Mapping America's Past is an attempt at using maps to portray American social, economic, military, and political development. The maps that are included are excellent, but what was included is somewhat puzzling. The general analysis of wars, expansion, and elections are useful, but maps of political party development in the Cleveland area or prostitution in New York City are not entirely relevant to the general American history student. Similarly, many of the accompanying texts offer little detailed insight into the topics the maps cover.

This book should be considered a general resource, but for an in-depth historical atlas, the reader must look elsewhere.

A highly satisfying review of historical topics.I'm often able to read only in 20-minute bites; every spread of this book is a self-contained history lesson, accessible in 20 minutes but worth revisiting many times. Most important topics and events of American history are covered well, and the rendering of complex information (e.g. the six gauges of railroad in 1850 and how this incompatablity affected commerce, population and political power) is truly inspired. This is a superb gift for an American history buff.

Patrick Henry never actually defines what an "Ironic Christian" is, but it basically seems to be a Christian who happily lives in ambiguity, somewhere in the nether region that exists between total skepticism and absolute certainty. So far, so good. Not everything can be tied up in a neat little package like a TV show that ties up all loose ends in one hour's time. The Christian life (even a life lived outside Christianity) is full of surprises and wonder, and the fact that Dr. Seuss can speak to a life of faith every bit as much as, say, St. Augustine, is nothing new or shocking to me. Much of what Henry has to say in this book is valuable as far as re-thinking many of our assumptions. But his embrace of philosophies that are detrimental to Christian faith, such as radical feminism (as characterized by his defense of the reprehensible "Re-Imaging Conference") and religious pluralism makes me hesitate to give whole-hearted approval of this book. If I have to be on the left wing of Christianity to be an "Ironic Christian", I guess I'm not one.

It's somewhat entertaining. Perhaps the ideal book for those who are of a liberal bent and who pursue "Christianity Lite" and enjoy pschobabble. I found very little solid foundation based upon Bible scripture. On the other hand, Mr. Henry provides us with much worthwhile food for thought.

The primary thesis of this book - that a Christian has not logical certainity but must balance opposing views - was a suprise to me. Not because it was new but rather that it was to me self-evident. For example, I had been taught with regards to God's omniscience and man's freewill that the two concepts framed a mystery we could not understand but could perhaps pull the frame together a bit to point at the truth we cannot fully know.

I was similarly caught off-guard by the seeming suprise with which the author confronted the myriad of world calendars - Jewish, Islamic, Thai etc. The effects on one's Christianity of either assuming the 2nd coming is near or that it is far off in cosmological time had interest.

Of more interest to me, is the author's growth in understanding the issues related to gender based language.

If one has a faith based on certainities, if one has not confronted the issues with which the author deals in a universal and transcultural way, then this book has a great deal to offer. It will help place your faith in the real world - with all the real word messiness.

If one has a faith based on uncertainities, thought out in universal, transcultural and across multiple faith, then this book has a great deal to offer in learning how the other side thinks and grows.

The book was not new like jasviv said it was. The pages were bent and wrote on. The back cover had some sticky stuff all over it. I was very dissappointed with my purchase.

Henry Tischler does a marvelous job writing this book. It is both up-to-date and accurate, blending a myriad of graphs and pictures with easy to read text. It is definitly recomended for the serious student interested in sociology as well as the student taking sociology to meet a GE requirement. It does a marvelous job touching each aspect of sociology, both macro and micro. I highly recomend it for possible sociology major and anybody just wishing to gain a greater understanding of this science.

Montgomery's Auditing, 2001 is just a supplement to the 1998 version. You need both the 1998 version plus the 2001 to be current. I would prefer to have it all in one book.