I used the 23rd edition of Stobo for my internal medicine rotation as a 3rd year medical student and also as a quick reference for several other rotations. I think it is the best mid-size medicine text I have seen. The content is broken down into bite-size chunks that are easy to read in one sitting--the short chapters make it easier to retain the material. Each section begins with an introductory chapter that gives a concise overview of the approach to take when evaluating a problem with a particular organ-system. Each chapter also ends with a list of summary points that are very helpful. Excellent tables are easy to reference. The actual information contained in the book is in more than enough depth for MS3 level, and the text emphasizes pathophysiology in many chapters, which helped me learn to integrate what I had learned in basic sciences and apply it to seeing patients in the clinical setting. The last section also has some good summary chapters for things that fall outside the realm of each organ-system section. This is a truly outstanding book. I highly recommend it, and I can't wait for the next edition.

Easy to read, contains pertinent info in a concise fashion. Great to study from, easily read during a clerkship.

I started my 3rd year medicine rotation with Appleton and Lange's Current Medical Diagnosis and Therapy but soon found this book to be more appropriate. It clearly and concisely explained pathophysiology of disease as well as clinical aspects, such as presentation, diagnosis and treatment. I also really enjoyed how each organ system began with a general approach to the patient. I am now using this books counterpart for my surgery rotation.

I love it. You can never stop reading this I have own this book since the mid 80's and I still find it interseting.

I received this book when it was just published, it was a gift. And this is the one book I treasure, second to the Family Bible. It is even fun to show the kids my name and all their family members in it. I think it is the best for anyone who is an Isham. Must have!

I purchased this book directly from the author after searching for many, many years. He is a truly lovely man who took over the research from the original Isham geneaologist Brainnard. Mr. Edward Isham has provided so much information in a clear logical manner, that it is quite easy to trace your roots back five generations in just a few minutes. I highly urge anyone who is an Isham by birth or marriage to buy this book as an heirloom.

It makes a wonderful wedding gift welcoming a new Isham into the fold, or a gift for a newborn Isham.

This is a riveting breathtakingly honest look behind the scenes of today's Catholic priesthood in America. It's not about the headline sexual abuse scandals. It's about abuse that seldom makes the headlines -- abuse inflicted by the systemically dysfunctional climate within which priests must conduct their lives. The picture is not a pretty one -- honest expression stifled, initiatives thwarted, and normal human friendships crippled or tabooed. It shows the disabling effect on priests of being subject to heavy-handed authority, unyielding dogma, unrealistic law, and a code of celibacy that is a prescription for aching loneliness. All too often alcohol and other addictions fill the vacuum. But this is not an angry book. Dinter doesn't whine or rant. And that is the book's power. It objectively states facts, events and names. Dinter clearly loved his ministry and pursued it with energy and commitment. But the tension between this pursuit of his calling, and the human toll exacted as the price of membership in the priestly caste, became intolerable. So he resigned, not from his ideals, but from the dysfunctional system within which he was forced to try and live out these ideals. Dinter's quiet eloquence gives us a rare glimpse into the abuse inflicted on good priests by the disabling role expectations of an outmoded caste system.

This revealing book sheds light on the seminary training and life in the priesthood which finally ended for the author after a 39-year journey. The writing in this book flows well as the author begins with his life as a child, his seminary years, pastoral work in several parishes, campus chaplaincy, doctoral work, and a sabbatical at the Vatican. He tells about bad priests he encountered along the way and the many good priests who remain devoted to the flocks that they serve.

I wondered how he could continue as a seminarian in such a repressive and then permissive atmosphere. A sign should have been placed over the seminary door: "Beware all ye who enter here!"

He was a glutton for punishment from his domineering, powerful prelates as a priest, and I wondered why he stayed in the priesthood. After a lengthy description about all the good work he and others had accomplished while he was a chaplain at Columbia University, I expected that he would at least receive high marks from the bishop. Instead, he was called on the carpet and told that he no longer had a job!

He then went to study for a year in Rome after spending a summer in England. He describes the Vatican disparagingly as "a men's club on the Tiber." He was uncomfortable in the atmosphere of suspicion and distrust that prevailed there. When a group of priests had dinner with a visiting bishop from America, it was a command performance where the bishop embarrassed and humiliated the priests instead of being an enjoyable occasion of friendship and congeniality.

Upon returning to the U.S., he was not given an assignment and was treated with disdain when he pleaded with the chancery office to place him somewhere. When he received no placement, he took matters into his own hands and asked a fellow priest if he could stay at his rectory. After he moved there, he substituted as a fill-in priest in that area and also taught at colleges. He soon made many friends among the laity who supported him when he fell in love with a widow in the parish, left the priesthood, and married there. They are still members of that parish.

Dr. Dinter's experiences with his bishops left me with bad feelings toward them. The career men fawning on their superiors so that they will receive promotions are a despicable lot who have lost sight of the church as the Body of Christ. For them it has become a corporate ladder, and they care not for the lowly priests under their dominion after they reach the top.

I believe the author's writing is an honest, brave portrayal of his priesthood. One prevailing theme is the unnecessary mandated celibacy for priests, which he compares with a disability. The book explains why so many priests become sexually abusive to children and adolescents.

Dr. Dinter paints priests as extremely lonely men who cannot openly dissent about any Catholic teaching for fear of being ostracized by their superiors and/or being sent off to remote parishes in the hinterland. Banishment is the club held over the heads of priests and is an effective silencer for any dissenter. The priests cannot even openly discuss controversial issues in the church privately when they meet with each other which I found disturbing. Facing their future with fear and the silence it promotes smacks too much of "big brother" watching every move the priests make and everything they say. Priests should not have to function in this repressive atmosphere of suspicion and distrust.

I was so glad that this book ended on a positive note for the author because his many years of dedicated work in the priesthood went unappreciated by the hierarchy under which he served.

Paul Dinter gives the Catholic laity a rare view into the process of priestly formation. The Other Side of the Altar confirmed some of my ideas of this process, but revealed many other aspects of the continuous formation of Catholic clergy.

Mr. Dinter's use of his own story, his personal experiences, makes the book credible and interesting. The layers of possible dysfunctional behavior -- that of the individual priest, the collective group of priests and the entire Roman Catholic hierarchy -- are intertwined and bring understanding to many of the problems currently associated with the Catholic clergy.

The author clearly defines a curious view of human sexuality that is mainstream to past and present Catholic doctrine. How important this issue is to letting the Catholic Church move forward and into the new millennium is a matter for all readers to decide. Paul Dinter's ideas on this issue certainly broadened my perspective in this area.

Paul Dinter spares no punches and names some prominent people that touched his priestly formation. A great read for all readers and a must read for all Catholics.

This is a wonderful book of first-hand accounts and analysis of infomation regarding Braddock's defeat on the Monongahela in 1755. On the dust jacket, written by a fellow named R. Alberts, one may read the following, "An original and important work. The scholarship is of a high order, and the writing has both clarity and style. It is the best analysis yet of the source material on Braddock's defeat. It gathers together for the first time all the known eyewitness accounts of the Defeat, including several that were previously unpublished or untranslated." I couldn't have said it better myself. If one is looking for a narrative of the battle, a book such as "Guns at the Forks," by Walter O'Meara would be better, but if one is looking for original source material from which other stories and narratives were written, then this is the book to own. This book is excellent. In the first half of the book, the author tells the story of Braddock's defeat, giving an analysis of the source material used for the information. Afterwards there is a short section concerning the numerous books written this episode of history. The rest of the book consists of original source material and the authors comments on them as to their reliability. For example, when commenting on an officers report to his superiors, the author points out that the report may be slanted to make the writer appear "better" in the eyes of his superior officer. There are several French accounts included also, which I have never seen anywhere else (well, I might have, but this is the first time I could read them as the other accounts I have seen are still in the original French, and I can't read French--here, the author translates them, which is obviously a great deal of help to those of us who can't read French!).
The sources Kopperman uses are extensive, and his comments are well thought out, informative and just just plain well written. This is a "must have" book for anyone interested in this episode from history. For what this book advertises intself to be, it is excellent in every regard. (And unlike another reviewer, I am not related to the author in any way!)

I read this book some time ago and found it to be a tremendously helpful work in revealing a truer understanding of a hugely misunderstood and misrepresented historical figure and the events surrounding his tragic battle. As one who grew up in the region where the events happened, and having done some independant research and writing on the topic, I can attest that most of the conventional wisdom about Edward Braddock and the Battle of the Monongahela is so distorted that almost no one relates the true facts anymore (if they ever did).

Kopperman dug deeply into source documents, with particular focus on contemporaneous accounts of those who were present. The author states that he was not out to necessarily rehabilitate Braddock's reputation, nor to vilify it either, but to look through the wall of legend and onto what really occurred with Braddock's expedition to Fort DuQuesne and why. By examining the best surviving evidence and contemporary documentation, including an examination of the motives behind who wrote what, a better and objective understanding can be gained.

If you must read just one book on this topic, this would be the one to get.

This is a very interesting and helpful book about Braddock. All of his books are very helpful for students. And I'm not just saying this because I'm his daughter!

This is the only book you will ever need for your research into the Cadborosaurus mystery. Almost every known fact on Cadborosaurus is presented here with a great selection of photos, maps and drawings. This is the #1 and only book dedicated solely to the search for this illusive creature.

I have read countless books on the subject of unknown lake and sea creatures, Paul Leblond's book is one of the best! This family of creatures have been around a lot longer then we have been and hopefully will survive with the ever increasing number of people looking for them. The book is packed full of data. It's a book worth adding to anyone's collection that isinterested in the subject.

Cadborosaurus: Survivor From the Deep is a chronicle of the search for evidence that sea serpents exist off the coast of British Columbia, Canada and the adjacent coastal waters of the several American states. The title is based on the creature of the same name which has been seen for more than a century by many reliable and upstanding witnesses.

Dr. Paul Leblond, former head of the Dept. of Oceanography at the University of British Columbia and chairman of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, and his collaborator Dr. Ed Bousfield, retired research consultant at The Royal British Columbia Museum are both eminent scientists who have taken a professional approach toward solving the enigma of whether the Cadborosaurus exists.

They have compiled numerous eyewitness reports and other data and carefully analysed each piece of information. The conclusion is the sea serpent is a reality.

In the pages of this worthwile tome are several photographs and diagrams of actual specimens of sea serpents which have been found over the years. Of particular interest is the Cadborosaurus of Naden Harbour, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. This specimen was retrieved from the stomach of a whale and photographed. It was in exquisite condition and is proof that sea serpents were more than myths. Leblond and Bousfield recount how they found one of the witnesses to this event and his account of the proceedings is fascinating reading.

The book is written in a breezy easy to comprehend style even though it is primarily a scholarly and well-researched scientific volume.

Cryptozoology enthusiasts will find this book very helpful in understanding the life and habitat of Canada's greatest sea serpent.

John Kirk, Author, In the Domain of the Lake Monsters, Key Porter Books 1998.

I have pretty much experience with object oriented and procedural programming in several languages, now getting into AOP and byte code engineering. The first 30 minutes with this book were dissapointing - i couldn't figure out what the heck this guy is talking about. So i started at the front, not back cover. And this is my hint - read it from the beginning, page by page. I knew, there is something wrong with software development in general, now i know what it is exactly, and why. I knew it! More - i know how i can break this vicious circle and burn the tires. We've been going the wrong way folks! This definitely is the most valuable book in my monster library (some 100 titles). This is the top secret knowledge, worth thousands and thousands of bucks. I really am not related to the author or publisher. Great stuff!

Found my first copy in the university book store in Ames, Iowa, and have been looking at it constantly, until I lost it in one of my numerous moves. Bassett has the right idea. Software should be **engineered**, not hand crafted, and Netron seems to have found at least one way to do it.

Another thing. To my knowledge, no one else in the field has advocated the notion of **balance** between source level changes and the re-use of executeable objects. This is probably the most important idea expressed here.

I thought I was becoming comfortable with OO until I ran into a group of Smalltalkers. What a mind bender! I learned things about OO that I didn't know. I also became concerned as, ostensibly for reuse purposes, the design stage decoupled logically unrelated functionality and fragmented real-world objects far beyond their natural granularity, to the point that I found myself mired in bitty components and methods with so little responsibility that I could no longer see the big picture. Worse, those myriad components now had complex interrelationships, most of which I could no longer see. I fully agreed that reuse was a worthy goal - but at the expense of readability and maintainability? Paul G. Bassett not only identifies and describes all of these issues (and much more), he has concrete solutions to these problems, with bottom line statistics to back up some pretty wild claims. His book is small - initially a concern for me. Don't worry. Paul G. Bassett is clear, concise, correct, complete. This, I strongly believe, is where we're headed.

Wow! For twenty-two chapters, Fr. Paul Edwards simply explains that "We must discover what we are looking for inside not outside of ourselves." Practical and down to earth, the book is divided into four sections: Who are you?, Marriage and Family, Relationships and Theory of Spirituality. I especially found the 'Spiritual Intelligence Inventory' that begins almost every chapter fun and enlightening. It is very apparent as you work through the book that Fr. Paul has years of experience helping people in a variety of situations. I have read the entire book and then have come back to the individual chapters as I encounter things in my own life. An excellent book with practical advice for living with Spiritual Intelligence!

The Spiritual Intelligence Handbook is easy to read and understand, but full of radical new truths! It demystifies spirituality, and makes living in "the Peace" simple to achieve. This is not the place to look for complex explanations and cerebral theology. Instead, look here for highly distilled wisdom that will change your understanding of spirituality, and change your life!

Peace is just a thought away. The world is looking for the peace this author states is to be found by looking inward to access God given spiritual intelligence. This practical handbook provides answers to often asked questions regarding life's challenges and problems. The format of the handbook allows the reader to search out answers to their particular area of concern: self-discovery, questions regarding marriage and family, relationships and spirituality. In an age searching for happiness in the outside world, this book suggests looking within for the presence of God who loves us and gives us peace.

Study Liturgy?
The late Dean of St. Paul's, was dining at a high table in Oxford and was asked by his neighbor, a distinguished liturgist, whether he was interested in liturgy.'No,' said the Dean, Neither do I collect postage stamps'; quoted from : Couratin ,Introduction to Liturgy, the Pelican Guide to Modern Theology, Vol. 2. But, even though he criticized Dr. Inge's estimate of liturgical study - a trivial branch of archaeology - his study was part of volume 2 : Historical Theology.

What is liturgy?
Liturgy is neither 'historical' nor a collection of prescribed forms for public worship as per webster's student dictionary. Liturgy is the work of the laity and ministry for their life in the spirit, a real participation in the mystical body of Christ. This is what the outstanding editors of this masterly book reflect in this revision: the last two decades of intense liturgical productivity, ecumenical openness among not only scholars but also ecclesiastical corpus.

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi
When you browse through this book you will find out about Will Durant's "Mansions" of liturgy, after you read some chapters you will realize the "pleasures of Liturgy". Ecumenical character of this monumental work is maintained by a panel of 25 contributors who seem to believe in what they write, practicing scholars.

The Editors and contributers:
G. Wainwright (Doxology) was my guarantee to the first edition , P. Bradshaw (Daily prayer in the early Church) enhanced my decision to buy an additional revised edition.
Just read the last chapter "Pastoral orientation" to find out how D.Tripp ingeniously sammerizes the real impact of liturgy on the people of the Lord. You may as well start with E.Yarnold's:
"The liturgy of the Faithful",I challenge you to stop reading!
I would love to find K. Ware and G. Bebawi , both of Oxford U. within the future contributers of the next edition, since liturgy is only whole with eastern orthodox authenticity.

At last,the Book: The Study of Liturgy:
I learned from this book more than what I learned in fourty years about the liturgy of the One Holy Universal Apostolic Church. Brought up in the ancient Church of Alexandria as didaskalos (teaching deacon, a tradition of the Alexandrine Megalopolis that started with Origen), I hope you appreciate what liturgy and its study can do for your enlightment, spiritual revival may also be a fruit, but for sure ecumenical fellowship in the Corpus Christi, the ever living.
Look at the table of contents and make your decision, because when you read this book, it will invite you to a new life, an ancient tradition of the real Church that will never be old.
If you have only one book on liturgy it should be this work, but it will be the first love, others will follow , some of those mentioned in the preface.

The Liturgy has endured for around 2000 years as the primary means of worship for most Christians. We even have an early Eucharist Liturgy in the Didache, the 2nd century early Church manual. Due to the importance of the liturgy, every scholar and church leader needs to engage its development. This book will help in this task (at least for the scholar or priest/pastor. It's a bit academic to keep the interest of the average person in the pew).

This collection is grouped into three main sections: Theology and Rite, Development of the Liturgy, and Pastoral Orientation. Within the Development of Liturgy section there are seven sub-sections: General Intro, Initiation, Eucharist, Ordination, the Divine Office, the Calendar, and the Setting of the Liturgy. There are 65 essays total including, 'A Theology of Worship,' '(Initiation in the) the Modern Period,' 'The Anglican Eucharist,' 'The History of the Christian Year,' and the ever-elusive 'Methodism (and the Eucharist).' The essays cover a wide range of topics, interpretations, and time periods. Both Catholic and Protestant thought are represented nicely, in order to provide a truly useful survey. Also included are numerous glossy black-and-white photos of churches, liturgical manuscripts, and old church manuals.

I highly recommend this book for the liturgical scholar, the early or later Church historian, priests, pastors, and the interested layperson. The scholars are all top-notch, and the book is illuminating and will answer most questions about the Liturgy. The only drawback is that this book is priced rather high, since it is considered a textbook.

The Study of Liturgy provides an easily readible and comprehensive history of the development of Liturgy. This study shows how such things as seasonal colors, vestments,Church calenders,and specific prayers came to be part of liturgical worship. What makes this book so useful is it's quality writing. Here, both students of Liturgy and interested laypersons can find facenating answers to their questions concerning liturgical function and ritual. How does the wearing of vestments impact worship? Why do the participants do what they do and when? What is Lent? What's up with all the bowing and hand gestures? Liturgical worship can be an awesome and majestic expierence. This wonderful book will demystify this type of worship for liturgical church goers and those of more reformed traditions alike.The authors have produced a quality work that can be read by non-technical persons and thoroughly enjoyed.

Imagine a society in which someone gets really cheesed off about his neighbor and decides to bushwhack him, and maybe his whole family and his servants while they're at it. Forget the police, forget the army. There isn't any. If you're unhappy about this, you try to get your favorite chieftain to intervene. Of course you'd better have a whole bunch of armed followers to show that you mean business. You can bet the murderer will too as a matter of course. How you come off in this hypothetical society depends on how much influence you wield on your neighbors. If you're willing to go to bat for them -- and vice versa -- your power will increase. Unless, of course, someone decides to swing an axe at your hatrack in the meantime.

This is Medieval Iceland in the 13th century, when this and all the other great sagas were written. The EYRBYGGJA is one of the best of the sagas -- provided that you can handle all the genealogies. (Virtually all the people in the saga were real people; and many of today's Icelanders can trace their families back almost 1,000 years.)

If there is any hero in the EYRBYGGJA, it is Snorri the Priest. He manages to maintain his power despite several threats that unfold during the several generations of this story. At times, as in the case of the feud with Arnkel, Snorri seems to be in the wrong. But he is consistently faithful to his friends and therefore has no problem raising the forces to back up his position. His life bridges the conversion to Christianity in the year 1000: Snorri proves his adaptability by going from a priest of Thor to an advocate of the new religion. In all the Icelandic sagas I've read, most of the characters do not seem to be wholeheartedly committed to either the old or the new religion; but all are superstitious about the restless dead, which brings me to one of the most fascinating aspects of this saga: the ghost episodes that seem to proliferate. I particularly like Thorolf Twist-Foot, a disagreeable old man who keeps coming back from the dead and causing trouble -- which Snorri deals with in most inimitable fashion by holding an ancient legal proceeding called a "door court" to expel them.

My only criticism: This book needed a good set of maps for following the action. The lone map provided is inadequate.

I have read a number of the Norse sagas and found this to be amongst the most interesting, from a story point of view. It is a little difficult to follow the relationship of the characters in the begining, however some of the tools that are provided are very useful in sorting out who's who. For example a List Of Characters and their family relationships is provided at the start of the book and a glossary of personal names at the end.

I re-read the introduction after finishing the book and was satisfied that I had the full story (and history).

I agree with Sir Walter Scott's assessment that "Of all the various records of Icelandic history and literature, there is none more interesting than Eyrbyggja Saga."

Wade Johnson

this is one of the most unusual of the sagas, full of drama and characters, and as immediate and clear as if it were written yesterday. a profound and grateful salaam to herman palsson for translating so many of these wonderful medieval stories!

If you read the first one, the Silas diary, you don't even need to read a review to want to read the second one. But if you're still unsure, you have nothing to fear! Once again, the new testament comes to life through Paul's journey. The action, the passion, the love these first missionarie had for the world are fictionalized in these diaries and presented in such an awesome first hand view, you have to sit back in awe. I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 star only because the first book made me cry. This one didn't, although it was still moving.

The Bible presents a general outline with details of some major
events. Gene Edwards fills in the gaps of Paul's Second Missionary Journey in his book, The Titus Diary. Gene broadens
the Biblical account by using realistic, natural explanations which are fictional but in no way do harm to the Biblical records.

His amplifications create a human element to the Biblical account. He paints vivid pictures of Paul's struggles and of
the life of the early churh. You begin to feel what Paul felt
as he faced the rejection of the Jewish leaders and the pagan
culture of the Greek and Romans. At the same time, you will
experience the joys of new believers in Christ as they meet in
their homes--their new found faith, the joy of sharing and
encouraging one anoher in a natural and spontaneous manner.

Gene develops not only the character of Paul but also of
numerous others including Silas, Luke and Timothy. He also
creates numerous other fictional characers, one of which is

Blastinius, a man determined to undo everything that Paul sets
out to accomplish.

In short, Gene makes the book of Acts leap to life right before
your eyes. I recommend that you read all of his books on the
Book of Acts, The Revoltion, The Silas Diary, The Titus Diary, The Timothy Diary, The Priscilla Dairy and The Gaius Diary.
By doing so you will have covered the entire Book of Acts and
will have a completely new appreciation of not only this book
but of the letters of Paul recorded in the New Testament.

What happened on Paul's second missionary journey? Why did Paul and Barnabas split? Who was trying to destroy Paul's churches and how did Paul react? What happened when Paul confronted Peter? Why did Paul write 1st and 2nd Thessalonians?

All those questions and much, much more are answered here in this book. Edwards writes this book from the perspective of Titus. Following Paul on his second missionary journey, Edwards writes with the concept that to fully understand the New Testament, we must know the story of the New Testament. Following the Silas Diary, it continues here.

This is an incredible piece of literature. I guarantee that after you read this, you will look at Acts and Paul's letters to the Thessilonians in a completely new light.