I used this book in statistics classes while working on a BS in accounting. This is a very good textbook. My instructors also compiled their own notes for the students which complemented the book perfectly. Many real-life and thought provoking examples in this book.

After reading 5 of his books now, I'm not sure there's much that Jacques Barzun can't do. Honestly, I, like most people, think they understand William James and I, like most people, found out that I was further from him than I thought. In an engaging thrill of a book, Barzun explains James- dare I say it- better than James explained James. Of course, WIlliam James, who, when pragmatism is differentiated from pragmaticism, pioneered a completely new system of thought. As such, he did not always express himself well. His "Pragmatism" befuddled more people than not and "The Meaning of Truth," meant as a clarification, confused those not already scratching their heads. In the end, James fell by the philosophical wayside until Barzun dusted our friend off and re-introduced us.

Barzun explains James' pragmatism from the ground up, so to speak. He starts with "The Principles of Psychology," which is really one of the best written pieces of American non-fiction on the planet and James' philosophical starting point. Next, he goes into "Pragmatism" and "The Meaning of Truth" taking much of the ambiguity out of a philosophy already difficult to the unaccustomed. Next, "A Pluralistic Universe" gets a summation along with "Varieties of Religious Experience." I hope I am not leaving you with the imppression that Barzun is doing any of this in an academically dry, sardonic manner. Nope. Just like James, his words bubble with excitement and humongous energy.

Honestly, before I started this book, I wasn't the biggest fan of William James and after, I'm still not the biggest fan of Wiliam James (preferring John Dewey much more). Still, I've come away the better for getting to know Barzun and James; i've read a great book and learned a bit more about a great (if tragic) philosophy. Also, read "The Metaphysical Club" and James' own "Principles of Psychology."

David Hein, a Professor of Religion at Hood College in Maryland, has found gold in the mine of his state's Civil War archives, in this collection of letters written by members of a prominent Maryland family on the eve of and during the war. Hein's book immerses us in civilian life as civil war approached, fiercely as a wind-driven wildfire, personified by the Montgomery County family of Allen Bowie Davis, a prosperous gentleman farmer/legislator from Rockville, then a village north of Washington.

Davis and his wife, Hester, in time became unionists who feared the consequences of a Maryland secession for their state and family. "We may not like the present administration, nor endorse its acts-but-'we had better bear the ills we have than to fly to others that we know not of,'" wrote Hester to her daughter, Rebecca, late in May of 1861. "Let Maryland remain neutral and she may ride out safely this awful storm...I fear this secession element. It would be certain ruin to all our hopes as a family, in this world."

Their son, William Wilkins Davis, was a student at St. James College, a prestigious Episcopal boy's school near Hagerstown, in western Maryland. St. James had the misfortune to lie between opposing armies that tramped incessantly through the region and staged America's bloodiest day on a battlefield a mere seven miles distant, along Antietam Creek. The boys of St. James spent Sunday afternoons in the spring of 1861 not in the library but visiting nearby union and confederate camps. Fearful parents began withdrawing their sons as tensions grew. In the spring of 1861, with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and Baltimoreans clashing with northern troops marching through their city, young Wilkins became an impassioned sympathizer for the southern cause. Letters heretofore about food, studies and illness became angry diatribes against Lincoln, Maryland Governor Thomas Hicks, and others perceived to have a foot on the jugular of southern state's rights. "I hereby announce myself, henceforth, a straight out 'Southern Rights' man, and want nothing to do with Lincoln, his party or anything connected with him, or it, unless it is to help thrash him," he wrote to sister Rebecca on May 21, 1861. "I can no longer support a man whose avowed intention is to subjugate the South...and our contemptible, cowardly, lying governor winks at every thing [he] does without the lest compunction." Such words remind us that 19th century political discourse could also be ugly and coarse.

Both young Wilkins and St. James fared poorly in the cauldron of conflict. The boy took ill early in the war and, despite periods of good health, he died in 1866. The college closed its doors in 1864, an educational casualty of war.

Hein's book captures the complexity of the Civil War in a state of abolitionists, pro-slavery unionists, anti-slavery southern sympathizers and non-slaveholding secessionists. We see a pivotal Maryland through the eyes of adults and children, and the consequences of war for familial relationships, religious values and educational institutions. Hein's crisp editorial commentary knits these letters chronologically, supplying time and place for the Davis family to tell of life in the tumultuous middle of the nineteenth century. We are in the debt of this slender volume, for reminding us that a history replete with leaders and battles is incomplete absent the insights of sons and daughters, and mothers and fathers.

This is a really interesting book for anyone who is fascinated by language. More than just a grammar book, this work explores the history of grammar and also explores the intricacies of usage. Want to know the difference between "who" and "whom" or "lie" and "lay"? Then you will enjoy this book!

While taking a graduate class in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, I was first introduced to the name William J. Kreidler, the author of this book. I became interested in learning more about this advocate for helping children in today's world to work through their conflicts without violence. Having now read his book, I am very excited to have a "teacher-friendly" curriculum guide in hand to help me with conflict resolution in my classroom. The literature and ideas presented in this resource are geared for grades K-2. Through the use of language-rich children's literature, the author gives the teacher wonderful ways to teach the concepts of diversity, problem-solving, conflict-solving, caring, respect and community. I would highly recommend this book! I can't wait to put these ideas to use!

Perry's text is the original, definitive expression of William James' philosophy, outside of the writings of James -- a founder father of the philosophical genre of pragmatism, contemporary American social thought and modern psychology -- himself. Despite the multitude of books written on and about James and his ideas since, no serious student of William James should be without or ignore this one. It is the Genesis-text, as it were, of Jamesean studies.

Perry organizes and effectively analyzes the whole array of James' diverse writings (including reprints of some tremendous and now otherwise difficult to find selections), enabling any reader to obtain a comprehensive and detailed understanding of James' philosophy. At the same time, Perry infects his analysis with a solid and enduring illustration of James's personality, without ever becoming either trite or merely philosophical biography.

Perry's own skills as a writer are evident in such passages as the following, which is a most memorable description of the breadth and depth of Jame's character: "[James] called himself empiricist, pluralist, pragmatist, individualist, but whenever he did so he began at once to hanker after the fleshpots of rationalism, monism, intellectualism, socialist. He liked body in his philosophizing, and he hated to leave out anything that had either flavor or nutritive value. He was much more afraid of thinness than he was of inconsistency."

In one or two places, the serious James scholar might have a difference of opinion with Perry's analysis, whether historical or philosophical, but all philosophy texts are susceptible to such criticism, and Perry's is less susceptible than most. Indeed, it will be by treating Perry's text as a sound starting place that the inexperienced or unfamiliar reader might become such an adept analyst and capable of interpreting James' life, character and thought so well.

What makes this book interesting is that it was written between the murders and the trial. Huie knew who the murderers were, how they did it, and never expected a guilty verdict.

The book introduces you in detail to Michael (Mickey) Schwerener and all the details leading up to his murder. This detail will help you understand exactly why and how these murders took place.

This latest edition includes updates by the author to compare his early speculation against the results of the trial.

this appears to be the last book written by william h. whyte, author of the organization man. it's a lovely memoir about his days as a battalion intelligence officer on guadalcanal, serving under an amazing character named wild bill mckely, who was just a little drunk during the entire campaign. it's a warm, humorous, and at the same time deeply analytical account of one of the great decisive battles of world war 2. i loved it.

Allen's work is one of the most unique in Mormon historiography. Instead of writing about one of the Great Men of Mormon history--Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or Heber C. Kimball--Allen has focused his attention on a man who was an intimate of Joseph Smith's and served as his scribe. Through Clayton's eyes, we see Joseph from a slightly perspective, from the point of view of a man who was loyal to the faith and devoted to the Prophet, but who also knew Joseph and his immediate family quite well.

Through Clayton's eyes we experience life in Nauvoo, Illinois, when the city was the Mormon capital; we feel the bitter cold of the winter of 1845-46, when the Mormons evacuated the city; as well as the great hopes people had for Utah Territory.

From Clayton's journals, we also see some of the disappointments and problems people went through during this period--the change in leadership after Joseph Smith was killed; some of the confusion on the trail during the trek West; and problems caused by dissident members of the Church in Utah.

Allen's narrative style makes this book impossible to put down. He grips the reader very firmly in the first few pages and doesn't let go again until the very last page. This is the story of one man and his experiences in 19th century Illinois and in Utah, complete with all the disappointments and heartbreak.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in Mormon history.

In 1914 a man (yes a man) gives wives permission to look for justification and a life outside of their home and away from their husband! Barrie responds to Ibsen's DOLL'S HOUSE with penache and humor! A terrific read!