I am almost as much in awe of the erudition of the editors (James Engell and W Jackson Bates of the Bolingen edition) as that of Coleridge himself. I think it is often easier to parade one's own wide reading than to recognize someone elses's references. These editors track down the most obscure of Greek, German and Latin quotations and it's an education to read their notes.
There are really three themes in the book. One part is philosophy, one is literary criticism, and one is straight autobiography. These are dispersed throughout.
As regards the philosophy I am probably what he would have called "ignorant of his understanding." Coleridge shows a remarkable knowledge of German philosophy, read in the original language. As far as I know his philosophical ideas have not been highly regarded by pure philosophers.
The literary criticism is the most powerful and original part although the texts he uses will be unfamiliar and even anaccessible to most modern readers.
The fragments of autobiography such as chapter 10 and the first of the Satyrayane's Letters are the most readable.
While this is an unboubted work of genius I have denied it the fifth star because of a certain lack of redability. It is not, for the modern reader, a page-turning work of entertainment. It contains many gems, and much wit, but is one of those we take up today for instruction rather than diversion.

Bede Griffiths, in his book The Golden String, referred to STC as "one of the most universal minds in English literature."

I don't know of anything comparable to Biographia Literaria. At times it's the narrative of a great poet's life. He may veer off into literary criticism or even parody (see the, to me, hilarious section in which he gives "The House that Jack Built" in the rhetorical manner of a recent poet). He powerfully attacks the positivism of his age (and ours). He evokes the wonder of being human.

This scholarly edition is the one to get, if you're going to put in the time to read this rich classic at all.

Coleridge was on the romantic side of poetry, however, when reading Kubla Khan, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner, you can't help but think there was some what of an explorer, an adventuristic style in his words that, save opium, had no way to bud a grow with all around hearts-a-bursting. I liken Pablo Neruda to Coleridge, their visions, love, and spirit's ferosity seem to have been forged from the same mettle. Grecian Urn, Nightingale and others should all be required reading for the young. I guarantee there would be a lot more wonder, and a little more love in this world.

Ha! excellent if you think that gold in your pocket and good health will keep Death from your door. Otherwise know that the "great" Fulcanelli has reduced the only viable Theory Of Everything to a mundane chemical operation. One might reflect that such an occupation in these days of relative prosperity & healthcare, an ocupation deemed by fulcanelli himself as probably fruitless in 50 years of study is rather more a quest of Fool's Gold. Alchemy truly understood is indeed the book sealed with seven seals that no man was found to open it. But if you want some clues on where to look; read "The Teachings of Padmasambhava" translator Herbert Guenther and "Aurora" by Jacob Boehme. But read this anyway, if your going to seek the gillosophic stone of the true Great Work, and leave the mundane chemical side you should still understand this book as it clarifies a great deal

I've read every Alchemical and Hermetic Chemistry book I could get my hands on over the last 3 years and this was up there with some of the best. It's not for the beginner because it makes some assumptions of general and basic knowledge about Alchemy that could leave the casual read in the dust. This book really caters to the avid student of Alchemy. It is none the less a book for your alchemical collection because the beginner one day will be no longer, and this book will offer knowledge without a doubt. "The lips of wisdom are closed except to the ears of understanding"

This book is alive ! This is the path to join Pastimes, Present and Future... Readind this Book may suggest the desire to become a member of these enlighted souls, the greatest souls earth has ever carried, for the love of the Good, of the Beautiful, and the essence... The most eternal journey you may ever have...

Lege, lege, relege, ora et labora KalosKagathos

Parkes creates amazingly beautiful work of arts, and this book faithfully reproduces some of the most stunning pieces. I just wished there were more reproductions of his bronzes...

What can I say? I don't know how to best describe Michael Parkes artwork. Beautiful, imaginative, surreal? Michael Parkes has a lot of influence from master artists such as Klimt, but has created a world which is uniquely his own. Lovely winged maidens (often with mechanical wings) pose with elegant grace along with animals and mythological creatures. Men wear elegant masks, looking like sensual harlequins. What makes Parkes so fascinating is his ability to draw off many sources of classical myth and complie them into one image, it is not unusual in his world to see a Grecian style angel being visited by an egypian style feline, and yet it all works very harmoniously together. This book is wonderful eyecandy for all those drawn to imaginative, sensual mythology. I keep it for inspiration.

Michael Parkes is a brilliant artist, his style is unique and instantly recognisable. I searched forever to find this book, and it's truly fantastic.

Readers should be aware that this book was published in 1991, with a different title, "Indonesia's Forgotten War: The Hidden History of East Timor". The only differences are an updated chronology and one new chapter about recents events since 1998. The 1990s are not carefully treated.

Professor Taylor in this book presents a pretty thorough history of East Timor. He lays emphasis on the development of its indiginous culture particularly the kinship system which helped it survive Portugese rule and the barbaric Indonesian occupation. He examines the efforts of foreign powers particularly the United States and Australia and even Portugal (at least until the early 80's) to support Indonesia taking over East Timor, the United States taking the lead in replenishing Indonesia with advanced weapons when it ran into trouble as before its "encirclement and annihilation" campaigns of the late 70's.

He examines the East Timorese indigenous culture including the kinship system which is deeply ingrained in the society and helped it survive Portugese rule and (just barely) Indonesian rule; up until 1990 the major Indonesian military campaigns (Persuatan, the dreadful Fence of Legs, etc.), the World Bank funded forced sterilization of Timorese women, some of the major massacres, the ideology of Fretilin, the "resettlement villages," the economic activities of companies like P.T. Denok in East Timor, the visits of foreign journalists and delegations of politicians, the apologetics for the Indonesian regime by the Catholic Relief services.

I think that his rather long introduction about the September 1999 incident and the chronicles of events during the 90's in the timeline at the end of the book serve as more than adequate updates. However I think he is rather too soft on the role (or lack there of) of the Western powers during the 1999 crises. Those countries continued to have normal military and diplomatic relations with Indonesia up until about two weeks into the crises when East Timor was basically destroyed and its population driven from their homes, when they finally engaged in minimally serious gestures, temporarily suspendeding military relations with Indonesia and agreed to a peackeeping force which was probably not needed under the pressure of Australian public opinion. Very little effort was made to conduct war crimes trials or investigations or help the country seriously rebuild from the years of destruction and occupation which America and its allies were in large part responsible for. There's alot more that can be said about this but the criticisms of Indonesia by U.S. leaders in the months leading up to the crises which Taylor lays great stress on are completely worthless.

In anycase a minor flaw; this is a very good introduction to East Timor, if slightly dry here and there with small print.

John Taylor simply sets the standard, with this new and comprehensive text, on a subject in which he has long been an authority. The book is tremendously comprehensive, approaching a variety of issues relating to East Timor's past and recent history as well as the present. It offers analyses, always well substantiated, and without giving excessive space to the author's own subjective views. It is well written and easy-to-read. All in all, it is a book that should be read by anyone studying this topic, whether a beginner or expert.

Habsburg Monarchy was in an awkward geopolitical situation in 19th and early 20th century. And she was a multi-national political entity. In such a situation, true independence is impossible. A. J. P. Taylor analyzed the situation excellently and his analysis helped me understand not only Austria(-Hungary), but also Germany(Prussia) and Russia.

After the revolution of 1848, Hungarian nationalism grew more and more. And after the Austro-Prussian War, Dualism of Austria-Hungary was established. While Habsburg Monarchy was European necessity, Hungary became Bismarck's necessity to check German liberalism. 'Empire of seventy million(ie, unified German-Austria)' was a threat not only to Bismarck but also to Francis Joseph. Francis Joseph hated liberalism and called in nationalism against liberalism. (It is interesting that the same liberalism can have different political meanings according to places.) And the nationlism encroached his empire.

Taylor simply omitted many important issues and concentrated on what he wanted to write. So this book is not recommendable to casual readers. But if you have some background knowledge of 19th century European history and are interested in nationalism of European countries, I believe you will never regret after reading this book.

Published in 1948, this concise book is a good overview of the Habsburg monarchy over the last century of its existence. It is written with the wit and sometimes sarcastic judgements for which Taylor was known well. Taylor's theme is the attempt of the Empire to cope simultaneously with the internal pressures exerted by the awakening of nationalism among the subject peoples of the regime and the external pressures of dealing with the rising powers of Germany and Russia. This is primarily a political history but draws astutely on relevant social and intellectual history. This book can only be read by individuals with a good basic knowledge of 19th century European history. Taylor shows that the survival of the Habsburg state was a paradoxical function of internal and external conflicts that embroiled it. The aggressive Hungarians, for example, wished to preserve it because it provided a vehicle for their domination of other ethnic groups within the historic borders of Hungary. Bismarck wanted to preserve the Habsburg state to avoid the diplomatic and internal political complications that would follow its dissolution. For decades, external and internal conflicts existed in uncomfortable equipoise punctuated by recurrent conflicts that never resolved any of the basic issues. Taylor provides a sophisticated analysis of this problem and interesting characterizations of the major interest groups and political figures involved. A particularly interesting aspect of this book is the concise analysis of developing nationalism. While this is not the main theme, Taylor provides some interesting insights into the development of nationalism in the various parts of the Habsburg state. He shows, in particular, the dynamic quality of nationalism, its origin in most cases as Romantic intellectual movements, and its development as being tied up in many cases with the organs of the Habsburg bureaucracy. There has been much written in recent years about the social construction of nationalism and recent events in the Balkans have given this topic a great deal of relevance. Taylor's analysis antedates by decades the writing of scholars like Benedict Anderson, whose book Imagined Communities has been very influential, but these recent scholars would have taught Taylor nothing. An interesting example of rediscovering the wheel.

This was the first book I read on the topic that later became the basis for my dissertation. Taylor captured the big picture best, wrote the best, brought in enough detail to tell the story vividly, stated his biases and viewpoint clearly, and did it in far fewer pages than most others. Absolutelyl necessary, but not for beginners. This should be your second book. All the more important today as the Soviet Empire breakup and discussion of the American "empire" bear close comparison with a REAL dynastic empire.

This was a pleasant suprise about a battle that I knew little about. I don't know if I would call it the "Gettysburg" in the West. The Battle of Shiloh is the only battle that comes close to Gettysburg when it comes to mass of troops and casualties. However, this little known battle was strategically important for the Confederacy as they tried to spread their power west and their ultimate goal of obtaining the gold of California and Nevada and also obtaining official recognition by Mexico. The author does a good job explain the background of the Confederate troops (Texans) and the expidition they were on, as well as the Union troops (mostly Colorado volunteers) meant to stop them in their tracks. The Battle of Glorietta Pass did have significant casualties on both sides, however the ultimate key factor for Union victory was the destruction of the Confederate's supply train. I recommend this book to any Civil War enthusiast who wants to read about a different, little known but significant battle of the Civil War.

I think this account of the battle of Glorieta will never be surpassed. After writing an superb book 'bout the battle of Valverde, Taylor, together with Edrington, somehow manages to write another great book. This time the important battle of Glorieta is described very vivid and also the maps, as in Bloody Valverde, really help you to get into the whole dynamics of this conflict. It's really very, very interesting and every serious Civil War interested person should study this book carefully !

The story of John Quincy Adams is hard-to-believe. Congress truly ridiculed this man. I won't tell anymore you have to read it to believe it.

John Quincy Adams gave us a gift- the diary he left us. Beginning as a teenager and lasting until his death, what we see here is the spirit of this man who opposed slavery, advocated equal rights in the face of fierce opposition and argued the first civil rights case before the Supreme Court. Here are the words of the man who did so much for us. Read them.

The author obviously has an amazing command of the complete range of his subject, physics. This book is both a an excellent history and an excellent narrative of the unfolding of man's search for the fundamental nature of the micro and macro nature of matter and the universe.
My only fault with this book is a paradox: the author assumes that the readers "don't know much about math" so for most of the book he painfully avoids writing equations, and substitutes wordy explanations. In doing so some of the beauty of his narrative is lost. The paradox is that anyone whe is going to plow into this book and get anything out of it, had better have a good handle on math at least algebra.

Hidden Unity in Nature's Laws written by John C. Taylor is a book about how physics and nature come together and how physics explains nature. Now, before you get all huffy and discount reading this book, let me say this, the author has taken great pains in explaining the mathematics in this book, making a very understandable and highly readable book.

This book has two major themes associated with its writing. First, there is a pattern of unification, the major example explained by the author is between magnetism and electricity, Research has showed that electricity and magnetism are interconnected... not that they are the same thing, but they are two aspects of a unified whole.

The other major theme the author brings out in the book is that quite often, different branches of physics have seemed to contradict each other when taken together. As the contradiction is resolved in a new, consistent, wider theory which include the two branches. This is called the resolution of contradictions.

What is so nice about this book is this, you'll need some knowledge of mathematics and physics, but the explaination is very understandable. There is a fascinating insight into the development of our fundamental understanding of the world, and the apparent simplicity underlying it.

The author takes us on an interesting path that leads right to the heart of physics, but never forgettting that his readers are not as skilled at physics as he is. Therefore, he uses pictures in explaining the mathematical priciples associated with explaining the problem, translating the equations into words or pictures.

I found this book to be highly readable and very understandable, explaining physics in terms that a layperson can gain the concepts and have a workable knowledge of what physics is all about. This book will get you on the ground floor.

We have applied Dr. Taylor's recommendations to our child. We did not discontinue the Ritalin. By applying Dr. Taylor's ideas on nutritional supplements, diet modification and sensible parenting together with the medication, our son improved his academic performance from straight "D"s on his report card to all "A"s, "B"s and one "C" in the same academic year. Needless to say we are very proud of our son and very grateful to Dr. Taylor.

I found this book to be very helpful and full of very concrete ideas on how to help my son. It puts things in language that everybody can understand not just doctors. It doesn't start with the mindset that Retalin is good or bad like most books these days, it just says that if you do take it then try this, this and this to make it eaiser!

As the parent of a child with ADHD, I've read a lot of books on the subject and on related conditions, and I've investigated many different approaches and therapies. This one book could have replaced my years of research. Dr. Taylor gives the reader a clear, understandable description of why these kids behave the way they do, and of the major options for helping them.

Unlike many other authors, Taylor has dealt with ADHD as a parent, as well as a professional. He is able to see these challenges from the parent's perspective, and his compassion comes across clearly. This is a welcome change for parents who are very tired of being blamed for things over which they have little control. The author's bio notes that he has over 30 years of successful experience in helping families of these challenging kids...and it shows!

The book has a user-friendly approach that can be understood by the layman, but it also provides impressive documentation to support the science. After they finish reading it, I would encourage any parent to share it with their child's teacher. Or, better yet, donate a copy to the school for all the teachers to use. It would be a much more appreciated Christmas gift than yet another box of stationary.

This book seems to have sketches of just about everything to do with Shelter. I have seen most of these pictures in full colour
at one time or another after having read lots of other books on architecture, but it is quite nice to have them all sorted out in
one book, each with a short description.

I came across this book while assembling reference material for planning a treehouse at the cottage. While most of the books I was looking at were hands-on/how-to type, I found this book interesting, and there are a few ideas in the book I can definitely use. At first glance, the book has, as the title implies, just a bunch of sketches - each page has four or five architectual details and hand-written notes explaining or referencing the drawing. Despite the rough-draft appearance, though, there is a lot of organizing of the 600+ drawings, and they obviously draw on a wealth of structure details. Examples range from villas in ancient Greece, Japanese houses, African huts, Aztec dwellings, to the current UNESCO headquarters in Paris and modern Frank Lloyd Wright homes. The book is arranged in three sections: protection (from sun, wind, cold, water); accomodating human needs (sleeping, cooking, eating, sitting, etc.); and structural elements themselves (roofs, doors, windows). Each section draws on examples from all parts of the world, and much of history, to show how, in many cases, simple solutions from 'simple' people, and even animals, solve basic living problems, and I found it quite interesting how different cultures at different times came up with similar solutions to such things as drainage, ventilation, etc. I found the ideas in this book useful for my treehouse project because I wanted simple construction, low cost, and flexibility, and the concepts in the book, being drawn as they were from basic construction principles, quite practical. This book would likely be of interest to several groups of readers: those studying architecture (there is an extensive bibliography), those building or designing energy-efficient homes (it is somewhat humbling to see so many concepts that we may think are new and radical, that natives somewhere have been doing for centuries!), or just for general interest (the book explains such things as roof angles on saltbox houses, cupolas, etc.)

The book was recommended to me as a sourse for a shade problem I have with my house. I live on the West Coast in California's Central Valley. Our house is in the middle of a large pasture. We have NO shade. The trees we have planted will not have any shade value for many years. The West side of the house bakes in the summer. What I wanted was a solution to my problem. An aesthetic design and technical information on shading our house with structures, vegetative, and or fabric (pictures, line drawing, Etc.

What the book provided was many ideas for what I wanted not the solution. I am happy with the book and will use it for many projects. I enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures.