I'm a sucker for any anthology that ends with Richard Petty accepting the National Book Award. . . This one also has a lot of heart. The first of what promises to be an annual collection of stories promoting "a rebirth of beauty and life-affirming values," the Silver Rose Anthology offers a strong mix of voices and attitudes. Not every story here will appeal to every reader (the opening story, for instance, does little for me), but the collection overall is outstanding. Personal favorites (in addition to George Singleton's outrageous "Richard Petty Accepts the National Book Award") include Robert Olen Butler's seamless "Rafferty and Josephine," Julie Orringer's touching "Note to Sixth-Grade Self" Patry Francis'"Limbe," and Patricia Hackbarth's provocative "A Brief Geological Guide to Canyon County."
Move over Bill Henderson, Katrina Keneson, and Larry Dark. Watson's in the house!

When Kevin Watson gathered the stories for this anthology, he was doing us a public service. This is a hard world: hearts break, and lives are shattered. Stories that don't deal with those realities aren't true to life. But there's so much more to life--and should be to art. These stories are "life-affirming" in the best kind of way: They don't stay sunk in gloom, but they don't stoop to easy answers. Each one shows us a new facet of getting on with life, making things work, following the path. The individual stories are excellent--I especially like the story by Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler, although it's one of several strong stories--and in their cumulative effect, the collection becomes (and I mean this in the best kind of way) inspirational.

i only gave this book 5 stars because i could not give it more. i went to a reading of one of the writers and soon went on to read the rest. it has a good mix of voices, but by far the best writer is Heidi Shayla and her story "The Coffin Builder's Romance", it is a beautiful story of quilts, boxes, and of course, coffins. it is my all time favorite anthology, and i would definetly recomend it.

A fantasic edition like all these Oxfords. It has a long introduction detailing Berkeley's life and works, and numerous notes throughout the work itself.

As for the work itself it's a recasting of Berkeley's earlier work the Principles into dialogue form. Quite what the point of this was since the Principles were already easy to read is unclear, (although a case could be made that the Dialogues require less prior knowledge of Locke than the Principles did and are therefore a better introductory work) but it's difficult to be sorry that he did as he writes the dialogue form so well, easily the best since Plato, and in my opinion probably marginally better than Plato. He handles the character who he's trying to refute much better than Plato ever did. Unfortunately his ideas aren't on a level with Plato's. As with the Principles his writing sweeps you up and it almost convinces you that perhaps matter doesn't exist and the mind is all there is, but once again take a step back and the flaws become all too apparent.

Berkeley's too important to ignore though, and besides his books are a pleasure to read. You can't do better than this edition.

The attitude of most reviewers to the philosophical thoery proposed by Bishop George Berkeley seems to be 'jolly good show old boy, wonderful stuff, shame it's just not true, and written so beautifully, more's the pity.'

Given that all the reviewers are so utterly convinced that matter and the everyday world are really real, what else could be expected ? Berkeley's philosphy is so great and so stunning precisely because it directly attacks this great bedrock assumption of the ordinary human mind. And contrary to popular belief, his attack does not fail - it merely falls on deaf ears or blind eyes.

As per Berkeley, only God's mind and the ideas within it have real existence. Fortunately for us, included within the ideas in God's mind are the idea of an external world and the idea of human minds. Our human minds involuntarily produce the idea of the external world (God has so programmed our minds), but voluntarily produce other lesser ideas (ie personal dreams and fantasies and various private thoughts). Berkeley does not deny that we experience a 'real' world, he just denies that it has any reality apart from being mentally perceived. His theory cannot be proved by pure reason (since faith in the existence of God is an absolute must for a person to accept the Bishop's views)and in this sense his theory is speculative, but equally it cannot be disproved, since in one way or another we can never separate the external world from our perception of it.

On the other side, critics of Berkeley, absolutely have to deal with Hume's destruction of the external world through the use of pure reason. Following Hume, Locke's positing of 'matter' i.e. an independently existing external world, is shown to be just as speculative as Berkeley's positing of Mind. So where does that leave the critics ?

And supporters of Berkeley, can take heart from the fact that Kant who famously reconciled Hume and Berkeley, in fact does no more (and certainly no less) than fill in the gaps and supply the missing terms to the Bishop's argument. Is it really such a very great leap to go from Kant's noumenal realm and synthetic a priori, to the existence and workings of a benevolent God ? Some would say that rightly understood, the two are identical. If you ask me, Kant, quite cunningly smuggled the Bishop in through the front gate, by the simple ruse of dressing him up in a non-theological guise - much more palatable, you understand, and of course, much less threatening.

Of course, all the above exposition, is strictly for the religious sceptics - for the believers, the good Bishop is more or less, right on the money. Rock on, good sir, rock on. Let's all sing along to the Beatles - O, he gets by with a little help from his Kant, yeah, he gets by with a little help from his Kant.

This Oxford Philosophical Texts student edition of George Berkeley's best known work features a helpful introduction, glossary, and notes by philosopher Jonathan Dancy (author of _Berkeley: An Introduction_ and editor of the Oxford Philosophical Texts edition of Berkeley's _Treatise concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge_). The forty-page introduction includes a short biography of Berkeley, a synopsis of the _Dialogues_, a summary and analysis of Berkeley's philosophy including critical discussion of his main arguments, and an exposition of the relation between the _Dialogues_ and the _Principles_. Also featured: a bibliography and an analytical table of contents for the dialogues.

As for Berkeley himself, he probably needs no introduction from me. Arguably the most judicious commentary on his thought is that of T.H. Green, who in his great _Introduction_ to Locke and Hume remarked as follows:

"His [Berkeley's] purpose was the maintenance of Theism, and a true instinct told him that pure Theism, as distinct from nature-worship and daemonism, has no philosophical foundation, unless it can be shown that there is nothing real apart from thought. But in the hurry of theological advocacy, and under the influence of a misleading terminology, he failed to distinguish this true proposition -- there is nothing real apart from thought -- from this false one, its virtual contradictory -- that there is nothing other than feeling. The confusion was covered, if not caused, by the ambiguity, often noticed, in the use of the term 'idea.' This to Berkeley's generation stood alike for feeling proper . . . and for conception, or an object thought of under relations. . . . Misled by the phrase 'idea of a thing,' we fancy that idea and thing have each a separate reality of their own, and then puzzle ourselves with questions as to how the idea can represent the thing . . . . These questions Berkeley asked and found unanswerable. There were two ways of dealing with them before him. One was to supersede them by a truer view of thought and its object, as together in essential correlation constituting the real; but this way he did not take. The other was to avoid them by merging both thing and idea in the indifference of simple feeling . . . -- an attempt which contradicts itself, since it virtually admits [the] existence [of such oppositions as inner and outer, subjective and objective] while it renders them unaccountable." [_Hume and Locke_, 1968 Apollo edition, pp. 140-142.]

This summary may not be quite adequate to Berkeley's thought overall, as later in life he does appear to have come round to a view not altogether unlike Green's. However, it seems to me to be an eminently fair assessment of the Berkeley represented in the present volume.

At any rate Berkeley was a fascinating thinker and this volume is as good an introduction to him as is available. The _Dialogues_ should eventually be read in conjunction with the _Principles_ (which they were intended to support), but anyone looking for a single volume in which to meet this great and seminal philosopher will be safe in beginning with this one.

It's been over 15 years since I received my copy of Day by Day as a freshman at the University of Notre Dame. Since then, I've sold, given away, or thrown out all my textbooks, notebooks, and papers, but I've kept this little book. I don't pray frequently, but I reach for Day by Day when stress and pressure begin to overcome me. I keep my copy in the glove compartment of my car. Occasionally this is handy when stuck in traffic. Usually, I read a few pages while sitting in the car after a rough day, before walking into the house and sharing my stress with my family. More than anything, Day by Day makes me laugh. I'll hold on to my copy for a long time.

As a Catholic I've owned this book since the 7th grade. I'm 22 now and this book has helped to raise my spirits through hard times. I would recommend this book to anyone.

This is a very good biography of George Washington during the French and Indian War years. It is written well, enjoyable and easy to read.
One of the things I especially appreciated was the writer explaining just how George Washington became involved with the colonial goverment, so that he was ever asked to be involved in the political situation of the time. Not many books make this clear.
The book not only covers George Washington, but also hits upon the politics of the time and many other important people involved during this exciting historical period.
I am glad I read the book and I recommend it to others. This is an especially good book for those with little knowledge of George Washington's involvement with the British government and the politics of the French and Indian War.

This is by far the best biography of the early years of the life of George Washington I have ever read. Lewis gives us not only a brilliant introduction to young Colonel George Washington, but also a vivid analysis of the period of the French and Indian War, including the people, places, and circumstances of the conflict.

The book first gives a background on an adolecent Washington and his boyhood adventures as a surveyor in western Virginia. We learn how he grew up admiring the wealth and lifestyle of his aristocratic neighbors, the Fairfaxes, and how he began a long journey to emmulate them and to be a part of their privileged world. However, Washington's own ambitions pull him in other directions as he becomes deeply involved in the brewing storm of events that would culminate with the conflict with the French and Indians over posession of the Ohio Country and the Trans-Allegheny region. We follow Washington as he attempts to make a name for himself with the Governor of the Virginia colony by accepting a mission to deliver a message to the French army marching south from Lake Erie to the Forks of the Ohio River. This single event pushes Washington from the "shadows of an ordinary life" onto the stage of history. We see as Washington botches his attempt to protect the Forks from a French invasion at Fort Necessity and his anger at his own failure to not only obtain a royal commision in the British army, but to even obtain a victory in battle. Lewis details Washington's involvment in the war from Braddock's disasterous campaign against Fort Dusquene in 1755 to his ultimate anti-climactic success at the end of the long and muddy Forbes' Road in 1758, after which Washington retires from public service to return to the simple life of a farmer forever.

I also enjoyed Lewis' attention to the background of the struggle that served as the forge of experience for young G. W. Here we are exposed to the details and origins of the problems with not only the French, but particularly the Indians living in the Ohio Country and the singularly important role they played and the failure of Washington, or any other whitemen, to grasp that importance. This is evident in both Washington's and Braddock's terrible defeats in the early war years. Lewis gives us fascinating accounts of Washington's peers, his allies, enemies. These are men like Ohio Company scout Christopher Gist, The Seneca chief Tannacharison (Half-King), friend and neighbor George Fairfax, and others. In the end Washington would emerge older and experienced from a bloody conflict prepared to take on an even greater leadership role in another later fight in the not too distant future. A great book that I highly recommend.

This was a great course book for use with my business class Itook last term. I had current up to date examples and was veryreadable.

This book was an excellent book on the principles of management. The student CD was a great help in reviewing each chapter prior to class. The quizzes also helped in understanding the objectives. Would reccommend this book to anyone taking a business course.

This novel emphasizes the struggles within the heart of a young pastor as he confronts his faith in God and examines whether what he professes to believe is acually true. His dilema begins when one of his congregation (an outwardly deformed but inwardly pious dwarf) notices that the sermons he is delivering are not of his own making. We watch Thomas Wingfold as he struggles to confront the Truth and then apply it to his life as he seeks to help a rich young girl deal with a grief that is threatening to open her up to a deeper part of life that she ever knew existed.

Thomas Wingfold, Curate is a wonderful story of redemption and the honest search for a true and loving God. Wingfold enters the Curacy as a profession, but it soon becomes a passion as he is forced by his position in the church to truly struggle with his faith (or lack thereof). He discovers the amazing love and sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ, and he can do nothing but share the amazing life (and death) of Christ with his fellow parishiners. He nurses a young man who is wrought with the agony of having committed a murder to spiritual health and peace in knowing that when he dies soon, he will see Jesus. We are given a glimpse of the immense power of divine forgiveness to those who so desperately need it and seek it.

The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it does not attempt to analyze or comment upon. It simply presents the stories of ordinary men and women of this century in more or less their own words. All their lives in some way revolved around the dark world of Pennsylvania coal mining in the anthracite area of the Panther Valley. They are all refreshingly human, wonderfully straightforward, and tell deeply moving stories. Each in his or her own way reflects the rich cultural and ethical traditions brought here from European shores. The beauty of the book is its utter simplicity in approaching the mystery of the human personality against the backdrop of the drudgery of labor. It's a wonderful slice of life.

Most of us don't have books written about the neighborhoods and local institutions that we grew up with. This is particularly so for places off the beaten path like the Pennsylvania coal regions. I grew up in the 50's and early 60's just a few miles from the coal towns that form the geography of Mr. Dublin's book and went to some of the same schools as his narrator's children. My family worked for the coal companies and the garment factories at various times. These stories ring true from my experience - the reliance on family, the acceptance of 50 mile commutes to work rather than leave the area, the accurate concern that everyone for miles around knows your family business. The real value of this book for me is that these narratives show the commonality of experiences that I thought were unique. And, it also fills in many gaps about the social forces at work that I didn't realize existed in the lives of that generation. They shielded us from the dangereous aspects of some jobs, the lack of job security, labor-management tensions, and the potential need to migrate to make a living. For those readers without the personal ties to the coal regions this book provides a view of how tough the "golden years" of the 50's were for some Americans.

The data is very detailed and comprehensive indeed.

However, I found that the secular data, AD2000 on Thailand is a bit out of date, especially concerning the Government, the Legislature and the Political divisions (which should be 73 provinces instead of the 7 provinces published)

I also found the number of Christians in Thailand a bit too exagerated, especially the number of crypto-Christians (at 570,000 in mid-2000), Independent Christians (at 735,801) and Protestants (at 303,000).

The number of Catholics (at 255,000) and Anglicans (at 465) in Thailand in mid-2000 are quite accurate.

There should also be more frequent updates.

Almost 20 years ago the initial edition of the WCE was a great advanbce in religious information and statistics. The second edition (now 2 volumes) reflects much of the change in the religious scene in the last 2 decades and that alone is worthwhile. What is interesting is that the projections made 20years ago for the year 2000 have often turned out to be 'spot on' and this adds to the value of the work. I commend this latest effort w/o reservation and look forward to updates more frequently. Religion is one of the things that everyone shares-we all have it. This book should be in every library-esp. religious ones.As a priest who follows and studies and interacts with this world I can recommend it most heartily!

David Barrett and Todd Johnson at the World Evangelization Research Center in Richmond, Virginia have just completed the 2nd edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia. This 2,400 page, 2-volume reference set tells the status of Christianity and of evangelization in great detail for every country, people, language, city, and province in the world -- together with a trove of other information, statistics, and resources for the decision-makers in the world of missions. A companion CD, the World Christian Database, is planned to follow. This particular work, when complete, will help facilitate the analysis now missing from this monumental enterprise, a truly impressive work of religious, especially Christian, demographics. There is really nothing like it in terms of sheer raw data.

After reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, I think that i now have seen slavery in a totally different way. the hardships that Uncle Tom faced were awful, and I can see why a Civil War was started after people read this novel. I give Uncle Tom's Cabin a four, because it clearly showed the difference between the fate of someome who rebels against the system, and someone who sits back and goes through the system. It is not a five however, because i believe this book is severely flawed. Little Eva, is about five or six when she is introduced, and then later passes away. She seemes to look on death as a good thing, which is totally unrealistic for a child of that age. Eva says things like "the time will come soon, when i will have to leave you, I will leave, never to return." and "I am not nervous- I am not low-spirited, and I know I am going, before long. If it were not for you Papa, and my friends, I should be perfectly happy. I want to go- I long to go" Now these are not things that come out of a childs mouth, so this part of the book is not believable. Also, I think a good book should have well rounded characters. Characters who are flawed. Uncle Tom is too good, he is whipped tourtured, and beaten and all he thinks about is wanting to save Simon Legree's soul. I believe that every person has a little bit of good in them. This is not shown in Simon legree which makes him also, an unbelievable character. The book was by no doubt a well writen book, and I look up to Harriet Beecher-Stowe for having so much courage, that ever when she recieved death threats from slavery supporters, she went along and kept writing this book.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is about the evils of slavery from many different sides of the issue. The main character (Uncle Tom) is a good, always obedient, Christian slave that's master has to sell to pay off a debt. He has several masters, one very kind, one just normal, and one very brutal. It reallly shows how horrible slavery was. After reading it, it became obvious to me why there was a war to put an end to this terrible atrocity. Uncle Tom shows us how it is possible to do the right thing, face horrible punishments (being beaten almost to death), and still love everyone, including his evil master which he also forgave. It was one of the most memorable books I have read. I recommend it to everyone and I think it should be required reading for all schools. I think this book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

I just read Uncle Tom's Cabin for the first time, and I fell in love with it right away. I am not a strong reader, so I found it difficult at times. But, to me, it was worth every minute of my time. The story is filled with unforgettable characters that you will teach you a lesson about how to live life as you read about them. Harriet Beecher Stowe is an amazing author and makes each and every event mesmerizing and unique.
I have never read a book of this genre that kept me intrigued throughout the whole novel. I normally find historical novels boring, but the author pulled me into the story and really made me realize the horror and cruelty of the treatment of slaves at that time. The message of this novel by a true abolitionist, Harriet Beecher Stowe, was clear to see...Slaves needed to be free, treated equally, and able to live their own lives!
Uncle Tom's Cabin starts off with Eliza (a slave-mother) overhearing her master and a slave trader talking about selling Uncle Tom (one of the most loyal and reliable slaves on the plantation) for a large sum of money. The trader is reluctant to the deal because he doesn't believe that any slave is worth the amount of money that was offered. But when a slave boy comes in (Eliza's son) he asks if he can buy both Uncle Tom, and the little boy. The plantation owner agrees, and Eliza is very worried.
When the plantation owner tells his wife that he sold their best slaves, she is not at all happy. She even suggests telling the trader that he had changed his mind and no longer needed to sell two slaves......but he assures her that she is wrong, and that even though Uncle Tom is the best slave that they have on the whole plantation, he needs the money to pay off the debt he owns to the trader. She informs him that the little boy has a loving mother but, he just acts as if he doesn't care and assures her once again that he needs the money.
That same night Eliza, tells her son that they are running away and finding Canada, because the plantation owner is trying to sell him. He quickly agrees and they run off, hours after their escape when they are reported missing, a search is sent out for them, and they are seen for a few minutes but then are lost again. This is just the beginning of an amazing adventure with a life changing impact. Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the best novels I have ever read in my entire life! I encourage you to read this thrilling and fascinating story.

This was my first Elizabeth George mystery and will most likelybe my last...

George is an excellent writer but she's a bit wordyfor my liking. Not that I don't appreciate detailed description andlengthy character development, but it took me almost 250 pages to get hooked. There have only been two books I haven't finished reading in my entire life, so I guess you can say I'm hard pressed to give up once I've started. I almost put this one down around page 170 but fortunately I forged ahead. Once I got hooked, I was HOOKED. I couldn't wait to find out whodunit and was not disappointed by the ending. The main problem I had was that I just didn't like the two main characters. Lynley's unwillingness to forgive Havers was extremely irritating. And Havers being the "good soldier" and not sitting him down and questioning his bad attitude was frustrating too. I mean if these two had worked together for so many years, you'd think they'd both be mature enough to talk it out. George just drags out their mutual animosity. Grow up already! END

I am hooked on Susan Elizabeth George and her wonderful writing. And yes, I too like her new hairdo. I have read all her books. I read them all during the past six months after stumbling onto a paperback edition of "Missing Joseph". I did not read them in the order published but after finishing "In Pursuit of the Proper Sinnner" the ten book chronolgy fell into place with the remarkable display of continuity in the ongoing evolution of the main characters of Linley(love "Tommy"as a nick name), Havers, Lady Helen and the entire gang. This woman writes such good prose that often I forget I'm reading a "potboiler" and find myself in the middle of a marvelous work of fiction. I can't wait to read Mrs. George's first non- mystry novel where she is able to dispense with the gratuitous sex and stay with the beautiful character insights. But, then again, this reader for one will continue to buy her first editions in hardback because I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Barbara Havers is going to get into next!

Elizabeth George is still batting 1000 with this police proceedural. Less angst with Lynley and his "mates". Barbara Havers figures strongly and Winston Nkata gets a little more exposure. George's books have continued strong throughout the series, and although the characters often are frustrating and a a little too introspective, it all comes right in the end as they do eventually manage to learn from their mistakes (usually), mature and grow. Unlike many authors who have crashed and burned out, George continues at a steady pace. It is often difficult to wait the year or so for the next book, but In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner is a good example of why it's worth the wait! Keep up the good work Ms. George.For people who like Elizabeth George, also try Peter Robinson , Inspector Banks mysteries.