"Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" was the first book to bring Zen Buddhist koans to America. It is also the best. The translators have left these wonderful stories and teachings speak for themselves. If you have never read koans, they are bewildering stories that defy logic and shock the reader into a higher state of consciousness. They are especially wonderful to read after meditation or church. They are ancient stories, often describing the strange interactions between monks who challenge each other's claims to enlightenment. They seem as playful sparring of the mind, heart, and soul.

I first read "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" 13 years ago, and the stories within the "101 Zen Stories" section have been with me throughout the years! No matter what religion you are, no matter what age, these stories WILL change your life, and the way you respond to and see the world around you. You'll chuckle, you'll frown, and you'll wish there were 1001 Zen Stories to read instead of only 101... I hope you'll read this book and enjoy it as much as I do! I'm willing to bet you'll keep it on the nearest bookshelf, and open it often :}

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones came into print in the 1950s, when I was a child.

I first discovered it in 1970, when I was a young man. One of my secretaries lent me her copy, and I kept it for myself.

I bought this edition last year, as a middle-aged fart.

I figure I've owned at least a dozen copies over the years. Some have been gifts from friends. Others, I've purchased for myself.

I stole only the first copy, because I didn't want to run up against any karmic Repeat Offender Rule.

It's the kind of book that seems to "walk away". Someone will see you reading Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, and they'll ask to borrow it.

That's the last you'll see of it.

Guaranteed.

I've read it many times, often in a single sitting.

I still remember the first time I sat down with it, and how it gave me a shimmering look into a world I had known little about--Zen Buddhism. At times, I still get back my "Beginner's Mind" when I re-read one of those Zen stories that I now know almost by heart.

I cannot explain the why of that.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones contains perfect jewels of ancient stories that provide insight about life, about the world. Most of them are a half page in length--perhaps 100 words.

The neat thing about this particular edition is that it's very compact. You can slip into into your pocket, say, when you're going fishing or hiking.

It's inexpensive, too. So you won't be out a lot of money when a friend asks to "borrow" a copy and "forgets" to give it back.

I don't know what "Horn Books" had against Paul Adshead, but it seems like all their reviews of his stuff insult the art and the target age level of the material. First of all, I read this book when I was in first or second grade like 30 times. I showed my friends, and even when I was alone, I would imagine myself of a real quest in Puzzle Island. I admit, the art is no Sistine Chapel, but it is attractive and brilliant in its own way. Also, I admit the puzzles are difficult, but that adds to the excitement. It caused me to take the book to school and show friends, as well as ask my parents for help. The difficulty made the book an experience, not just a quick read. It's fun, and it teaches a lot of different methods of problem solving. I'm a graduating High School Senior now and I have a 4.3 GPA with a 1500 SAT I score, and I read the book when I was young... coincidence?

I am 9 years old and I loved this book. It was fun to figure out the word puzzles and look for the animals. My mom had to help sometimes and she liked it too. It was the most fun figuring out the puzzle at the end. The drawings are very pretty and I want more books like this.

Puzzle Island is a book filled with fun. I would show all my friends the book if I had a copy. I felt very excited every time I read it .I will tell my friends all about this adventure story and they would share it with their families .When you are reading Puzzle Island, you feel like you're on a never-ending adventure, trying to find names of animals and where they are hiding on the page. This leads you to the secret code, secret animal and the mysterious place. I will not tell you anything about the secret animal, because it's a secret! You must find out yourself. If you work out how to find the hidden words, you will find a helpful message.But now I won't give you any more clues as I will spoil your adventure. What I find so fasinating is how the author ( and possibly the illustrator) was able to draw a picture with hidden animals and letters and still make them look perfectly unoticeable and disguised? But I do hope you will like this book as much as I did.

A copy of this book has been part of my Christmas since I was a baby. Every year the book gets pride of place, and the pages are well worn from reading. Fun illustrations and entertaining rhyme make this book a joy to read for children from age 2 to 102! Christmas just wouldn't be the same without Mr. Willowby and his amazing tree.

Each year when my family is able to be together, we curl up around the christmas tree and read Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree. It has become a family tradition and one that I cherish, even as an adult.

We were so concerned about this book going out of publication and to know that it is being sold again is wonderful - If you are looking for a story you all can share, year after year, this is the one!

It has seen us through over thirty years and is still going strong!

This story is a really good story. It's where Mr.Willowby gets a tree for a surprise. I really like this story because it's a Christmas story and because it really is cheerful. I recommend it for all ages because it is a really good book.

Dr. Hill, who was on the staff of NASA's Langley (VA) facility, presents a wonderful assessment of possible UFO propulsion methods. His assessment is based on reports of many UFO observors (calls to NASA were generally forwarded to him), as well as some of his own personal observations of UFO flight (such as seen in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia). Some of his ideas, such as "force-field" technology, aren't particularly easy to understand by someone accustomed to considering more conventional propulsion techniques, but I admit that it seems most consistent with the data he presents (such as the way automobiles often tend to lose traction when flying saucers hover nearby/overhead).

For anyone interested in UFO phenomena this is an excellent treatise by a professional aeronautical engineer. Perhaps the best available at the moment (better than any I've seen). Better ones will probably only appear after various governments of the world decide to end over 50 years of UFO pseudo-denial.

Consider that many paleontologists find that the best place to go fossil hunting is in a museum. The reason is of course, that many field collectors from the past have stored incredible fossil finds in museum archives, while having little or no time to evaluate the data and draw conclusions. What could this possibly have to do with Paul Hill's fabulous book? Mr. Hill did what real sceintists should do...he sorted through historical UFO data (including his own sighting) and looked for mechanisms and the patterns inherent to that data. By applying his own form of "back engineering" to these UFO cases, he sought to determine the power source(s), electromagnetic byproducts of those sources and other important aerodynamic components intrinsic to UFO flight characteristics. The results of his back engineering provide incredible information from "seemingly" insignificant details, much in the same way that Sherlock Holmes deduced Watsons' whereabouts by the mud on his shoes. Other physical scientists take note: All that UFO researches have asked of you for years was to look at the data, much as the late Dr. Hynek suggested. Finally, Paul Hill has done it. I know there are other scientists (personally) who are continuing to investigate using the same stringent scientific methods used by Paul Hill. I applaud you, as do all meaningful UFO researchers. For Mr. Hill, I would say that it was too bad the climate of yellow journalism did not allow the release of this important work before his death. The press in this country is veneer. But, over time, veneer peels up to reveal the oak. Take heed, read Unconventional Flying Objects. Think.

Paul Hill spent almost his entire career with NASA directing research projects. His credentials are impressive. NASA's official stance on UFOs was, "They don't exist." Hill says he saw one, reported it to his then boss, and was told to forget it and do his job. He did the latter but not the former. His book, written after he retired, reviews well-documented and investigated events from around the world. Since many of the people reporting the events are not hillbillys or crackpots but credible professionals, his approach is, "Assuming that these people are not loonies but are telling the truth about what they saw, how could these phenomena be explained using our present level of scientific knowledge?"

He takes one event at a time, and examining the reports and hard evidence where it exists, eliminates various suggested explanations if they don't fit. He doesn't answer all the possible questions that one can pose, but he does conclude that nothing the objects do violates any of our accepted scientific principles or the laws of physics. The propulsion system that he says fills the bill is a "focused force field". Although we admittedly haven't the foggiest notion of how to develop a focused force field, the scientific principle is sound. Gravity is a force field. We have electrical and magnetic force fields.

Hill also delves into advanced--but accepted--theoretical physics to explain how interstellar travel would be possible without exceeding the speed of light. The bulk of the book is written for a lay audience. Any normally intelligent, reasonably well educated person can follow it. He includes several appendices, however, which are crammed with mathematics far too arcane for me to digest.

It's a fascinating book, light enough to be enjoyed, but too heavy to skim. In the way that some people go to church "just in case", this work should be read, "just in case". I heartily recommend it.

This text is perhaps one of the finest works on the Incident Management System and mass casualty response. Written in "Plain English" the authors have taken great steps to keep the confusion to a minimum while delivering technical and operational accuracy. This is a great text for use in all disaster training programs. The chapters are designed to follow the flow of managing an incident with critical factors boxes built into each assisting you to reinforce important points with your class. Additionally, each chapter has lesson objectives and end questions to further reinforce the premises espoused. The final component that is worthy of note is sample templates for IMS implementation and "real incident" critiques by the Incident Commanders. Incidents such as the hurricanes, world trade center bombing, Alabame train wreck and other professionally drive the point of IMS use home.

Paul and Hank have addressed an area of EMS that was literally screaming for a book. IMS had been written about before, but not with the detail and insight seen here. The practical experience of the author' coupled with their fluid writing style makes this a 'must have' text for the consummate EMS field manager.

As I scrambled to meet the direction of my CEO to get our disaster plan updated in order to deal with the pressing threat of terrorism it was recommended to get this text by a peer. After reading this book, I can say without a doubt, that it is one of finest disaster works I have ever been exposed. It has taken complex issues and presented them in a real world method that makes comprehension and application quite easy. Frankly this is a must have reference for emergency service and management personnel in public and private sectors. Outstanding work!

I picked this tape up for my newly-single sister. (I figured if she was offended, I could pass it off as the joke; the title is so P.T. Barnum!) Couldn't resist listening to it myself, as I'm an introverted book worm (albeit a happily married one) who has trouble meeting new friends.

I found the material helpful and fun. Whether you're looking for a life-time partner or you're someone like me who could use a few more non-romantic friends in your life, this tape offers plenty of ideas on how to meet people and enlarge one's circle of friends. Ideas like volunteering aren't new, but Hartunian offers insights that helps one get noticed (without acting like a clown!) and attract normal people rather than kooks.

Hartunian is friendly and accessible on tape, which adds to his credibility. I really expected him to sound like a infomercial pitch man, and to use this tape as a long commercial for big and expensive dating service or something. What he is is this: an average guy who saw through the BS of "this is how we've always done it" and who has the ability to motivate his listeners to try something new. None of the ideas will cost much money, none of them are terribly outrageous and there is NEVER a pitch for any other service.

I highly recommend this tape.

ELIMINATES DATING ANXIETIES FOREVER Dr. Paul Hartunian puts Cupid on your team when it comes to finding the love of your life. He provides straight forward commonsense inspiration along with the facts. By trial and error I eventually met the love of my life and "courted" her as Dr. Hartunian outlines in his audiobook, "How to Find The Love Of Your Life In 90 Days Or Less"; I was 40. Don't waste 20 years looking like I did. Buy it today!

For less than one month's internet connect fee, Cupid will materialize and put you on Lover's Lane. My wife and I have been married 12 years, BUT I used Dr. Hartunians simple dating ideas to bring life back into our evenings and weekends. This is so easy and simple. My wife asked me last weekend how come I was so much more romantic all of a sudden. Thanks Dr. Hartunian.

"How to Find the Love of Your Life in 90 Days or Less" takes the mystifying world of dating and lays out an easy to follow pattern that would make "Dating for Dummies" envious. But be warned, Dr. Hartunian pulls no punches. With the precision of a trained surgeon, he exposes and dissects the excuses that cripples us from having an effective/satisfying dating life. But he doesn't stop there. He presents an easy to follow and easy to understand system to IMMEDIATELY begin generating positive results.

I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone who has ever asked the question, "Where have all the good dates gone?" listen to this audiobook. You will NEVER need another guide.

I bought this book, along with one of the companions in the series (Reef Creatures) to help prepare me for a cruse and scuba trip to Cayman. I am pleased with the book but I was under the impression it was spiral bound: the one I received has a conventional binding, which is less convenient. The colour plates are excellent and in many cases there are specific notes as to colour variations in various species which is extremely helpful. The descriptions of juvenile fish is also a major contribution as changes in colouring through the life-cycle of a number of species can be quite remarkable. The basic identification sections at the beginning of chapter speed you through finding the specific species your are looking for. By and large a beautiful and helpful addition for any diving enthusiast .

This is the authoritative reference for reef fish throughout the Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas area. The most complete book on reef fish that I have seen, it is easy to use and beautifully illustrated. Each fish has it's own full color picture along with a line drawing that points out the defining characteristics of that particular species. With a plastic cover and the pages treated to resist water it can be taken to the beach or onto the boat without much concern about the water damaging the book.

Each entry has complete information on the fish from size, depth, range and habitat to the level of concern that a diver should have for their safety around the fish. Whether you snorkel, scuba dive or engage in other activities around a reef, this is the best book to have to identify the fish. This book can also be purchased as part of a three part set that also includes the Reef Coral Identification and Reef Creature Identification texts, each of which is equally as excellent as the Reef Fish Identification book.

This is a fantastic book, and along with the other two books by this author you should be able to ID any marine creature you encounter!

The book lists virtually all types of fish, including angels, tangs, butterfly, damsels, clowns, and more!

Each entry has an excellent picture, the name, family, size, depth, and other information.

The pictures alone are worth the cost of the book!

This is definitely the book you want to have with you when you dive or snorkel. Buy it today, you won't be disappointed!

My boyfriend (he's Chinese) saw my copies of Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston books, he wasn't happy with my selections of these so-called Asian-American books, so he gave me the Big Aiiieeeee! I was surprised what Tan and Kingston have done (read Frank Chin's article...it's a blast!). I have to admit that I still like their (Tan and Kingston) books, but they don't represent Asian-Americans that's for sure. There are some Asian girls I know who are ashamed of being... well, Asians, so they go out with White guys (ever heard of that bimbo Margaret Cho?). I don't have a problem with that (with people going out with different races other than their own), but it seems that they're ashamed of their own heritage. They should get this book and read Sui Sin Far. Now, my favorite author! She writes about how a White woman falls in love with a Chinese man. And in spite of laws banning interracial marriage she was still not ashamed of him!

Since the publication of this book, it has been criticized for it's "machismo, misogynist" morale. Guess who these criticisms are coming from? White feminists (or those who support them). They cannot look beyond history and textual matter, instead they force and assume their principles and try (and unforunately, they succeeded) to make this a battle of Women's rights. I have read Chin's "Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and of the Fake" and in nowhere is there any misogynistic dictum. Why? Because this isn't a matter of Women's views or MEN'S! It's about history and how it should be interpreted. People like Kingston, Hwang, and Tan want to deconstruct Asian American history. Feminists want to help Kingston's and Tan's deconstructive views by arbitrarily labeling Chin as a misogynist. If Chin or the editors of The Big Aiiieeeee! were misogynist why would they have women writers in this anthology? Just because there aren't that many women writers doesn't mean it's totally and utterly sexist. Could it be because there aren't that many authentic Asian American women writers?! If there are no authentic texts to Asia America, would it hurt to say that stereotypes (or whatever) are actually right?

...Amy Tan, David Henry Hwang, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gish Jen, or Jade Snow Wong (and then some!)? YOU BETTER READ THIS BOOK! These people have reinvented Asian literature that have sold out to the Christian (and for that matter Darwinian) white-racist-stereotypical form of Asian writing. You'll read it all in this book, and it is disturbing to say the least. The editors of THE BIG AIIIEEEEE! shows how these authors hate what is Chinese and invent a fake history that appease the white racist way.

Do not be put off by the cheesy grin and sharp suit on the cover of the book - this is anything but a slick-but-little-content sales seminar. I would even say that this is among the top 5 books on business I have ever read - packed full of good ideas, common sense and presented in such a way that you do not need an MBA to understand the text. Read it from cover to cover (or take chapters in isolation, as I did) and you cannot fail to be anything but impressed by the advice given.

It would shock me to learn of someone that cannot learn from Mr. Sewell's approach to customer service. A must buy, for anybody that has a remote interest in improving the effectiveness of their operations.

My wife gave me her copy of "Customers For Life" that she had received a corporate retreat. When I first considered opening a gentlemen's club I pulled it off the shelf hoping to find a few useful "tidbits." This book completely changed my concept of customers and business success. In 3 short months of operation I have put a substantial dent into a highly competeitive market using Mr. Sewell's approach to servicing his customers. As a condition of employment with my company, everyone from waitresses and doorman to my general managers must read this book and attend weekly meetings to discuss how to apply it's principals at my place of business. The only business book I can honestly say is worth its wait in gold.

I was deeply skeptical when a friend handed this book to me-- suit, grin, car salesman? What did that have to do with consultancy to media companies? What did this have to do with anything?

No joke-- it has to do with *everything* in business.

A great focused reminder about where to spend your energy and attention if you want to grow your business. This doesn't just repeat the same old motivational seminar stuff that seems to populate so many of the business books out there.

It's a quick read with good advice illustrated by real life examples. What more can you ask for?

I first read this book my senior year of high school when it was recommended to me by my English teacher. At the time, Watkins was the writer in residence at another boarding school in the area. I was captivated from the moment I opened the cover until I put the book down. Watkins' shameless honesty about the awkward moments of childhood makes it easy to laugh not at him, but at similar events in your own embarassing past. From his mischevious antics at the Dragon School to his studies at Eton, Watkins helps us all to remember the silly things we once did and of which we are now ridiculously ashamed. His utter familiarity with the reader allows the reader to open up and re-expose her memories to herself! While hilariously funny at times, this book also takes on the task of embracing nostalgia as memories seem to slip away. As the young Watkins ages and changes schools and confronts more "serious" issues, any reader can see how growing up happens to us. There is no avoiding it. As much as we might like to live as Peter Pan and daydream about pleasant memories, we are changed by the people we encounter and the places we go, and we just can't help it. And why should we?Watkins allows the reader to confront the bittersweet loss of childish innocence while smiling and embracing what has gone and what will come. This is not a sentimental journey, but one that is pleasantly real in a non-sappy or melodramatic way. Watkins shows the reader how to laugh at life and love all that it can throw at you.

On a side note, check out Roald Dahl's "Boy". It may be a children's book, but it is well worth the read.

I have read few books in my eleven years as a bookseller that have moved me as much as Paul Watkins' coming-of-age memoir. There are only three that I have read more than once: THE SECRET HISTORY, A SEPARATE PEACE (which I have read twice a year ever since high school), AND STAND BEFORE YOUR GOD.

Watkins' ability to take everyday events and anxieties and turn them into the stuff of revelation is a rare gift. His writing is clear, incisive, and, in spite of the unusual circumstance of an American attending the most exclusive of British prep schools, universally telling. I read the book thinking of my numerous perusals of A SEPARATE PEACE and my own cherished memories of attending a small private college in the rural midwest. I read the book with a pen in hand, underlining his most illuminating thoughts about Eton, and writing "Yes! YES!!!!!" in the margins when his own epiphanies bespoke my own. I read the book wide-eyed, knowing that, alone in my living room, I was in the company of genius.

I have recommended the book to many of my customers over the years, employing both of my most heartfelt evaluations: "Oh, but you MUST!" and "Trust me on this one!" They have, all, thanked me profusely for the recommendation. In this extraordinary collection of tales that make up a short time in a still remarkably short life, we find images of ourselves, and marvel that a stranger can know so much about us.

Seek it out. Read it. Cherish it. Oh, but you must! Trust me on this one!

Paul Watkins is a terrific writer. None of his books show off his talent as this one does. It is the story of his life as an American schoolboy in England's swankiest schools. More than that it is about a boy growing up adhering to rules and recognizing that that adherence is endemic to his English life but not his American life.

Best of all about this book, though, is the writing. It is clear, melodic, rhapsodic yet forceful. It is a book to sit and savor. One can only wonder and admire the construction of sentences and thoughts. A purely enjoyable experience to read.