This book, written by well known religious scholar I.P. Couliano, provides a wonderful background to the shamanic journey and how it can be found within all societies. He does a very nice cross cultural survey of Shamanism (and relatd concepts) in the early part of the book, showing the similarities of belief in the Americas, Siberia, Melanesia and elsewhere, as well as in Africa and Australia. From there he goes on to show the otherworldly journeys of the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Chinese Taoists, Buddhists, Iranian mystics, Greek Medicine Men and Hebrew Qabbalists. Remarkable intellectuals and visionaries fill out the last couple chapters, including Neo-Platonic philosopher Plotonius, the Prophet Mohammad and Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy. Over all, this is perhaps the greatest non-culture specific survey of the Shamanic journey available. I strongly recommend that anyone interested in Shamanism, religious experiences and mysticism in general check out this book. Considering how widely varied Shamanism is (incorporating everything from Siberian and Polynesian religions to the ecstasies of Voudon and Santeria to Sufi mysticism and beyond), it might be a good beginning book.

WOw!This is very important to read,especially that this was Culianu's last book to be published. WHen he wrote it, he was receiveing threating phone calls from somebody(?), and if you think a little bit.. Out of this world....hmmm? What does that mean??It necessarily means that he knew that he was going to die?Well if you want to know more about Couliano's death(the first case in USA of a teacher killed in this way) read Ted Anton's book. Anyway, this book is a must read for anybody interested in the meta's(metaphysics,metempsychosis,etc)or in the study of religions .

I make a point of keeping track of what Gerri Cook is up to. It's a two pointer: A very talented writer and a fabulous book for kids.

Enhanced with line drawn illustrations by Chao Yu and Jue Wange, A Penny For Albert by Gerri Cook is a thoroughly delightful book for young readers about a girl who looking for a story for her TV show "Weird Science," and becomes caught up in a whirlwind discovery friendship with a toothy yet remarkable dinosaur named Albert. A Penny For Albert is a highly enjoyable mix of education and entertainment which can be enthusiastically recommended as a superb book for young dinosaur fans.

A diabolical murderer has been at work in the Victorian precincts of the manor known as Socrates Close. The formidable Great Aunt Caroline has all her wits about her, but her family does not and they have been dropping like flies. The police are naturally baffled. Only Albert Campion, faintly redolent of the early Lord Peter Wimsey with his fatuous smile and episcopal connections, stands between the criminal and a particularly nasty victory. This is Golden Age crime in full glory: an extremely ingenious puzzle, very well drawn period characters (Great Aunt Caroline is unforgettable), the usual understated English humour and a villain who is memorable in more than the usual ways. I'm not sure if Margery Allingham ever wrote a better book than this, so sit back, relax, make yourself comfortable and get ready to enjoy a mystery the likes of which they seldom write these days. If it's raining outside, so much the better!

Coincidence and madness are the twin themes of "Police at the Funeral." The book starts out when a planned meeting between Campion and Joyce Blount turns into an accidental meeting with Inspector Stanislaus Oates and a peculiarly unpleasant fellow who takes one look at Joyce and flees. From there the tale follows a twisted path.

Joyce is the fiancée of Marcus Featherstone, one of Campion's oldest friends. She lives with her great aunt Caroline, a pair of unpleasant uncles and an equally depressing brace of aunts. Uncle Andrew, a singularly miserable fellow, has vanished and Joyce has come to Campion for help. In short order Andrew is found murdered in such a fashion as to implicate his heavy drinking brother William. Campion's presence is commanded by Great Aunt Caroline and he is settled into Socrates Close, their Cambridge home, to act as detective, defender and general factotum.

Yes, I said commanded. Great Aunt Caroline Faraday is a true Victorian 'grand dame.' For most of her life she has ruled Socrates Close and much of Cambridge's social life. Even now, in her 90's she is a force to be reckoned with. She has no patience with her dependents, who share little of her and her departed husband's brilliance. She sees no alternative to the ministrations of Campion, with whose mysterious but illustrious family she is well acquainted.

It will take the death of one of Joyce's aunts and yet another fatality before Campion is able to meet her expectations. In doing so he will brush with evil at its most petty and spiteful. The lightheartedness that Campion uses to cover his true feeling entertains and delights us, but is never completely able to dispel the pall that lies upon the great house until the very last, when he once again finds a way through.

I believe this is the first time Allingham puts aside her Chinese fire drill device and settles in to write true detective fiction. Her talent reveals itself as quite capable of handling the slower pace, which allows here more time to develop a remarkable cast of characters. These are never guilty of tediousness despite any other flaws they chose to reveal.

It is a shame that Allingham's books are often allowed to go in and out of print. Too often, Campion aficionados are condemned to rummaging in used bookstalls to fill a gap in their collection. Luckily, most of us like to rummage. Police at the Funeral is a wonderful tale that is reminiscent of Marsh's "Death of a Peer," although the Faradays are nowhere as near as appealing as Marsh's Lampreys. Except for Great Aunt Caroline, of course, who is a perfect treat. I can only tell you this tale is well worth digging for.

I have been an avid reader of books in the area of stress management and have read the first edition of this wonderful workbook. Recently, I reviewed the second edition and find it to be simply terrific. It has many practical techniques that will serve lot of people around the world. Good job and keep it up!

Very good approach --techniques worked for me

I found this text to be very helpful compared to several books in use in teaching compiler construction. It comes with a companion program book which may be used for practical lab exercises. Though it doesn't take the approach used by many in teaching how to use the tools LEX and YACC, it gives the student knowledge of the essential concepts and principles behind compilers though a recursive descent approach. They actually learn how to translate the high level language SLANG to a virtual machine code, VIM, as well as the same code translated to C. The authors are reachable and are very helpful. I have tried two other texts, one by Parsons and the classic Dragon book and they just do not compare. Five thumbs up!

Work is progressing on a new edition of this book

In page after page I find myself gasping as William Knaus explains the different ways I have developed to procrastinate my life away. Knaus describes procrastination as a complex mixture of discomfort, self-doubts, perfectionism, fear of failure, anxiety, rebellion and depression developed over a lifetime. He explains how heaping blame on yourself only drives you to procrastinate more and he has created thought questions to help you develop the skills you need to pause, resist, reflect and respond.

A life changing weapon against the graveyard of missed opportunities, I highly recommend it!

I was gonna buy this book...maybe next week...

I thought this book was excellent. It was extremely helpful as far as taking a piece of work that I found difficult to read, and not only making it understandable and interesting, but also giving it meaning and purpose. I now comprehend the book's importance as a historical piece of literature much better than I could before. I found the biography of Casmus' life to be well-rounded and captivating, without needing to read an entire book about him! I highly recommend this book for any student of literature who wants to better understand Casmus and/or his writing of The Plague.

Jesse Cunningham catalogues a broad, well-researched collection of essays that address readers on a variety of levels. Camus biographers Germaine Bree and Gaetan Picon introduce the work with insightful, easily understood discussions on theme and allegory. The other contributing writers, (John Cruickshank, Derek Parker, David R. Ellison, Brian Masters, Rachel Bespaloff, Jennifer Waelti-Walters, Patrick McCarthy, Allen Thiher, David Sprintzen, Bernard C. Murchland, and Robert R. Brock), tackle a variety of subjects with pertinence and wit. I highly recommend this work as an insightful read and a stepping stone to further research.

Great for first time directors and those involved in the community theater atmosphere. Gives pratical advice that will help you spend less time worrying and more time creating!

This wonderful book sells itself short with it's title. It offers practical, real-world advice on dealing with the many personalities involved in a production. From walking into a project, pre-planning, negotiating, and scheduling, Alberts uses witty and clear language to describe what you should be doing and encounter.

Having restored and modernized more Tillinghast layouts than any of us Rees Jones states in an introductory paragraph "A.W. Tillinghast was pure genius" while Ben Crenshaw in a companion paragraph says "he was an individualist to say the least. American golf was fortunate to have him around in the early stages."

Our profession (golf architecture) is indebted to the editors for their second volume of Tillinghast essays. It is to be followed by a third title within two years entitled GLEANINGS FROM THE WAYSIDE. (I think the first, THE COURSE BEAUTIFUL is still available.)

Frank Hannigan says in the foreword that golf architecture is an art form requiring engineering expertise mixed with 19th century principles of landscape design. Vision is also required in the creation of golf courses as it was in the creations by Olmstead and other 19th century landscape architects.

Somehow Tilly's essays demonstrate this. Reading them and studying the descriptive illustrations one reaches that conclusion.

REMINISCENCES...... IS A WORK WORTHY OF STUDY AND A PLACE IN ALL OUR LIBRARIES AND AS A GIFT TO CLIENTS AND OTHERS. We urge members to obtain it and if still available THE COURSE BEAUTIFUL. This trilogy will live and could influence our profession far into the future, because the three volumes will be studied by all seeking the upward progress of our profession which must be one of the most intriguing ever practiced. As Rees and Ben indicate, Tilly ranks among its most unique practioners.

-- Geoffrey S. Cornish, Historian, American Society of Golf Course Architects

The editors, Rick Wolffe, Bob Trebus and Stuart Wolffe have produced their second of a three book series on A.W. Tillinghast. This book, "Reminiscences of the Links" is even richer than the first ("The Course Beautiful") with terrific photographs, revolutionary writing and astonishing admissions. Like Tillie taking a 17 on the closing hole at the Garden City Invitational, the incident regarding Johnny McDermott at Shawnee, or his suggestion that someday Bethpage will rank as one of the great golfing meccas of the world. It may have taken awhile for that prediction to come true but by the time the Open rolls around there will be few who will dispute it. And where else can you find the original routing plan for all the courses and such early photos of play on the Black? Good job, fellas! -- Bob Labbance, Editor for The Golf Collector's Society.

ultrasonics in liquids and how to ultrasonic atenuation analysi

This book provides a clear development of the technique of Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy both from a theoretical and an experimental perspective. It provides detailed information and extensive references for those who need it, but is well organized so that key points can be understood quickly.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in measuring elastic constants, and for anyone whos work depends on such measurements by others.