Henri Nouwen authored thirty five very inspirational books on the challenges of living life. Nouwen, a man often unsettled in his own life, offered a Jesus-centered perspective of his journey. This small book is a wonderful daily reader that draws on many of Nouwen's books. A great start to the day... or just the thing for a quick reflection along the way. Well worth the few dollars. Highly recommended

Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota

As I look at my copy, the pages all have highlighting, half are dog eared and all are folded in two after the third reading. Even some of the folded ones are also dog eared for still future reference. Charges Ringma, with the help of Nenri Nouwen's writings presents a captivating series of 180 "reflections" on the meaning of Christian spirituality. Nouwens's belief was when any human reveals his most vulnerable areas, he reaches all other persons at a very deep level. This book is an outstanding and moving example. Another belief was solitude, when used to increase our spirituality, is much more than just the current fad of seeking self development, but is the primary source of knowing how and where God desires us to apply Christ's teachings in our daily life. Then in each "reflection", he deals with all the personal conflicts one experiences in seeking solitude, experiencing solitude, hearing God's desires and when we then confront the realities of our personal lives. But mostly this book is looking on the personal spirituality side. See also Ringma's "Resist The Powers" which extends and expands in a remarkable and personal way our responsibility as a Christian in today's world (I'm only half way thru this already dog eared book)

The book covers all types of Alkan's output, from his piano music, organ/pedal piano, chamber music, and even Alkan's music for just 2 feet on the pedal piano. Smith offers great analyses to Alkan's greatest works. A Wonderful book!!!!

De Tocqueville was simply of one of the great social scientists writing about America and Democracy. From reading the book I deduced that De Tocqueville was a social scientist before Marx! He compares European culture and government with the fledgling culture and democracy he observes in America. He is very much impressed with what he sees taking place in America in the 1830's and hopes it will spread to Europe. He at first believed that America's prosperity was simply due to geography and their distance from powerful neighbors, he abandons this idea after his visit to America. He comes to realize that the West is not being peopled "by new European immigrants to America, but by Americans who he believes have no adversity to taking risks". De Tocqueville comes to see that Americans are the most broadly educated and politically advanced people in the world and one of the reasons for the success of our form of government. He also foretells America's industrial preeminence and strength through the unfettered spread of ideas and human industry.

De Tocqueville also saw the insidious damage that the institution of slavery was causing the country and predicted some 30 years before the Civil War that slavery would probable cause the states to fragment from the union. He also the emergence of stronger states rights over the power of the federal government. He held fast to his belief that the greatest danger to democracy was the trend toward the concentration of power by the federal government. He predicted wrongly that the union would probably break up into 2 or 3 countries because of regional interests and differences. This idea is the only one about America that he gets wrong. Despite some of his misgivings, De Tocqueville, saw that democracy is an "inescapable development" of the modern world. The arguments in the "Federalist Papers" were greater than most people realized. He saw a social revolution coming that continues throughout the world today.

De Tocqueville realizes at the very beginning of the "industrial revolution" how industry, centralization and democracy strengthened each other and moved forward together. I am convinced that De Tocqueville is still the preeminent observer of America but is also the father of social science. As a retired Army officer and political philosopher, I found this book to be a must read for anyone interested in American history, political philosophy or the social sciences.

Toquevilles' Democracy in America, written over a century and a half ago, is almost as relevant today as when it first appeared in print. Outside of the Federalist Papers, no book is as essential to a American student of political philosophy as this. This book is neither a manifesto of the right or left - both sides can draw powerful arguments (and lessons) from this work. Paramount to the book are the conflicts between equality and liberty, which today remains the core difference between the major political parties. Toqueville also predicted the rise of America and Russia, as well as the growth of the central government - a hundred years before it became reality. His praise of the American system of decentralized, voluntary associations is also dead on. A wonderful book.

This book has an abundance of profound observations of both praise and constructive criticism of the American political system, delivered in a richly eloquent and distinctly objective manner by a young Nineteenth Century French aristocrat/lawyer with a very impressive grasp of enduring political reality. The heart of Tocqueville's message is twofold: (1) his praise of Americans' voluntary associations as prime examples of what results from individuals pursuing enlightened self-interest, and (2) his warning that American democracy has the potential to devolve into pervasive majoritarian tyranny by an all-powerful central government covering the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules and treating citizens like children or timid and industrious animals, in perpetuity. In other words, he accurately predicted the out-of-control bureaucracy and rule by opinion poll which is now inflicting its hypnotic popular tyranny upon us. END

Jomini joined this group of 19th century writers who tried to benefit from their experiences on the Napoleonic battlefields to gain a certain reputation and probably make a better living. Like Clausewitz, he was not among the most glorious generals of these wars but had enough insight to teach to others (at least to attempt this). The result is not completely useless and many of his thoughts are valuable but they remain very theoretical. In addition, this theory mainly applies (when not erroneous) to armies of that time and then doesn't reach the level of a theory on the art of war itself. The main interest I find to this book is to get an idea on what people of that time could be thinking about the art of war given the exceptional warlike era they went through a few years before writing these kind of studies.

Jomini dominated the military strategy scene for most of the 19th century, surpassing even Clausewitz, who did not achieve great fame and was not too widely read outside of Germany until the 20th century. American military thought was dominated by this Swiss strategist, and The Art of War was required reading at West Point--nearly all the Civil War generals were read in Jomini, and Grant was rumored to have carried a copy in his pocket during the Virginia campaign. Jomini's work is not exactly the easiest of reads, especially since it assumes more than a working knowledge of the wars of Europe, particularly of Napoleon, and is loaded with historical examples. Too, its discussion of geometric forms and lines and points and the like can sometimes be confusing. Nevertheless, some of the history can be skimmed (skipped if you're desperate), and reading will still be profitable. For much of the strategy is delineated in concrete form separate from the historical case studies. In essence, Jomini's strategy comes down to concentration against the enemy's decisive points, preferably placing one's entire force against fractions of the enemy's. It is essential not only to understanding modern military thought generally (Jomini influenced other strategists--Mahan, for example) but also to understanding the American Civil War. While maneuvers such as Pickett's Charge seem no less pointless, the reasons for them become much more lucid.

Jomini is a very good overveiw of the difficulties of war and the difficulties of set rules. Jomini in many ways says exactly what Von Cluasewitz had said. There is a richer discussion of tactics in Jomini's work than Von Cluasewitz. If you are interested in knowing about tactical formations and ideas on lines of retreat and communications in the Napeleonic era this is the right book. The work is more compact than Von Cluasewitz yet Jomini didn't quite have the gift of explaining arguments as throughly in fewer words. Jomini gives more historical examples than Von Cluasewitz yet doesn't quite translate the examples into simple basic concepts as well as Von Cluasewitz. Von Cluasewitz is the better of the two. An knowledge of battles during the French Revolutionary period and Napeleonic era helps to enrich the read.

I would personally only recommend this book to the completist. It's basically a catologue of all Chagall's lithographs reproduced in miniature with "many of the best examples" (Amazon Review) reproduced in a full page format. Though the full pages are wonderful to look at there are disappointingly few.

I never thought that I would own that book one day because of its price. But as a HUGE fan of this artist, I have finally decided to buy it... and I don't regret it! I bought many books on Chagall's painting, and this one is undoubtebly a masterpiece. It is beautifully illustrated and excellently documented. The interviews at the beginning of the book (for example, the one with Henri Deschamps) are quite interesting, and the global "presentation" of the book is simple but beautiful. The only thing that disappointed me a little is that I was kind of hoping to see more full-page lithographs. I knew that this was a catalogue raisonné before I bought it, but was hoping just the same to see more one-page illustrations, although the ones that are there (for example, the complete paintings for Daphnis and Chloé) are wonderful. The quality of printing is just superb and this book is definitely a good buy for any Chagall afficionado. In fact, I would say that this book, completed with "Chagall" by Jacob Baal-Teshuva (Taschen)-- if you could find it!-- would be the best two buys you could do. Trust me! :)

I wish this well illustrated catalogue raisonne included the information for all prints in the editions rather than just the ones belonging to Sorlier. Many of Sorlier's prints are "HC" prints or "Epreuve de collaborateur" prints in which case you may have to seak another source to discover the edition numbers for the specific print you're researching. Other than that - nicely illustrated and chronologically arranged.