One of the most exhaustive books for the broker or leasing professional. A must for Landlords and Tenants and their representatives. Taught me a lot. Made my first deal a home run.

The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy is a uniquely complete book. This is a book very worthy of Oxford, consisting primarily of chapters on royal and political history generally, interspersed throughout with boxed essays on each monarch, special topics, maps, photographs and paintings.

This book begins with the murky beginnings of royalty in Britain, arising out of the chaos of the post-Roman world. Here we encounter names such as Aethelberht, Raewald, and Hywel Dda -- this book doesn't just concentrate as so many do on the English monarchies, but also on Welsh and Scottish clans, lines, and kingdoms. Here we find that King Eric Bloodaxe, the Viking King of York was followed not too many years later by Edgar the Peacable, king of Mercia and the Danelaw.

With the inclusion of this extensive pre-Norman section, the book is a must for any British history library. Apart from that, the history is fairly basic -- well written, interesting, but no grand and new insights, more of an encyclopedia writ as an essay rather than articles on particular subjects (for which I am grateful--nothing so disjointed and unsatisfying in many ways as reading an encyclopedia). This however can make looking up topics a bit more difficult, but I've found as I've sought out one piece of information (using the very good index) I find much more (which is always to be desired).

The final sections include chapters on Royal Residences and Tombs, Genealogies, and Lists of Monarchs, including Scottish as well as English monarchs.

This book is filled with little bits of interest--for instance, an example of 17th century propaganda: 'In the absence of newspapers, radio, and television, other means of representing events and influencing opinion assumed greater importance. A pack of cards took as its unconvivial theme Monmouth's rebellion in 1685. The six of clubs shows Monmouth's entry into Lyme Regis; the seven of spades shows the duke's fate; and the five of diamonds that of his followers.' This caption accompanies pictures of playing cards with scenes of hanged or beheaded men, etc. An interesting means of information dissemination.

A very worthy book, perhaps the only royal book a non-historian would ever need; a definite need for any historian or royal watcher.

This book is a must for those readers interested in the history of the British Monarchy. The authors and editors have masterly created both an historical perspective of the institution as well as a personal viewpoint which is both critical and sentimental. Some may be turned off by the length of this book, but once you begin reading, you'll wonder where the time goes. And the wonderful photographs and illustrations bring their words to life.

I met the first edition 30 years ago in the U. of Illinois library, when I was in graduate school. Now, a full fledged medical and veterinary parasitologist, I had a second chance and . . . I just had to have it! Not because it was necessary to my work but because I remembered it as a jewel of a book. I hesitated a bit because the price was kind of steep for just a memento. Boy, but what a memento! The tight text and tiny letters are rarely interrupted by illustrations, and these are usually photographs; of only average quality, they are of exceptional content. It does not cover all the comon parasitic infections (the way they treat them, it would take an encyclopedia to do so!) but only the major ones. The survey of each infection, however, goes much farther than one would expect for a book on "wild mammals." It reviews (and references) a large part of the recent literature as it applies to any host; wild, domestic, or human. I found that it quickly gained a place among my favorite references. If you are interested in Parasitology at all, you MUST get it. You can't afford to wait another 30 years for the next edition.

This book puts a high value on clarity and logic. Time invested with this book is repaid with UNDERSTANDING.

It is a wild, woolly, farcical, slapstick, poetic-philosophical comedy, which deserves a reading, as the Irish accents can be largely non-understandable. The play had the feel of a classic, although it helps to know the times and the Irish reaction to it, historically.

The more you know about psychological theories and Winnie-the-Pooh, the more you will enjoy this book. Dr. Williams blasts away with tongue-in-cheek satire aimed at the psychologist's belief that everything that is said, thought, dreamed, and done has many layers of significance. Unfortunately, that approach means that your enjoyment will be modest if your knowledge is correspondingly limited in either area. If you know little about psychology and have not read Winnie-the-Pooh, you may not get most of the humor in the book.

In Freud-like fashion, Dr. Williams begins by descrbing the case for Winnie-the-Pooh being a super psychologist. The thrust of this argument is that Winnie employs every method ever recommended by any psychologist or psychoanalyst somewhere in his fictional adventures. In fact, he often combines them in a single fictional encounter.

The book then recounts seven cases and Winnie's role in them.

Case 1 -- Pooh Cures Christopher Robin of Arktophobia (fear of bears)

Case 2 -- Pooh Assists Piglet to Mature

Case 3 -- Pooh at His Most Eclectic with Tigger

Case 4 -- The Problem with Rabbit

Case 5 -- Parenting: Kanga and Roo

Case 6 -- Wol's Problems with Communication

Case 7 -- Eeyore: A Case of Classical Depression

The cases are written up like Freud's with the exception that they are illustrated with many drawings from the original Pooh stories.

As an example of the approach, the book Winnie-the-Pooh opens with a reference to his living under the name of Sanders. That is never mentioned again. Dr. Williams provides a lengthy argument in favor of this meaning that Winnie-the-Pooh is describing himself as the Sand man, the bringer of dreams. This is an indication of his role as psychotherapist.

In the famous story where Winnie eats too much honey and cannot get out of the hole in the tree, Dr. Williams reinterprets this as Winnie-the-Pooh making an example of himself to discourage others from overeating rather than using aversion therapy on them.

To put this prescience into context, Dr. Williams points out that the Pooh stories date in the 1920s. In the text, he finds "frequent anticipation of theories and practices which more plodding psychologists arrived at much later."

I don't know about you, but I didn't think much about Jung when I read Winnie-the-Pooh. Obviously, the references were too subtle for me.

Those who have experienced psychotherapy will probably find humor in the observations made about Winnie-the-Pooh that they may have heard applied to themselves. Could the observations be equally apt?

This book is best enjoyed by a roaring fire on a cold night with a warmed snifter of brandy, and savored slowly.

After you have finished the book, you might consider the many instances where novels do show ways to solve psychological problems through their fictional developments. Could it be that we can use fiction to be our own therapist? Or, is someone else the therapist? If someone gave you the book, perhaps they are the therapist. If so, is the author the propounder of the theory . . . or is the character?

See the possibilities for humor in pomposity everywhere!

If you're looking for clever tricks to get rich quick, forget this book. It's focus is on the steady accumulation and growth of capital, the approach with by far the highest success rate. Actually, if you think you can outpick the market, you really owe it yourself to read this first. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than being wrong about investment decisions.

For me, reading this was an eye openning experience. The book is solidly based on academic research, and essentially proves that attempts to time the markets and pick the perfect stock are largely futile. In essence, research shows that for every person who timed the market perfectly ten times in a row, someone else timed exactly wrong ten times in a row. The only difference between the two is that the second guy didn't get anybody to come to his seminars.

Good explanations, and a clear presentation of the economics of investing. Combine this with practical advice on building a portfolio for the long haul. Great stuff.

BTW, I made a fair amount of money picking stocks before I read this book. I now realize I was just lucky and any stock picking I do now is just a fun hobby. To make money, I follow the book.

John Rosenthal's photographs are breathtaking. While the photograph pictured on the cover is incredible, there are countless photos inside featuring people. John has a knack for catching the most extraordinary facial expressions, truly capturing the energy and essence of a moment. I highly reccommend this book for any black and white photography buff.

This book presents a strong defense for representative democracy. It argues that not only is representative democracy the best option available, but that much of the criticisms of the the legislative branch is based on inaccurate perceptions.
The public has become less trustful of government. Polls show about 75% of the public during the 1960s trusted government. In 1973, 42% of those polled had "a great deal" or "quite a bit" of confidence in Congress, In mid-2001, 26% stated that had a "great deal" or "quite a bit" of confidence in Congress.
The public distaste for politics along with the mean spiritedness of campaigns discourages many capable people from even entering politics. Further, many who do select public service as a career are finding the burdens of service are causing them to leave public careers prematurely. The loss of dedicated public servants weakens the legislative process as well as reduces the public image of legislatures.
While the public may be disillusioned with representative democracy, and while politicians may similarly have reservations, the alternatives are no better. The authors argue that the option of Executive dominance can lead to concentrated and abused power. The alternative of direct democracy may be cumbersomely unpractical and may be more readily manipulated by powerful interests.
Negative campaign advertising is cited as a major influence in the declining appreciation and respect for politics and for government. Political scientist Richard Fenno has found that negative campaigning is further affecting government, as candidates are elected by claiming their opposition to the institutions to which they seek eleciton and, upon election, their negativity hampers their abilities to serve in office.
The authors note the very nature of legislative politics is bound to create negative public perceptions. Most legislation that is passed reflects compromises and the mere act of compromising often leads proponents and opponents both feeling disappointed. Legislative work thus usually wins few friends, yet it produces important results.
Despite its complexities and nuances, representative democracy does work. The legislative branch does a good job of bridging the gap between the public and policy makers. The alternative of administrative control concentrates power too much and the alternative of direct participation is too cumbersome. Representative democracy may not be perfect, as this book discusses, but it is the best system there is. Readers wishing to explore these discussions will greatly appreciate this book.

This book shows his master of the darkroom, making all his works unique to themselves. If you are into black & white photography and printing this book is a revelation of what is possible.