does a follow up after the graham trial

No need to look at of Tom Sharpe's novels if you are looking for refined literature. The man simply pumps out farcical stories which polk fun at the establishment and wealthy folks in particular. As with most farces, the reader can either find it all to be hilarious or simply stupid. Fortunately this reader found it to be hilarious.

'Blott on the Landscape' is about one woman's fight to keep her ancestral home at all costs, with the help of her gardener (Blott). We are exposed to the most improbable characters and actions imaginable, with rude behaviour and language in abundance. It all has a 1970s British television sitcom feel about it. Still I think most Brits will enjoy this book, and fortunately it is still in print over here.

Bottom line: Tom Sharpe in fine form. I'm still giggling.

Tom Sharpe, Christopher Brookmyre, P.J. O'Rourke, Stephen Fry, P.G.Wodehouse - they all fall into the category of authors who REALLY make me laugh. If you mix up Billy Connelly and John Cleese, you'll get the idea. In Blott on the Landscape (which was turned into a BBC television series), Sharpe's humour is as sharp as ever (pun intended) and his characterizations are an absolute scream. Of course, it helps if you appreciate British humour which, at times, can be quite black. (A woman getting a lion to eat her own husband?)

Tom Sharpe's 'Wilt' books were comical enough but, in Blott on the Landscape and Porterhouse Blue, he excels even his own high standards of comic writing.

This is the first Tom Sharpe I read, and it just seems so much better that the others...I first saw the t.v. series, and was even more impressed by the book. I loved eveything about it, the plot, the exagerrated characters, the way everything fits together at the end. I was a bit disturbed that I could laugh so much about a woman deliberately letting a lion eat her (thoroughly horrible and worthless) husband, but this is the mad world that Tom Sharpe takes you to. Ther way the betrayed wife should become best friend and ally with her husbands mistress is just hysterical! My other favourite character was the poor,bureacratically challenged head of the motorway planning authourity who had none! A great book to escape into.