This book is not for reading piecemeal. I found it most confusing because of the series of plot lines that we followed, slipping back and forth between. Nothing unusual there. I'm not certain but we were mostly moving through time lines that eventually brought us to the "present". The author was perhaps too clever with this device. Did he write the multiple stories and then just cut and paste them together? I have never read chapters that changed timelines every paragraph as they did at the end. There was a lot of bigoted characters -- at first I thought the author himself might be reflecting his own thoughts -- but the the characters were just mostly unsympathetic. No one was clearly heroic. First novels are a mixed blessing. I am happier with my current Cornwell.

I read this through to the end - it starts out as an interesting cross between police procedural and international espionage novel, then ends up in almost a "Manchurian Candidate"-like family melodrama. Although the author is very knowledgeable, and weaves in all sorts of interesting allusions, and is a much more creative writer than you find in your general airport bookstore, the whole novel is somewhat of a tease, files never revealed, the title location (Exchange Alley, New Orleans)never visited, certain potentially intersting sexual liaisons between main characters that are raised as potentials but never consummated. Kind of an odd book overall. But I give it four stars, and, like I said, I read it through.

Walsh's first effort is an engrossing piece that weaves Oswald, the CIA, KGB, the Mole Theory, the Holocaust, and the more exotic sexual mileu of modern New York into a neat plot as hot-headed Detective Francis Byrne tries to unravel the killing of a Danish diplomat. Part thriller, part police procedural, and all great writing. The history and tradecraft are accurate, the plot never lags, and the reader is defied to guess the ending before arrival, probably in the wee hours of the morning. This one is VERY tough to put down.

This book was one of two required for a graduate course in Histology. If you must take a Histology course in graduate school or medical school, I would recommend purchasing a separtate atlas, especially if you are a novice or have limited availability to quality slides. I personally recommend diFiore because it has multiple atlas plates for each tissue with different magnifications and stains. It is also reasonably priced. The text in Ross is very well written and presents the material in a compact, to the point style. This allows the student to learn the material without searching for what is and is not important.

I liked the book very much for it has Histology with some Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology included. Of course these text takes space from the book and reduces the amount of slides but each slide is given similar information and not just identification. Time to time comparative information. I found this book very useful when compared to simple Histology Atlases.You may need another Histology Atlas for more pictures if you are interested but this book is very simple and to the point all encompassing

This book doesn't assume that you have an extensive background. The first year medical student who was a liberal arts major can read through this book once and know histology as good (or better) than a student with a master's degree in anatomy! The chapters flow very logically, allowing the reader to make the all-important integration of various regions of the body and the processes/histology associated with them. Furthermore, every page has photomicrographs and/or drawings which allow the reader to have not only a more complete understanding of the material, but a clinically useful knowledge of the proper appearance of tissues. This book leaves nothing out and is, at least at the medical school I attend, unanimously agreed to be the best histo book available.

I have always enjoyed reading books that look at the UFO Phenomenon from a "historical" perspective. I was, therefore, looking forward with great anticipation to reading Wendy Connors and Michael David Hall's "Summer of the Saucers". The book claims to be both an account of the great UFO flap of 1952 (the greatest year of UFO sightings in American history) and a biography of Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, the legendary supervisor of the US Air Force's Project Blue Book. Blue Book was the code name for the US government's official investigation of the UFO phenomenon. Although the Project spent most of its twenty-year existence (1949-1969) debunking UFO sightings, Ruppelt did preside over a "golden age" from 1951-1953 when Project Blue Book took UFO sightings seriously and investigated them in an objective and fair manner. Ruppelt managed to investigate some of the most famous UFO sightings in history - the famed "Lubbock Lights" in Texas, the UFO home movies shot in Utah and Montana, and the great "invasion of Washington" in July 1952 when UFOs were seen above the nation's capital and were picked up on radar at two airports in Washington. Although Ruppelt's story and the 1952 sightings provide the basis for a great book, "Summer of the Saucers" sadly isn't it. The book has the feel of being a hastily put together, self-published effort. The editing is poor - there are numerous spelling errors, the photos are often grainy and difficult to discern, and the author's writing style is simplistic and about on the level of a high-school senior's research paper. Letters from Ruppelt's relatives are simply printed verbatim in the text, without any commentary or analysis from the authors - and the letters often take up several entire pages. Ruppelt himself was certainly a leading figure in ufology, but the book relentlessly praises him and offers few real insights into his career or his feelings about the UFO phenomenon. As a biography, "Summer of the Saucers" is simplistic and shallow; as a study of the greatest UFO flap in American history, it provides some newly declassified government files but little else that is new or original. For a serious student of ufology the book may be worth buying just for the new material it provides, but for those who have enjoyed reading the works of J. Allen Hynek, Jerome Clark, and Kevin Randle, this book will almost certainly be a disappointment. In fact, the best book written about the early fifties and ufology remains Ruppelt's own memoir, "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects" - I would recommend reading it over this latest "biography".

Hall, Michael D., and Wendy Connors. CAPTAIN EDWARD J. RUPPELT: SUMMER OF THE SAUCERS--1952. The authors, 2000. Large-format softbound, xxiv, 285pp, bibliography & references, index, photo-illustrated. Edward Ruppelt served as project chief for USAF investigation into UFO phenomena from Novermber 1951 through September, 1953, a tenure which would take him (and us) smack through the center of the most intense UFO wave yet recorded in the U.S., and would make the terms UFO and "Blue Book" a part of American language and history. Michael Hall and Wendy Connors have written not only a biography which commemorates Ruppelt's skill, patriotism, devotion to duty and scientific rigor under conditions in which many a lesser talent would have failed, but a history of the 1952 saucer wave which in itself is nothing less than marvelous. With full access to Ruppelt's private papers and unedited writings, and reinforced by personal interviews with many persons who knew and served with Ruppelt, the authors bring an already fascinating period to vivid life here. It is to be eternally regretted that ufology has suffered so much degradation as it has over especially the last 10 or 12 years. But 50 years ago we lived in simpler and more trusting times. And it is to that era that ufologists are now returning, relieved to escape the oppressiveness of contemporary ufology for a time in which contamination of the data is minimal, while the hope of reward (in terms of understanding the origin of UFOs remains undiminished. SUMMER OF THE SAUCERS is the best of the new "time capsule" UFO books, and a loving tribute to a kind of American hero who rates a premier and central monument in ufology's Hall of Fame.

The years 1947 to 1953 were the golden age of UFO research. Within that long-ago time frame, our military and intelligence agencies did not yet have in place the "watertight" policies that researchers today must contend with. UFO or "flying disk" research was not yet treated with derision by the majority of media, and researchers like Donald Keyhoe, with his many military contacts, brought to light cases involving military encounters that today the public would never hear about.

After several previous UFO projects initiated by the U.S. Air Force, the Blue Book program took shape and form under a young Air Force officer by the name of Edward J. Ruppelt. In retrospect, the Blue Book project is considered by most modern-day researchers to have been nothing more than a public whitewash by the Air Force during the 1950s and '60s, yet at its inception, Ruppelt's Blue Book was a genuine investigation that attempted to get to the bottom of the saucer controversy. Captain Edward J. Ruppelt: Summer of the Saucers-1952 takes the reader directly into the middle of this fascinating milieu.

The year 1952 was a "flap year" for UFO sightings, arguably the most astounding of the last century. Authors Hall and Connors researched the fact that between March and September of 1952, American newspapers across the country reported that more than 30,000 individual sightings of UFOs had taken place. This did not reflect what was happening in the rest of the world! The magnitude of the summer of 1952 "invasion" has never again been duplicated.

Edward J. Ruppelt was known as a dedicated Air Force officer. A decorated World War II combat veteran of the Army Air Force, he returned to school after the war and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1950. Married and expecting his first child, Ruppelt was recalled to active duty with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. In early 1951, Ruppelt was assigned to Intelligence at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

If you're interested in the subject of UFOs, you need to be aware of what was transpiring during this extremely important period, for this is when the groundwork was laid for military and intelligence activities connected with UFOs. For example, the first known military project to examine the flying disk reports was known to the public as "Project Saucer." The project's real name, however, was "Sign," and under Project Sign the "Estimate of the Situation" was drafted and completed. Though its existence was originally denied by the USAF, the "Estimate" is now legendary in UFO research circles. It allegedly stated that some UFOs could possibly be of interplanetary origin. After General Hoyt S. Vandenberg refused to accept this report, almost overnight the subject of UFOs became politically "incorrect," if not downright taboo. Project Sign and the "pro" proponents were "out" and the new project "Grudge" and the anti-UFO reality faction were in. The cases that were "investigated" under Grudge were laughable, but changes were coming. They came in the form of Ruppelt and the new Blue Book.

One reason that Ruppelt: Summer Of The Saucers is such a fascinating read is that authors Hall and Connor give an almost minute-by-minute account of the most famous UFO case of all, the overflights above Washington, D.C. In hindsight, these sightings were the "straw that broke the camel's back." As the days leading up to July 19, 1952 show, reports of unknown aerial objects were filling the offices of Blue Book. The project had neither the budget nor staff to handle such an influx of data, and analyses of the reports that have been located today show that many of the more important sightings did not even make it into the Blue Book files. When the sightings over the nation's capitol began, Ruppelt was out of town. In fact, he may not have been aware of the overflights until the following Monday or Tuesday. Over all, Blue Book's coverage of this event was abysmal.

Looking at the situation in the late 1940s through the 1960s from the military's perspective, a strain of schizophrenia is clearly apparent. If the reader is familiar with any of the books written by Donald Keyhoe during the 1950s, that author made this point time and again. Here, Hall and Connors imprint it in stone. In some ways, Project Blue Book seems, to this reviewer, to have been set up to fail. While highly motivated and dedicated, Ed Ruppelt was a junior officer thrust into a job with limited resources and at times questionable backing.

Today, it seems beyond belief that the American military, with the horrible memories of Pearl Harbor very fresh in their collective minds, could have denied that "something" was flying around in American skies with impunity, while seemingly under intelligent control. Yet there was a faction in the military and the CIA that apparently held no interest in the origin or purpose of these devices. They were more interested in shaping public perception (read: propagandizing the public) to ignore these objects, using lies and deceit to cover up these events on a worldwide basis. Later, the Robertson Panel, under the auspices of the CIA, would "formalize" these tactics of debunking, lying, propagandizing, and in some cases destroying the reputations of citizens who dared to buck the "company line." Not much seems to have changed in the last 50 years.

Captain Edward J. Ruppelt: Summer Of The Saucers-1952 is a fascinating book and one that I highly recommend to the informed readership. As an important piece of history, covering perhaps the most important time in UFO research, this book details what was occurring behind the scenes at Air Force and intelligence agency headquarters, and with the officers and men who had a thumb on the UFO phenomenon. Hall and Connors have done a wonderful job of research on this project and I am grateful that they have. Not since Rich Dolan's UFOs and the National Security State has any other book convinced me to continue to "watch the skies!" -Don Ecker

This book does a wonderful job of presenting a wide variety of debates that have surrounded evolutionary theory from the time of Darwin to the present. Ruse makes his own positions known, but tries to present all sides fairly, and for the most part does it well. He is especially interesting in his dissection of the underlying philosophical concerns that have driven the discussion of evolution.

In spots the writing rambles somewhat and can become unclear. After going to great lengths to define what is meant by "evolution," Ruse makes no such effort to define his term, "secular religion," which recurs frequently throughout his discussions. In other places, the author veers off in a new direction before finishing his point. For example, while addressing Philip Johnson's criticism of the "methodological naturalism" of science, Ruse slides off into the question whether one can be a methodological naturalist and still believe in God. It's a fascinating and worthwhile discussion, but it leaves out what seems to me to be the more important question in response to Johnson: can one do science at all without assuming that physical events have predictable physical causes?

For serious students of the subject, this book will not be the last word. For general readers it opens up a window on the rich field of evolutionary science and the debates that have surrounded it. The suggested additional reading at the end of each chapter should help anyone who is interested in pursuing a topic further.

It helps to have some basic background in biology to understand this book, but no extensive knowledge is necessary.

Talk about darwinian wars sounds to me as old and outmoded as talk about World War II and even the cold war. Darwinian weapons of random mutations and natural selection or even stasis and punctuated equilibrium have led us not to a meaningless, pointless and purposeless universe, as darwinians enjoy saying (as if they had discovered the wheel) but to a meaningless, pointless and purposeless scientifc paradigm, unable to deal with the "complex specified information" in nature (William Dembski), the "irreducible complexity" of biological systems (Michael Behe) and the "computational structure" of the universe (Stephen Wolfram). What's more, darwinism never really got to refute biblical creationism (contrary to what the vast majority of uniformed people think) as it has been proposed and defended by Douhane Gish and John and Henry Morris or R. Humphreys. You may be surprised if I am saying this. But is is just plain fact. Darwinism never refuted creationism. It just assumed that creation never took place, which is something very different than a true and convincing refutation. All the darwinian arguments about evolution assume it existed, rather than demonstrate it existed. They are circular arguments that only convince the already convinced. This means that, as Donald Rumsfeld is reforming the Pentagon and getting it ready to fight new wars, so there should be a profound reform in the realm of scientific paradigms. I am convinced that the future "scientific wars" will be about information, intelligence and even creation. Intelligent design theorists and even biblical creationists seem to me more prepared in the long run to fight the new scientific wars ahead of us than darwinism. This outdated paradigm looks more and more like a kind of "cold war relic".

A well written and interesting bit of science fiction.

But I think we all know, as Prof. Wizzleteet's so eloquently illustrated, evolution is a compelling story but scientifically laughable.

Wizzleteetian proofs of creationism:

Great ape hygiene is a sham.
Great ape anatomy vs. Human anatomy is problematic in that they look different.
Great ape's have a natural aversion to proper clothing.
Great ape's cannot be taught capitalism/materialism with the exception of an appreciation for Happy Meals.

That said this is an enjoyable read just don't take it serious.

This book had great descriptions and pictures of many types of exercises for each body part, with numerous variations. As far as an encyclopedia of exercises this book is thorough and very useful. As an intermediate lifter I refer to this book when considering altering my routine and substituting exercises to work specific areas.
However the book also reads like a propaganda piece for Golds gym. It is repleat with statements about how it is the best gym in the world, famous European lifters dream of going there, it is the most inspiring place, etc... The text sounds alot like the bottom review, which is nearly directly cut and pasted from the intro. Also the nutrition and supplement sections are very vague, not particularly describing what vitamins might be good, or why.
Finally the lifting recommendations are all HIT training, that is high intensity training, short trips to the gym, ie. 45 min intense work outs. Other theories are excluded. Although I use it as a reference for exercises, the other stuff would make me prefer Arnolds encyclopedia or the various Ironman's books.

THIS IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK IF YOUR JUST STARTING OF. IAM ONLY SEVENTEEN AND THIS WAS A GOOD BOOK FOR ME TOO READ. IT TALKS ABOUT THE STUFF THAT IS REALLY OVER LOOKED LIKE NUTRITION(PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, AND FATS). IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS AND THE DANGERS OF DRUGS, IT ALSO NAMES ALL THE ILLEGAL DRUGS THAT MOST PEOPLE USE FOR BODYBUILDING. THIS A REALL GOOD BEGEINERS BOOK.

Excellent if somewhat dated. A very useful text but not a manual...... an encyclopaedia.... as the title states. I've just bought another one to replace the one I lost when I lent it to someone.

As a big admirer of both Halberstam and Jordan, I got pretty excited last year when I heard that a new book would be coming out. Now after, reading it, I feel a little disappointed by certain weak points, but I'd still recommend it overall, particularly to people who are curious about Jordan and who haven't read much about him before.

First, the bad: The book doesn't have terrifically new insights into Jordan. Perhaps this is to be expected for a celebrity so regularly probed, but I was expecting more in the way of fresh anecdotes, inside stories, etc. Halberstam, to his credit, brings a reassuringly thorough approach to his work, which made me confident that some of the more provocative anecdotes I read had actually happened. Still, at times I felt like I was reading direct excerpts out of previous material I'd read on Jordan, for example his own book "Rare Air." Also, Halberstam's insight into athletes themselves sometimes sounds remarkably one-sided and simple - I'd be curious to learn how many times he uses shopworn phrases like "passion in his eye" and "taking it to another level" in this book.

I shouldn't complain too much, though, because overall, the book possesses many strengths. The structure of the book is a pleasant blend of past and present, almost like a movie in which one starts at the present day, fades back and forth to various moments in the past, and then culminates with the capstone of Jordan's fabulous playing career.

One of the most interesting devices comes near the end, when the author writes a series of paragraphs describing where various figures from Jordan's past were on the night of last year's decisive NBA Finals game. We get into the minds of people like Dean Smith, Dick Ebersol, Buzz Peterson et al. Having met many of these characters through earlier parts of the book, readers are treated to sketches of what these key figures were thinking and doing as they watching Jordan come through once again in the clutch.

Finally, Halberstam does a decent job of analyzing and explaining some of the larger social currents around Jordan, namely involving the sports world and the globalized economy into which it sprang this decade. His multifaceted background as journalist and social historian serve him well as he contextualizes this greatest of twentieth-century athletes. For that I think we can all thank him.

This is a well researched, well written book on sports and the "Jordan" era. I don't feel Halberstam missed anything in the way of information and commentary on the game. Not being an avid basketball fan, I learned a great deal about professional sports and the pursuit of excellence. Too bad for those who came away from this read without gaining any insight into what it takes to be great. The author is a true investigative reporter, intelligent and thorough. Unfortunately, today all it takes to be thought of as great is the right "look" and a flare for writing tabloid type articles.

Mr. Halberstam's book on Michael Jordan is absolutely fascinating. While I have always admired Jordan's game, I never knew what sort of person he was until reading Playing for Keeps.

Halberstam's book is quite flattering, and he often describes Jordan as a great person. At the same time, Halberstam includes many unflattering details about Jordan's personality. This technique allows the reader to decide for himself or herself what sort of person Jordan is.

After reading the Playing for Keeps, I appreciate Jordan's game more than before (he beat Utah, my favorite team, almost singlehandedly), but have a more reserved opinion of Jordan as a person. At any rate, the book is incredibly interesting and a wonderful read.

This book needs to be considered alongside _The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated_ edited by Florentino Garcia-Martinez. Both are "comprehensive" translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls which have become available since the end of the embargo in the fall of 1991.

Wise, Abegg, and Cook organize this book primarily by the Qumran manuscript number. The exceptions are the manuscripts found in Cave 1 which have no number. These appear at the beginning of the book along with other manuscripts which relate to the same text. So for example, the Thanksgiving Scroll appears at the beginning of the book along with 4Q427-432. The Damascus Document also appears at the beginning of this book along with manuscripts Geniza A and B.

At the end of the book there is a helpful index of DSS manuscripts and the page(s) on which they may be found. There is also an index of references to other liturature, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and Rabbinic texts. So for example the editors find some connection between 4Q525 and Matthew 5.3-10. Both are beatitudes.

It is not a disadvantage of this book that it contains no Hebrew texts. I find that I want to look at photos of the manuscripts and judge the translations for myself. Nor is it a disadvantage of this book that it does not contain any biblical texts. Those may be found in a translated form in Martin Abegg's _Dead Sea Scrolls Bible_.

The advantage this book does have is its commentary. The editors have brought numerous significant items to the the attention of the reader which the non-specialist probably had not noticed. Even so, the commentary will bring some enlightenment to DSS specialists as well.

This volume is an excellent book to either start or enhance one's study of the scrolls discovered near Qumran, commonly referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Although there has been some negative critique, (see other reviews) this book is very unbiased and scholarly in nature. Yes, there is an added commentary, and words filled in where there were no words preserved, but that is besides the fact. There has been no cover-up attempt to claim that these added texts are somehow the original; a guide at the beginning of the book clearly explains how to see what was actually contained in the scrolls and what was not. The commentary is necessary especially for those who have never looked in the scrolls at all to begin with, to at least give a basic framework. By nature, any commentary will have a level of bias - but it's not as though the book claims to have an inspired commentary - ignore the commentary if you're solely interested in the text!

I have had Dr. Wise for several graduate-level classes, and he has been very scholarly in his teaching, presenting the information that is known, and only on rare occasion giving his actual opinion instead of simply what has been discovered. His area of specialty is the Second Temple period in which the Dead Sea Scrolls play a significant role, which is one reason why he is so involved with them, and why this particular volume is so well written: it from the perspective of one who really cares about the issues surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I would recommend this volume to anyone as a fascinating source for study.

[...] These texts were not filled in. The point is-this is what the texts say! The parallels in terminology and phraseology are astounding. These are the texts that the early Christian writers of the New Testament were familiar with. Though the New Testament gospels may be reedited and reworked documents of the 4th century, they were still largely born in phrase and genre, from these writings. These Jews were most likely the Jews who gave rise to the Christians. These Jews used a different calendar than the Pharisees, the solar rather than the lunar calendar. There is an ancient Christian writing called the Didache which begins with a piece called "The Two Ways," there is a scroll fragment of the same title, and on and on. It would be insane to attempt to bury these facts in the name of some perverse political correctness.

So many long held beliefs about the origins of Christian ideology have been attributed to Greco-Roman influence. We now know this wasn't the case. These early Christians were Jewish, not the Jews we know today, for the Pharisees were the only sect left in numbers great enough to route history after the great slaughters by the Romans at Masada and Qumran. These freedom fighters that were massacred are our scroll writers or carriers as some of the writings were from earlier centuries. These people were all but forgotten and unknown until their writings and sacred texts were found in these caves around Qumran.

This brings us to the next point I would like to make as to why you should have and read this book. The Universe doesn't revolve around the Earth, bleeding people (extracting quantities of blood) is not an efficacious treatment for the sick, ulcers are not universally caused by stress and the Dead Sea Scrolls were not composed at Qumran by the Essene's or anyone else. Where these scrolls came from, who these people were, what they fought for and how they died is important. This book does great service in helping to repair the unforgivable damage done through shoddy scholarship and attribution by Father Roland de Vaux in his early excavations. This is now the conclusion of most scholars who didn't already invest their entire identity as academics on the first hypothesis.

If good intentions were all that is required for an author, Michael Edwards would be a giant among policy writers. Unfortunately, having one's heart in the right place is not enough. Consider this passage on page 144:

"Does basketball player Michael Jordan have to earn 31,000 times more for advertising Nike sports shoes than the workers who produce them, despite the fact that should wages be doubled the cost of production would still fall below $1 a pair?... Inequalities [such as this] result from political decisions
about the distribution of gains arising from economic activity."

This statement betrays a profound ignorance of how markets work. Michael Jordan earns 31,000 times more than the factory workers, not as a result of any "political decision," but because there are apparently many people for whom $1.75 a day is preferable to unemployment or life in a poor rural village. On the other hand, there is only one Michael Jordan and Nike believes only an athlete of his caliber should represent its product. If Nike had to settle for a lesser player as spokesperson and sold fewer shoes as a result, at least some of the workers in the shoe factory would lose their jobs. So while it may seem frivolous or even outrageous that someone who throws a ball through a hoop earns thousands of times more than people who provide a basic necessity like shoes, the shoemakers themselves and those who care about their wellbeing should be happy Nike can afford to hire Michael Jordan.

This preachy litany of cliches, half-truths, and unsubstantiated assertions about evils of competition and laissez-faire is nothing more than warmed-over Fabian socialism. It didn't work in the 19th century. It won't work in the 21st either.

... Make no mistake, this is a rigorous treatment of the international cooperation debate, packed with detailed evidence that is all footnoted at the end. At times this makes for some heavy reading, but it is worth it, since the evidence and the argument all hang together to illumine what has gone wrong in the world since 1945 and what we can do about it. Yes, this does mean "re-balancing the competitive and co-operative rationalities that motivate each one of us" (from the Preface), but in the aftermath of September 11th you would have to be crazy not to understand the importance of global cooperation in addressing threats like terrorism, pollution and poverty. What Edwards shows, better to my mind than any other recent book I've read, is how the original ideals of "international community" after World War II were corrupted into a system of threats and bribes that can never be effective in eliciting real cooperation between countries. Some of his prescriptions for correcting this situation may sound idealistic, but better this than the emptiness and cynicism of much current political debate. Especially since September 11th, I do believe that the world is heading in the direction of a "Future Positive", and this book is a pretty good roadmap to help us along the way.

After over a decade of dealing with international co-operation in various capacities, in different locations and on many sides of the equation, this is the first time that I find a book that actually translates my experiences in a way that helps me deeply understand the reasons behind my successes and failures.

Would like to highly recomend this book to anyone who has lost faith in international co-operation, or who is looking for a compass to guide them through the complexities of such an art.

Insightful, inspiring, informed, committed, refreshing and very useful are some of the adjectives that come to me as I write this.

Happy reading

I'd researched "state of the art" training methods on the web and two themes emerged: heart zone training and Sally Edwards as an expert on the topic.

I'd bought a Polar heart rate monitor and wanted to increase its effectiveness in my training. Sally Edward's Heart Zone Training fit the bill. Sally covers basic principles of heart zone training, then helped me to create my own heart rate training program.

By following the 10 steps outlined in Chapter 8, I had a step by step guide to set up my first heart rate training Points Log, which is essentially a spreadsheet that documents the frequency, intensity, and time spent on various sport activities that comprised my weekly workout. Each of these activities contribute "points" towards a weekly "points total" by activity, intensity, and total for the week.

I found the Points Log excellent for both planning and recording actual performance. I kept detailed notes each week to continuously provide feedback and improve the quality of my workouts.

Needless to say, in the first 6 weeks, I lost a couple of pounds, increased my weekly workload (points) by 35 percent, and reduced my resting pulse rate from 64 to 62.

I now feel much better and more relaxed. Even my clothes don't seem to fit as I'm now appearing a little more angular in the bathroom mirror.

All in all, Sally Edwards offers a comprehensive guide to help you to get the most out of heart zone training.

If you ever were an athlete or just wanted to be, this is the book for you. Sally Edwards is a serious athlete who competes in events like the Ironman Triathlon and the EcoChallenge, and she really knows what she's talking about. The approach is down-to-earth and sensible, with stories to illustrate how it works. Heart Zone Training works, and it's easy. It works a lot better with a heart rate monitor though. I particularly liked that the book aims to help anyone, at any fitness level, instead of aiming at elite athletes. Highly recommended!

Sally's down-to-earth book is just the best! From begginers to advanced athletes who have never tried heart zone training, this is the book to start with.

I had always been a diverse sportsman, but just stopped doing any exercise during the last 5 years. Went from 180 lbs. to 265 lbs. during that time period. Just like many people, I attempted to get in shape several times before reading this book. All of my attempts failed.

Now, using the simple and strightforward methods shown by Sally, I have been exercising on a daily basis for the past 3 months, going back to 220 lbs. painlessly. Doctor says I will be back to 200 lbs. in the next 3 months of training, sticking to a low-fat diet.

I just love it, and the motivation is now so high, that I am competing in March 1999 on my first adventure race, a 24 hour non-stop event.

Keep up the good work, Sally!

This book fails in many ways. The reason it gets 2 stars instead of one is that it's hard to discuss Lawrence without some fascinating things coming through.

First, Asher makes himelf part of the biography. He discusses his own personal travels in a manner that add absolutely nothing to the reader's understanding. The final paragraph of the book begins with "I." Further, the frequency and manner in which he interjects himself in the book is highly annoying.

Second, there are numerous factual problems with the book. At one point Asher refers to Turks shooting their rifles at Bedu who are over two miles away. Even a trained sniper with modern equipment wouldn't take that shot. Further, his description of Lt. Junor's plane crash is at odds with other accounts. Asher says the plane erupted in flames even though there are published photos of the crashed plane that show otherwise. Lastly on this point, Asher doesn't use Tunbridge's writings on Lawrence's days in the RAF as reference material. It's a surprising omission.

Third, as other reviewers noted, Asher writes extensively about Lawrence's psyche. This would be sensible if Asher was either trained in psychology or referenced studies by those who are; unfortunately, neither is the case. Instead there are a few bibliographical references to works on psychology, but none specific to Lawrence. Asher's vehement discussion of Lawrence's mother makes the reader wonder whether the author or the subject had the greater maternal relationship issues.

Fourth, is Asher's style, or more accurately, styles. At times he uses the contemporary jargon of British soldiers, whereas at other points he writes in a very stilted manner adding unnecessary Latin phrases to the text. His best writing is when he's providing background or contextual material such as the discussion of British military actions elsewhere in WWI.

Lawrence was one of the most fascinating personalities of the 20th century. He deserves a much better biography.

It was with the greatest fortune that I happened across this biography a couple of years ago,and immediately I was struck by the galloping pace and relentless ability Asher displays in making you turn each page.Two years later I find myself re-reading passage upon passage of this wonderful literary work with just as much enthusiasm as was spent the first time around.
Out with the old and in with the new.This assessment of the enigmatic Lawrence steers joyfully clear of the deeply mundane school years that most other biographers choose to dwell upon.
Instead,at last we have a biographer that is willing to put Lawrence to the test and travel in the footsteps of the little man.An experienced camel trecker and linguist himself,Asher portrays the whole Arabian experience and sustains our interest with fantastic descriptions of landscape and personal thought as to what Lawrence was thinking at the time.However,Asher is aware of the complex character of Lawrence and acknowledges the limits one is faced with when dealing with motive.
Ashers reluctance to be drawn into the shallow debate of Lawrences sexuality in a present climate where the obsession of scrutinising potential homosexual desire in the disguise of political corrctness is overwhelming,is both refreshing and worthwhile.He has managed to put to one side obvious adoration and produced a constructive view of personality and genius.On a respectful level this book is clearly too honest to be even sentimental-even though he often discovers that all is not black and white in the world of Lawrence.
In this single work Asher offers us a vast depth from an angle that all previous biographers have failed to acknowledge and attempt.One is struck by the sense that this book is reluctant to enhance the myth of Lawrence.This is the only point on which Asher fails.His conclusions concerning the exploits of Lawrence could have no other outcome.
"All men dream: but not equally.Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,for they may act their dream with open eyes,to make it possible.This I did."
Can this biography of Lawrence be bettered?Keep on dreaming!
Paul Barnes.

michael asher in some ways retraces his steps following lawrences footsteps with his pursuit of the truths behind the bravo two zero sas patrol several years later.
Lawrences story is revealed well, and Asher seems to maintain a balanced and truthful narative throughout.
it is particulairly interesting when Asher trys to recreate and analyse some of lawrences greater exploits, as an ex sas trooper fluent in arabic and mounted on the back of a camel, he is fairly well suited to do so.
overall a very good insight into an amazing man and his part in a huge and formative chunk in the formation of the modern middle east.
UNsuprisingly its the politicians who come out looking like the real villians, whereas Lawrences reputation as hero comes out pretty strong