This book will occupy a prime spot on my bookshelf. I've had to use a bunch of different books to find this kind of information before. It's nice to see such a wide range of topics from discrete math covered so thoroughly.

Silly and fun. Every child will love the story about poor Jonathan who couldn't clean his room thanks to the crowds of people leaving the subway station that was magically connected to it. The illustrations are wonderfully rendered.

This book began life as the text of seventh annual Institute of Economic Affairs Hayek Memorial Lecture given by Professor Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth in June 1998.

Dr. Sacks approach was based on a debate that Hayek had proposed in 1978 on the question of "was socialism a mistake". Although the debate never took place, Hayek prepared for it by writing a manuscript which ultimately saw the light of day as "The Fatal Conceit".

Beginning from the thesis that the Fatal Conceit's essential premise eas that for the free market or extended order to emerge, a certain kind of morality needed to emerge also. He develops his argument through a scholarly exegesis beforeutimately arriving at a conclusion that the free market has gone too far such that in effect it has become it's own morality and morals/ethics have been subordinated.

This conclusion is challenged by the the three commentators who were asked to write in response due to the reception received by the lecture. Dr. Sacks was also asked to write a rejoinder.

Norman Barry contends, if I understand him correctly, that markets bring about change and that morality must be adaptive and flexible. Thus the issue is not one of no morality but is one of the changing rules which come about ultimately because markets do not have a life of their own. They a rise through the interaction of people in a social process.

Robert Davidson looks at the role of traditions in religion and the necessity to test them against the reality of the world. In another illuminating passage he refers to the division of labor within society and argues that theologians have a role in giving people a vision of hope.

Michael Novak, takes a different approach by looking at what the world owes to Judaism, articulating the notion that it, as Christianity, is not a monolithic tradition.

In his rejoinder, Dr. Sacks takes the opportunity to clarify his position. He argues that he is not against markets, per se, but that he is against the extension of markets into all aspects of life. He fears that such extension will result in social disaster and makes the case that markets and the free society can only succeed within a strong moral framework.

The lecture was described as stimulating. After reading this collection there is clearly much food for thought. In this excellent little book there is much for all of us to think about.

Highly commended for everyone.

I have been a Financial Advisor for 20 anf this book is a great treat The author has created the best of both worlds in the match of information and humanity. I find use for it each day and am happy to recommend it to clients. With a web site too, this book is a must have for someone whose interested in bringing life to personal finance on the we

As a history teacher, I think it is essential to continue to tell the story to future generations of Americans. The many diverse tribes of Native Americans that covered North America all have vastly unique and incredible stories to learn from and share.

I've been raving about this book, so I thought I ought to write my first Amazon review. I'm sure dining alone is a hit or miss experience anywhere.But a bad experience is especially a drag in NYC, where you can waste big dollars (as well as rare free time), being treated badly. I use Zagat's frequently, and have wished they'd include a 'good for solo' category. I've found nothing in any other restaurant guide I've seen, either. So I was thrilled when I found this title at a bookstore, and I wasn't disappointed when I looked inside. It's well written (not annoying like some of these first person deals can be), and the reviews are really helpful---they cover the general stuff like food and service, as well as assessing the 'solo diner comfort level', with enough specifics so you can make your own final judgment. I've found that it works very well as a generic guide too, for non-solo dining: you have the food, ambience info., but also can figure that if a place is comfortable and welcoming to a solo diner, it would be a place anyone would enjoy. Now I'm just waiting for the Bar for One guide!

"The Aramaic Bible" is an outstanding reference work which is indispensible for any serious student of the Hebrew Bible. The Targums were Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible interspersed with rabbinic commentary. The Targums, which date to the middle of the first millenium and earlier, provide insights as to how the Jews (and some early Christians) actually interpreted the texts. Until now, it was difficult for someone not versed in Aramaic to have access to these documents; thus the appearance of not just a translation, but a scholarly edition is most welcome.

I used several of these volumes (including this one) in seminary while doing exegetical papers and found them informative beyond belief.

I am a Kindermusik teacher and just used this book for the first time in my 18 month-3 year old class and they LOVED it! The text is great for repetition of animal sounds/walking sounds, the illustrations are uncluttered and colorful. It is just the right length and the recap at the end gives the kids a chance to repeat everything that we've done before. It will be great fun adding movements to the book in the upcoming weeks. Great book for scaffolding ideas.

Michael Moorcock's science fiction novel "Behold The Man" has been in release for over 20 years, and I still find it to be one of the most shocking books I have ever read. If anyone ever decides to make a film of this novel, the controversy will make the flap over "Last Temptation of Christ" look like an argument over what dish to bring to the PTA meeting. "Behold The Man" tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a man striving to find his religious identity. Intermittent flashbacks explain many of his internal conflicts as a Christian, e.g his childhood molestation by a clergyman. The opportunity to use a time machine presents itself, and Glogauer decides to travel back to meet Jesus Christ and his contemporaries. Over a period of time, he meets the characters who populated the New Testament, but they are nowhere near the people portrayed in the Bible. Many of the depictions are incredibly shocking in their utter blasphemy; I found myself gasping at every plot twist. To give away any of the details of this story would be an injustice, so I will just say that you will never look at your Bible the same way after reading this book. Moorcock won numerous awards for this novel, and I place it high on my list of favorite stories. For those who have never read Michael Moorcock, this would make a great introduction to his very eclectic body of work

Moorcock pulls no punches in this story about time travel back to the time of christ. If you're a very religious christian AND close minded (NOT that I'm saying the terms go together...) you may be offended, but if you're knowledgable about biblical times you may enjoy the story even more. As with some of the best books I've read, this book opened up new worlds of ideas to explore. I enjoyed it and was educated by it at the same time.

It has been called many things, but most often it is called BLASPHEMOUS and HERETICAL. I say "Yes, but only incidentally." On the surface BEHOLD THE MAN is another time-travel story. Beneath that surface this book is a coral reef of ideas and issues pertaining to that elusive creature, MAN. MAN's need for history to determine his purpose and the ablility to tailor history to his own needs. MAN's need to Love and to be Loved. MAN's scientific advances vs. MAN's religious foundations. As grand in scope as these concepts are, they are only the beginning. This is one of the greatest books of all time and a must read for any serious student of human nature.

Jonathan Swift's 18th century satire, Gulliver's Travels, is an extraordinary tale of the adventures of an English ship surgeon. The ship surgeon, Gulliver, by a series of unfortunate events on each of his four voyages at sea, receives the chance to explore the cultures of the countries of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and the land of the Houyhnhnms. Each land is considerably different from the others, and creates quite an entertaining read.

While the story itself is particularly unusual, the satirical element which Swift applied to it adds another level of comprehension. If understood, one could have a nice chuckle at the way Swift mockingly portrays ideas and people through the various cultures which Gulliver encounters. Some similes, however, are intended to get a more serious meaning across. For example, in his first journey of the book, Gulliver finds himself in the country of Lilliput where the people are only six inches tall, save the king who is seven. In this land there are two groups which were distinguished by which side a person breaks their eggs on. One king published an edict commanding all his subjects to break their eggs on the small side, but many would've picked death over breaking their eggs on the 'wrong' side, so many did. By this, Swift meant to throw contempt on the exaggerated importance that people place on their differences, as on which side one breaks an egg is a very trivial thing. The two groups mentioned represent the Catholic and Protestant religions, between which were many wars and massacres during the 1500's when the Protestants first appeared.

Gulliver's Travels takes the reader to many lands, all different and unique ' each adding another perspective on traditional beliefs and ways of thinking. Gulliver changes as much as the scenery around him, and after each voyage he has changed dramatically. At the end he has transformed so much that I feel really sorry for his family ' although it's only love that could allow them to put up with his strange behaviors.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an appetite for literature, as Gulliver's Travels is an excellent satire of the ways of the thinking in the early 1700's. Also, the author does a good job in describing the lands which Gulliver visits in great detail. Although Swift may not have written this book with intense action scenes and steamy romance, it is definitely a work worthy of the people of today.

It's amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What we thought was important as children may now seem completely insignificant, replaced by entirely new priorities, priorities children wouldn't even understand. At the same time, things we used to take for granted, like having dinner on the table, being taken care of when we're ill, or getting toys fixed when they are broken, have become items on adult worry lists.

Your perspective on literature can change, too. Reading a story for a second time can give you a completely different view of it. "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, which I enjoyed as a sort of an adventure story when I was a kid, now reads as a harsh criticism of society in general and the institution of slavery in particular.

The same thing is true of "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. The first thing I realized upon opening the cover of this book as a college student was that I probably had never really read it before.

I knew the basic plot of Lemuel Gulliver's first two voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag, home of the tiny and giant people, respectively, but he had two other voyages of which I was not even aware: to a land of philosophers who are so lost in thought they can't see the simplest practical details, Laputa, and to a land ruled by wise and gentle horses or Houyhnhnms and peopled by wild, beastly human-like creatures called Yahoos.

While this book has become famous and even beloved by children, Jonathan Swift was certainly not trying to write a children's book.

Swift was well known for his sharp, biting wit, and his bitter criticism of 18th century England and all her ills. This is the man who, to point out how ridiculous English prejudices had become, wrote "A Modest Proposal" which suggested that the Irish raise their children as cattle, to be eaten as meat, and thereby solve the problems of poverty and starvation faced in that country. As horrible as that proposal is, it was only an extension of the kinds of solutions being proposed at the time.

So, although "Gulliver's Travels" is entertaining, entertainment was not Swift's primary purpose. Swift used this tale of a guillable traveler exploring strange lands to point out some of the inane and ridiculous elements of his own society.

For example, in describing the government of Lilliput, Swift explains that officials are selected based on how well they can play two games, Rope-Dancing and Leaping and Creeping. These two games required great skill in balance, entertained the watching public, and placed the politicians in rather ridiculous positions, perhaps not so differently from elections of leaders in the 18th century and even in modern times.

Give this book a look again, or for the first time. Even in cases in which the exact object of Swift's satire has been forgotten, his sweeping social commentary still rings true. Sometimes it really does seem that we are all a bunch of Yahoos.

Gulliver's Travels is an excellent book. In it Swift satirizes what he thought were the foibles of his time, in politics, religion, science, and society. In Part One Lemuel Gulliver is shipwrecked on Lilliput where the inhabitants are only 6 inches tall. The rivalry between Britain and France is there satirized. In Part Two he is marooned on the subcontinent of Brobdingnag where the inhabitants are giants. The insignificance of many of mankind's achievements are there satirized. Next in Part Three Gulliver is taken aboard the floating island of Laputa, where Swift takes the opportunity to satirize medicine and science altogether - incredibly Swift did not make up the crazy experiments he describes; all were sponsored at one time or another by the Royal Society. Finally in Part Four Gulliver is marooned by mutineers on the island of the Houyhnhynms, in which Swift takes his parting shot at human society - presenting them in degraded form as the Yahoos. Most people read no further in the book than Brobdingnag - I urge you to read the rest.