After spending over (...) bucks, I hoped to find it worth the price. I wasn't disappointed. This is really a good book for the mature guy, ie. one who has a comprehensive statistical background and who wants to know about econometric time series. Unlike the American authors, the British usually do not fill their books with theorem and proof. I think student will find it more easy to read if it is in a theorem and proof approach. Other than that, it is clearly written and contains a lot of material. It is well organized with very few printing errors. This should be the entry level book on econometric time series --though not for student. This is one of the best econometric/time series books I ever bought and read. It is (...) but worth it.

This is a great book of 34 short stories combined together to show the events that shaped Colorado into what it is today. It is very well written with very easy and understandable reading. I recommend it for adults and yet it is not to difficult for children to understand.

This is a book of passion. The love poems are not just will be read, but they will deeply touch your heart. Go for it. Enjoy reading this wonderful book by a natural lover who touched my heart.

In Way of Passion-a wonderful book-Harvey outdoes himself explaining why we need a teacher, and gushes over Rumi's devotion to Shams of Tabriz. Now all of sudden it's "The Direct Path", and we don't need teachers because Andrew's burned out with his. Gimmie a break... Enlightenment without a teacher? Good luck. As Rumi said: "Whoever enters the Way without a guide will take a hundred years to travel a one-day journey . . . . Whoever undertakes a profession without a master becomes the laughing stock of city and town. Do not break with the prophet of your time! Do not rely on your own skills and footsteps! Though you be a lion, if you travel the Path without a guide, you will be a self-seer, astray and contemptible."

Whenever we hear that some progressive has a programme of clearing away a forest of cumbersome orthodoxies to create a direct path to God, or to a God that bears a suspicious resemblance to one's own reflection in the mirror, we recall the verses of Psalm 74: "They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees," etc.

Our sympathy with an author is somewhat frosted when we encounter this notion that persons who are Christians as the word has been understood for centuries, persons who do not dismiss the moral law as a hindrance to self-validation, are somehow less inclined to the corporal works of mercy (active humanitarianism) than the average white liberal, who allows his pet hedonisms a little breathing room.

We can scoff at orthodoxy, or we can descend from Mount Olympus and volunteer to work in the inner city, where we would find Catholic priests of unswerving fidelity, doing more to clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, feed the poor, than any vapid pseudo-mystic living far from the madding crowd. We would encounter Protestant ministers, who are faithful to a traditional understanding of Scripture, doing much to alleviate the sufferings of their neighbours. We would find hard-working layfolk, of African, Latino, Cape Verdean, Brazilian, Asian and other heritages, holding to devotional practices that progressives dismiss -- from their lofty perch -- as hopelessly outmoded.

This flippant and glib opposition (orthodoxy vs humanitarianism) is gloriously and completely refuted by one's own experience. We need only to look at the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in the South Bronx, whose eucharistic adoration leads them to a direct, hands-on ministry to the poor. If we're looking for a Christianity that is real and not ersatz, we might look to the South Bronx and Father Benedict Groeschel.

I believe that this book is one that either you get, or don't get. There is hardly a need for discussion. Those that get it, have walked the path and are practicing it, and this writing, simply affirms and deepens it all. Those who do not get it, will have perhaps have a chance as this consciousness is growing... and more and more of us are putting it out there in our own way. We must carry a sense of urgency, practice a direct path and remember the road is straight and narrow. How can I get in touch with Andrew????? If anyone knows, please email me. mamoeross@aol.com

I have just finished an undergradute course which used this book as the main text. I agree with the previous reviewer that there is considerable overlap and occasional contradiction. The early chapters tend to use a lot of technical jargon, and seem to be written for people who already understand the material. I was not so impressed with phylogenic descriptions which frequently failed to discuss unifying characteristics within families. Later sections, including locomotion, water balance, and mate selection are well written. This book would benefit from a glossary, more relevant tables and figures, and a more inclusive index. Overall, editing is rather sketchy.

This is easily the best herpetology text book out there. It is informative, yet not full of the boringness (if that's a word...) of many textbooks. You might say that it's...fun to read.

Despite some fairly serious errors and omissions, this book is the best academic treatment of the field of herpetology yet written. It is a multi-authored text which allows people to write on what they know best, rather than making authors stretch well beyond their fields of expertise. This unfortunately means there's a lot of repetition between chapters, and some flat-out contradictions. It does a fairly good of reviewing the literature in a number of sub-fields of herpetology, and so provides more up-to-date reviews than you're likely to find in "Biology of the Reptilia". It is a good choice for a herpetology course for undergraduates--in fact I plan to use it for such a course in summer 1999. Amazing omissions: dinosaurs!! birds!! biogeography!! Notable inclusions: good chapters on foraging ecology, classification (too short), & thermoregulation.

Interesting how reviewers tend to either love or hate this work. I TRIED to listen to it several times, and while I liked Harvey's "Ladakh" book, it was very different from "Son of Man."
I suspect that those who like it approve of its interpretation of Christ as a "radical", visionary iconoclast overturning the orthodoxy of Old Testament Judaism. I sympathize with this view to some extent, but Harvey does (as several reviewers suggest) seem to simply IGNORE the relevance of the overall tradition out of which Christ comes, the tradition of Law, Judgment, of the wrathful God, as simply mistaken and somehow part of a subtle conspiracy of oppression. The Old Testament CAN be hard to reconcile with Christ, it can be infuriating, but a theological balance must be struck.
As a former academic in the humanities, I just could not stomach the cant of modern academe in this book: everything must be an "extremely radical" vision, we must always work everything around to feminism (or some other "ism) overturning patriarchy, we must speak about the "margins" and oppresive "power structures." Harvey has evidently had many rich experiences in life, but the jargon and verbosity and two-dimensional politics of academe constantly get in his way here.

I listened to the audio version of this book and so had the opportunity to hear the author read his own work. Andrew Harvey is an extremely passionate and learned man. His insights into the subject of Jesus, both Historical and biblical are fascinating. I would definately recommend this book if you are interested in a different viewpoint on Jesus.

Having said that that though, I did find, (as some of the other reviewers did as well) that Andrew Harvey's view of the story was simply another form of fundamentalism; albeit fundamentalism from a mystical stand point. Harvey continually points out that the feminine aspect of the Christ consciousness are completely dismissed by the traditional view of the Church. I agree. However, Harvey completely dismisses the Masculine aspect of the Divine and in fact Harvey goes as far as suggesting that all evil and darkness are in fact masculine. He makes the claim that without bonding to the feminine, that the masculine is just chaos and darkness. Again, I agree with him on this point, however if that in fact is true then the converse of that must also be true. The feminine would be incomplete and chaotic without it's polar opposite. Andrew Harvey may agree with me on that topic but there is no evidence within his writings to suggest that he does. He tirades against patriarchal society and the suppression of women as a divine force. I think he's right. Conventional religion has long denied that the feminine energy of the Divine was equally important as the masculine. Harvey seems to suggest that a matriarchy would be flawless and without the same problems as a patriarchy.

The book is really worth reading for it's refreshing and interesting view of the traditional story of Christ. But Harvey is as intolerant of the masculine as the traditionalists are of the feminine.

This is just another vew of the story. It should be read with an open mind and with the understanding that it is as bias as the traditional version.

Andrew Harvey is an excellent writer who has covered everything from outposts of Buddhism in Ladakh to transalations of the Sufi genius Rumi. In this book,which arches at being a modern version of The imitation of Christ,he puts forth of image of Jesus as THE mystic,the Alpha and Omega of existence.It succeeds much of the time.The historical Jesus presented is lacking somewhat, though the book picks up in part 2, the mystical Christ. Some people,especially those of a literal bent, wuould be slightly put off in the section Christ and the sacred feminine.The final section of the book, The Direct Path to Christ is a series of meditations and "exercises",which are worth the price of the book alone.Mr. Harvey believes that we need no intermediaries between us and God, and that Jesus shows us this way. The traditional harrangue against Christianity is softened by Mr. Harvey's genuine passionate love of Christ. There are lovely phtographs by Eryk Hanut throughout, which actually enchance the pleasure of this book. Not an easy read,{Mr. Harvey rarely is}, this is a book menat to be read and taken slowly, to draw deeply from this source. This book is quite beautiful, and is and important addition to any spiritual library. This is an important and wonder-filled book, and is hugely recommended.

i found this book to be lacking alot of info and not staying on any subject for too long, but i have to admit that yes i did learn a few things that i didnt know before

This book is interesting, and from reading the other review, I do not believe that it is receiving fair credit. Over the years, people taking theology classes, especially those of a Christian nature, are led to believe that God is a man, or that God looks like a man. The only image of God we see is that of a male one. This book is a look at God as a woman, or a girl. I am not a feminist by any means, but I can still appreciate this book for its look at all different gods of different religions as women, and try to embrace God as I would embrace my own mother.

I was truly disappointed with this book. It is not so much a comparative synopsis of the feminine in the various world religions, but more of a lengthy, personal account of excuses for the author's sexuality. It sounds as if he is defending himself throughout the whole book, rather than just being happy within himself and his relationship. He uses his knowledge of relgions of the world to try and show how his relationship is ok. I did not even resell this book; I put it in the trash to get one less out of the world. What a shame that the book couldn't focus on the subject to which it professes.

Andrew Harvey took on an ambitious project with this book-an attempt to integrate a variety of religious traditions in their viewpoint of the Divine Mother. Mostly, the book focuses on individual practitioners of various traditions. The tragedy of the loss of the role of the Mother in spiritual traditions is exemplified by the fact that these practitioners are men.

Harvey brings in viewpoints from Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Taoism with good effect. His attempts at Australian Aboriginal beliefs are less effective, with his sources being too far removed from Aboriginals themselves. His writing on other religious traditions has the immediacy of direct experience and years of study which his writing on Aborigines lacks. Perhaps Harvey could use a field trip to Australia. He also makes numerous references to other indigenous tribal cultures, but fails to explain what it is exactly that he finds so admirable about their way of embracing the Mother.

Harvey's primary argument, that we should all approach the Divine directly rather than through gurus is obviously a backlash against his own experience with a guru-a relationship he has clearly become disenchanted with. His disillusionment with gurus threatens to overshadow the book, but ultimately does not. His point is well taken, though most people need teachers and books to guide them to a direct relationship with the Divine. The irony, of course, is that we don't need books like Harvey's if we approach the Divine directly. If we don't need teachers to show us the way, we don't need books to do so either! Harvey urges us not to deify our teachers, and to learn from his experience.

I feel I must offer a counterpoint to the surprisingly negative review by "Rosa from San Antonio" (below) because I find her criticism to be unjustified and can't imagine how she came to her bitter conclusions. I wonder if she has a personal vendetta against openly gay men (which Harvey is) or takes offense at the casual way Harvey mentions his relationship with Eryk Hanut throughout the book. I find it hard to imagine how Rosa could conclude that this book exists to justify his relationship, though of course we are all entitled to our opinions.

My main criticism of this book is Harvey's tendency to repeat and emphasize passages in a way I find unnecessary and redundant. I think he tends to make the same point too many times. The prose is sometimes crushingly dense. The book, I found, is slow reading, and sometimes wearily academic on a subject where academia is of little use. However, considering the massive undertaking that this book truly is, and how much needed its perspective is, I can easily give this book 4 stars.
~heidimo

In contrast to the first review in this section, I think that Harvey's 'The Return of the Mother' is a truly extraordinary book. It is certainly not just a 'series of excuses' for the author's lifestyle - the whole point of Harvey's vision of the maternal aspect of God is that She passionately combines and unifies the personal, immanent and sexual with the vast stillness and calm of Her transcendent being. She can be felt and apprehended in the most intimate areas of life, working and transforming. If you want a synopsis of the Eternal Feminine in world religions, get Anne Baring's 'The Myth of the Goddess' or (for a Jungian approach) get Erich Neumann's 'The Great Mother.' Harvey's book is a passionate - though deeply deeply learned - description of the need for spiritual awkening through the Feminine, dissolving outworn dualities. I cannot pretend that this book is easy going; every page is crammed with challenging insights, all is Harvey's beautifully lucid prose. Only one whose spiritual journey has taken him from 'tortured aesthete' to religious visionary could come up with the astonishing, extravagant description of the destructive aspect of the Mother as 'Callas-Kali, who runs at the heart of illusion with a knife.'

Furthermore I don't pretend to fully understand this book, but its message is urgent, inspiring and beautiful. And yes, personal.

I had never heard of either Mother Meera or Andrew Harvey until I picked up this book. I found the author's overwrought, hysterical experiences and conclusion that Mother Meera is the avatar of the Divine Mother to be interesting, but unconvincing.

A search on the Web reveals some interesting material. The author, Andrew Harvey, has subsequently bitterly denounced Mother Meera for her failure to bless Harvey's homosexual relationship and for the horrible, horrible crime of "homophobia".

Interestingly, the other books written about Mother Meera have also been penned by homosexuals. An odd "coincidence".

If your spiritual inclination is to dissolve your ego/self in the all consuming embrace of the "Divine Mother", I suppose that a trip to Mother Meera's HQ in Germany may be in order. I'll pass.

The first half of the book is a real adventure as the author seeks spiritual fulfillment. The second half tends to drag-on as he takes the reader through many of his effulgent experiences.

The story is about the authors experiences with Mother Meera, however She steals the show. I had never heard of her before but for me her authentic power shines through everything that is written in this book. If read with a genuine search for the truth it can change lives for ever.

I really enjoyed this book a ton, but its message should be taken as only a small part of Mr. Harvey's spiritual journey since he eventually left Mother Meera (something that seemed unthinkable if you read "Hidden Journey")because she was intolerant of homosexuality. (This is certainly an aspect of an "enlightened" being which I totally don't understand! ) Still, this is a fascinating and unique story, and very well written.

The Catholic Church never has nor does she now regard the Blessed Virgin Mary to be a godess, or a divine person, in any way. She is the masterpiece creature, the perfect creature, but she is still a creature. Catholics and others who insist on worshipping Mary rather than honoring her to the glory of her Son are sincere, but sincerely mistaken. Holy Mary, pray for them.

I have long been interested in the apparitions of Mary, and of those who worshipped her. This book has beautiful photography, filled with quotes about Mary from famous people as well as quotes which are said to have come from Mary herself during apparitions. The book is filled with love and joy--both a warning and promise for the future of our world.