A definite must-have for anyone interested in selenology (the geology of the Moon)- it is the (if not the, then close to) definitive book. Possibly a little dated, with respect to the information gathered from the Lunar Prospector and Clementine missions, but without a doubt, a superb text to have. Be warned, though - chunky and _very_ technical - not for the faint of heart.

After reading Turrill's book A Bridge To Eden (which is a great read)I was not sure if this book could live up to Bridge. It was written about ten years earlier and is historical fiction. I was impressed with the amount of time he must have spent on this novel. The research and basic story is enough for me to recommend this book. The kicker is that it is so well written. Most historical fiction I have read can be very 'dry' but Turrill keeps it all fresh and moving. After reading both Turrill's books I must say that I look forward to anything he publishes in the future. His literary fiction is great and his historical fiction is very fine. Highly recommended!!

An excellent resource for novices and experts alike. I especially appreciated the did you know section that is a great way to learn new and interesting food facts. This book is a real asset to travelers who want to explore new and interesting cuisines and is highly recommmended.

In his conclusion to "Painting Outside the Lines," David Galenson writes:

"this book has exposed a deep fault line in the history of modern art, by revealing the dramatic and systematic differences between experimental and conceptual approaches to artistic innovation that have separated seekers and finders over the course of time."

Indeed, "Painting Outside the Lines" has done just that! Challenging the common assumption that all artists naturally produce more valuable paintings as they mature, Galenson has discovered that although some artists do conform to this expectation, others actually produce their most valuable paintings when they are younger. Experimental innovators, such as Cezanne and Motherwell, constantly revise their work, rarely feeling as if their work is ever fully completed, and have their greatest success when they are older. No doubt they would agree with Nietzsche's observation: "But it takes more courage to make an end than a new verse. All doctors and poets [and artists] know that." Conceptual artists, including Picasso and Stella, on the other hand, make many drafts before they execute their paintings, and consider their paintings finished once their initial conception of them is complete. LeWitt, a conceptual painter, even went so far as to have his work executed by others.

Galenson quantifies the value of artists' paintings by their appearances in art exhibits and by their inclusions in art books. This pragmatic approach is an innovative contrast to the ways in which art historians evaluate art. Moreover, Galenson's insight into the two radically different methods of artistic innovation could be applied to myriad other creative disciplines, including poetry and music.

Galenson, himself an experimental economist, has ended his book on a dramatic note. I will be eager to see how he develops his own work further, now that his original theory is in place.

Supernatural hope is one thing that this world desperately needs. Few writers who can teach us true hope better than the French poet, Charles Peguy. In his dramatic poem, The Portal of the Mystery of Hope, Peguy has us listen in as Madame Gervaise, a 25-year-old Franciscan nun, teaches the young Joan of Arc her catechism beneath one of the great doorways of a cathedral. In fact, Madame Gervais's monologue is the whole poem, the mode of God's speaking to the young Joan of Arc and calling her to sainthood, and a way that God would speak to us through the poet and his drama.

And how does God speak? In theological definitions? In the categories of philosophy? If this were so, Joan could have neatly deflected the attacks of the inquisitorial court. No, for Peguy, God speaks from the heart with the simplicity of a peasant father, in language that is permeated with the Psalms and the common language of the Gospels. He repeats himself often, not because he is a doddering old man, or because he is lecturing us, but because he is revealing still further dimensions to mysteries that we may regard as trite. And though the words repeat, the meanings modulate and take on nuances previously inconceivable. In Peguy, God repeats himself because he would have us appreciate the depths of his creation, particularly hope:
What surprises me, says God, is hope.
And I can't get over it.
This little hope who seems like nothing at all.
This little girl hope.
Immortal. (7)
The translator, David Louis Schindler, Jr., has done very well in turning the French idiom of Peguy into English idiom. The lover of poetry will find this book very accessible, and the student of poetry will find avenues for further exploration. This poem was translated from the French critical edition, and offers full biographic notes and a bibliography on Peguy at the end. In addition, a preface by Jean Bastaire, an excerpt by Balthasar on Peguy, appreciations of Peguy's contemporaries, a publisher's note and a translator's note offer further context for the poem. For my part, I recommend that the poem be read first, for the poet still does a marvellous job of making himself clear to the reader. This work has waited eighty-five years to be translated into English, let us wish that its secret of renewal finds its way into American hearts.

I was suppose to read this trilogy from Agota Kristof (The notebook, The Proof, The third lie) while studying French back in school. I am really glad I came back to these books and read them during my recent vacation. I think you should read all three of them in order, to experience the wonderful play of language, the truth, the lies and the amazing powerful story behind the words. This is a must read for any East European as well as for everyone else.

Ever since Carlo D'Este's DECISION IN NORMANDY was published, the performance of the British Army in Europe in the Second World War has been a subject of much debate. The army has been accused of having poor morale, poor leadership, poor tactics, poor operational strategy, poor equipment, and just about anything derisive that could be written about an army. Some of these accusations are well supported by historical evidence, other accusations have little basis. David French's RAISING CHURCHILL'S ARMY presents an assessment of the British Army in the Second World War, that is strongly supported by historical evidence. He disproves many accusations against the army while concentrating on its principle failing, an inadequate indoctrination of combined arms tactics. Anyone interested in understanding (or attacking) the British performance in the Second World War should read this book.

Salt-water moon is a very well written book that has the heart and romance of everything that we all are looking for in the world. Through the twists and turns of Jacob and Mary we are baffled by his incompraple motive towards winning over Mary Snow. I found that when I directed this play and learned of all of the different feelings felt towards both of the two characters, it sent a great rush through my heart. Salt-Water Moon is a splended play that everyone should get to know and if possible be able to see it performed live.

The Frenchman Gabriel De Foigny wrote this imaginary voyage novel set in terra incognita (Australia) in the 1670's, fifty years before the appearance of "Gulliver's Travels". This early lost race/science fiction novel has many attractions. First and perhaps foremost, it is a rousing adventure yarn replete with perils among a strange race of semi-human hermaphrodites; daring escapes; fights with monstrous creatures; and well-realized battle scenes. Second, it is a brilliant philosophical and sociological work which envisions a very strange, proto-communistic culture that is brought intensly to life. De Foigny uses this race of hermaphrodites as a foil to examine 17th century Europe's concepts of sexuality and society. It is amazing that in the early days of the novel, with very few prototypes to turn to, De Foigny would attempt a work that succeeds as an adventure story, a delightful fantasy, a dark dystopia, and an examination of the philosophical and mor! al tenets of the era, but De Foigny's remarkable novel works on these levels and more. Briefly, the book's protagonist, Sadeur, is carried to the shores of terra incognita in the clutches of a huge, predatory, Roc-like bird of prey. He is rescued by a civilized race that vaguely resembles humans. The individuals are eight feet tall, of a reddish hue, are hermaphrodites, and many have a second set of arms. Their social framework is equally unfamiliar, being communal and socialistic. All things are owned in common, there are no personal possessions, and human emotions such as covetousness, competetiveness, and even love are held in contempt. These creatures also have a drug culture, and their own strange sciences, and they have acheived the art of creating living creatures, although these creatures have fatal flaws that allow them to live only for several days. From the beginning Sadeur is loathed for his unisexual nature and because he is suspected to be a member of the ! hated human race, and he only manages to survive through th! e patronage of a high minded and powerful sage. After an exposition of the strange society he finds himself among (this is a common feature of lost race novels, and would be a bit tedious if De Foigny's creation were not so fascinating), and a string of adventures including the incursion of "sea monsters" that turn out to be a convoy of European explorers that are massacred after a savage battle, Sadeur's patron dies and things become dicey for him. The hermaphrodites wage war against a tribe of humans on a neighboring island, and Sadeur is forced to fight against his own kind. His heart is not in it, and after rescuing one of the human women and hiding her, he is caught by several of the hermaphrodites engaging in a sexual dalliance with the woman. The level of disgust the hermaphrodites feel over this discovery can barely be expressed. After killing the woman, they imprison Sadeur and condemn him to a ritualistic death. Sadeur escapes from this predicament by! means of secretly taming one of the huge predatory birds, which carries him out of the country in the same manner in which he entered it. It is hoped that this thumbnail sketch successfully conveys some of the interest of this fascinating work. My review will be worthwhile if helps convince a few more readers to find their way to this obscure and unjustly neglected novel.