I must now replace my worn out KJV Scofield Reference Bible (1967 ed.) which I received as a gift in thirty years ago, and I find that there is still nothing quite like it on the market. Although text critical scholarship may have moved on, the basics of a book that has lasted millenia do not change in a mere century. As chief editor to the combined bible, commentary, and chain reference Scofield provides the basics - and more - very well indeed. I have found nothing quite so precise, so concise, and nothing displaying such moderation and common sense, all couched in a style with minimal jargon.

For the Old Testament there is a one-page introduction to the Pentateuch, the historical books, the poetic and wisdom books, and the prophetic books. For example, there is a description of the key technique of Hebrew poetry (parallelism of thought) in the introduction to the poetical and wisdom books. The basic variations on this technique are demonstrated with great clarity and economy. For the New Testament there is an introduction to the gospels, the epistles of Paul, and the general epistles.

One of my most loved features is the concise concordance at the back, which is compiled with an eclectic brilliance. Some of the footnotes are small masterpieces of exposition, some push concepts such as typology much too far. But I do not suppose Scofield would have declared this work to be perfect, or incapable of being usefully updated - and it would be hard to say that about any reference book.

The OLD Scofield is by far the best study Bible I have ever used. Most of the "hard" words are referenced in the margin without any harm to the text itself. The study notes, sometimes a bit difficult to understand, are by far the most comprehensive notes available. The concordance is better than most Bibles and the maps are the most accurate without buying a separate atlas. Scofield has also included a complete appendix for a name study and subject reference. Also included with this study Bible is a subject chain reference. The chain reference is extremely complete, and at the last reference verse is a summary of that particular subject. All of the "old-time" doctrines have been wonderfully preserved and explained in this study Bible. If you have any desire to know the Bible, the OLD Scofield is a MUST.

Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has a rich history. These authors have labored well in finding that history. Among other things, they have dug through old deeds and other documents to produce maps based on the description of the land holdings before 1800. With this book in hand, you can navigate the streets of present day Pawtucket and trace history.

Important to lovers of family history, particularily the Bucklin family, are the details of family and town life before 1750.

The Great War found the United States unprepared, as is our custom. Excluding the Spanish American War debacle, we had never really fought overseas, and there was no one in the American military in 1917with any experience in the command or management of large formations. Fortunately there was John J. Pershing, who not only had the organizational skills but the political strength to build and hold together the new armies. Pershing's Herculean tasks of finding new leadership and eliminating deadwood, training the troops (and their leaders!), tapping civilian talent for special skills, organizing new staff functions and assimilating new technologies, so reminiscent of World War II, are well described here in Cooke's usual clear and workmanlike narrative; in a work essential for the World War I bookshelf and of interest to the general reader as well.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

The Photographic I Ching is one of those books that had a lasting effect on my life. This is due to the fact that I am a photographer and found the prints incredible. Gary Woods inspired me to make more ethereal images and to get back into older photo processes. The text was my first introduction to the I Ching and I found it fascinating. I was very disappointed to find that this book is now out-of-print. I can recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates Eastern thought and/or great photography. I myself am doing more research to find more of Gary Woods' photos on the internet and elsewhere.

Quarrier's Village Inverclyde, also known as Quarrier's Homes, this village was built in the late 19th Century by the philanthropist William Quarrier who aimed to care for 'destitute children', mainly from Glasgow; it also became a centre to care for people with epilepsy. Today about 200 people are cared for by the Quarrier's Homes organisation. There is a craft centre, coffee house, museum and heritage trail for visitors. William Quarrier 1829 - 1903 - Founder of Quarrier's Homes for orphans in Scotland. Born in Cross Shore Street Greenock in 1829. Numerous homes in Glasgow sent destitute youngsters to Canada where receiving centres placed them within suitable families. Formed various orphan homes in Glasgow before the Orphan Homes of Scotland were built between Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm between 1876-78. Laid out like a small town with school; post office shop; farm community and even its own hospital. In 1929 when the tenement in Cross Shore was demolished the archway entrance to the house was saved and rebuilt as the War Memorial at Quarrier's Homes.

Several years ago, a young co-worker asked me about Jimmy Carter and my response was that he was a much better ex-president than he was a president. His subsequent work in areas such as Habitat for Humanity as well as international relations has been excellent. He has served as a goodwill ambassador, election monitor and has negotiated several international agreements that favored the United States. He has also continued to be a champion of human rights causes throughout the world.
Contrasting his success after his presidency with his performance while in office demonstrates the reasons why his presidency is generally assigned a mediocre grade. His idealism in championing human rights was the most obvious example of the truism that idealism may help get you elected, but it gets in the way of governing effectively. In the age of the cold war and international tensions, a cold, heartless pragmatism seems to be the only thing that works.
I found Kaufman's explanations of the Carter presidency to be the most even-handed and honest that I have read. Carter made many mistakes, had some made for him and in other cases was just the victim of circumstances. Nevertheless, he did have some striking successes, the two most notable being the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt and the treaty relinquishing the Panama canal. In these events, Carter showed how much potential he really had as a president. I remember when the networks pre-empted their regular programming as Carter, Sadat and Begin came back from Camp David with the agreement in hand. It was a stunning achievement and it amazed the world. The magic of that moment is captured in the book, as well as the subsequent problems that continue to plague the region. Despite all the violence in the area of Palestine and Lebanon in the years since the accords were signed, the fact that Israel and Egypt still continue to have formal relations and are at peace show how sturdy those agreements are.
As someone who lived through those years and followed the Carter presidency in great detail, reading this book brought back a great deal of memories. Without attempting to boast, I do have an excellent memory, and the recounting of the events are all exactly as I remember them.
The author closes with a very important and often overlooked point. Carter's presidency is considered a failure, and yet he refused to negotiate away anything in order to release the hostages in Iran. Reagan's presidency is considered a success and yet he attempted a bribe for the release of the hostages in Lebanon by selling armaments to Iran. There is no doubt that on that point, Carter bests Reagan.
I would like to close this review with a personal point. Yes, Carter's pushing of human rights did create problems. But, when you consider that some of those whose rights were being violated, Walesa in Poland and Havel in the Czech Republic, rose to the leadership of their nations, perhaps he was just ahead of his time.

Protecting The American Homeland: A Preliminary Analysis is a methodical and highly serious account, collaboratively written by a team of Brooking scholars (Michael E. O'Hanlon; Peter R. Orszag; Ivo H. Daalder; I. M. Destler; David L. Gunter; Robert E. Litan; James B. Steinberg), laying out a four-tiered plan to support the efforts of the Bush administration and Congress to ensure America's security from terrorists... Offering suggestions such as increasing federal spending on homeland security to ... and then upgrading the authority of the director of the Office of Homeland Security rather than create a new superagency, Protecting The American Homeland is a well-thought out and welcome contribution to the current national dialogue as it offers an important perspective for our post-911 national security needs.

It gives a great deal of background information on public life during the times of the Bible. It gets into somewhat on how what gave Moses symbolizes what a Christian should do in his/ her life.

This is one of the best books on Joyce that I, a grad student, have read in a long time. It is superbly well written and makes Joyce relevant to what's going on today. The second chapter was a bit slow going, but the rest was really riveting stuff. Would recommend it for anyone who wants a good introduction to Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist, and Ulysses. Disappointing the author has nothing to say about Finnegans Wake.