Final exam is a hazy book . What the eyes of Andres Favas shows us is not only a foggy Buenos Aires but a journey into the labyrinths of the late 50's intelectuality. Where does it take him? nowhere of course... inertia is the result of extenuating thinking , so Andre and his friends talk , read , define and redifine life but go nowhere while a surreal city burns.

Cortazar always enjoyed playing with words ( much like Borges) but mostly he played with time. The book has brilliant words but also silence and a stream of consciousness flows through the entire book and through an impossible Buenos Aires , a constelation of metaphores and specially a fast and corrosive intelectually challenging book.

Final Exam is a darkly funny novel set in a surreal Buenos Aires. Juan and Clara, two students at a Faculty called "The House" meet up with their friends Andres and Stella, as well as a journalist friend called "the chronicler". Juan and Clara are getting ready to take their final exam, but instead of preparing, they wander the city with their friends, encountering strange happenings in the squares and pondering life in cafes. All the while they are being trailed by the mysterious Abel, apparently a former lover of Clara's. Final Exam features stream-of-consciousness narrative techniques and is one of Julio Cortazar's best works. Ably translated from Spanish by Alfred MacAdam, Final Exam will serve to introduce English readers to a major literary talent.

Reminding one of what would later develop into the style usedby Cortazar in "Hopscotch" and "62: A Model Kit,""Final Exam" is a nightmarish journey through Buenos Aires. As with 62, many of the most disparaging questions are left unanswered, and the reader is left wondering why this decaying reality seems so familiar. Another great novel from the Master!

This 556-page volume raises extremely important questions about the first major terrorist attack on U.S. shores, which was unfortunately not the last.

In hindsight, some observers wonder whether the devastating 1995 attack was both precursor and connected to the Sept. 11, 2002 attacks on New York and Washington which took more than 3,000 lives.

This research--conducted by the Oklahoma Bombing Investigation Committee, and funded by private citizens--raises many unsettling questions.

For starters it provides clear evidence that U.S. Federal authorities never found all of the perpetrators of the Oklahoma City attack, that they did not pursue every lead, and that they did not utilize all available physical evidence. Substantial evidence surfaced that dozens of crucial eyewitnesses were neither interviewed nor called at federal trials.

In October 1995, Oklahoma State Representative Charles Key petitioned the District Court of Oklahoma County for a Grand jury to be formed to investigate the bombing. His petition was denied in February 1997.

Nevertheless, an FBI agent swore in an affidavit included in this volume that Abraham Abdallah Ahmed, a Jordanian-born naturalized U.S. citizen detained by American Airlines security personnel in Chicago on April 19, 1995 met the description of one of the male suspects seen running from the scene of the bombing. Ahmed flew from Oklahoma City to Chicago after the bombing. The FBI man further swore that Ahmed's luggage, which continued to Rome, contained several car radios, substantial amounts of shielded and unshielded wire, a small tool kit and other tools. While these could be used for everyday work, they were also "consistent with use" for "explosive devices." Ahmed was requested to appear before a Grand Jury, but had fled.

The Grand Jury indicted Timothy McVeigh, along with "others unknown." Composites of two "others," each called "John Doe," are shown here. They were never found.

In addition, actual evidence from terrorist attacks in Columbia in 1989, Saudi Arabia and Lima Peru in 1996 proved that a car bomb alone could not destroy reinforced concrete supports like those in the Alfred P. Murrah building. Chemical and electrical engineers, physicists and a U.S. Brigadier General all concurred that the damage to the Murrah Building on April 19, 1995 could not be ascribed to a single truck bomb containing 4,800 pounds of ammonium nitrate fuel oil.

A former military man at the scene on April 19 to search for victims witnessed fire department teams removing two devices that were placed in bomb disposal units. These were described as "military olive drab in color," the size of "round, five-gallon drums, with black lettering designating the contents as fulminated mercury," a high grade explosive. He saw mercury switches on devices which he recognized as detonators.

Had complete work been done in 1995, might 2001 have been prevented?

Read this book, and weep for the victims of both heinous attacks.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

If you want to know the truth about the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, this is the source. The author was one of the eminently qualified people who pursued the study of the bombing and produced this book. It is well researched, well written, and quotes research by many extremely well qualified individuals, including several eyewitnesses and victims of the bombing. The only qualification I would add is that it comprises 364 pages of fine print, with an additional 184 pages of pictures and supporting documentation.

You have not read the complete story until you've read this. The "official version" is nothing like this.

Rep Charles Key really steps up to the plate while investigating the controversial Oklahoma City Bombing. He throughly looks at all aspects and possibilities as to how the bombing could have taken place. He has many official documents to back up all of the text in the book. It is a thorough look at OKC through the eyes of a group of individuals who just want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They did this for the victims and I think they did a wonderful job. Great job Charles!

In the search for resources dealing with the great flood of scripture, I've found this book to be an excellent resource. Although written in the 50's, the content is still surprisingly up to date, well reasoned, well presented, and well documented. Mr. Rehwinkle deals with pre and post flood material as well. Concordia Publishing House is still publishing this book in paperback almost half a century later for good reason. If you're interested in the topics of the deluge, pre or antediluvian man, or just want to read a book that provides overwhelming evidence of a worldwide flood, this belongs on your bookshelf.

While you may ask why anyone would want to read a book about "The Flood," to me the possibility of one day actually being able to see the remains of the ark for myself has always intrigued me.

Some believe the event to be a myth or legend. Alfred M. Rehwinkel explains how nearly every nation and tribe in the entire human race has a flood myth. The peoples of Egypt, Mexico, America, India, Pacific Islands, Asia, Australia and Africa all have a story to tell. It seems to deny the existence of a flood rejects the most ancient and most sacred traditions of universal humanity.

One of the most fascinating discoveries is also recorded in this book. The great Gilgamesh Epic was found in the ruins of the Assurbanipal library in Nineveh. The narrative bears a striking resemblance to the writings of Moses in Genesis. It was in fact written centuries before.

According to the author, there are many reasons modern man has rejected the possibility of a flood. Many scholars do however believe it to be the greatest catastrophe in the history of the earth.

Alfred M. Rehwinkel goes into great detail and shows how the ark was in fact quite capable of holding a great number of animals. He explains how many of the animals at the time could be found in the vicinity and that the climate, animal and plant life, where vastly different in Noah's time.

He answers the following questions in detail:

1. Where did all the water come from? 2. When did "The Flood" begin? 3. What was the population of the earth before "The Flood." 4. Why was there a flood and why was Noah saved?

He also goes on to show how the earth would have in fact been a virtual paradise with a warm climate and food for all. In his opinion, the earth was rich with resources and most likely sustained a great number of people. He also believes they had reached a high level of civilized culture. He basis his opinions on archeological discoveries.

A diagram on page 10 also explains how if the earth was perpendicular to the plane of its orbit, there would have been no change in the seasons. The seasons may in fact be a result of the earth tilting 23 1/2 degrees at the time of the flood.

If you are interested in archeology, you will enjoy reading about the fossil remains and how many different species were found all in one location in mass graves. This goes against modern geology, which is based on a system of biological evolution. (Oh, by the way, I have a Trilobite fossil my father brought me from Russia.)

This book does in fact succeed in bringing to our attention, the most outstanding evidence for a universal flood from a geological and archaeological standpoint. The most fascinating part of this intellectual work was the story of a Russian aviator named Mr. Vladimar Roskivitsky. He actually claims to have seen the remains of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat in 1942. If anyone knows where I can find more information on the evidence for this claim, I would love to hear from you. I have only begun my research on this topic!

Hullo, I had to read this book b/c my mom forced me to. But I ended up enjoying it. My mom took care of the Aurthor until he died. He left his bible to my mom. He was a great guy and i reccomend the book to anyone.

The most interesting book I have ever read on the life of Bacon. This book is for both the new student to Bacon, as well as more seasoned researchers. A must read for all people interested in the enlightenment and advancement of mankind. Come with an open mind!

This book finally unravels perhaps the greatest story never told.

Alfred Dodd was a 20th century Englishman and Mason who has written the finest biography ever published of Francis Bacon and his times. . Every English literature course should have this book as required reading if it was required to know who Shakespeare really was.

The "Francis Bacon's Personal Life Story" champions the exemplary character of Francis Bacon and his extraordinary commitments to English literature, science and the making of a better world.

Dodd's book informs both the new student to the subject as well as advanced researchers on the historical relationship Bacon had with Masonry, Rosicrucianism, the authorship of Shakespeare, his Tudor identity and tumultuous relationship with Queen Elizabeth, Burleigh and Cecil, Essex, and other key Elizabethans by presenting Bacon as the guiding spirit behind the Renaissance period. The book which was once published as two separate volumes covers the Queen Elizabeth and King James eras.

The author has culminated a life long study with historical references and insights that surpass all mainstream biographies of Bacon. Dodd also portrays the underlying censorship of the Elizabethan times. It may be interesting to note that in today's prevailing attitude in the academic world, the press, and other institutions entrusted with archives that Shakespeare authorship issues are downplayed as insignificant or amusing fads. This book will educate the public while changing attitudes about Bard politics

California has the most culturally diverse Indian ethnography of any U.S. state. Since California habitats range from coastal near- rainforest to dry desert, the Indians have developed a wide range of cultural and technological innovations to deal with it. The linguistic relations are also complex and diverse, a particular interest of mine, and I thought Kroeber did a fine job of discussing this, too. Altogether, Kroeber spent 17 years compiling and writing this great work, and it shows.

Some of the tribes understandably receive more coverage than others, because little was known about them at the time. For example, the Wappo and Washo Indians only have four and half pages each in the book, but the Yokuts section has 70 pages, but this is understandable given the original publication date of 1925 by the U.S. Government Printing Office. Since then, our knowledge of many of the tribes has become significantly greater, or at least less sketchy, but you'll have to consult other sources for that.

One notable thing about the book is the photos of various individuals, most of which could probably not be obtained today--such as the picture of the "Karok man in warrior custume in rod armor and helmut," or the "Hupa (man) measuring dentalium money against tattoos on his forearm," two truly quite striking photographic portrayals.

Despite its deficiencies (which are still modest considering how old it is), this still ranks as the best compendium of knowledge about California Indians, and one of the greatest ethnographies ever written.

On a personal note, I thought I'd mention I had Kroeber's son, Ted, as my psychological statistics professor at San Francisco State back in the mid-70's. Although I never had the opportunity to meet the father, Ted was a really cool psych. prof., and I enjoyed his class. He said his father would often tell him and his sister Ursula (Ursula LeGuin, who became a famous science fiction author), stories about the Indians when they were children, and he would occasionally regale us with stories about his famous father in class, which helped to break up the necessary discipline and technical rigors of a statistics class.

Alfred Kroeber deserves admiration as one of those men who ensured that our knowledge of Native American peoples would not be lost. He is perhaps best known as the friend of Ishi and, sometimes, for his concept of "culture" as "superorganic", but it is this work that I feel is his most lasting contribution.

Though some of the information has been corrected by subsequent researchers (checking Kroeber's work against more recent publications is reasonable), the Handbook remains useful to anyone who wants an overview or details about the numerous peoples who inhabited the state before the coming of the Spanish in 1769.

Where Kroeber is sketchiest is, of course, where the peoples had been exterminated before his investigations began shortly after the turn of the century. His work on the Yokuts and the Mojave, on the other hand, is extensive and helps us to understand some of the culture of their now missing neighbors. He has left no people unaccounted for. Thanks to this volume, interest in the California Indians has been stimulated for all time and with that interest has come a desire to preserve.

All California history lovers and anthropologists need this book on their shelves.

The content of this book is EXCELLENT. However, the "hardcover" version is just a hard cover slapped on OVER the paperback--not worth the extra $100+.

This is a seminal collection of knowledge that no civil war book collection should be without! Written during the immediate aftermath of the war, it embodies all the sentiments and spirit of the times and is therefore an invaluable addition to the understanding of the civil war and of American history itself. An absolute "must have"!!

I have 27 issues of Harpers Pictorial magazines "History of the Civil War" originals. Copyrighted 1866 by Harper & Brothers and copyrighted in 1894 by the Star Publishing Co. of Chichago Illinois, who first ran the series of the contents of this book. The editors were Alfred H.Guernsey and Henry M. Alden. The cover and all of the illustrations were done in beautiful pen & ink. They originally sold for $.25 each and were considered to be worth twice their value at the time of print. This is an awesome collection of this material.

Henry Mills Alden was the beloved step-father of my grandmother, Aline Kilmer. He was an editor of Harper's Magazine. This large and heavy tome is a 1996 facsimile edition of "Harper's Pictorial History of the Great Rebellion in the United States," first published in 1866. It reflects the horrifying bigotry of its times, evident in the writings of some of the most adamant of Northern Caucasian Abolitionists. The text, pictures, and maps are fascinating and invaluable to Civil War buffs such as my husband, Tim Slattery.

If you have bought Volume I of this fascinating history, (see Amazon's Website) you cannot do without Vol. II. This covers the early Cold War period. Its quality is of the same high level as the earlier book. As the author approaches modern times, however, some subjects turn out not to be declassified yet... A third volume is planned, watch out for it!

This book is written by a true professional: Price has been active in military electronics and is a superb writer too. Nevertheless the book does not require specialist knowledge from the reader. Excellent illustrations, impeccably correct data. A "must" for anyone interested in the subject.

I found this book in a used bookstore and was delighted with the detail, history, and photo record of the birth of EW. Mostly an US/Allied history with good amount of German and Japanes stuff. Anyone wanting to learn abought EW this is the place to start. The birth of it all.

"The study of mathematics is apt to commence in disappointment."

"One of the causes of the apparent triviality of much of elementary algebra is the preoccupation of the textbooks with the solutions of equations."

In discussing Descartes' coordinate geometry, Whitehead states, "Philosophers, when they have possessed a thorough knowledge of mathematics, have been among those who have enriched the science with some of its best ideas. On the other hand, it must be said that, with hardly an exception, all remarks on mathematics made by those philosophers who have possessed but a slight or hasty and late-acquired knowledge of it, are entirely worthless, being either trivial or wrong."

"Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in a battle - they are strictly limited in number, they require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments."

"The really profound changes in human life have all had their ultimate origin in knowledge pursued for its own sake."

Alfred North Whitehead, a remarkable British mathematician and philosopher, enlivens his look at the fundamental ideas underlying mathematics with provocative observations. Nonetheless, Whitehead does not avoid mathematics while trying to explain mathematics. While this book is clearly for the layman, it may occasionally require some effort. "An Introduction to Mathematics" is delightful, insightful, and intellectually stimulating.

Whitehead argues that mathematics is an abstract science that is primarily concerned with generality, not specificity. In trying to master the techniques and mechanics of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, many students fail to recognize the fundamental ideas. They become lost in a murky fog of details.

I found myself surprised by Whitehead's insightful explanations of familiar topics like variables, constants, and simple algebraic equations. I know math. But I now recognize that I had not really given sufficient thought to some very basic concepts. Just a few pages into this little book I was actually looking at some familiar concepts from a very different perspective.

Later discussions on mathematical symbolism, imaginary numbers, conic sections, trigonometry, and infinite series move more slowly and may require rereading. But the insights gained will more than offset any additional effort.

Whitehead occasionally digresses to discuss the act of mathematical creation. He agrees with the poet Shelley who compared the discovery of "some great truth" to the slow snowflake by snowflake accumulation that leads to an avalanche. While not discounting the role of genius, Whitehead sees breakthroughs in mathematical thought, often as unexpected as an avalanche, the natural result of the accumulation of knowledge through the centuries.

I am not a teacher, but I would like to use this book as a basis for a short class or tutorial for high school students or undergraduates, for science, math, and humanities majors alike. "An Introduction to Mathematics" would serve as an effective counterbalance to standard textbooks that focus too much on technique, manipulation, and mechanics. I rate this book 5-star. It is well-worth the price.

This is an expertly written book by a brilliant man, filled with valuable insights and impressive prose. I picked it up as a tool to re-familiarize myself with the fundamental ideas of mathematics and found it more than satisfactory to that end. In 150 or so pages, Whitehead takes the reader step by step through the evolution of mathematical thought, pointing out each new discovery, the circumstances surrounding the breakthrough and why it was so important. This is NOT a textbook -- no sample problems to work on or anything like that -- and it will be difficult to fully grasp the concepts unless the reader has had some math experience (ie. high school education). It is rather a philosopher's math book, full of insights, enjoyable anecdotes and beautiful prose.

Whitehead's text is a masterful study in the art of clear and precise writing. Introduction to Mathematics brilliantly revels to those of us with little or no mathematical skill or background the fascinating allure of mathematical thought. Whitehead's exploration of the basic central themes of math is made concrete through his frequent use of simple mathematical examples yet the text never bogs down in pedantic detail. Moreover, while the book is introductory in character, and therefore focused on fundamental rather than advanced areas of mathematical study, it is anything but small minded or condescending. Rather, Whitehead electrifies the reader's mind by illuminating for him the profound insights behind even the simplest of mathematical operations. Written with razor sharp clarity, this little gem of a volume is required reading for all those fuzzy-headed intellectuals who never understood math in school or how anyone could find the subject even remotely interesting. If only Professor Whitehead had blessed us with a whole series of such volumes taking us by the hand and walking us in detail through the wondrous intellectual word of math

"Jews without money" seems to me far more remarkable for its political positions than for its writing. Gold is, to put it bluntly, not a particularly skilled wordsmith. His limitations are obvious from the first page. Nevertheless this novel/memoir makes for fascinating reading. The book consists of a series of loosely connected vignettes from the life of a child growing up in the Lower East Side at the turn of the century. Gold wants to capture the sights and smells and sensations of that world, and while his prose is not quite up to the task, the reader still comes away powerfully moved.

What seems to be unique about Gold's account is his political bent. Rather than softening or sentimentalizing his experiences, he picks at scabs and pulls back the curtain to reveal horrors to his readers. As a devoted socialist, he wants to expose the evils of unrestrained capitalism. What that means for him is, rather than denying anti-Semitic stereotypes, he revels in them. Gold he wants the reader to understand that they are the result, not of Jewish culture, but of the effects of American ghetto poverty upon the Jews of his neighborhood. Povery, he aruges, turns potential into corruption. His is a world in which people will do anything for a few pennies, often all that stands between them and starvation. On the other hand, his world is also populated by characters who remain strong despite their suffering: his mother, who would rather go hungry than see a stranger starve; the foolish store-owner, who loses her livelihood because she cannot stand to turn away the poor. There are also desperate prostitutes, rapacious pawn brokers, crooked businessmen, and dreamers and schemers of all sorts.

This book lacks the literary ambition of Henry Roth's "Call it Sleep" or the narrative power of Abraham Cahan's "Rise of David Levinsky" (in my opinion, the finest novel ever about the Jewish immigrant experience). This is a political tract, and sometimes its dogma is rather irritating, even offensive. Nevertheless, it is a significant and important document of early 20th-century Jewish culture, and deserves to be read.

This is a masterpiece that has lost none of its power since it was first published 70 years ago. The book hooks you from the first paragraph and never lets go.

The only thing marring this important work is the introduction by Alfred Kazin which maligns the novel and Michael Gold and leaves the reader wondering if the publisher is really trying to promote the book. The introduction probably is the result of old grudges from bygone politically motivated "cultural wars" between Jewish writers. The author's widow was deeply upset by the underhanded and cowardly introduction.

Wonderful book covering all aspects of Bali from it's culture right through to the more popular destinations that are so sought after in Bali from the wonderful white beaches of Kuta through to the ancient village of the Bali Aga in Tenganan... what more can I say about this book. It sent shock waves through my head when I first read it. Everytime I read this book I feel that I need to see and explore Bali one day. Therefore just one of the great books ever produced on Bali alone... wonderful photographs and pictures as well as diagrams. Concise with every sections from the well known villages and areas that are off the beaten track. I give it the thumbs up for sure...

A first rate guide...I know because i live in Bali

A rare and wonderful travel guide that goes much deeper than the regular where-to-find-hotels-and-restaurants type. Beautiful layouts of photography and artwork complement short essays on everything from detailed explainations of complex hindu ceremonies to food preparation. The information here is amazingly accurate, and well presented with cross references to basic tourist information. This would be a great book to kill the time while waiting for your ferry in Padangbai, or in the Losmen at night trying to learn more about the miracle of Bali! Enjoy!