Don't get the wrong idea. This book IS an entertaining read, but that is about it. There are many books in the "Gurdjieff field". Most are fairly shallow because they are "about" events and personalities of people involved in the "work". Other books are first hand accounts and though subjective too, reading of the difficulties that "veterans" encounter as well as the insights they experience can be useful to those seeking the same path. Only a handful of books are truly essential (as far as reading goes). This book belongs to the first category mentioned above. Full of many interesting stories and conjecture, this is not a book for those looking at gaining a deeper understanding of what is ultimately important. However, water does indeed seek it's own level and for those wanting a good fix of the superficial, this book is for you. I'd be careful about buying this book as a gift.

Anyone who is at this site has the very exciting prospect of finding the actual TRUTH. A huge claim you may say but one that was made by Gurdjieff. Questions such as is there life after death can be answered. The question more importantly is can you accept the answers. Having read much in this line I was enthralled when I found such an excellent book in my favourite second hand bookshop. Whilst it didn't fall of the shelves it was THERE. Webb has touched the very essence of the work and he is to be congratulated on the presentation of the work. There are times when we know that we have finally got it right. Knowing is a solid element. I strongly recommend the book to searchers of the Truth.

I write this review from the perspective of one who is interested in reading about the history and documentation of same-sex love, but who is not an academic, a linguist, or has any special interest in the history of literary styles. I offer this explanation because while this book is tremendously fascinating in its historic and biographical material, it at times lost my interest when going deeply into literary interpretation and syntactic analysis. For example, the first chapter on the history and style of writing love letters, or "letters of desire" as the author coins it, I found uninspiring and difficult. However, it does lay the groundwork for the author's study of James' letters.

Having said that, I nonetheless found the book extremely informative, both about James' life and how his contemporaries viewed his life.

The first section covers James' association with Esme Stuart who became the Duke of Lennox. What was of particular interest to me was the fact James was just 13 years old and Stuart 37 when they first met. The description of their first meeting makes it unmistakeable to the reader that the two had indeed fallen in love. The biographical information on how the church leaders and other politicos involved in James' life broke up the relationship was extremely interesting and saddening. But the reader shouldn't interpret these actions as purely coming from the realm of the church's "condemnation of homosexuality." Because there was no such thing at the time as "homosexuality." That was a term and a concept that wouldn't be coined for another 200 years. Rather, the condemnation was over "lying with a man as though a woman." Because of James' young age, it is quite possible that he had taken the submissive role, or that his advisors presumed that he was taking the submissive role. What really happened we don't know. But if the king were in a submissive role, then Stuart was having an undo influence over the young king. Having the king taking the role of a woman would have been blasphemous.

This notion is given further support during the chapter discussing the king's relationship with George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. In one of the king's letters, he refers to Buckingham as not only his "dear son" and the king the father, but also as "wife" and the king being "husband." In one letter, Buckingham writes: "my thoughts are only bent of having my dear Dad and master's legs soon in my arms." This phrase also suggests that Buckingham took the submissive role in his relationship with the king.

Which fits in naturally with the culture of the times. Both James and his "favorites" married and sired children, as the king saw marriage and raising a family an obligation to be joyfully fulfilled. And throughout Renaissance Europe, it was acceptable for a man to play the dominate (top) role during sexual relations with another male, with the submissive generally being younger because it was then excusable for the youth to be a bottom because he was in a submissive role anyway because of age.

It is also made clear in the book that James' other advisors disapproved of his relationships with his favorites not so much because they viewed the physical relationship as being immoral, but because of James' lavish endowment of titles and gifts, and consequently power to his favorites. The book does reveal critics, both contemporary and later, of the king's behavior who found the intimacy of these relationships unseemly and even "disgusting." And it is amusing to read how some of these critics eschewed discussing in detail the nature of the relationships.

In all it is a good book, but for the general reader of the history of same-sex relationships, it may be a bit troublesome and slow to plod through. For example, if I read the book at night while in bed, I usually fell asleep after just one page. If I read it in the morning, then I could read upward of a dozen or so pages.

First and foremost, the letters between King James and his three male "favorites" are fascinating. Even the little, unintended cultural insights are interesting, for instance, that "gossip" meant godfather, that "Steenie" is short for Stephen, or that the king of Spain had given James an elephant as a gift.

With the author's help in establishing the king's difficult passage into manhood, and his piety as a Christian primitivist, as well as his love of literature--ditto for the gripping biographical sketches of the king's "sweet hearts"-- one cannot read some of the more beautiful passages without being profoundly touched. There is the time James wrote to George Villiers, Marquess of Buckingham, that "for protest to God I rode this afternoon a great way in the park without speaking to anybody and the tears trickling down my cheeks, as now they do that I can scarcely see to write. But alas, what shall I do at our parting?" Or on another occasion, "I had rather live banished in any part of the earth with you than live a sorrowful widow's life without you."

Other times the content is more "saucy," to use Villiers's term. A good example is his own letter to the king: "All the way hither I entertained myself your unworthy servant with this dispute, whether you loved me now ... better than at the time which I shall never forget at Farnham, where the bed's head could not be found between the master and his dog. ... --Your majesty's most humble slave and dog, Steenie"

The letters come from the manuscript collections of the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and so on, where Bergeron saw and transcribed from holographs, correcting occasional mistakes or intentional glosses from previous historians who have from time to time cited or published versions of these letters, or mentioned them in an embarrassed footnote. The letters have not been otherwise previously collected in such a topical form.

Bergeron does careful work as a scholar; that this does not translate into equal achievement as a writer is okay. Perhaps more seriously, though, are a few puzzling lapses, such as his use of a secondary source for an important speech by King James to the Privy Council in 1617, and the fact that the abbreviated footnote does not have a corresponding bibliographic entry, but again, I'm willing to overlook minor distraction for the strengths the book demonstrates. After reading it, I only want to read more by Bergeron.

Oh, by the way, I suppose that no one needs to point out the obvious implications for fundamentalist Christians: those who (1) use the King James Bible only, and allow no other biblical translation, and then (2) use the same Bible to theologically bludgeon homosexuals. This further reminds me that if there are any fellow Mormons out there, you will want to know that the letters refer to Apostle Boyd K. Packer's seventh-great-grandfather John Packer, who was the "patronage secretary" of King James's lover, Duke Buckingham--according to corroborative data in Donna Smith Packer's book, "On Footings from the Past: The Packers in England" (self-published by the Boyd K. Packer family, 1988, 488 pp.). Although Donna doesn't mention that Buckingham was in love with the king, but she does mentions that John Packer was forty years old when he married. What's my point? Well, maybe just that it's a small world. Enjoy the Bergeron book.

How it is I do not know but the majority, vast majority, of books on this exciting period put me to sleep. Not Mr. Arnold. He has a fluid style which manages to entertain as well as inform. Why not 5 stars? The maps are crude and the Order of Battle does not include number of effectives present per regiment.

I found 'Napoleon Conquers Austria' to be a well researched and written book covering the 1809 campaign for Vienna. The author presented the campaign in such a fluid style that I lost track of time whilst reading the book. His account of the Battle of Wagram was excellent and there was 13 maps to assist the reader to follow the action. I think that the maps could have been better presented but they were sufficient, the illustrations (19) were interesting with some recent photos of the battlefields. Overall this was an easy to read account of this famous campaign and it was an enjoyable journey to take. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Napoleonic history.

This is a good book to get you started in the foreclosure business. Written by an attorney. I also recommend How To Pick Up Foreclosures.Fortunes are big made right now in foreclosures.

THIS WAS AN EASY TO READ, VERY INFORMATIVE BOOK ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF REAL ESTATE.

This was an ok book to read, just a little to one sided for my taste, but still a good book.

Masterful, well-researched/documented and very approachable for all audiences. Continues the great tradition of helping Bible students, seekers, skeptics, sages and saints wrestle with genuine and apparent Bible mysteries that have puzzled thoughtful readers for centuries. This book places Kennedy in the all-time great apologist list including C.S.Lewis, Josh McDowell, John MacArthur, Hank Hanegraaf, Walter Martin, R.C. Sproul, Norman Geisler and more recently Lee Strobel. Dr. Kennedy is wise to maintain mystery where Scripture does not reveal complete information to resolve; but where genuine progress can be made to understand apparent contradictions, doctrinal dichotomy, paradox, antinomy, this resource provides fresh material for resolution as far as humanly possible. Although obviously a scholar with a penetrating intellect, Dr. Kennedy keeps the conversation practical and down to earth for a wide audience. The goal is not merely information for the mind, but transformation of the heart and edification of the soul. This book achieves all three. It would make a great gift for searching friends who have sincere doubts about the Bible, but it also pulls no punches about the more troubling, difficult truths that need to be faced squarely and reflectively. Well done! Another must-read addition to the personal library!

Spike Lee; an outspoken writer, actor, producer, bussinessman and noted director Spike Lee hasn't rested on his achievments rather he keeps going. When I read this book it really caught my eye this man is really out to help his race break through the barrier that has held them back since slavery. He even stipulates in his contracts for movies and commercials that blacks be hired to work behind the scenes. I truly believe that this book brought out his inner-character, which I truly believe I can get an understanding for now that I read this inspirational book. I recommend this book for anyone who believes strongly in self-character because Spike Lee's got it.

it's Fantastic Reading about this Brother.he is Very Deep.One OF The Greatest Film-Makers Ever.he has done so much To UpLift THe HUman Vibe.it's very Important for African-AMerican Story's to be told&seen Uncut the way Spike does.he gives back&helps bring in New Blood.He stays Loyal.he is Challenging&makes you ask Questions.A Brother with a Purpose who continues to make a Difference.

100 Ways To Say I lOVE Mother is a heart warming collection of teachings, memories and experience written by James Watson about his mother. Straight from the heart, it is easy to read. Each page provides a profile of what a special woman the author's mother is. However, it is equally applicable to any mother who truly cares about her children.

Mr. Watson metaphorically presents a rose to his mother with each page expressing his gratitude and love for her. Indeed, the bouquet of one hundred roses reflected in 100 Ways To Say I Love Mother is a beautiful presentation. For children of all ages, who may have difficulty expressing their feelings, Mr. Watson has provided a beautiful bouquet of words and emotions for Mom.

As we struggle to grow from childhood into individual adulthood, there is often confusion about " the good mother" and " the bad mother". In reality, mothers are human beings and individuals just like anyone else. As psychologist and a mother myself, I know the struggle to accept and be accepted as Mom from both sides of the fence. The bottom line is that as long as our mothers and those of us who become mothers are "good enough" to pass on core values and the meaning of life to our children, that is all we can ask of our Mothers or ourselves.

Reading Mr.Watson's book, it is clear his mother more than passed the test in raising a son, and man, who can so clearly convey his love and the values learned from her in childhood.

Kudos to you, Mr. Watson, for presenting this book not only to your mother, but to those who wish to be express the same things to their mothers. And a special bouquet to you, Mrs. Watson, for raising such a loving son, who respects not only his mother, but his wife, his daughter and women everywhere. A job well done! Obviously, this book is only one expression of how James lives the lessons you have taught him-and I cannot think of a better way for him to say, " I LOVE YOU MOTHER"

Reviewer: Marie A. DiCowden, Ph.D

Amongst numerous hermeneutics Books in stores, this one is quite different from others.

Using the multidisciplinary approach, it starts with the historical perspective and canonical approach in the first two chapters. Each chapter also spends a good length for a detail and scholarly illustration of both approaches. The subsequent chapter discusses the theological perspective of Bible reading. In tackling the misconception that theology is unrelated to Bible reading, or even causes bad influence to Christian lives, Packer argues why these are not truth and illustrates how theology nurtures our Bible reading and rescues us from being lost when in the "forest" of the Bible.

The book then discusses Bible reading from a wider context, the sociological, postmodernism perpectives and finally back to context of the reader, the prespective of spirituality: a discussion on the act of Bible reading from a comprehensive context.

The book is an exellent one and the authors offer many sound points, especially the last three chapters. The authors successfully relates Bible reading in the culture of our modern/postmodern world and point out the blindspot of our culture and provide a new perspective using the good "old" truth of the Bible. For example, in the chapter of "postmodern truth", the writer first pointed out the blindspots of both modernism and postmodernism. The former treats the world as an engine, using the same way to extract what we want from the world thus becoming the "metanarrative" of others. The latter is too pessimistic that knowledge is only a construction and there is no truth. Using the fact that human being is only part of the creation, knowledge is not a human construct but a response to our world. As the creation, truth is comprehensible, although not ultimate, but still enough for us to communicate with the world. Moreover, our fallen human nature results that human being uses knowledge to the good as well as the bad. While the postmodernism holds the idea that knowledge only serves a purpose to obtain power to suspress/control others, we cannot ignore the other side of the truth as previously mentioned.

In view of readibility, I would give a relatively lower score. Probably, this is caused by the apporach it used. Although multidisciplinary approach gives many different perspectives on Bible reading, written from the hand of the scholars, it also demands the readers equipped with multidisciplinary basic background knowledge. For instance, the basic knowledge of postmodernism, existentialism, Marxism and so forth. In addition, a good basic theological knowledge is important to understand the points made by the readers or else it is very difficult to follow the points made by the author.

McWilliams and Steele have done a great job in bringing together many previously published sources to give an overview of this most important battle. For the first and last time the Canadian and Australian Corps fought side by side and the combination was devastating to the Imperial German Army. On the right flank the French Army kept pace with the Canadians. On the left flank the British had trouble keeping up with the Australians as they had more difficult terrain to cover. Nevertheless the combined force tore a gaping hole in the German lines and led General Ludendorf to declare it the Black Day of the German Army in the First World War.
While my interest was in the Canadians, I found the sections on the other armies well done. The British advance was much slower than the Australian and Canadian advances on the first day and the authors explain this in terms of the ground the British had to cover and the tactical situation as the battle began.
I especially liked the way the authors were able to describe the tank actions. It was the second major use of tanks in the First World War and their presence on the battlefield helped achieve the first day objectives. It was also evident that even in a breakthrough battle cavalry could not operate in their 19th century role.
There is an excellent section on the use of air power, in fact on its misuse as the planes of the time could not carry enough bombs to isolate the German front line from its rear echelons. The planes would have been better used in close support.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

James Collins is a management researcher from Boulder (Colorado) and Jerry Porras is a professor of organizational behavior and change at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. This article is based on their novel 'Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies'.

In this 1996-article, the authors explain the successful companies have core values and core purpose that remain fixed while their business strategies and practices adapt to a changing world. Great companies understand the difference between what should never change and what should be open for change. Vision provides guidance about what core to preserve and what future to stimulate progress toward. Vision consists of two major components: (1) Core ideology defines the enduring character of an organization - a consistent identity, in which core values are the essential and enduring tenets of an organization, and core purposes is the organization's reason for being. The role of core ideology is to huide and inspire, not to differentiate. It needs to be meaningful and inspirational only to people inside the organization. (2) Envisioned future consists of vision-level Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAG) and vivid description. Big, hairy, audacious goals are often bold missions, although they should be clear and compelling, and are a powerful way to stimulate progress. Vivid description is a vibrant, engaging, and specific description of what it will be like to achieve the BHAG. It serves as a translation of the vision from words into pictures in which passion, emotion and conviction are an essential part.

Great strength of this article is that the authors recommend a conceptual framework to define vision and give practical guidance for articulating a coherent vision within an organization. They also provide reassurance for people with less imagination - according to the authors building a visionary company requires 1% vision and 99% alignment. Great article, which resulted in me buying their book 'Built to Last'. Jim Collins has recently published his latest book 'Good to Great' (October 2001). The authors use simple US-English.