It's easy to get depressed about the current state of the world, between 9/11, the looming threats from terrorism, the highly public business scandals and the threat of unemployment. But it's important to remember that things can get better, people have survived far worse, and that rather than complain about our lot in life, it's time to look at how we can learn from our misfortune and become better people and better citizens as a result of it. Such are the themes that run throughout "Personal Character and National Destiny".

The idea behind the book is simple, that strong personal character can allow an individual to overcome nearly any form adversity, and that a lot of such individuals make a great nation. However, what makes the book shine is the long list of examples that are used to illustrate this point, taken from the annals of American history. Rather than just a simple character sketch like you may have gotten in school, you're given a look into how these people developed throughout their lifetimes to become great Americans. These are presented in a friendly, accesible manner, and individual chapters explore different time periods and aspects of the central idea of personal character. While you may not want to read it all at once, reading a chapter or two and digesting the material over a few days will be a very rewarding experience.

Though Christmas has passed, it's not too late to give this book as a gift. I'm thinking mainly of kids in high school and college--it would make a great graduation present. For the lessons in this book to have any real impact, the message is going to have to be delivered to the youth of America. I've seen Bill O'Reilly make that suggestion with his books, and I think it would be an excellent idea to do the same with "Personal Character and National Destiny". It never hurts to let your kids know that this is a great nation, and can continue to be one for generations to come.

Why would anyone read a book about political philosophy? Maybe if the author is a close friend one could buy the thing and begin, but what would keep the pages turning? Here's what I found:

Harold's (Dr. Jones to you!) book is readable. His PhD has not resulted in his using strings of rare words lifted from a thesaurus. And the logic path is straightforward.

The book is relevant. It belongs with other clear and insightful books about our current condition and how we got here. And it points out clearly what we must do to survive the fate of other once-great, but now declining or fallen nations.

In my view, no intellectual piece is quite complete if not spiced with unforced humor in keeping with the author's personality. I can see Harold's smile as he delivers his frequent jabs.

Everyone loves surprises, and this book supplies them. In fact, it drops them on the reader when they are least expected; well-placed jolts to move you out of the media-induced mire. For example, who would think that the future of our nation depends on the stories we tell our children?! Read the book and you'll see that it's true.

Another jolt to those of us who sometimes enjoy whining rather than taking action is the historical proof Harold offers of its futility. He reminds us, for example, that Andrew Carnegie, who began work at age 13 as bobbin boy in a cotton mill for $1.20 a week because his father was unemployed, later netted $300 million when he sold his Carnegie Steel company. He "began lower, worked harder, had more lucky breaks, and rose higher than anyone ever conjured up by the imagination of a writer."

Finally, no book is worthy of the time required to read it, if it doesn't teach a useful and foundational truth. Harold shows that the "achievement imagery" concept is vital to economic progress, and is the force that can prevent the otherwise inevitable, and seemingly imminent decline of our beloved USA.

After some sixty to eighty years after they were first printed in the pages of the fabled pulp magazine "Adventure," these stirring tales by Harold Lamb of swordplay and strife in the wildest parts of medieval Asia are being re-issued. It has been too long. Congrats to the publisher for doing this. Now if we can only get the Khlit/Kirdy novels - White Falcon, Kirdy: the Way Out of the World and the Mighty Manslayer - out in print! Harold Lamb was one of the great early masters of historical fiction, his best single work is the novel "Durandal: A Crusader with the Horde" (Grant Books has printed part of this novel in two deluxe volumes - "Durandal" and "Sea of the Ravens," without completing the set). His "historical" non-fiction - Babur the Tiger, Nur Mahal, Omar Khayyam - is really good too!

It was the first time I saw a "Haynes Service and Repair manual", and I was suprised with the contents (technical information, photos and pictures).
I hope that this quality continues with the recent manuals for the new models.

Mary E. Cochran presents the story of Harold S. Jones, who in 1921 became the first American Indian bishop of the Episcopal Church. While much of Jones's narrative is in the third person, whenever possible editor Cochran allowed Jones to present his story "in his own words." Raymond A. Bucko and Martin Brokenleg's introduction does a good job of contextualizing Jones's story. The volume sheds considerable light on missionary activities among American Indians in the 20th century and offers welcome documentation of the complex interactions between Christian missionaries and Native peoples of the Plains. Choice, vol 28, no. 7 (March 2001).

What a find this book is!!! Having spent time this summer working on the Pine Ridge Reservation among the Lakota, I was thrilled to read a book containing not only historical facts, but "real life" detail. The joy, humor, sorrow, endurance, and faithfulness of this man of God (and those whose lives entwined with his) truly touched me. This book may be sucessfully used for historical, theological, sociological, or devotional purposes. Make sure to read and reread Fr. Deloria's (Tipi Sapa) testimony concerning Jesus, several times. It is the most compelling witness I have ever heard. It is no wonder that the little one, who listened to this wise man speak, grew up to be a Bishop.

In an England abandoned by People, covered in water and inhabitated only by scavenging animals, a small group of friends set out on a journey. Pal the dog, Ned the horse, Freda the cow, Pansy the kitten, Offa the pigeon, and Stanley, who doesn't know what he is. In order to find out his true idenity, the group takes a boat, the QV66, and begins the long and difficult journey from Carlisle to London Zoo. For there, they are sure, they will find the answer. Wit and wordplay abound, and the animals are delightfully ignorant of the human items they find, and their goofy explainations of them are often very funny. A fun, lighthearted read.

This book is - indubitably - the most enjoyable, intriguing, humourous, atmospheric, inventive and affecting novel for children yet written.

I was looking for some basic poems that my children and I could use to memorize some familiar old poems. This book was not what I expected. The poems are of an older style. While some poems are familiar like "Georgie Porgie puddin' pie" but others like "Here are my ladys forks and knives" was totally unfamiliar to me. I did enjoy the thick pages and illustrations, but wish I would have gone for Poems Old and New.

I first got this book at the library 15 years ago when my first child was a baby, and he and I loved it so much that I ordered a copy (ours is quite tattered.) It has lots of rhymes I grew up with and some less familiar to me. Cool pictures, and even some games to play with the rhymes. Now I'm ordering it for my little niece's first Christmas, a child whose mother's repertoire of nursery rhymes is sadly limited. I know she'll love it!

This is the classic of all classic nursery rhyme books. It contains all the rhymes you expect, plus a great many you have forgotten and some finger and hand games. The rhymes are one per page with an extremely pleasing color illustration that takes up the whole page devoted to that one rhyme. This is the book my mother read to me in the 60s, and I read it to my daughter in the 90s. It is not free of excessive violence (some nursery rhymes are violent), nor is it gender-neutral in any way. (Again, that is not a feature of traditional nursery rhymes.) I heartily recommend it anyway.

The work contains and abundance of valuable historical data on Hackett and is a MUST for his fans but I hoped for more personal glimpses into his private life: short, thin, hi fi enthusiast, drank off and on a little too much, never had a bad word for anyone, how his talent was raped and pillaged by Gleason, his quick wit and dry humor. There's just so much more.

For the price of this book, I wouldn't recommend purchasing it. The book does contain some good information, but only if the author went into more depth with each subject. I know that would have increased the size of the book, but maybe making a "Book1" and "Book2."

If you're that bored, than by all means, you can skim through this book, but as for a reference, I don't think so. After skimming through the various subjects and material, I haven't opened the book since!

This book would be better used for a person who wants to learn the basics of active electronic devices, but not to be used as a guide to do actual design, etc.

Very limited use of equations gave this book a good head start. As a book mainly used for reading, I wouldn't want to have a ton of equations like your grandpa's EE books.

This is a childs story of a stuff rabbit who decides to take a toy boat and go adventuring for a day. He has many adventures and runs into the domestic animals in the forest that help him on his way. Illustrations are pastorial and easy on the eye. The story line is rated for a 4-8 year old. Overall it was good.

One of the least notable attempts to capitalize on...100th anniversary>