The other reviews of this book already give the potential reader a good insight into what they are buying, and so I will comment on a fascinating conceptual tension within the book. Like all political realists (or so Schmitt would claim), Schmitt begins his theorizing from the empirical fact that "man is a dangerous and dynamic being". Schmitt allows that the nature of man may not be evil, but man's nature is inarguably problematic. Schmitt then inquires as to how man's problematic nature reveals itself conceptually. His answer is the enemy recognition. We know man is evil because he is prone to locating in the stranger, the other (that person or group who holds inimical aesthetic, religious, ethical beliefs), a potential source of violent conflict. A tension (there are many in the book!) then materializes when Schmitt speaks of the necessity of the state to make the proper enemy recognition if peace and security are to be maintained. It is of course a perilous folly if the state fails to make the proper enemy recognition (see Hindenburg's 1933 alliance with Hitler, Neville Chamberlain's appeasement, and Stalin's secret pact with Hitler for three failed enemy recognitions before WWII). But how does the state make the proper enemy recognition, and not simply needlessly multiply conflict in order to root out the enemy? Thus, the Soviet archives tell us that Stalin erroneously viewed the West as a threat (particularly a rebuilt Germany) after WWII, and so seized Eastern Europe as a buffer zone. The tension of the enemy recognition is that it is the source of all of our troubles, but yet it must be made when necessary. Sounds like the stuff of which politics is made...

Politics is just the wooden horse in this book. Schmittian political theory treats killing as the unthinkable monstrosity which it usually is, but allows the state to have a monopoly on declarations of war, which is about the only thing that might be considered important by those who only permit it when they have an enemy. The things in this book apply so well to the Greeks who were camped outside Troy all those years, wondering why they couldn't win when they were so obviously right, that the kind of politics in this book might be considered classic. Schmitt was in a little trouble once, after World War II, when people wondered if he should be treated like a war criminal for openly thinking about the logic of this kind of thing as a German, who published this as Der Begriff des Politischen in 1932. There is a possibility that some of the people who won World War II didn't want politicians to think this way: "The political is the most intense and extreme antagonism, and every concrete antagonism becomes that much more political the closer it approaches the most extreme point, that of the friend-enemy grouping." (p. 29). Honestly, the things people think can get them in a lot of trouble, which is probably why you never see much thinking on television.

"The Concept of the Political", by Carl Schmitt, is a theorhetical tract wherein Schmitt lays the groundwork for a criticism of current 'liberal' political theory (liberal in the technical sense of the term, i.e. as concerned with the preservation of human freedom as the sovreign good of political society, as opposed to the word's conventional use as an adjective describing adherents of the various species of Leftist ideology; note as well that here we mean 'negative freedom', not 'positive freedom', in Isaiah Berlin's scheme). His reflections are somewhat disjointed, but fortunately the notes on this text penned by the great and sadly passed away Leo Strauss are appended at the end of the book. This provides a useful synthesis and critique of Schmitt's work; essentially, Strauss argues that Schmitt is criticizing liberalism from a concealed moral point of view, under the guise of the supposed necessities of politics as a function of human nature; however, what Schmitt never comes out and says is that the 'ethics' and 'morality' of liberalism, that he says he is disregarding in favor of cold-eyed necessity, is in fact just one of a plurality of possible ethical systems, and that there is an alternative ethical vision available that does in fact embrace politics as struggle between friends and enemies as valuable in itself, which is a step further than Schmitt takes the analysis, seeing the political and its allegedly unpalatable characteristics as a matter of pure necessity. Strauss never says so, but the antithesis his analysis sets up is strikingly similar to the godlike Friererich Nietzsche's notions of 'master morality' and 'slave morality'. Read this book, especially Strauss' epitome of it, alongside 'Beyond Good and Evil', 'On the Geneology of Morals', 'The Anti-Christ', and 'Twilight of the Idols', for a look at a positive formulation of what Schmitt merely hints at. Also good for further info on Nietzsche's political philosophy would be 'Nietzsche and the Politics of Aristocratic Radicalism' by Bruce Dettweiler; 'Introduction to Nietzsche as Political Thinker', by Keith Ansell-Pearson; and 'Nietzsche and the Political', by Daniel W. Conway.

N.B. - Schmitt disgraced himself as a man for all eternity by his willing association with the satanic forces of the Third Reich. In no way should this be a reason for you to avoid this book. He repetedly denounces totalitarinism in it as different from his own ideas; likewise, do not allow the old canard that Nietzsche was a proto-Nazi to keep you from reading him - this is an out-and-out lie, as Walter Kaufman proved half a century ago in his "Nietzsche: Philospoher, Psychologist, and Anti-Christ". Friederich Nietzsche would not have deigned to so much as urinate on Adolf Hitler if he found the Furher on fire. In any case, even if the charges against Nietzsche were true, it would still constitute an ad hominem attack, which has no rational vlaue whatsoever (the same goes for Schmitt). Ad hominems, in case you are wondering, consist of attempts to discredit ideas by discrediting their thinkers - e.g. 'elimination of affirmitive action is a mistake because white conservatives are racists and black conservatives are Uncle Toms'. I'm sure you've heard similar fallacies before. Neither man's ideas necessarily leads to Nazism or any other form of totalitarianism - people who oppose them just want you to think so. Read it, and ponder it, if you want a glimpse of a radically different way of thinking about politics.

This book is a wonderful excursion into the sometimes wacky history of New York City! I lived here all my life and their were many things I did not know about which I learned while reading this fantastic book. It's a roller coaster ride of the most unususl, yet true stories that must be told! It.s a great book for anyone, but if you live in NY, You NEED this book...

I've been reading Frank Borzellieri's work for several years and his writing is outstanding. His other book "The Unspoken Truth" was a political treatise. I'm so happy he wrote a quasi-history book like this. The stories in "It Happened in New York" are fascinating. The Blackout of 1977 was chilling and frightening. The Cardiff Giant Hoax was humorous. Willie Sutton robbing a bank; Niagara Falls drying up. Fantastic! Plus, I never knew that there were witch trials in New York. I thought they were all in Salem, MA. This book is terrificly entertaining and at the same time informative. These events are treasures, as is this book. Great job again, Frank!

For those of you looking for a good story, you won't find it here. You will find MANY stories. All of them very good. For lovers of history this is a must book. It is very factual and unlike most factual books, it is enjoyable reading also. Ms. Capo has a way of telling history and making it fun. And it told me many things that happened in history that I didn't know about. Where can you go wrong? This is a keeper book for anyone who enjoys reading. And for anyone who enjoys history. This is not a book you will want to trade in at a used book store. This is one you will want to keep on your bookshelf forever. Do yourself a favor and go out and buy it today. I did.

Anything and everything you need to know about these great reptiles! Status, morphology, the rattle, bodily functions, behavior, population and ecology, food, reproduction, venom apparatus, envenomation and its effects, treatment and prevention of envenomation, control an utilization, enemies of rattlesnakes, Indians and rattlesnakes, post-Columbian knowledge of rattlesnakes, myths, folklore and tall stories.

I read this book in the mid 90's just for the heck of it, and found it to be wonderful. The style is neither dryly academic nor breathlessly tabloid, but just right. The text answers almost all possible questions about rattlesnake life, legends, myths, and taxonomy that one could think of. It is one of the few books I have read that could be used as either a reference or vacation book.

rattelsnakes are dangerus and they well strick' and rattel wheen they are in a bad place were auther pray come by. you will allso want to watch were you are wakeing on the ground. thank you evere much for your time. chris j coombes.

hello last house fans, as a close confidant of david szulkin and last house star david a hess, i must say people have to read this graphically detailed monster of written class. this 70's film student text book has inspiration.szulkin has touched the heart and soul of wes cravens masterpiece. All cult fanatics will read this book

the importance of the movie,is overshadowed by Szulkin's "under the microscope" details and facts.And those details and facts are exactly why you can not put this book down.The index alone is a treasure listing of the the greatest horror/slasher/sci-fi/camp...movies ever made. I cannot wait to see what Szulkin's next subject will be....

This book is a must for any fan of 70's horror. The genre had a feel to it in the 70's, and this book shows that feeling. Great book for any aspiring filmaker.

This book has changed my life. I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said. I read the book quite recently, late 1990s, and even though the book was written about 20 years before then, I still have gained a lot and have had completely changed relationships (for the better) with my wife and kids. The book is ahead of it's time and I cannot wait for another by Dr. White. The book is eloquently written and provides an amazing analysis of one's family. Like someone has said before me, I am quite amazed it was his first book. I cannot believe a $20 purchase has changed my life so.

This book was very well written. I am suprised this is Dr. White's first book. Meanwhile, I am waiting for another. The book is eloquent in explaining complex family relationship problems and the solutions to those problems. This book has changed my life. I recommend to anyone who can get a copy of it (possibly from the publishing company) because it is out of print, to do so and read it.

An excellent book for all to rea

The person with the cash in hand is the real boss, according to Harvey Thompson, proponent of Customer Value Management (CVM). You can make your company more customer-driven using CVM, which he developed at IBM and then implemented at other U.S. and international companies. Thompson identifies the customer's vision of ideal value, and tells businesses to use that as their guiding star. If you can integrate the best customer value in every system, your company can retain customers, sell more and increase profits. This is not a new theme, but Thompson takes it a little deeper than most as he discusses ways to strategically incorporate CVM, from top management to the front desk. If we were telling him about his reading customers, we'd ask him to shake some dust off the dense, academic language, but otherwise we... recommend to most business leaders this solid book about strategic customer management.

A very solidly written look at the Customer Value Management system-- complete with explanation, examples, and exercises that can be applied by the reader. Thompson makes the critical and, in my experience, all-too-misunderstood point that while using customer input in product development has long been a fact within companies, positioning the things a customer values at the center of developing services and processes is not standard in most industries. And it should be.

The distinction in the Kano framework between basic expectations, satisfiers, and attractors is very well explained here and put in the kind of way that should make consultants and managers alike understand its relevance to their clients and companies. I've far too often seen clients trying to overperform on aspects of service where they just should be looking for parity and the requirements of most projects do not have a good way of seeing the difference between what their customers find simply nice to have and between the aspects of service that will truly drive the decision to buy from or remain a customer of the company in question.

Highly recommended.

Mr. Thompson really shows us the whole meaning of Customer Value, teaching about the linkages between customer targeting, process, organization and technology. The way he drives us in the real world while he focus on what is important (high ROI) and what is less important, is a very valuable driver to the correct use of the scarce resources (human, assets and dollars) to sustain and growth the business dramatically. This metholodogy, applied with success in IBM and in many other companies around the world, demostrates that is not a mere theory but a real life experience. Strongly recommended to be used as an educational material and as a base in a your methodological project approach. World class reading.

Andrew Harvey's 'The Essential Mystics' is subtitled 'The Soul's Journey into Truth'; this is a book which takes a broad approach to exploring the mystical side of religion, whatever cultural contexts it might take.

This is apparent from the basic listing of chapters:

Voices from the First World
Taoism: The Way of the Tao
Hinduism: the Way of Presence
Buddhism: The Way of Clarity
Judaism: The Way of Holiness
Ancient Greece: The Way of Beauty
Islam: The Way of Passion
Christianity: The Way of Love in Action

Drawing on the holy texts of the different traditions, and exploring the practices of the spiritualists, monastics and holy teachers of these traditions, Harvey has given us a concise volume that reaches to infinity. Harvey's ancient, native and cultural mystical experience has a choice example in the following:

'Sacred One,
Teach us love, compassion, and honour
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.'
- from a Yokuts prayer

With regard to Taoism, Harvey says, 'This vision in its sanity, lack of pretension, depth, humanity, and wise, demanding humility offers, I have found, a marvelous touchstone by which to inwardly test both the truths and the imbalances of the later mystical traditions.'

In exploring Hindi mysticism, Harvey claims that Hinduism's chief attraction to us now is that it has kept alive a very full at once majestic and tender vision of God the Mother.

'Daily existence in the heart of my extended family
is the worship beyond worship
that perceives Mother Reality
as every being, every situation, every breath.'

The way of clarity in Buddhism is exemplified by the Buddha's statements, such as, 'Be a lamp into yourself! Work out your liberation with diligence!' The buddha awoke to clarity, and Harvey introduces the four noble truths and other enlightenment texts.

Harvey's exploration of Jewish mysticism explores an extraordinary postive vision of the divine and the human life.... Yahweh is both transcendent and immanent, thus giving blessing and goodness to the world. This follows the kabbalistic tradition with insight and sensitivity.

The chapter on Ancient Greece is one of the real treasures of this book, for it is a topic which is often overlooked. We are much more familiar with the philosophical, political, and historical writings, as well as literature, but a true mystical sense has often been discounted as a side-show to the mythology. But Harvey says, 'in the great pre-Socratic philosophers such as Heraclitus and Empedocles we find maters of fearless paradox who rival the anonymous seers of the Vedas and Upanishads in their awareness of the necessity of opposites and of the unity that uses, contains, and transcends them.'

Harvey's chapter on the mysticism of Islam follows a Sufi approach; there is passion in realising reality, burning like the Flame of Love, that sees all of creation as a reflection or even incarnation of the divine.

'O My servants who believe!
Surely My earth is vast,
Therefore Me alone should you serve.'
- Qur'a

In the chapter on Christianity, Harvey states, 'one of my hopes for this anthology is that it will deepen this wonder by helping people to see the truths of the other mystical traditions reflected in the depths of the Christian messages.' Harvey knows that the primary audience for this book is the western, Christianised (if not Christian) academic readers. He also explores his own journey which recognises the spirituality of Mary and Jesus as male and female subjects of mysticism.

These chapters provide a brief introduction to the wide range of mystical paths in history. They provide much meditation material, and the brief introductory texts to each section are gracefully enlightening and blessedly brief, so as to let the texts themselves speak. Were you to get only one volume of the Essentials series, this would most likely be it.

If I was to take one book along to an isolated beach or island this summer for a serious read and reflection this would be it. You'll end up feeling better about your self, because you'll end up feeling better about mankind. This book proves that people of all cultures and all times have had the capacity to transcend the commonplace and petty and know God. This is the "golden thread" that connects all mystical traditions, all true wisdom in the world.
Inspite of the extensive footnotes, I would not consider this to be a scholarly book. Rather, I would consider it a spiritual book- that is why it has value and is worth the reading. Here is the mystic heart of native cultures, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddihism, Judaism, Classical Greece, Islam, and Christianity all in one beautifully designed book of 236 pages. What better use could you find for your reading time?

This is a beautiful book that is really well put togetther. I love that it opens with "voices of the first world" - native american poems. It then moves into Taoist poetry from the Tao Te Ching, then into Hindu poems, the Judaic writings, then writings from ancient Greece, then Islamic poems, and finally christian passages and poems. The book is marvelous in the way that it shows that all religions are talking about the same things, just using different words/concepts to express them. Too bad more people don't realize this - there'd be fewer wars. Great book, really nicely pulled together. Glad I bought it.

As a carefree college student,I camped quite often, but today, as a thirty year old business owner, I prefer to enjoy the outdoors by day, and to sleep in my warm, safe, familiar home by night. Harvey's Wilderness Guide has not only helped me to more thoroughly enjoy my day hikes, but it has also served as a catalyst to reignite my enthusiasm in camping for more than a Sunday afternoon. Harvey delivers intelligent, informative information in an easy to understand and enthusiastic style. The Wilderness Guide is packed with information, but it is far from bland reading, for Harvey is not only intelligent and well written, but he has a sense of humor as well. I live in Aspen and have spent time with Mark Harvey on numerous occasions. Possibly I will be able to camp with him one day. If not, I always have The National Outdoor Leadership School's Wilderness Guide.

A very good coverage of a large variety of topics. Learned a lot.

I read the book in preparation for a mountaineering course - it's great - informative, well written, a good balance of solid content and easy readability. He would be a great person to go up a mountain with - but the book is a little easier to fit in the backpack!

An absolute must for anyone who camps in the non-RV sense of the word.

What is so memorable about Paul Harvey's stories is the impact with which one is left long after having read the peice.

His is a perspective which simultaneously realizes the innocence and the experience of the human character. A snapshot of both our potential and our pain. And it is this acceptanece, a simplistic understanding, that allows the essence of the situation to remain with the reader. Thus, initially, the reader must be trusted by the author to be capable of that understanding.

This is Harvey's talent: to assume and place before an audience not only the humanity of his subject, but also of themselves.

I read this book about 15 years ago and was delighted to find it on amazon. This is a keeper, one that you can browse through over and over again. It contains stories of little known aspects of the lives of very well known people and is rather like an encyclopaedia based on People magazine. The element of surprise at the end gives a delightful twist to each story.

As Napoleon indicated, History is the lies upon which we've all agreed. There is no such thing as a work of history that doesn't leave some important element out. Partly that's to make history more palatable for a new generation -- who really wants to know about dentistry in the Colonial era when we're reading about George Washington and his false teeth? No matter what the reason, though, once an item is left out of history it tends to disappear permanently.

Unless Paul Harvey Jr. gets his hands on it.

Paul Harvey Jr, who writes the short vignettes for his father's radio show "The Rest of the Story," has a gift for uncovering forgotten facts. Did you know there was another Three Stooges? Did you know Jack Benny was invited to join the Marx Brothers? Did you know one of our Founding Fathers kept his wife chained in the basement because of persistent congenital madness? I hadn't known that.

This book is an incomplete collection of Harvey's vignettes for his father's show. Some are published under the name "Paul Aurendt," and if you can find them, jump on them with both feet. However, this book provides a good primer for the forgotten corners of history, and also allows you to own copies of the vignettes Harvey has made famous over the last 25 years. One can only hope that Harvey's example will inspire more historians to investigate the forgotten corners of history and find what's been otherwise forgotten. I'd buy more of these books if more of them were available.

After a nice camera if you have any money to spend on photography - this is it! With more than a dozen pros guiding you on most vital of things in photography what else can you ask for!!!

It makes a very easy read, even fine things are explained in very simple way, with excellent pix as examples. Best thing is that experts talk abt all the things like lens basics, depth of feild, metering, filters, B&W pix, fashion photography and even abt business side of photography.

After going thru various topices of this book quality of my pix has improved many-folds. If you go thru a topic and try it on the field, results would be IMMED!!

I have a digital camera and before reading this book I always relied on the camera and operated it in all auto mode! Not anymore, now I'm deciding everything abt the picture. Feels great.

Great compilation, worth its price. A MUST.

Cheers

This book will inspire you to THINK as you look through the viewfinder. All too often, books in this category spend far too much time on the basics and go no further than that. This book not only covers most of the basics, it prods you to do more than just get the exposure right or the focus sharp. Chapters are titled "Film" or "Exposure" to let you know they cover basic topics, and then chapters like "Composition" or "Outdoor Photography" challenge you to do more with the camera.

The drawbacks? The book has a couple. If you're not into B&W photography or slide film several of the books sections and photographs will leave you cold. The other main "distraction" is also a benefit; it's written by multiple authors with multiple (and sometimes conflicting) points of view. Be prepared to read a "do this" suggestion on one page and then five pages later read a "don't do this" suggestion for the same thing!

All in all, a worthy addition to your bookshelf.

I found this book to be a great balance between technical and visual content! If you're tired of "point the camera at the subject" primers and bored with "see how good my pictures are" albums, this one might be for you.

It covers the basics thoroughly, but goes beyond the basics. Did you know one brand of slide film gets better saturation in red-yellow while another gets better saturation in green-blue?

The pictures are fascinating, and the aurthor explains the specific applications of basic principles that went into them!