The films 'Room With a View' and 'Wings of the Dove' make one wonder about the Italy reflected in classical paintings executed before the destruction of WWII. My curiousity was heightened in an art history class when the instructor showed a photo slide of the Ponte Vecchio and told the amazing story of the Nazi pilot who disobeyed orders to destroy the last bridge the allies could cross on their advance north.

This beautiful book brings to mind the saying, "The Past is a Foreign Country." Italy of the 19th Century is a place none of us can know except through records left by one who witnessed it. The book consists of essays James wrote on his travels to various places in Italy including Venice, Rome, and Florence. He visited some places several times and the text reflects the changes he observed on revisits.

He records an Italy whose poverty for a time prevented the intrusion of developers, who later made many changes perhaps for the worse. James was not a worshipper of old buildings, he appreciated them, but he was also aware of the suffering of the Italians, many of whom existed in dire poverty. His reflections on various cathedrals, churches and other objects of artistic interest are humanized by his comments about the individuals he encounters. He muses on the morality of travel, "whether it has been worthwhile to leave his home [and] encounter new forms of human suffering." His awareness of the Italians themselves makes his writing a bit like that of Paul Theroux, a travler and writer in our times. James differs from Theroux however. My sense is that James is a little less likely to criticize and a little more willing to overlook unpleasantness. Perhaps that makes him less of a realist, or perhaps Italy was a more pleasant place in the 19th Century.

What can you say? The man knew food, and this book has the typical Beardian rightness that we have always come to expect. Clever and tremendously helpful for any type of party concievable. I can only wonder what James would have done in the healthier 1990's with his wonderful ideas; perhaps the only drawback are the meat-oriented menues. But any clever cook will know how to adapt. The floorplan is completely layed out for you -- a boon to any serious entertainer.

This book does an excellent job of exploring the many contradictions of the life and career of an artist who was both his own biggest fan/promoter and his own harshest critic. The book presents the many talents (artist,etcher,interior designer to name a few) and his many flaws (vain, arrogant, bitter and self serving attitude) while still showing the human side of the artist . The illustrations are complete and a glorious showing of both his popular works as well as his less known pieces. The triad of this book, "Diabolical Designs" and "Beyond the Myth" reveal an artist who deserves much more critical and popular attention.

As a parent of a son with autism, I found this book in a great way healing. It truly shows love lives on even if our dreams and agendas need revised. My son often picks this as a favorite. I would suggest this book to all parents.

In 1876 Jesse James and Cole Younger came to Minnesota to rob a bank. Cole Younger and his two brothers ended up in prison, with Jesse and his brother, Frank, fleeing for their lives. Three other members of the gang were even less fortunate, being left in the dirt, very dead. John Koblas's book explores all the reported sightings of members of the gang both before and after the disastrous attempted robbery of the bank in Northfield. Along the way, an interesting snapshot of southeastern Minnesota in 1876 is presented, giving a good feel for the people and the world they lived in. The research going into this book is very impressive, resulting in a book which is plain fun to browse through.

This book provides an excellent overview of some of the most important current topics in Historical Jesus Study. They include:(1) a study of Galilee at the time of Jesus (by E. P. Sanders); (2) a comparison and analysis of Jesus's teachings with the doctrines contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls (by Daniel J. Harrington); (3) some preliminary musings by John P. Meier about how he will reconcile the Elijah-like miracle working prophet who has emerged to date from his "Marginal Jew" series with the early remembrance of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah; (4)an assement of the important role of oral traditions as sources for the Gospels (by James D. G. Dunn); and finally, a respected systematic theologian's perspective on the importance and usefulness of honest and objective historical Jesus research in terms of nurturing the Christian faith (by Elizabeth A. Johnson).

The contributors are all leading scholars who are excited about their subjects. They brilliantly employ the tools of honest, objective, historical criticism--but they also do not apologise for their faith. This short collection provides an excellent introduction to the work and thought processes of these wonderful scholars. I recommend it highly.

When I read John Alive! I felt a oneness with the characters portrayed in each chapter. I became one with the characters as they expressed their thoughts and feelings. I could relate my own personal experiences and feelings with those developed in each story line. I especially liked the questions written throughout each chapter. I took the time to reflect on my own personal life as it related to the scripture readings and kept a personal journal of my answers. The reflective thoughts written at the end of each chapter are very similar to the questions and feelings that I have experienced in my own life. This book is for those who want a better understanding of the events and biblical messages of the Apostle John's Gospel. I highly recommend it for those who struggle with reading the Bible, as I have.

Excellent scholarly work that explains and shows what Audubon did, and how he did it. As a collector of original Audubon Havell prints, I found the introductory chapters to be informative, readable and very helpful. Wonderful explanations of his technique. About eighty of the plates are rendered nearly full size in this large book. The other 390 are included in an index as full-color 3 X 4 prints. All of the 435 original "Birds of America" images are in this book as well as quite a few other Audubon watercolors that were never syndicated for printing. There are several appendices including one that lists the actual size of each watercolor. Very helpful to a collector. I especially enjoy comparing Audubon's original watercolor paintings depicted in this book, with the large, excellent renderings of the Havell prints in "Audubon Birds of America" by Tim Parmentor, also available from Amazon. My one tiny complaint is that all of the color images are designated by the Roman numerals that Audubon assigned to them. Pain in the neck. Great gift book for both art students and birdwatchers.

Anyone looking for a chronicle of the American wilderness in its infancy would do well to start here. There is great charm in the journals of 1820, where the spellings are still Audubon's own, and the flavor of the times -- especially regarding life on the frontier, and concerning everyday life in old New Orleans -- is everywhere. With his "Bird Biographies" of everyday varieties, as well as descriptions of now-extinct species, such as the Carolina Parakeet, and Ivory Billed Woodpeckers, this book is a treasure not just for nature lovers and bird aficianados, but for lovers of history as well.

Wow! What a great book. This collection of Bond songs really give you an All Time High. I found that the level of the music was perfect for me. Not only can you play the songs to your heart's content, but they include the words to the songs, so you can sing along too. They also have awesome pictures between the songs, which really give it the James Bond attitude. I gave it a five, because I felt that the level, pictures and songs were chosen perfectly for this book. The book includes the whole song, unlike other music books that cut it short. If I could live twice, I would definitely make the same choice again.