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Book reviews for "Johns,_Eric" sorted by average review score:

The Anglo-Saxons
Published in Hardcover by Cornell Univ Pr (1982)
Authors: James Campbell, Eric John, Patrick Wormald, and Patrick Wormwald
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A great introduction
This well-illustrated volume provides an excellent introduction to the Anglo-Saxon period. The "picture essays" regarding coinage and other specialized topics help provide detail without interrupting what amounts to historic narrative.

The problems of using source documents are detailed as well as the triumphs of modern archealogy in expanding our understanding of this period of history.

The photographs, drawings, and maps compliment and support the text nicely.

Highly recommended as an introduction to the period and its people.

The best introduction available to Anglo-Saxon history.
Written by three of the leading historians of the Anglo-Saxon period, this is easily the best introduction to its subject. The writing is authoritative yet accessible, giving a good idea not only of the course of Anglo-Saxon history, but also of the problems with the sources and of disputes within the historical community. Only in the final chapters, by Eric John, do major historical disputes sometimes go unnoted; one would not know, e.g., from his discussion of Harold Godwineson that some historians greatly respect Harold, or that not all historians believe that Edward the Confessor firmly intended William of Normandy to succeed him. To his credit, however, John's presentation here is more orthodox than elsewhere (for his unadulterated views, see his contentious and delightful Reassessing Anglo-Saxon England).

The physical presentation of the book is far more attractive than is usual for textbooks. It is in a large format and lavishly illustrated, including a number of color pictures, and has several good maps of England (although it is curiously lacking in maps illustrating the European context of English history, and it could also use genealogical tables to help sort through some of the myriad characters). The bibliography is good up to 1981, the original date of publication, but unfortunately it was not updated when Penguin reissued the book, and thus cannot take account of the scholarship of the past two decades. It also has, regrettably, "secret" endnotes at the back of the book, not signaled in the text, which often lead the reader to primary source material and some secondary discussions; it is well worth the reader's effort to seek out the endnotes periodically.

In short, The Anglo-Saxons is highly recommended for anybody seeking a general introduction to the history of this period. My highest praise is that when I taught a university course on Anglo-Saxon history, this is the only book I considered for a main textbook.


The Cambridge Companion to the Bible
Published in Hardcover by Cambridge Univ Pr (Trd) (1997)
Authors: Howard Clark Kee, Eric M. Meyers, John Rogerson, and Anthony J. Saldarini
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Introduction to Biblical Studies
This is not a scholarly book in the sense that it's not part of any visible academic debate. It does not treat any particular issue in enough depth to be so.

It is, rather, a sort of textbook. Call it "Introduction to Academic Thought About the Bible." Following the order of the biblical texts and with detours to discuss such topics as the pseudepigrapha and the inter-testamental period, the book lays out basic issues of historical, archaeological and textual biblical criticism, such as, for instance, the idea of the J, E, D and P-authored components of the Old Testament, or the question to what extent the books of Joshua and Judges present different narratives of the conquest of Palestine by the Israelites, and what archaeology has to say about that conquest.

The book does not discuss theology (at least, not modern theology). If you're an inerrantist, this book is not what you're looking for. If you're reading the Bible for the first time, this is probably too much information and not the kind you need to help you follow the narrative. Though it has a section of color plates (and black and white photos throughout) and a limited number of maps, this is not an atlas. This is also not a debunk-the-Bible book -- mainstream believers in the inspired nature of the Biblical should by and large have no objection to the contents of this book.

But if you're generally familiar with the Bible, and interested in increasing your knowledge (in particular, I would suggest reading this alongside a reading of the Bible itself, a method to which the organization of this book lends itself) about Bible studies, I recommend this book without reservation.

Readable, yet scholarly
This book goes through the Bible historically and gives you the latest in textual and archeological research. It is an easy read, and it seems written for mass consumption, but it is not unscholarly. It is for true students of the Holy Scriptures and not for people who think the holy books are magic words from God. It is a sane, yet reverent approach to the study of ancient literature which we believe is inspired by God. It is NOT fundamentalist. If you are serious about Bible studies, then I recommend this volume whole-heartedly.


The Essence of Aikido: Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba
Published in Hardcover by Kodansha International (1994)
Authors: John Stevens, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, and Eric Chaline
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Ueshiba Essence and his spiritual writings!
For those martial artists who admire Morihei Ueshiba and fans of the editor/writer John Stevens. I appreciated the interesting portfolio of ancient aikido art, photos of the founder of AIKIDO and his "dynamic quality," DOKA. I very much enjoyed Ueshiba's japanese poetry and the valuable interpretations of his exotic poems. One may imagine learning some new insights into the fascinating art of aikido and spiritual poems of Ueshiba. World Class Aikido book! Mostly about the ESSENCE without the

aikido instruction type of book!

A serious study of Aikido with scholarly precision.
A venture into the mysterious depth of Aikido. A must for all serious scholars interested in the study of O-Sensei's work and art. Unsuitable for half-hearted novices as most contents require critical study.


Midsummer Night's Dream (Tales from Shakespear Series)
Published in Hardcover by Brimax Books Ltd (1996)
Authors: Eric Kincaid, William Shakespeare, and John Escott
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a young inspired reader
this book is an excellt book. i reccomend it to any one who would like to escape the real world and get a glimpse of Sheakspears magical make believe world, i reccomend this book to people of all ages.

faries rock
I think this book is the best, I'm not going to tell you about it. Buy it and see. If you like to escape the real world this is the book for you!


Monty Python and the Holy Grail Screenplay
Published in Paperback by Methuen Publishing, Ltd (2002)
Authors: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle
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Hilarious!!
This hilarious screen play is great for any Monty Python fan. I would reccomend buying the movie before you get the screen play but if you don't feel thats necessary then there won't be anyone to stop you. My favorite parts are the musical descriptions. "Possibly, atmospheric music playing in background." Even though I had already memorized the whole Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie this still entertained me for hours and hours.

The Paperback of the Screenplay of the Film!
Yes! Finally! The screenplay! Without all those colour pages! Without all of those annoying photographs! Without all of that jettisoned material! Without the accountants statements! Without any of that boring old "extra" rubbish!

It's just the screenplay.Or is it? Not exactly. Of course to the new Python fan,this is sold gold treasure.( Rightly so! ) So newbies...purchase away,without question!

BUT....what's in it for the jaded old "been there,seen that,tired of the tumultuous deluge of boring reprints",Monty Python fans? Well....firstly it has a NEW Cover!( Including four(!) reviews from some fine media sources! ).Secondly...it includes the full script to the recently re-edited in...."Missing 24 Seconds"! Thirdly....it has some alternate photos from the film! And perhaps most collectable of all....PAGE 75! Not just any Page 75,mind you. This Page 75 has an error! It has a full page photo of.....STAND INS! Yes,Brother Maynard and his friend,Eric Idle & Michael Palin,are missing,but a photo of their stand-ins IS included! How's THAT for a bargain?

Whether using it to re-enact the film with your Insurance Salesman,or beating the neighbour's terrier,or simply using it to balance that wobbly coffee table in your foyer; This is the book for you!


Non-Functional Requirements in Software Engineering (THE KLUWER INTERNATIONAL SERIES IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Volume 5)
Published in Hardcover by Kluwer Academic Publishers (01 October, 1999)
Authors: Lawrence Chung, Brian A. Nixon, Eric Yu, John Mylopoulos, and Brain A. Nixon
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Nice piece of work
This book provides an excellent framework, set of tools, and methodology to make system design decisions based on analysis non-functional requirements and "softgoals," often lacking in other software engineering methodologies and tools. In chapter 14 of the book, the authors provide extensions to the tools to model to analyze strategic rationale and business goals of a system, and apply them to a hypothetical business process re-engineering example. I believe that the authors here have presented a base set of tools and methodologies that have applications far beyond the field of software engineering as demonstrated in this chapter, and I look forward very much to see where this work will lead.

All you need to know about non-functional requirements.
From qualitative analysis to quantitative anlysis it is all there. Non-functional requirements (NFRs) are like the step-child to functional requirmeents but this book finally gives NFRs their due. It is a must read for any person in the software/systems engineering community. Especially impressive is the graphic representations which compliment the text.


A Passion for Truth: The Selected Writings of Eric Breindel
Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (1999)
Authors: Eric Breindel, John Podhoretz, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan
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Taut, critical writing of high quality
This collection is a fitting tribute to a gifted writer who chose to deploy his first-rate intellect in writings whose quality elevated them above the normal round of newspaper columns. The book comprises articles grouped across three broad subjects: anti-Communism, New York, and the fate of the Jews. The op-ed column may be an ephemeral form, but the subjects are of enduring significance and and Breindel's insights into them are often of startling originality.

It is salutary to note just how indulgent the American press can be of Communist totalitarianism, in a way that it never would be of extremism on the opposite flank. Clearly McCarthyism has had a disastrous effect on American public life, but not in the way that what Lionel Trilling termed the 'adversary culture' has ever understood. Breindel saw this, and reminded his readers that the tawdry history of Communist espionage in America, as revealed in the Venona decrypts, demonstrated that Communism really was a threat to the democracies and that opposing it was axiomatic to democratic politics.

Breindel's passionate commitment to the defence of Israel was, likewise, a function of his commitment to democratic values. When slippery evasions and idle prejudices make their way into so much commentary about Israel, it is heartening to read an intelligent and robust assertion of the essential truth that Israel's defence is as much a liberal cause as the overthrow of apartheid.

This book is an example of fine style and intellectual substance, eloquently expressed; it is well worth reading.

Eric Breindel Wrote The Truth - And Died Too Young!
I have just finished reading "A Passion For Truth: The Selected Writings of Eric Breindel" and have been truly stunned by the power and truth of this young man's writings. And I cannot keep his book down - nor one of the final pieces that he wrote (not in this slim volume) - a scathing criticism of State Department official Aaron Miller for shoving Yasser Arafat down the throat of the United States Holocaust Museum.

Breindel died two years ago, 42 and way too young.

In many ways he might have been a contemporary of mine - his worldview of the former Soviet Union and of those stupid Americans who spied for "Uncle Joe" based upon his impeccable research was the same as mine; his unbridled contempt of Racists whatever their skin color mirrored my own feelings; as well as his blunt perspectives on the refusal of the Democratic Party to ferret out Left Fascists.

And while I might not be a son of Holocaust survivors as the author was, I too share the views on Israel and on Nazi collaborators and terrorists expressed by the author in the chapter entitled: "Fate of the Jews".

This small book which only scratched the surface of Breindel's powerful writings, is one that should be a part of every thoughtful American's home library whatever your race, religion, or creed might be. For Eric Breindel was a decent, true patriotic Jewish American whose writings reflected his deep love of Country and Religion, and who sadly passed on much too early.


Principles and Practice of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Published in Hardcover by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers (15 April, 2001)
Authors: Kenneth L. Becker, John P. Bilezikian, William J. Bremner, Wellington Hung, C. Ronald Kahn, D. Lynn Loriaux, Eric S. Nylen, Robert W. Rebar, Gary L. Robertson, and Richard H., Jr Snider
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Becker's Endo
Quite good in reviewing the basic pathophysiology of endocrine disorders.
This book is becoming the standard for fellows in endocrinology.

Concise Endocrinology Textbook
This textbook is very user friendly. I prefer this text over the William's textbook of Endocrinology. Very well organized with many good illustrations and tables. Has appendix of endocrine testing as well as common drugs used in endocrinology. Highly reccomended.


Quacks and Crusaders: The Fabulous Careers of John Brinkley, Norman Baker, and Harry Hoxsey
Published in Hardcover by Univ Pr of Kansas (2002)
Author: Eric S. Juhnke
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SHOCKING!!
This book is all the more shocking when you realize that RIGHT NOW the taxpayer, thanks to credulous politicians like Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Dan Burton and others, is being made to pay for "medical care" that is every bit as crazy as the things in this book. Someday someone will write a book like this but it will be about *present-day* nonsense, including a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (the only center in the NIH oriented around the needs of practitioners - CAM practitioners in this case - as opposed to the needs of patients) that pays for psychic power therapy, a White House Commission on CAM headed by a former devotee of the Bhagwan guru whose group launched a biological attack in Oregon, and on and on ...

Bilking the Credulous
We have had a boom in interest in "alternative health care" recently, but that interest has been with us ever since there has been a medical establishment to which there could be "alternatives." In the American Midwest in the 1930s three alternative healers began a rise to financial, social, and political power. _Quacks & Crusaders: The Fabulous Careers of John Brinkley, Norman Baker, and Harry Hoxsey_ (University Press of Kansas) by Eric S. Juhnke documents the rise and fall of all three medical conmen, and gives a lesson in the dangers of credulousness.

John Brinkley was a licensed doctor, having graduated from a diploma mill. He latched on to the "gland transplant" experiments done on animals, and believed that transplanting animal glands into humans was a key for rejuvenation. "A man is as old as his glands, and his glands are as old as his sex glands," he proclaimed. Male goats were the randiest animals, so they were the tissue donors, but they turned out to be just the thing to boost female fertility and development of the bust, too. He compared himself to Jesus, gave sermons, and demonized the American Medical Association. Norman Baker specialized in cancer cures. He worked as a machinist and in vaudeville before settling down in Muscatine, Iowa. He persuaded city officials to let him start a radio station that would present honest-to-goodness down home programs as opposed to the high-brow fare coming from the cities. Baker called Morris Fishbein, the head of the AMA, the "Jewish dominator of the medical trust of America," and insisted that his clinic was a bastion for personal freedom and against the evils of urban industrialism. Harry Hoxsey proved to have the most staying power. He specialized in herbal cancer cures as well. Not a physician, he was able to enroll renegade physicians into his service, and he was bankrolled by an evangelist minister. In Dallas, he enjoyed poker, nightclubs, and womanizing, and his diatribes against interference by the AMA and the government won him friends from the political right wing.

Juhnke's tales of these colorful characters are great fun to read, even though the rascals bilked many of their patients of money and sometimes their lives. The eventual success of the AMA against them is not a pure victory; the shortcomings of the AMA at the time are examined here, too. Few people remember these quacks now. The towns that boosted them because they brought in business now view them as an embarrassing part of their histories. It is important that Juhnke has brought them again to our attention. We may no longer have such manifestations as goat gland transplants, but anyone who watches television knows that herbal cures, homeopathy, and healing magnets are still taking money from the gullible. There is still a large group of potential patients who view organized medicine (and governmental regulation of medical treatment) as some sort of conspiracy, and of course there are plenty of faith healers who are glad to have their flocks doubting the efficacy of regular medical treatment. People are finding it harder to pay for physicians, and drug costs are up. Brinkley, Baker, and Hoxsey may have eventually lost their power and their millions, but Juhnke's useful study reminds us that there are always healers ready to take their place.


You Know You're Mormon If
Published in Paperback by Origin Books Sales (1996)
Authors: Jim Brinkerhoff, John M. Adams, and Eric Boden
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Funny, funny, book!
Brinkerhoff did the number with his humorous cartoons on the funny little differences with Mormon people and their habbits. Really a good coffee book that will get lots of good conversation--not pro or against the church, just a good understanding of ideas.

Great humorous book! All true interesting insights
Get a good look at the funny things Mormons do different than most religions. Good little book with cartoons that really nail the differences of being a Mormon.


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