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Book reviews for "George,_Peter" sorted by average review score:

The Harvey House Cookbook: Memories of Dining Along the Santa Fe Railroad
Published in Paperback by Longstreet Press (1996)
Authors: George H. Foster and Peter C. Weiglin
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beautifully written and interesting history of Fred Harvey
this is a fascinating account of the story of Fred Harvey and the Harvey House restaurants. You will discover that Fred Harvey truley won the west.He was an innovative thinker, and supplied to the people along the railway route somthing that they never had before, Good food and service, he was a perfectionist in every way. He also had the foresite to realize the untapped potential in the art of the native American by setting up shops in order for the Indians to be able to sell their beautiful handiwork. No one had ever done that before. The book is also intersperced with vintage recipies from the various Harvey Houses and railway cars. This book is beautifully written and very moving in many parts as you will find when you discover that one by one these landmards gradually disappeared with the advent of modern times.


Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit: A Commentary Based on the Prefaced and Introduction
Published in Paperback by University of Chicago Press (1989)
Authors: Werner Marx and Peter Heath
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One of the best exegesis of Hegel's Phenomenology of the Min
This book is cited as one of the best exegesis of Hegel's 'Phenomenology of the Mind'. As all classics of German philosophers, Hegel's masterpiece is almost inaccessible. I¡¯ve heard that Hegel¡¯s Phenomenology of the Mind is one of the three most abstruse works in the Western philosophy. The other two are Heidegger¡¯s ¡®Being and Time¡¯ and Whitehead¡¯s ¡®Process and Reality¡¯. These works are thorny to comprehend, not to mention just to read through, for the originality of the idea presented in the works. So they are littered with the neologism even their contemporaries never heard of. The established terminology is not suitable to articulate totally novel thoughts. Hegel¡¯s work is not the exception in this regard. The Phenomenology of the Mind is regarded as the culmination of German idealism: Hegel presented his answer in the works to the enigma Kant put in ¡®The Critique of the Pure Reason¡¯, ¡®Ding an Sich (Thing in itself)¡¯. And the answer was the unknown framework at that time. That kind of thought can¡¯t be put in terminology at hand, but should be minted with coined word on its own. But such wording can¡¯t be easy to grasp for the author himself must be not satisfied with his own wording. This book is about the terminology of Hegel¡¯s Phenomenology of the Mind. The author explains organizing concepts appeared in the ¡®Preface¡¯ and ¡®Introduction¡¯. The preface and introduction of Hegel¡¯s Phenomenology of the Mind is notorious for its inaccessibility. Those parts don¡¯t introduce readers to anything, but recap all of the following chapters in its own neologism. That lengthy introduction could be understood only if you finished the last page of the book. Actually the introduction is the conclusion of the book. Hegel¡¯s stance in the ¡®Introduction¡¯ could be reached only through the incremental logical ascending of the following chapters. Terminology in the ¡®Introduction¡¯ could appear only when that kind of argumentation finished. So usually they are recommended to read the ¡®Introduction¡¯ as conclusion. But such feature is a good point to get the gist of the book. So the author of this exegesis positioned there to overview Hegel¡¯s world. W. Marx¡¯s approach seems effective. It¡¯s the good spot not only to outline Hegel¡¯s points, but also to compare Hegel with other German idealists like Kant, Fichte and Scheling, and such comparison is the best way to understand Hegel. This is the strategy W. Marx took and it seems he make it. But this book is not that easy to follow if you have not preliminary knowledge of Kant, at least. This book is not a primer for beginners but for at least graduate student. Anyway I haven¡¯t seen other book that explains better Hegel than this book.


Hegel's Transcendental Induction (Suny Series in Hegelian Studies)
Published in Hardcover by State Univ of New York Pr (1997)
Author: Peter Simpson
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The role of experiential learning in Hegel's Phenomenology
Simpson's book provides a provocative and interesting reading of several important sections of the Phenomenology of Spirit, that treats this text as a whole as a study in the "logic" of induction. He does not consider Hegel's work to be "inductive" in the modern (Lockeian) sense of adding facts upon facts in order to arrive at general conclusions. Rather, Simpson claims that Hegel's argument in the Phenomenology progresses as we (the readers) come to learn from experience what it means to learn from experience. In other words, Simpson aims to show that within Hegel's Phenomenology the concept of induction itself develops inductively. Simpson concludes by indicating briefly the way in which the "inductive" argument that he traces throughout Hegel's text both supports and coincides with the "deductive" side of Hegel's argument that is more often the focus of commentators.

Simpson's thesis - that Hegel's text traces a pathway whereby the capacity for conscious experiencing is shown to develop in response to progressively more sophisticated attempts to articulate and unify experience - receives a capable and insightful defense here. In addition, his study as a whole provides a worthwhile and interesting perspective from which to reexamine Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. His focus on the way in which Hegel's philosophy responds to and develops out of an active concern with actual experience should also provide a strong theoretical basis from which to approach the question of the way in which Hegel's other systematic writings on nature, history, art, religion and politics were informed by and developed in response to Hegel's own scientific, cultural, religious and political experiences. Above all, it is only in light of such investigations that, as it seems to me, we can address adequately the question of the ways in which Hegel's philosophy is relevant today.


The Heretic's Apprentice: The Sixteenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfae
Published in Audio Cassette by Dove Books Audio (1995)
Authors: Ellis Peters and Derek George Jacobi
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No heresy to tout this book as one of Peters's best!
One of Peters's best plots. Despite Cadfael's absence in the middle of the narrative, this chronicle kept my attention. This is a deeply religious experience as Peters examines some of the origins of Christian dogma through her characters. As always it is Peters's style that sets it above the common mystery. Trurly one of the best of the Cadfael series.


The Herman Miller Collection, 1952: Furniture Designed by George Nelson and Charles Eames, With Occasional Pieces by Isamu Noguchi, Peter Hvidt, and (Acanthus Press Reprint Series. 20th Century, Landmarks in Design, V. 5.)
Published in Hardcover by Acanthus Press (1995)
Authors: Inc Herman Miller and George Nelson
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First-rate reproduction, great attention to details.
This book is a reprint of Herman Miller company's 1952 catalog and it's a super reproduction. With all the Nelson, Eames and Noguchi material inside, this book shows some of the best furniture produced in the 1950s. Great reprint job.


Intimate Enemy: How to Fight Fair in Love and Marriage
Published in Paperback by Avon (1983)
Authors: George R. Bach and Peter Wyden
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Essential information for preserving relationships.
I read this book many years ago and it totally changed my perspective about the NEED for conflict in a relationship. It pointed out constructive ways to express one's feelings and opinions without becoming destructive and hurtful in the process. The author points out that positive conflict-resolution techniques are essential if relationships are to last in the long term. The concepts not only changed the way I deal with family and friends, but also gave me some excellent techniques for dealing with students, parents and colleagues in my teaching career. I long since misplaced (or loaned out) my copy of this book, but would like to find another.


James Turrell: The Other Horizon
Published in Paperback by Hatje Cantz Publishers (15 March, 2001)
Authors: Peter Noever, Daniel Birnbaum, Georges Didi-Hubermann, and James Turrell
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brilliant
"The question is not what you look at, but what you SEE."- -H.D. Thoreau

This quote from Thoreau aptly applies to the work of Flagstaff, AZ. artist James Turrell. Turrell has been fascinated all his life with the concept of light and its use in art and architecture. Add to this his notion that the individual should experience this art alone, embracing what the piece has, and does not have, to offer, and one has the basic mindset to take on his art.

To best experience Turrell, one needs to go to an exhibit and take the time necessary to participate IN his art. Like a good book or good music, art reqires a level of active participation to fully realize the piece's potential and to maximize its impact. A Turrell exhibit is a glorious thing- each person actively participates, taking in his color concepts, becoming one with them. Whether in one of his famed "skyspaces," where the participants sit in a consistently lighted room to look through an oval shaped hole in the roof at dusk to watch the changing lighting patterns- the light from the roof diminishes and the consistent railing lighting in the room dominates- or vice versa if one sees the exhibit at dawn, to his "dark rooms" where the viewer is in a 99.9% darkened room with the faint glimpse of an outline of light, allowing the mind and eyes of the viewer to re-conceive its surroundings and realities- not unlike an ink blot test, but in the dark, Turrell's pieces are challenging the concept of light and how each of us perceive it and use it in our lives.

What his art offers is vividly displayed in this book, a wonderfully in-depth one that showcases his growth and remarkable consistency brilliantly. His art is eclectic, ranging from the aforementioned "dark rooms," "Skyscapes," "blue rooms" (viewers in a room with a blue light dominating it, again, challenging perceptions and optics), to a recent "skyscape" that allowed perceived viewings of an eclipse, to his re-construction of a dormant crater (outside of Flagstaff, AZ) to allow unique views of the sky, light, the world. Each piece of art challenges the concept of optical illusion vs. reality- the light offers 3 dimenstional viewing in a 2 dimensional world based on angles of the light, the walls, etc- as well as the common perceptions of light in art.

Again, Turrell should be viewed in a proper exhibit, but this book offers a brilliant overview of his career. The text is in both German and English, but still offers precise pictures, diagrams,and Turrell's philosophies on art, light, and the world. It's a brilliant work by one of today's foremost artists.


La danza del cambio
Published in Paperback by Gestion 2000 (2000)
Authors: Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith
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Muy Bueno
Las personas que han venido siguiendo la serie de libros sobre el tema de la quinta disciplina - The Fifth Discipline y The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook - opinan que La danza del cambio es, de lejos, el más importante de todos porque responde la pregunta más frecuente que se les hace a sus autores: ¿Cómo ir más allá de los primeros pasos del cambio corporativo y cómo sostener el impulso? El libro está diseñado de manera que usted pueda empezar a leerlo en cualquier parte y cualquier dirección. Marque las páginas. Escriba en los márgenes respuestas a los ejercicios. Dibuje. Sueñe despierto. Anote los resultados de lo que ha ensayado y las ideas de lo que le gustaría ensayar. Use los ejercicios y las técnicas. A medida que se acumulan, sus notas se convierten en un registro de prácticas eficaces y una herramienta para reflexionar sobre el diseño de la próxima etapa de su iniciativa de cambio.

Lleve a los demás a pensar sobre el cambio. Las organizaciones, como todo grupo humano, operan mediante la conversación. Las ideas de este libro son valiosas, no como respuestas para aceptarlas como están, sino como puntos de partida para conversar con otros. Hablando, poniendo a prueba y escogiendo conjuntamente sus próximas acciones usted puede crear sus propias respuestas.

Escrito para altos directivos y ejecutivos de todos los niveles, muestra cómo pueden los líderes de los negocios trabajar de acuerdo para anticiparse a los retos que el cambio profundo obliga a las empresas a afrontar. En una forma práctica y con una presentación convincente, los lectores aprenden cómo crear las capacidades personales y organizacionales necesarias para hacer frente a esos retos.


More Stories to Solve: Fifteen Folktales from Around the World
Published in Paperback by HarperTrophy (06 March, 2001)
Authors: George Shannon and Peter Sis
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Logic outside the box - pure fun
This sequel is worthy of its predecessor; it too consists of folktales, very concisely told, that in some sense are a riddle, a puzzle, a play on words ... These stories are presented as problems to solve.

A major strength of the book is the variety of sources of the tales - Korean, Liberian, Kasmiri, Russian, Bengali, Chilean, Mexican, Burmese; in fact many of the stories could have come from any of a number of cultures. The illustrations add to the interest of the book for its intended audience.

The only weakness is that it offer no alternative answers or requires knowledge that may not be familar to the reader. If children are reading the book independently, they may not have the confidence to recognize that their answer is a clever as the one given in the text.

This is a fun book that should be enjoyed by parent and child.


Nineteen Eighty-Four: The Facsimile of the Extant Manuscript
Published in Hardcover by Harcourt (1984)
Authors: George Orwell and Peter Davison
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A historical masterpiece
One caveat if you are thinking of buying this edition: this is not the way you should read the story for the first time. However, if you've read it and would like a piece of history to call your own, this is a worthy addition to your library.

I first read 1984 when I was in the seventh grade. It earned me sneers and odd looks from my classmates, but I recognized it for what it is - a warning. This book helped shape my outlook on the world, and particularly on politics. It made me wary of false promises and doubletalk - "newspeak" - something that has unfortunately come true within my lifetime. War is peace, black is white, down is up.

Last year I finally bought a hardcover edition of the standard edition to add to my library. This manuscript is no substitute for a standard edition, in terms of reading at leisure. It has all of the corrections, crossed-out paragraphs (and pages), and the majority of it is in Orwell's own hand (i.e. not typed). To read the story in this form for the first time would be daunting.

Nevertheless I cherish it. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to devotees of Orwell. It occupies a treasured space in my bookcase.


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