If you've ever taken a guided factory tour, you know the difference between someone reciting memorized facts and someone who can call upon a deep reservoir of knowledge, accumulated over a lifetime, for information that will illuminate a particular subject. Mr. Kelley clearly belongs in the latter class. Reading his book, it is apparent that we are only scratching the surface of what this remarkable historian knows about the complex interplay of history, politics, personality and nature that conspired to produce the water system northern California has today.

The story of California water is fascinating, although perhaps only of real interest to Californians. Nevertheless, even if only for that audience, Mr. Kelley has written an entirely readable, yet simultaneously scholarly volume. Anyone interested in an introduction to the state of northern California's water situation should begin with this book.

In a general sense, however, this book is also about changing political and sociological trends in America beginning around 1850. The focus is on flooding in the Sacramento Valley, and its battles between gold miners and valley farmers, or between Republican engineers and Democratic populists, but parallels are probably found elsewhere in our country during the same period of history. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

This was a superb book and is now a "Classic". I read this book in the late eighties and quickly re-directed my entrepreneurial path. For the better I might add. This guy, wrote this book when he was in his mid twenties -- it was amazing that a person of his age could "Know" so much about setting up, managing, marketing and thriving in a "Self Employed" manner was astonishing! He was lauded with much due praise and thought of as a sort of "Mozart of Consulting" -- I re-read this book ALL the time. I have 2 copies use them one at my studio and one at home. I've frequently bought extras as gifts. Grab a copy of this book -- you will not be sorry ~

When an american scientist finds the project that he has been working on is for a dangerous secret weapon he takes all the information and runs. He hopes to find someone in the government that he can trust to help him. In the meantime the Iraqi government wants the weapon and information and leads the scientist and his wife on an adventure they will never forget.

Even thirty years after its first publication,the world is not ready for Robert Kelly's Scorpions, but of course that's the whole point. In his first novel, Kelly, one of our most accomplished poets, knocks his hero, his readers, and the whole novel form out of their respective boxes and sends them all somewhere that they've never been before, creating, like any truth revealed in the midst of accepted falsehood and delusion, outrage, groping bewilderment, and fear. No one is ever ready for that.

Kelly is concerned with what's new, with what else the world has to offer, and is troubled by those who turn back upon themselves for security, denying the new and unknown, the exciting, for the safety of the old, the thing done before. Kelly's protagonist is a successful New York psychiatrist, a man whose chosen profession returns explorers of the unknown to accepted patterns of human normality. The doctor is himself a lover of patterns, beyond the demands of his practice. His private life is encased in rituals, his every action is scheduled and accompanied by appropriate incantations, the nature of ritual being, of course, the maintenance of patterns, the status quo, or a return to some previous safe condition of human experience. In The Scorpions ritual shuts out the new, confines rather than expands, and thereby leaves those who depend upon it vulnerable when the ritual goes unobserved, either by reality or by the dependent.

Kelly sees to it that the doctor's patterned existence is disturbed -- he sends him on a quest for the Scorpions, a mysterious cult whose members are visible to humans only under ultraviolet light. In the course of the drive south in his lavishly equipped Rolls Royce, a rolling fortress of enclosure, the doctor encounters a number of unexplainable and unconnected circumstances, his ritual pattern cannot compensate for the strangeness of events, breaks down, and we watch him transformed from a mildly obnoxious paranoid into a savage maniac. His whole way of life, the turning of reality into concept, categorizing it, and capturing it under his own terms, fails him when he is faced with something entirely new, something that will simply not fit his predetermined patterns.

The novel places the same difficult demands upon its readers as it does the doctor, and for the same reasons. Our conceptualization of the novel as a literary form has become as patterned, structured, and ritualized as the doctor's concept of life. We read a novel by means of predetermined critical standards -- we look for symbols, for meaningful repetition of forms, continuity, a unity of action toward a single goal, something to grasp and hold in order to jump in. Kelly challenges us by rejecting these devices -- they've all been used before and to repeat them would be to deny the new and bow before pattern, to bring us ultimately no farther than we were when we began. Progress, newness, denotes linear movement, not circular movement. What we are asked to grasp in order to hold The Scorpions is the very fact that the literary devices which we expect to find in a novel, the devices of circular and intertwined movement, are simply not there. The doctor's movement is ever forward, arranged only in time, and the answer to events in one fascinating chapter will not be revealed in the next fascinating chapter, or ever, because there never is an answer to life's real events. In The Scorpions and in the world at large, things exist whether rationality can organize them or not.

The nature of this novel defies the possibility of an "ending" as we ordinarily know it. The artistically contrived ending in the fiction to which we are accustomed calls all the previous action to a single spot and turns upon it in a triumph of resolution. But The Scorpions, for all its mythical quality, is concerned with what is rather than with what we would have, and Kelly's novel concludes in an artistic master stroke that we've never seen before, except in a premonitory moment earlier in the story. It is the Holy Grail and the pot of gold that are myths, the quests for them that are real. In The Scorpions the things we find in search of the treasure are the treasure, beautifully crafted by one of the masters of our language.

It's wonderful to see The Transatlantic Persuasion back in print again. Kelley's book, one of the truly seminal works in Anglo-American intellectual history, offers insight into 19th century liberal thought that remain with one for a lifetime, especially his treament of the 'outsider' status of key figures such as Gladstone. Although this is a specialized work in a fairly narrow field, the book is very well written and accessible to anyone with even a passing knowledge of 19th century Europe and America. As a former student of Kelley's in the 1970's, I have recommended the book often over the past 30 years, with uniformly positive reactions. Kelley, who is now deceased, was a wonderful teacher and a profoundly good man.

While this is not a word-for-word translation of the famous text, it is instead an inspired one. We use portions of the book in our Egyptian/Kemetic/Tamaran Temple rituals, and it always proves to be at the least enlightening, and at the best utterly transformational. Stodgy and stilted, the translations of the last century (and before) do not speak to the heart, to the living ritualist who seeks not to mechanically ressurect the ancient Egyptian religion but who instead worships the Netjer because of how they are touched by this path. The Netjer is very much alive, and although I don't like some of Ellis' other works in this area, "Awakening Osiris" is truly divinely inspired and breathes life and understanding into the Osirian mysteries and beyond. Highly recommended for both personal meditation and temple use.

It is a pity this book is now out of print. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful and deeply moving translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead there is. Each chapter is a marvel of mystical and poetic vision. It is the kind of book one doesn't just read through; one spends many months savoring each of its chapters.

This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read. In this "translation" of the Book of Going Forth By Day (the original Egyptian name for the Book of the Dead) Ellis sings the world into existence and exposes the very depths of my soul like no other writer ever has. It is not a literal translation, but more of a contemporary reflection of what the various chapters mean, a very poetic, smoothly flowing meditation on "Becoming Osiris" and living life like the gods we are. If you've ever been interested in Egyptian thought or mythology, you will love this book!
I am Osiris. I walk between the two worlds. I am the maker of myths. I remember all that was and what will be. I am eternal, existing for the millions of years. When you see the sun, remember me, remember your Self.

This book provides very good advice on how security works, and some way hackers had invaded systems.

Includes, Java, CGI, SATAN, Kerberos but lacks an step by step advice to protect networks. The book is all about Unix...

This book cover a width range of themes, include security for winnt, unix. Also cover security with CGI, Java.. Excellent !!!

For a young adult novel this story captures the imagination and heart as the movie it is a companion piece too did. Paiting and even more rich and vivid depiction of the world the main character Ryan falls into. It is rare to find a novel that can fill one with the nostalgic happines and leave one longing for more.

A sure-fire page turner. I just coun't put it down. You could really feel for the heros and cheer them on. I'll definately be seeing the movie May 2nd

This book is excellent for attacking misconception stalls (bad thinking habits based on a misunderstanding of the circumstances) that retard almost all careers. Everyone I know who had a fast rising career used the principles in this book: But they had to figure out some of the principles for themselves.

As a young person, many lack the experience and judgment to derive these principles. For example, many will see conforming to the views of co-workers (many of whose careers are going nowhere) as the way to get ahead. Not!

As your first step toward becoming a star at work, read this book and apply its principles. If you want to go further and be a Superstar at work, read on for more instructions you will need.

Careers are also plagued by other flawed thinking habits not explored in this book including poor communications (assuming the message is received and understood without checking), disbelief in promising new ideas and technologies (check these new perspectives out carefully before you dismiss them), tradition (habits that have outlived their usefulness), bureaucracy (having people involved unnecessarily), harmful procrastination (delaying when the situation is deteriorating), and avoiding ugliness (everyone else avoids it also, so the best opportunities are often in the most unattractive aspects of your operations).

To be most successful, you need to be able to create better solutions.

The way to do this is to (1) learn the value of measurements (nothing improves that is not measured) (2) measure everything you can about important processes in your key activities (each measurement will teach you something you need to know) (3) identify the best practices anyone has ever done in these areas (especially by looking outside your industry), and anticipate where these best practices will be in 5 years (4) assemble best practices together in new ways that no one has ever done before to exceed the future best practice (5) identify the ideal best practice (the best people will ever be able to do -- for communications this will be having everyone get the message in one second, like shouting "fire" in a crowded theater where smoke and flames are evident) (6) find ways to approach the ideal best practice by applying the analogy of where humans do it almost perfectly now to your situation (7) assemble the right people, resources and incentives to get the job done and (8) repeat the process (you will get better at it and find better ideas, each you time you do this again).

Further, a lot of people are oblivious to the powerful trends around them. The most effective people will find ways to turn these trends to their advantage, regardless of how the trend shifts.

If you teach someone else these ideas, you will learn them even better, and proven yourself as a leader.

NOW YOU CAN REALLY BE A SUPERSTAR AT WORK! Good luck!

Don't forget to be a superstar in your personal life, as well.

When I review a book, I consider a number of different factors. Among my considerations is the suitability of the book to what appears to be the intended market-the intended reader.

Looking at a title like "How to be a Star at Work," I assume that the book is designed to inspire and instruct people who are not stars at work. Perhaps I'm being a bit pedantic here, but I question how many non-stars would gleefully pick up a 300+ page book to learn the Secrets of Business Life.

OK, I've got that out of my system. Let's dig a little deeper. The book is based on research, written by a college professor. Kelley teaches at Carneigie Mellon University's business school and, as may be expected, does a lot of research and publishing. Goes with the territory. This book reports on ten years of research at major companies, revealing nine factors for success: initiative, networking, self-management, perspective, followership, leadership, teamwork, street smarts, and show-and-tell (to the right audience).

As you read that list, you may be thinking, "no-brainer; should I waste my time with this book?" On a shallow level, that's a fair assessment. As you read deeper through these pages, however, you'll discover many subtle innuendos in each of these categories. You'll learn from the thought-provoking anecdotes-all with the names changed, of course. The experiences of the employees described are somewhat interwoven with political issues that are more prevalent in large companies than smaller enterprises. This environment-resident factor may taint your sense of relevance if you don't work for a big organization, but don't be fooled. The advice is solid for all sizes of employers.

This book may not be read heavily by its assumed primary target, but will still be quite valuable to supervisors, managers, leaders, and mentors who coach and guide others to improve their effectiveness and strategic career development.

How to Be a Star at Work is excellent for attacking misconceptions that retard almost all careers. Everyone I know who had a fast rising career used the principles in this book: But they usually had to figure out some of the principles for themselves.

As a young person, many lack the experience and judgment to derive these principles. For example, many will see conforming to the views of co-workers (many of whose careers are going nowhere) as the way to get ahead. Not true!

As your first step toward becoming a star at work, read this book and apply its principles. If you want to go further and be a Superstar at work, read on for more instructions you will need.

Careers are also plagued by other flawed thinking habits not explored in this book including poor communications (assuming the message is received and understood without checking), disbelief in promising new ideas and technologies (check these new perspectives out carefully before you dismiss them), tradition (habits that have outlived their usefulness), bureaucracy (having people involved unnecessarily), harmful procrastination (delaying when the situation is deteriorating), and avoiding ugliness (everyone else avoids it also, so the best opportunities are often in the most unattractive aspects of your operations).

To be most successful, you need to be able to create better solutions.

The way to do this is to (1) learn the value of measurements (nothing improves that is not measured) (2) measure everything you can about important processes in your key activities (each measurement will teach you something you need to know) (3) identify the best practices anyone has ever done in these areas (especially by looking outside your industry), and anticipate where these best practices will be in 5 years (4) assemble best practices together in new ways that no one has ever done before to exceed the future best practice (5) identify the ideal best practice (the best people will ever be able to do -- for communications this will be having everyone get the message in one second, like shouting "fire" in a crowded theater where smoke and flames are evident) (6) find ways to approach the ideal best practice by applying the analogy of where humans do it almost perfectly now to your situation (7) assemble the right people, resources and incentives to get the job done and (8) repeat the process (you will get better at it and find better ideas, each you time you do this again).

Further, a lot of people are oblivious to the powerful trends around them. The most effective people will find ways to turn these trends to their advantage, regardless of how the trend shifts.

If you teach someone else these ideas, you will learn them even better, and proven yourself as a leader.

Now you have everything you need to be a superstar at work, except for the proper goals. Write them down! Review them frequently! You will outperform 97 percent of everyone else with just this focus . . . before you apply this book.

Don't forget to be a superstar in your personal life, where it's tougher . . . but more meaningful . . . to do!

I am a big California rivers environmental history buff, and I found this book to be too similar to his publication "Gold v. Grain" which debuted over 40 years ago. This book is essentially an extension of "Gold v. Grain" that covers the 1960s-1980s. Much of the earlier chapters are virtually cut and pasted verbatim from his previous book. Despite these criticisms, it remains (to my knowledge) the most comprehensive book written about the Sacramento River to date. Until a better book on the Sac comes along, this is probably the one to read for factual information, and for more conceptual/abstract stimulation, I recommend "Organic Machine" by Richard White.

If you've ever taken a guided factory tour, you know the difference between someone reciting memorized facts and someone who can call upon a deep reservoir of knowledge, accumulated over a lifetime, for information that will illuminate a particular subject. Mr. Kelley clearly belongs in the latter class. Reading his book, it is apparent that we are only scratching the surface of what this remarkable historian knows about the complex interplay of history, politics, personality and nature that conspired to produce the water system northern California has today.

The story of California water is fascinating, although perhaps only of real interest to Californians. Nevertheless, even if only for that audience, Mr. Kelley has written an entirely readable, yet simultaneously scholarly volume. Anyone interested in an introduction to the state of northern California's water situation should begin with this book.

In a general sense, however, this book is also about changing political and sociological trends in America beginning around 1850. The focus is on flooding in the Sacramento Valley, and its battles between gold miners and valley farmers, or between Republican engineers and Democratic populists, but parallels are probably found elsewhere in our country during the same period of history. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

For a native of the flood-prone Sacramento Valley, Battling The Inland Sea is the bible. Nowhere else is the history of a fitful battle against the annual floodwaters unleashed on the Sacramento Valley by the powerful Sierra Nevada watersheds captured so comprehensively. Kelley, however, informs us in a style that is relevant and entertaining. The valley resident treasures it for its history of the Big Fight. Political scientists enjoy it for its history and the lively way Kelley uses the fight over flooding in Northern California as a study in California and national politics.