I just want to add a note to the review I wrote earlier. De Jonge's "Stalin" was written before glasnost opened some new materials from the Soviet Union for scholars to access. Thus, it is limited from that standpoint. However, this is in no way a serious hindrance to the book. Having also read Conquest's biography of Stalin, which WAS written after glasnost, there is very little that Conquest added to de Jonge and certainly no major re-interpretation. Both books are excellent, de Jonge's a little easier read.

Joseph Stalin is a fascinating subject. Alex de Jonge is an outstanding writer. They combine for a great book. There are other biographies of Stalin; Deutscher is a bit dry, Conquest is excellent, but perhaps a bit short. De Jonge covers his subject thoroughly, but not with so much detail as to overwhelm or lose the reader. De Jonge is an excellent writer, and he combines his talent with useful information and a plethora of fascinating, sometimes hilarious, anecdotes. He doesn't get bogged down in Marxist theory, but he does give a brief synopsis which will benefit the average reader; a scholar might wish for more. Perhaps the most outstanding and useful part of the book are those sections dealing with foreign affairs, especially in the aftermath of World War II. Brilliant analysis....

As the author states,"Stalin successfully imposed his vision upon one sixth of Earth's landmass." Whereas Hitler's charisma was instrumental in his rise to power, Stalin's success was due to his self control and his extraordinary ability in successfully interacting with others, even his enemies. De Jonge's detailed account of Stalin's life helps us understand the man who greatly influenced the course of Russia's recent history.

Pizzorno has a gift for writing about medicine. He seamlessly shifts between general concepts and specific, illustrative examples. This book is simply amazing. Its the best book I have ever read on natural medicine. Its not a collection of recipes for how to use supplements; its a clear, understandable explanation of why and how they work. If you want to understand why natural medicine works, read this book.

this book is an excellent resource. Well written, logical and easy to understand. Documentation of various methods of supporting the body's own healing capacity is quite interesting and a real relief from the approach taking by the conventional medical model which tends to ignore the inherent healing capabilties of the body and in many cases works against them (knowingly and unknowingly). I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is a real winner ! Anyone who reads it will come away with something which will enhance their health.

I read this book when it first came out, and have recommended it to everyone who has asked me about how the body deals with physical stressors like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and environmental stress. Joseph Pizzorno takes a very complex topic and makes it understandable to the lay person, offering real advice on maintaining a healthful lifestyle. I have 3 copies of this book in my own library. I can't reccomend it highly enough... a 10 just doesn't say enough about this book.

I have never read a book that i could not put down,i bought this book yesterday 1/10/03 and just finished it now 1/11/03. My heart goes out to those American Soldiers who were in this battle and how brave and galently they fought,i had never heard of this battle until i saw the movie,i wanted to find out the facts as to what happened in the battle.This book told me everything down to the last detail.This is a book everyone should read to see what its really like in battle.That battle and bravery our soldiers will stay with me forever.

I recommend this honest and very straight forward book to all who care to know more about the Vietnam conflict. As a kid who was born in the 1960's, my appreciation of the soldiers who fought and gave their lives has been limited to the various movies and stories of the era.

The authors of this book have done an incredible job gathering information from their fellow soldiers (and in some cases those soldiers families) in order to convey and portray what can only be described as an incredibly poignant account of their experiences.

I know that this will be a story I will one day recommend that my own children read in an effort to improve their understanding of the sacrafices such brave people have made for the sake of our continued freedom.

I wasn't quite old enough to fight in Vietnam, but after reading this book and listening to this tape, it's as though I had been there. The book was absolutely gripping and the tape ... well ... for those of you who saw the recent movie, Joseph L. Galloway is the on-scene reporter. His rough, unpolished voice is PERFECT for this tape. It's Hal Moore's story recounted by the reporter who flew into battle with him. A priceless, classic combination. I've worn out the tape already ... time to reorder. (Hint: Make sure you get the Galloway edition. The CD has a slick Hollywood-type doing the narration. It's not the same.)

Following my mother's death, my faith in the afterlife was sorely challenged until I read "When the Dying Speak". This book provided a reaffirmation of my beliefs. The myriad of messages shared with Mr. Wooten-Green by dying patients and by their families provided VALUABLE insights and understanding of what the dying may be experiencing, what they may be needing, and what the families may be needing. A most significant message shared by the author is that when we are with the dying, we are on holy ground! I will be forever grateful that this author took the time to "put to paper" such an inspirational review and commentary. GET THIS BOOK FOR YOURSELF AND FOR OTHERS!

My mother (Rosemarie Twomey - see review above) gave me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed it so much and it has given me such a different way to approach my fear of death of loved ones that I'm here at Amazon.com to buy copies for friends of mine who have recently lost loved ones and also one who ministers to the dying and bereaved. I'm so glad to have the opportunity to read this while my parents, spouse and siblings are still alive and healthy. Thank you Ron!
- Teresa Twomey

This is an easy-to-read book that, I believe, would be extremely useful to anyone facing the imminent death of a loved one or friend, or (as will happen to most of us) will face that at some time in the future. For me, it takes away the feeling of helplessness I have felt in the past when dealing with such a situation. The author gives some practical and edifying guidance as to how to "be there" for the dying person. Beyond that, it is an uplifting and spiritual rendering of the experiences that the author has had in his ministry as a Hospice chaplain, including some painful, but beautiful, accounts from his personal life. Anyone in the hospice or caring industry would be well-served by a reading of this book.

Kids all know Santa is coming to their house. Do they know about Jesus coming? If you're looking for ways to give God a little equal time during the pre-Christmas crush, get this book for your kids. Little ones love to hear about animals, so the barnyard perspective of the first Christmas night is particularly effective. They will love the pictures, which depict the busy goings-on of each animal who has a job to prepare the barn for the special visitors. As the pages proceed, a subtle nighttime darkness grows, demonstrating the long wait children will associate with waiting for Christmas: "But it is dark," says Cat. "They will never come," says Rat. "Yes, they'll come, says Mouse. "Someone's coming to this house." The hypnotic cadence of the the spare text will keep them interested and turning pages to find out the answer to the all-important question: "Who is coming to our house?"

I bought this book for my under-two-year-old boys and my nearly five-year-old daughter never misses the nightly reading. It is a new Advent family tradition we all enjoy.

I've had this book for 18 years and it's still one of my favorites. I love the simple story line and it tells the story of the birth of Jesus in a unique way. I am working towards becomming a preschool teacher and this will be a must in my classroom. If your looking for the best book for a child this is deffinatly it.

Who is Coming to Our House? is a super-favorite of my granddaughters, 14 months and 2-1/2. The black-outlined familiar farm animals and the final picture of the baby Jesus are just what they love. They study the details: apples, Joseph's lantern in the distance, Mary's toes. And the soft verse is hypnotic. A perfect last book before bed. No need to save this one for later. It is becoming my standard baby gift.

Words don't do justice to the work & imagination of Ray & Charles Eames! This is a beautiful book covering the creative minds of two of the best modern furniture designers. Filled with great pictures, & very complete text of their design & the many other things they created besides furniture.The Eames' are my biased favorite, if you love modern 50's furniture,fabric, & art you must have this book.They worked for the infamous Herman Miller company, who has reissued many of the Eames furniture pieces available again today.As creator of the modern molded fiberglass chair, & molded plywood, the Museaum Of Modern Art has Charles' chairs as Art, which they are & comfortable too!More than comparable to their Danish counterparts,this couple brought us sleek,smooth lined furniture that will take us into the space age for at least another fifty years!(check out A.I.-incredible backgrounds of modern furniture!)

This is a wonderful addition to any coffee table! I learned so much about this creative couple that I never knew before. The pictures are A+ & very well done. If you are a fan of Eames furniture, you cannot live without this book!!

The Eamses were innovators in many fields such as Architecture, furniture design, film, etc. But to my mind their gretest acheivement was the definition of a new profession, 'Graphic Design', or as I beleive they called it, a 'Design Office'.

Up till then, there was 'Commercial Art', and 'Art Departments', and whatever styling was applied to an industrial product was done as an afterthought, and usually by an amateur.

After The Eamses, a new recognition that the design of appearances was a craft and a profession, and not just an art, was born.

This book demonstrates in many ways, how Ray and Charles Eames applied this and many other insights to the various fields of endeavor that they entered and changed forever.

This book will open your mind to various aspects of the global economy. Any serious investor would be doing him/herself a great favor by picking up this book...it is written in a very organized manner wherein coverage of each topic is short, concise, and each has it's own accompanying graphs/charts/statistics page. A perfect reference.

I can't tell you how many times I have referred to this book for my investment descisions. It's an accurate and clear portrayal of what goes on in the global market. My returns are increasing more and more everyday!

Brian Quinlan, son of Joeseph P. Quinlan, is a funny boy who gives interesting speeches and has the best basement and television set in the world. We like to call him TW for terrific warrior. He is a big fan of Doug Flutie and Zack Debolt and you should beware of the "elbow".

This was the best music book that I have purchased over the past 25 years as a guitar player. I was hesitant to purchase a music book online and my expectations were low. Suprisingly though, it has provided a great selection of songs sorted chronologically by classical music historical periods together with those musicians with great influence on classical guitar. It was simple enough for a intermediate non-classical guitar player like myself and yet could be used by an advanced beginner or a very experienced guitar player. Today, I have learned 15 songs well and look forward to another 20 from this book in the coming year. Some of my best songs, from all styles of guitar playing, are now from this book. Many finger picking arrangements and styles are poor at best. The arrangements in this book are great. This book is well worth the money.

SINCE ORDERING THE PLAY GUITAR BY EAR BOOK,FOUR MONTHS AGO, I CAN PLAY AS GOOD AS ANY OF THE BOYS!!!!

I don't think this book "sux ", at least I tried to see if it did, and it did not. That was not an advertised feature so I won't consider this a bad thing.

Yes there is tablature. Does this make the music any less useful? I think not. If you can read music notation well enough to play the music presented, then do so. I can't do it well enough or fast enough to suite me. Some day I will. In the meantime I use tablature and progress in my guitar playing technique. Granted, my sight reading and music writing does not improve when I use tablature, but that is my choice.

I learn to love music, all kinds, using tablature, then as I progress music theory and music notation make more sense to me. Now I've decided that I want to learn to read standard music notation. No harm at all in that course.

Not all who play the guitar play in orchestras or bands that require notation. I play for personal enjoyment, not for the edification of people who judge music by the format it is published in.

A similar concept can be seen in the medieval catholic church, where latin (not even the original language the bible was written in!) was the only language that the bible was available in. Most people could not read, and those that could, could not read latin (for the most part). Does that make the bible appropriate for priests only (personally I think so, but my point meant to say NO)?

I liked the pieces presented in this book. They were easy to play (for the most part) and stimulated my interest in classical guitar playing (I think that was the point of the book no?).

One of the disadvantages of not reading music notation (well enough or not at all) is that I cannot accurately reproduce the music without having heard it before. I can approximate and I sometimes luck out and it sounds as it should. Here is my only suggestion for this book--Notation and a CD should be packaged together. This way you can learn to play the music properly. The alternative of course is to learn to read the music notation which would give you most of what you need to play it without the CD. The tablature would then only be used then for finger positioning suggestions from Mr Harris.

Drs Lobsang and Arpaia have written a book that can truly and simply help the Western world benefit from the spiritual dynamics of the Tibetan monks. I have worked in the mental health field for over 15 years and none of the training I have received has ever touched on the wisdom of the book and the one-on-one teachings I have received from Joe in the last year. Working with Joe and reading the book he co-authored has been one of the most important experiences in my life. I am finding my own peace and understanding of the MindBodySpirit connection that is essential for me to become my authentic self and a truly effective clinician. It has been an honor to work with Joe and the book follows closely many of the techniques he has taught me. Other recommended books? Thich Nhat Hanh's The Miracle of Mindfulness, Jonathan Carroll's White Apples and Charles DeLint's The Little Country.

this must be the best book on meditation I have ever read. It shows different techniques (short & long ones)that can easily get integrated into our busy lifes. Without forcing any kind of religious views on the reader this book shows how to be able to cope and improve our daily (western style) life. In simple, clearly written chapters one gets instructions and examples on how to train the mind and achieve better health, inner peace and many other goals which are up to the reader. I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested in meditation - from beginner to advanced.

I am actually luck enough to be a patient of Dr. Arpaia and this book is RIGHT ON TARGET! It is so helpful, easy to read, easy to understand, easy to impliment - very wise!

This is the story of Solomon Northup, in his own words, a citizen of New York kidnapped in 1841 and taken to Louisiana as a slave, where he was found twelve years later on a cotton plantation near the Red River. It is a story that will break your heart as Solomon was torn away from his family for over a decade. According to a quote from 1853, when Solomon first published his memoirs, "Think of it: For thirty years a man, with all a man's hopes, fears and aspirations--with a wife and children to call him by the endearing names of husband and father--with a home, humble it may be, but still a home...then for twelve years a thing, a chattel personal, classed with mules and horses. ...Oh! it is horrible. It chills the blood to think that such are." And indeed, this story will both chill--and boil--your blood.

Solomon Northup was an educated literate man who worked in New York and was brutally kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana. His autobiography was very detailed with skillfully painted pictures of the people and situations he encountered until at last he was freed. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Solomon Northup was also mentioned in the newly released children's historical novel, The Journal of Darien Dexter Duff, an Emancipated Slave that also takes place in Louisiana.

In an age when most history that is presented to the masses is whitewashed or made politically correct it is quite refreshing to read a historical narrative "warts and all" about a period in American History that many want to forget about or gloss over.

Solomon Northup was an educated, free black man from upstate New York with a wife and children in the 1841 when through a chain of events ended up being kidnapped and sold into slavery. He eventually ended up deep in Louisiana and spent the next 12 years of his life there until he was rescued by a prominent citizen of his home state that knew him.

What stands out in this book to me are the descriptions of the various people he met and how they treated him from being very kind and gracious to vile and wicked. As a southerner I have often heard that slaves were basically happy and contented and this book will immediately put an end such a notion. Even the most illiterate and uneducated slave Solomon met yearned for freedom, as is human nature to do so. That being said there were several decent southern slave owners described in the book who treated their slaves well. One of them William Ford, almost certainly saved Solomon from being lynched by his new owner.

On the flip side there were many vile slave owners as well. Solomon was owned by a carpenter who mistreated him quite badly and Solomon had to fight him twice to prevent himself from being killed by his owner. After one of these fights he fled into the swamp being chased by his owner and several other slave owners with their bloodhounds. His description of the bloodhounds following him into the swamp and him seeing all of the snakes and alligators was quite interesting. Solomon, beside being literate was blessed with a great deal of "street" smarts and common sense. He knew how to evade the dogs when they chased him into the swamp. The aforementioned William Ford saved Solomon from the carpenter's wrath after this episode.

Solomon then went on to spend the rest of his time in captivity with another brutal slave owner. This owner was drunk half the time and continually mistreated all of his slaves. Solomon's rescue came when a Canadian drifter who worked as a laborer agreed to mail a rescue note to Solomon's home town. A few months later Solomon was rescued by a prominent gentlemen from his native New York and was reunited with his family.

This book was fascinating reading and moved at a rapid pace. Most of the books I read I never bother to write a review on unless I found them to be a good read and this is a good read!

If you want to read about slavery as it was and not in glossed over terms or political correct terms then this book is for you. The truth what a concept!