Grace Services book is not only an amzing account of an important period in modern Chinese history, it is also an important personal, first-hand account of how foreigners worked and lived in pre-liberated China. Set during the late Qing and early Repebulican period, the book tells the story of a family who goes to China committed to serving the Chinese people and how they stand strong in that commitment through wars, civil unrest, and personal tragedies. This book is a must for anyone interested in the pioneering spirit that led foreigners from around the world to settle and live amongst what most westerner at that time (stupidly) considered an "uncivilized" people. The book is made more vivid through detailed historical and personal footnotes added by Grace's son, the noted dipolomat and "China Expert" John S. Service. A wonderful contirubtion to history and a wonderful read!

This is the most vivid, interesting account of a family caught up in the throes of the Civil War that I have ever read. It provides an exciting look at what it was truly like for a family to face crisis, challenge, and tragedy. None better!

A Guide to Middle-Earth is an A-Z guide to the names and events forTolkien's The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings Trilogy and The Silmarillion. Also, every entry contains Translation (of the name from Eldain Languages to English), Also Called (+ the other meanings of the name) and Identificatin Coding (page references to 21 editions) sections. In Appendix, there are Chronology of FA (First Age) and Genealogical Tables sections. You can't find another book like this, it's the only and best guide (excluding The Atlas of Middle-Earth) for a Tolkien Fan. But a new -updated & revised- edition of this book is published; it's called The Complete Guide To Middle-Earth...

Dr. Robert Ruby has done comprehensive research on our heritage.

He and John Brown are the most neglected historians of our time.

Do yourself a favor.

Get to know this author!

For those wishing to study military history, either seriously or for their own benefit this is a great work to start with. A chronological by subject discussion and listing of the principle texts of military history in the english language. While this could use an update to cover more recent history, you will find nothing better or more recent available to you. This book is not only informative, but readable as well. It is also great for those with some knowledge of military history who wish to branch out into other areas of the field.

Hardcover -224 pages 25th print edition

This is a very good book - if you are lucky enough to find a copy and wish to read and think about real questions this book may be for you. I feel very grateful to the author for this work.

Charles Upton challenges Robert Bly's interpretation of the Grimm's fairly tale Iron John, an interpretation which had a strong impact on a generation of confused men looking for answers about what it means to be a man. Upton's critique draws from the perspective of the traditionalist school of writers - notably the French metaphysician Rene Guenon - and presents a profound alternative reading of the fairy tale in which the question of what it means to be a man is eclipsed by the greater question of what it means to be truly human.

Upton writes: '...Bly states that his intention is to talk about male initiation alone. My intention is to try and situate this initiation in its greater context, that of the attainment of the fully human state.'

I just received this book and I think it is excellent. Chapters start with an introduction or summary, and end with either a conclusion or implications section, which makes it easy to preview the topic without having to read a lot. There are 3 things I should warn prospective buyers, though: it is expensive ($89.95 the paperback edition!), it is extensive (enciclopedic, with almost a 1000 pages), and it is written for "people in the know" (NOT a beginners' book). But because it is so extensive, it has a chapter on every topic on personality psychology theories I could think of. Great as a reference book!

This is a very well written mystery with lots of twists. The story involves small town characters with big city backgrounds. The life history of some of the characters is essential to the plot and adds considerable texture and interest. The progtagonists are very human and very vulnerable. There are several humorous moments which really add to the human scale of the story. It is a fun and suspenseful read. A very good work from a new author.

The title of this review is borrowed from Derek Bok who, when president of Harvard, responded to parents who crticized a recent tuition increase. Now the review.

This is one in a series of several dozen volumes which comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business School Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarding experts on the given subject. Each volume has been carefully edited. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section which usually includes suggestions of other sources which some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, we are provided with eight separate but related articles in which their authors examine these subjects: "The Organizational Frontier" (Wenger and Snyder), "The Smart-Talk Trap" (Pfeffer and Sutton), "Balancing Act: How to Capture Information Without Killing It" (Brown and Duguid), "What Your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?" (Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney), "Good Communicating That Blocks Learning" (Argyris), "Coevolving: At Last a Way to Make Synergies Work" (Eisenhardt and Galunic). "Organigraphs: Drawing How Companies Really Work" (Mintzberg and Van der Heyden), and "Stop Fighting Fires" (Bohn). Here are a few brief excerpts:

"As communities of practice generate knowledge, they renew themselves. They give both the golden eggs and the goose that lays them." (Wenger and Snyder)

"People will try to sound smart not only by being critical but also by using trendy, pretentious language." (Pfeffer and Sutton)

"[Organizational defensive routines] consist of all the policies, practices, and actions that prevent human beings from having to experience embarrassment or threat and, at the same time, prevent them from examining the nature and causes of that embarrassment or threat." (Argyris)

"The most effective decision makers are those at the business-unit level, where strategic perspective meets operating savvy." (Eisenhardt and Galunic)

No brief commentary such as this can do full justice to the rigor and substance of the articles provided. It remains for each reader to examine the list to identify those subjects which are of greatest interest to her or him. My own opinion is that all of the articles are first-rate. For me, one of this volume's greatest benefits is derived from various charts and diagrams included such as "How Consulting Firms Manage Their Knowledge" (on page 68). Here Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney juxtapose Codification with Personalization in areas such as competitive strategy, economic model, knowledge management strategy, information technology, and human resources. Another valuable chart is found on page 168. Bohn lists a series of "Rules of Thumb" (rational rules which create irrational results) and suggests why each such "Rule" should be carefully re-considered. Great stuff.

Even those who already subscribe to the Harvard Business Review will greatly appreciate this series because each volume gathers together separate but related articles (previously published in the HBR) on the same general subject. The cost of each volume in the series is relatively modest; the value provided is substantial. Those who share my high regard for this one are urged to read various books written by Peter Senge as well as Working Knowledge (Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak), Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together: A Pioneering Approach to Communicating in Business and in Life (William Isaacs), If Only We Knew What We Know: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice (Carla S. O'Dell et al), and finally, The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation (Daniel Yankelovich).