Essential Practice is a compilation of lectures and teachings about Kamalashila's "Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School," and a stepping stone to better understanding the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Written by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (tutor to H.H. the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa) who is an honored teacher of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and skillfully translated into English by Jules B. Levinson (an expert in Buddhist studies, an educator at Naropa University, and employed by the Light of Berotsana Translation Group), Essential Practice presents an incomparable wisdom on the methodology and means of meditation, as well as the ways in which to bring oneself to the transcendence of selfless behavior. Essential Practice is confidently recommended as a welcome and invaluable addition Tibetan Buddhist Studies reading lists and reference shelves.

In A Family Without a Name and A Family Without A Name: Into the Abyss (1889), Jules Verne's Canadian novels dealing with the vexed problem of Quebec, which the book shows he had thoroughly researched, the dramatic adventures of the hero, Jean, in his fight for freedom, have caused the work to be compared to that of the great J. Fenimore Cooper.

In A Family Without a Name and A Family Without A Name: Into the Abyss (1889), Jules Verne's Canadian novels dealing with the vexed problem of Quebec, which the book shows he had thoroughly researched, the dramatic adventures of the hero, Jean, in his fight for freedom, have caused the work to be compared to that of the great J. Fenimore Cooper.

Feiffer, Chas. Adams, Edward Gorey ...

...This is the kind of cartoon material that the Young Sophisticates should be reading ... rather than the hip drivel of the likes of R. Crumb, et. al...

...in spite of his too-liberal-for-some-tastes slant, Feiffer offers unusually good social, political, and even psychological insights via the medium of his cartoons.

... until you are ready for Jane Austen and Robert Musil, Feiffer is the humor man to go with for now ...
-moosbrugger

Bickering couples, crazy chance meetings, awkward egos and turns of events. Black humor mixes well with Feiffer's take on life. I read this book as we did some of these skits for a production in school and learning and reading and studying this man I realized that no matter how strange, unbelievable, and sickening these characters may be it's all true. These are some of the best written characters and well thought out ideas with subtle humor and dark laughs ever, that I have read. Definitely check this book out if yo uwant to be an actor, director, writer, or just want a good read.

Jules Feiffer is a comedy genius, one of a kind. I will never figure out why he was never syndicated. Why did his comics only appear in the Village Voice? Maybe he is syndicated, but not in any papers that I've ever seen. There's no reason why his cartoons wouldn't be appropriate in a mainstream newspaper (which the Village Voice certainly is not). If Doonsbury could make it into widespread (to say the least) syndication, then why can't Jules Feiffer. Maybe he chose not to, for some reason or other. All I know is that millions of Americans have been deprived for years of the comedic genius of Feiffer. Sure, he's intellectual, but certainly not out of reach of an average I.Q. Oh, well. Anyway, I will tell you that he is deep, in a way that is reminiscent of the Peanuts cartoons of the fifties to the sixties: funny, but fragile and touching as well. He can put a political edge to his material, or he can just make a statement about the human condition. Actually, the latter is what he does best. To enjoy Jules Feiffer, one need not be a genius, but just a thinker. But the main thing is he has an uncanny ability to hit the nail right on the head, and not shove the point he's making down your throat. It's satirical and pointed comedy that goes down as easy as Budweiser, the king of beers.

This book is very exiting because ti makes you fell like you are really inside the book i would recomended for kids from 9 years old to adult

The Talmud tells of four great sages who entered paradise,Rabbi Akiva, Ben Zoma, Ben Azzai and Elisha ben Abuyah. Of the four, one died, one went insane, and one "cut the shoots". Only of Rabbi Akiva is it said that "he ascended in peace and descended in peace." The Talmud gives very little further explanation of this legendary visit to paradise. Howard Schwartz has researched this legend and created a mythical travelogue of the journey. His novella takes into account Talmudic and other scholarly literature regarding this legend and interweaves other common themes of Jewish mysticism. I enjoyed the story immensely, especially the way it brought together numerous pieces of Jewish lore and legend, some of which were already familiar to me, but among which I had never seen a connection. The story is accompanied by an introduction and detailed "Thematic Commentary".

The title to the review may seem a bit harsh, but that is the situation that Joam Dacosta faces while on trial: he has been condemned to death, the judge isn't very friendly, and Joam has no real material proofs in his hands. However, a document turns up from a villain, Torres, in the form of a challenging cryptogram that leaves the judge, a expert on and lover of word puzzles, completely at a loss for a solution, and the only two people who can solve it are dead! Regardless of how the judge tries, he can't solve it. It wouldn't be wise, however, to tell if the judge finally gets a solution, so I won't.

As an admirer of Verne's works, I must say that this one (this is only part two of _The Giant Raft_, though) is very impressive at how he creates suspense by putting the characters through a harrowing experience where there are no obvious ways out, such as the legal system. Joam Dacosta is a man who will do anything to make sure that the right thing gets done to prove his innocence--even facing death. As for the judge, he is obviously Verne's man of knowledge, being the analytical puzzle expert. The thing I most like about the judge is that he at first may seem crusty, but he really is not as you get to see him.

One last recommendation: this is Part Two of _The Giant Raft_. Read part one first; usually the first part is called _Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon_ or _Down the Amazon_. Also, while reading, try your hand at solving the cryptogram yourself. Good luck (will you ever need it).

The GONCOURT JOURNALS are by far the absolute best single book you can read about what it was like to be alive in the Paris of Napoleon III. Edmond and Jules de Goncourt were brothers who knew where all the skeletons were buried. They were on close terms with many of the Impressionist painters like Edouard Manet, the nobility (Princess Mathilde de Bonaparte), poets (Paul Verlaine), and writers (Flaubert, Zola and de Maupassant). Although no mean novelists themselves (GERMINIE LACERTEUX), the Goncourt brothers are best known for their journal.

Just a couple of selections to whet your appetite:

"Talk about perfumes led to a mention of the scent of vanilla that hangs around Frederick Lemaitre, who has pods of it sewn into his coat-collars, and who was nearly poisoned as a result of his habit of kissing the hair of the actors he plays with, for he kissed Mlle Defodon, who used to put gold dust in her hair, and breathed in that powdered copper."

"There have been many definitions of beauty in art. What is it? Beauty is what untrained eyes consider abominable. Beauty is what my mistress and my housekeeper regard as abominable."

"A book is never a masterpiece: it becomes one. Genius is the talent of a dead man."

The Grand Boulevards of Baron Haussmann come alive, along with the smells and sounds of that strange seminal time in which so many great talents were beginning their rise to greatness. Dip into this book at any point, and you will only whet your appetite for more.