Dealing with fragments is like walking in a minefield: you can never be too cautious. There is only one methodology: keep your speculations "tame". The more ingenious a speculation may sound, the more aberrant may prove to be. If even the great T.B.L. Webster could not avoid this pitfall (his "Studies in Menander" ended up a major embarrassment), then nobody is immune. This volume brings together a number of major studies on the fragments of Old Comedy. The volume is comprehensive, welledited and well printed, representative of a variety of authors, subjects and approaches. As a rule the essays followed the cautious road, as pinpointed by Kenneth Dover's introductory note. One should not look here for a resurrection effect: what is lost is lost. But this is as close as we can get towards recovering at least the gist of the Old Comedy experience beyond the great master. A worthy investment.

This book was so distrubing it scared me crazy.
But it made me cry too. The writing is just
perfect. It makes you feel so strongly for
Patient X, then hate him the next moment.

Woman in the Closet is a tense, sexually-engaging mystery. Harvey is a master of the form. I'll definately be searching out other books by the same author.

One of the first business books I read. There are a lot of basic business lessons in this book. My business partner and I have quoted him for years because his lessons apply to entrepreneurs, not just sales people.

Most companies don't seem to know the first thing about customer service. This book will remind or teach you that the details are important if you want to keep customers coming back.

This book is a must for any sales or business person's library. I found McCay's common sense and practical viewpoint very refreshing. I keep this book in my own library of books to refer to often or re-read periodically. When I read this book it really gave me the viewpoint of how to pursue any goal and make it a reality in the business world. McCay's story about buying 15,000 tickets to a Twins game really sets the pace and the lessons he describes throughout the book is what makes it a priceless text. This book is a must read.

"Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive" is Harvey Mackay's classic business book and one of my personal favorites. Each business lesson is only about one and a half pages long, so you don't need a shark's appetite to gobble it down.

Some of my favorite Mackay lessons:

-- The most important clause in a contract isn't a clause. It's dealing with honest people.

-- Mackay's Dad's advice: "It doesn't matter how many pails of milk you spill, just so you don't lose the cow." (Mackay's from Minnesota where business advice is often phrased in terms of cows. Often entrepreneurs make mistakes that cost them money, but that's not as bad as making a mistake that destroys the company. Don't be afraid to be creative and test things to find out what works best. Non-Minnesotans can think goose and golden egg. Mackay says that for the first five years after purchasing a small, struggling envelope manufacturing company with a revenue of $200,000, he "...teetered between bankruptcy and insanity." But, he didn't lose the cow. Today, Mackay Envelope has a revenue of about $85 million, if I recall correctly.)

--Know something about your customer as well as your product. Mackay does an excellent job here. He develops the Mackay 66 which is a profile of your customers. It asks such things as: What are your customer's hobbies? Interests? Political and religious orientation? Knowing the customer is important in relating to him or her.

Mackay says the same principle is crucial to establishing contacts with influential people. Learn something about the person, so you have an idea of their hobbies, interest, values, etc. Then, you'll know what hot buttons interest them. And, what topics to avoid.

For example, many, many, many years ago, when Mackay met Fidel Castro, Mackay asked Fidel how he kept in great shape. Castro, who prided himself on his physical prowess, told Mackay he was an active bowler. (Note to bowlers: Take up jogging. Give up the cigars.) When, Mackay told Castro that he was a champion bowler in college, Castro became excited to have met someone who shared a similar interest.

--Believe in yourself. Mackay, an avid sports fan, discusses runners first achieving the four-minute mile. Many people believed that running a four-minute mile was impossible (for me, it is!), but after the first runner achieved it and showed it could be done, many other runners broke the four-minute mile, until doing so was necessary to be competitive.

--Never give a speech once. Practice it in front of a test audience. That way you'll find out what jokes bomb and can cut them. Mackay is considered one of the very best public speakers in the world, and he gives some advice about public speaking in this book.

Speaking and communication are valuable business skills. Mackay writes: "Learn to use the language. Written and spoken. Anyone who's a word dink has got it made." We word dinks like that! Although I'm not so sure it's fully true for everyone. But, at something over $20,000 per pop for a speech, with a nationally-syndicated small business column, and over eight million books sold, dinking around with words certainly hasn't hurt Mackay.

Mackay writes: "Like most salespeople, I've spent a lifetime trying to build a network of customers and friends... . There are two ways to do it: retail and wholesale. Retail means the one-at-a-time kind of contacts that are built up through participation in community and social activities. Wholesale means the recognition, and acceptance, extended by people who don't know you personally but who have heard about you as a speaker, read your articles, or read about your civic activities in the paper."

This is the sort of book I like to reread every few years. I highly recommend it to entrepreneurs and people interested in business. Salespeople, negotiators, and avid sports fans will enjoy it the most.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."

The author does a fine job of adding to his earlier book "The Physics of Dance" in this book. It is very uncommon to find a physicist interested in dance, but the author definitely will keep the attention of a professional physicist. The book is more qualitative in nature than the first one, but physicists interested in kinesiology will gain something by reading this book. As in all of physics, one can disagree on the analysis of the movements, but the book does give a good overview of the difficutlies that arise when dancers attempt to perform the pas da deux. Dancers also could gain something by reading this book, as it will make them more aware of how exactly they should place their bodies to make movements in the pas da deux more effective. A fine addition to the technical literature on dance, and hopefully the author will find the time to write a third one on the more quantitative/mathematical issues that arise in analyzing the physics of dance.

I've been a real fan of the Fit for Life/Natural Hygiene way of life. In fact, I've been on this program and I've seen wonderful results. In fact, I've spoken to several highly respected doctors about Diamond's book and ideas to confirm his findings. They concluded that he is right on track! In fact, this new book allows us to look into various forms of treatment that can give us the strength to fight diseases. It seems that our society is satuated with the common medical practices of taking medication to ease the pain, eat what we like and become depressed when our bodies give out from neglect. At least, there is another way to cope with sickness and disease...change our eating habits and watch the body thrive! If for nothing else, you will feel better...isn't that worth it?

I have been following the "Fit for Life" principles since March of 1991. Before then I would have five good days a year and 360 bad ones. My stomach ached all the time. As long as I follow the basic guidelines, my stomach NEVER aches. I lost 26 lbs in 13 weeks back then and have kept it off. Harvey Diamond's current book adds a new and different layer to this style of eating. If you notice, all the unfavorable reviews come from people who have never tried food combining. They all say "Where is the evidence? My doctor says its BS. etc." Show me one person that has tried this way of eating and did not feel better. Back in 1992 when I had been a follower for about a year, a well meaning friend sent me a review of the diet from The Harvard Medical Letter that said it was a bunch of bull. Their doctors and scientists said this didn't make any sense to them. I laughed when I saw it because once again, not one doctor or scientist said he/she was on it for a while and didn't see any positive results. This happens all the time. Just look at some of the reviews for this book on this website. A few weeks ago, my wife told me of a summer intern that works with her had taken a day off to go to the doctor to see what was wrong with his stomach. He had pain almost all the time. I told her to tell him to call me. I spoke to him for 10 minutes, highlighted the principles and told him he would see results in a few days. I spoke with him five days later and he told me he had had no pain at all since he started this. My biggest problem is getting people to listen. They tell me it sounds interesting and then some of them go check with their doctor who tells them not to waste their time. Meanwhile I am 53 years years old and do not take one prescription medicine. My father died at 66 from diabetes, heart disease and psoriasis. I wish he was around so I could relate to him what I now know. It's not too late for you. Open your eyes and believe, because what I'm telling you is absolutely the truth...

To the bub in Oklahoma who is so hell-bent on trashing Harvey's ideas:
First of all, you say this diet is so unsafe. Have you ever actually talked to a doctor and mentioned the foods that you eat on this plan? Or a nutritionist? My doctor said this was a fabulous way to eat--whether or not you agree with the theories of toxins or not--the varieties and kinds of whole and natural foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat, all fall in the guidelines of the basic four foodgroups. Harvey just recommends you eat the foods combined differently--which worked for me. I lost 40 pounds in 4 months, eating all the time.
Secondly, why the anger at this diet? Have you tried it? Have YOU cracked a nutrition book, or asked a doctor if this is safe? Didn't think so. Try reading the first book, Fit for Life--there are tons of doctors in the endorsements...again, my own doctor praised this way of eating.
The hard thing about this diet is making your own meals. And buying fresh foods and preparing them constantly. That's what was so tough for me.
Anyway, I doubt you'll change your mind because of my words, but I just wanted to weigh in and say, "What are you talking about?" Trying to scare people away from such sound and workable ideas as the Diamonds...
By the way, I have NOT read this book, I only give it 5 stars because the other books were so good. Notice that Anthony Robbins gives it the thumbs up by the way...

Dr Nahas himself DISCREDITED the FALSE information in this book, why is it being sold, and for $115?? what a joke!

Its sad to see that the US federal governments various anti-drug agencies, still use this information today to LIE to society about marijuana. The War on Drugs is nothing but big business at the expence of human lives.

I am glad the other two comments here are saying the same.

Dr Lester Grinspoon wrote from an unbiased point of view. He didnt even try marijuana till after he wrote the book..

Nahas has impressive credentials, but from all I've seen he practices very bogus scientific research. I think he operates like the red queen in "Alice in Wonderland:" guilty first, then make the evidence fit the verdict. His favorite authority to quote is frequently himself.

There are far better books about marijuna and medicine. "Marijuana, the Forbidden Medicine" by Dr. Lester Grinspoon is perhaps the classic. Also refer to the recent Institute of Medicine report. But give this book a pass.

Gabriel Nahas is a totally discredited marijuana commentator. He starts with his personal belief that marijuana is bad, and then finds or contrives "evidence" to support his position.

He has been pilloried and publicly discredited by many legitimate scientists.

Anybody who wants a thorough examination of marijuana's medical efficacy and possible side effects would do well to start with a book by Dr. Lester Grinspoon and the book titled "Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts," by Zimmer and Morgan.