The most notable aspect of the 1909 Plan of Chicago was that the author's (Daniel Burnham) profession was not exclusively city planning. He was a business man. He viewed his plan for the City of Chicago as the best way to create an exceptional business and civic environment. It worked! Many elements of modern downtown Chicago that make it a truly great, world class city, are a direct result of Burnham's vision. For it is the grand vision that stirs the soul of mankind and allows a "planning document" -- normally a thick document, full of data, which sits on a shelf and collects dust -- to be embraced by an entire community. This is a must read for contemporary city planners, business men and government officials that want to "make it happen" in their communities. MAKE NO SMALL PLANS

This book proves that there is no division between culture and biology, but that both are intertwined. As the authors state: Gene-culture coevolution is "a complicated interaction in which culture is generated and shaped by biological imperatives while biological traits are simultaneously altered by genetic evolution in response to cultural innovation." (p.20)

The authors illustrate this coevolution convincingly, mostly by the case of brother-sister incest.

In fact, this theory tells us how the mind is 'formed', but doesn't explain the origin (come into being) of the mind. The title is a little bit misleading.

It is an original work, because it broadens Darwinism with cultural aspects.
It is also an important work, because it counters the Standard Social Science Model which proposes a fundamental division between biology and culture.
Not to be missed.

Charles Edward Stuart is one of the most romanticized figures in Scots history - more kitch history has been made of Bonnie Price Charlie than virtually anyone else in the eighteenth century.

As Forster makes clear from the outset, he was far from romantic in real life: he beat his mistress, he was paranoid, vain, profligate, often drunk (especially in his late years), politically inept and utterly deluded as to his future prosects. In this narrative, we follow Charlie through all the phases of his odd life: upbringing in Rome, life in Paris, arrival in Scotland in 1745, initial triumph at Prestonpans, the march on England, the retreat, defeat at Culloden, life on the run in the Hebrides, escape to the Continent, then gradual decline and relative obscurity back in Italy. Forster's pen is sure; she has had access to the Stuart's family papers, and her grip on the era and general understnading of eighteenth cenruty Europe is superb.

There are some truly odd things about Charles' life: why, for instance, did he so flippantly abandon Catholicism AFTER 1746, when an earlier conversion to Protestantism would have aided his cause in the uprising - whereas a later conversion simply damaged his chances of winning Papal recognition as King of England? Yet there are inspiring things too: his poise and bravery in 1745, his ability to inspire loyalty, his elusion of his Hanoverian pursuers in 1746 (special thanks here to Flora MacDonald), are to his everlasting credit, notwithstanding his later failngs.

Charles' psychological problems seem to stem from one essential truth: his entire life's predicament (as king-in-exile) was bizarre. The central and irrefutable fact of Charles' existence was that he was, by any legal definition, the rightful and direct male heir to the English and Scottish thrones; yet save perhaps for a few fleeting months in 1745, he was never accepted as such. In other words, since the world refused to behave normally, small wonder that Charles himself never could. In this context, perhaps Forster's verdict, while magnificently rendered, is somewhat harsh.

This collection of Civil War letters has so many merits to make it a good read. The letters between the two brothers and their family were well written, reflecting their education as well as their aristocratic upbringing in the Old South and their strong family ties. They took part in many of the important engagements of the war, and were able to give very comprehensive descriptions, taking you right into the action of a battle, or charging your emotions to feel the exhilaration or trials or dejection they experienced. The eldest brother, Henry, was in the cavalry, riding with the 7th Virginia Cavalry and McNeill's Rangers. But it was Charles; serving in the infantry (later in the Medical Corps), who gives us a rare insight into how the horses fared in the war environment. Both brothers wrote of their faith in God and their prayers for each other. Don't miss this one, especially if you are a Civil War buff.

i saw a copy of this book years ago, if you know where I can get a copy e-mail me at rajones8@yahoo.com. thanx

My pastor gave me this book for my 40th birthday, and he could hardly have chosen better. While Charles's old-fashioned writing style makes for some tough reading (you really have to FOCUS on every sentence!), it's worth the effort. This is a book of enormous truth and wisdom, its pages simply dripping with sweet words of grace and spiritual nourishment. Charles's opening chapter on pride, his reflections on grace and conscience, and on the worthiness of Christ's sacrifice, are foundational, without parallel, simply life-changing. At times I felt like I was only now beginning to understand the true Christian life. Outside of the Bible, this is one of the few books I've read that really made me LOVE GOD MORE. And what higher compliment could be paid to a work of Christian literature? Highly recommended.

A complete book containing all the information I really ever need easily accessible. Most reference books dealing with the breakdown of foods usually leave something I need out. As far as I can see this book has it all. A very welcome addition to my library.

Aptly edited by the collective efforts of T.M. Charles-Edwards, Morfydd M. Owen, and Paul Russell, The Welsh King And His Court is a massive compendium of essays filled with meticulous discourse of the Welsh royal household and the governmental roles of those officers charged with upkeep of horses, sleeping quarters, meals, etc. Primary source texts are presented in English translation, and the essays are written at a college reading level. The Welsh King And His Court is a scholarly text that combines deep thought with multi-level analysis of historical politics. An intriguing and recommended historical study, with a very helpful glossary, abbreviation list and index.

I thought nothing could surpass my previous favorite reference book -- the first edition of Kors and Peters' tremendous work. It should be no surprise, then, that it is this, the second edition, that now occupies the seat of honor in my collection.

This collection of source documents is, in my opinion, the best available for the study of European witchcraft persecutions. The documents included are specifically edited to highlight relevant sections. I find this extremely valuable; I'm not always up to searching through the writings of Acquinas to find a particular passage.

This expanded, second edition provides even more of what I've grown to rely upon: a coherent collection of source documents tracing the development of witchcraft in medieval psychology, through the "witchcraze" in early modern Europe, and concluding with the skepticism developing in the 17th Century.

If I'm ever stranded on a desert island, I hope I remembered to bring this book with me.

"The Dog of the South" is a story about a man who tracks his runaway wife down to British Honduras through credit card receipts in order to retrieve his stolen car, credit card, and maybe even her. Brimming with memorable passages and unforgettable characters, it is a well worthwhile read. But what is Charles Portis trying to say with this novel? Perhaps that "the more things change, the more they stay the same?" Possibly "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Enriching, enjoyable, and extremely funny, "The Dog of the South" is a storyteller's story, a quick read, a side-slapping satire, and a good time.

"My wife Norma had run off with Guy Dupree and I was waiting around for the credit card billings to come in so I could see where they had gone" (p. 3), 28-year-old Ray Midge says in the opening sentences of Charles Portis's 1979 novel. Ray is a Southern Don Quixote, and DOG OF THE SOUTH follows him on a pointless quest from Arkansas through Mexico to Honduras in search of his wife Norma and his Ford Torino. Along the way, Portis's rather obtuse narrator encounters car troubles, tropical storms, and an oddball assortment of hippies and grifters, including Dr. Reo Symes, Ray's Sancho Panza.

I discovered Charles Portis through Anne Lamott, who listed him among her favorite writers during her recent Boulder appearance. In a word, Portis's quirky novel is about restlessness and the American desire to make sense of everything. THE DOG OF THE SOUTH is a fascinating novel that challenges the notion that life is more unpredictable than fiction.

G. Merritt

Portis is perhaps the most underrated comic novelists of our time. When you finish reading Dog of the South, get Norwood and Gringos, two other hilarious and gracefully written books. Please tell Mr Portis to write another novel--he hasn't for some time, and I need a Portis refill round about now.