This is the George Herbert Palmer prose translation from the 1890's and is one of the best prose translations (or best translations period) of the ODYSSEY in English. It's, unfortunately, been unavailable for many years, but now Dover has brought out this extremely inexpensive edition. The Palmer translation is known for its faithfulness to the original Greek. You know when you are reading this translation that you are reading all of Homer's ODYSSEY. A faithful, literal prose translation like this is good to have to accompany an inspired translation into poetry like Pope or Chapman. This first sentence from Bk. 14: 'But from the harbor, up the rock path, along the woody country on the hills, Odysseus went to where Athene bade him seek...' is typical of the style. Spare and simple and rugged and bringing out the tone of nobility of this Homeric epic.

Amazing story of what one man will suffer simply to achieve their dream of returnig to their homeland. The translation is precise and clear, a story that I will always love.

Pebbles on the Stone

In his autobiography The Unabashed Accompanist, Gerald Moore, one the century's greatest pianist accompanists, details an episode where his performance was reviewed by an unappreciative, musical ignoramus. No doubt Mr. Moore's reviewer had been tossed off the sports column for some infraction and perhaps given a choice between an assignment at the County Fair and Symphony Hall. Wishing to spare himself a long walk around the fair and the stench of swine, he opted for the concert. Was he listening to the music, or secretly tuning in the baseball game on his earphone? We will never know, but his review could have been written at the hotdog-eating contest, for all the relevance it had to that night's chamber music.

With that incident in mind, it is with some trepidation that this reviewer sets forth his opinion about Pebbles on the Stone. After all, Dr. Kaufman's literary abilities have earned him no less than the BBC prize for Best European Radio Play. Nevertheless, in the spirit of Amazon's literary democracy, this writer permits himself the liberty of adding his two cents.

It is fascinating how some individuals such as Goethe, da Vinci, Churchill, and Tarkenton for example, were able to develop and achieve success in a variety of disparate fields. (OK, one has to admit that Tarkenton is not in the same league.) The author of Pebbles on the Stone, too, although obviously not at the same level of notoriety, excelled as a teacher of German literature, as a violinist, and as a writer of novels, plays and libretti. In Pebbles on the Stone, one can see the writer's immense knowledge of music and literature working both behind the scenes in subtle nuances of characterization and in the great number of fascinating quotations Dr. Kaufman carefully disperses throughout the novel. Readers with firsthand experience of the orchestral or opera world will recognize some of its more notable types, such as the avant garde stage director: "Mitchell was an intense man in his early forties, thin, already quite bald with long strands of hair reaching down to his shoulders. His appearance was that of an aging 1960's hippie. His standard attire was the combination of a bulky old sweater and a pair of faded, thin jeans.... He was highly intelligent and verbal, with a keen eye for the dramatic picture on stage. He was certainly one of the most gifted contemporary directors. From New York to San Francisco, opera fans were still talking about his shocker of last season, a wild 'reinterpretation' of one of the most sacred operas in the reparatory.... [Mitchell] insisted, as he was explaining to his new cast in Antwerp this morning, on the right - no, the duty - of every artist to inject his personal vision, that is, interpretation, into the work of art.... We are not here to shock the public, to create a scandal, even though this may be a by-product of a reinterpretation, but rather to make the audience see the traditional work as a having 'multi-level possibilities.'"

Indeed, one of the strongest aspects of Pebbles is Dr. Kaufman's ability to give the reader a strong image of each character within a few paragraphs. Whether it is a Russian agent, an American cop, or a German mother, the individual is so well described that the reader has the feeling if that character from the book would walk into the house now, he would recognize him.

(Although I highly doubt that anyone reading this review would care or take offense, as a religiously conservative person this reviewer must, as a matter of principle, make a formal protest against the inclusion of "romantic" sections in Pebbles on the Stone.)

Another aspect of the book that was very strong was the original and unexpected twists and turns of the plot. Spy stories can be all too similar in plot, but Dr. Kaufman avoids this trap. Neverthless, this writer's favorite sections were those which dealt exclusively with the world of opera and music. Those parts were really readable, real and fun! (This is an Amazon review, not the Times, so one is permitted to use the word "fun.") For anyone with an appreciation of music, opera and spy plots, this reviewer highly recommends Pebbles on the Stone.

The only suggestion this reviewer has is that Dr. Kaufman should add yet another contribution to the world of music - that of a music critic!

This is an exciting and unusual spy story with lots of human interest, and an authentic background in the world of music.The passages about the opera and the different conductors' styles are fascinating. Definitely a good read!

I am new to oil painting and found this book very helpful in many areas. It covers working with live models , when and how to do this. How to begin your painting, color and many other areas in your painting. I think it will be of great help for my success in oil painting. It does not cover types of paint to use but it clearly tells you that is not the books purpose. I have only had it for a few weeks but have already gone thru it completely and feel like I have learned quite a lot.

As always, Helen Van Wyk style of masterfully illustrating the techniques from the start to the finish of portrait painting is well presented in this book. I found the book very useful in solving some of the problems that I could not seem to overcome. I now keep the book handy and refer to her whenever I find a challenging face to paint.

I would recommend this book not only for the techniques that she provides but also for the variety of illustrations that will help any level of oil painter improve their skills. From cover to cover, this book is a bargin to both the beginning painter and the master.

One of the best book I read on powerbuilder. it is a good learning book for the intermediate & expert PB5 programmer.

Instead of wasting your time having you build applications you'll never use, this book gets you into real Powerbuilder code. It takes time to explain some of the basics, but it is a well-written reference for intermediate to expert PB5 programmers. Excellent coverage of the new PB5 features and great help in migrating from 4.0! I recommend any PB developer to add this book to their library.

Jung surpasses himself here by seeing in alchemical symbolism the psyche trying to discover itself to the artifex bent over his alchemical retort. Only one who'd discovered his own version of the fabulous Philosopher's Stone could have attempted such a work.

This book is a result of Jung's extensive study of old Alchemical practices and his efforts to connect and interpret it in the light of his own psychological concepts. The book gives sense to ancient Alchemy practices and explains them as symbols of the process of human spiritual growth.

Jung explains different steps of this process and illustrates them with phases of the symbolic process of alchemic transmutation, leading to integration of the soul and producing alchemyc gold - or in terms of his own concept the result of the process of individuation.

Concrete examples from his own psychiatric experience of dream analysis and monitoring psychological growth very vividly and convincingly illustrate this concept in action.

The book is richly illustrated with authentic alchemic iconography which renders reader authentic atmosphere and taste of ancient art.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in connecting ancient spiritual practices and modern psychological interpretation theories.

This book is fantastic. It is the only book of its kind in that it *explains* quantum theory as well as introducing the full mathematical bra-ket formalism. It also gives the best explanation of multiparticle hamiltonians that I have seen. Most lower level books skip these topics, and upper level books introduce them without much explanation. It covers potential wells and how they apply to electrons in solids (solid state physics) as well as the harmonic potential and many applications in solid state. Most QM books cover this stuff too, but this book actually explains clearly why you should learn this stuff. It has a true physics feel to it, rather than the mathematical treatment of most senior level and 1st year grad texts on QM. It is the perfect book for someone in engineering who is taking quantum mechanics. I also think physics major who takes QM using Liboff, Shankar, or other similar books would benifit greatly using this a companion.

If you have no quantum background you may want to start with Eisberg and Resnick's book, which I also rec'd highly. It is at a slightly less mathematical level, but is a great physics book and covers a very broad range of modern physics.

I feel it is an ideal book to be used by guys who want to USE quantum theory in their research. I have found the presentation ideal for someone with an undergraduate course in quantum mechanics. The concepts are built solidly, with physical insight. The language is crisp and there is an air of authority in the explanation of many concepts.

Herbert Foster's "Jivin' and Playin' the Dozens is a must read for all teachers, not just urban or inner city teachers. He does a great job of explaining black male street corner language and behavior and how it is played out in the classroom. This is of particular importance for the teacher who has never experienced this language and behavior first-hand. If more teachers would read "Ribbin'", and implement some of the ideas suggested, I believe fewer black children, males in particular, would be referred to special education or suspended from school.
By way of 99 realities, Foster describes, explains, and discusses black male street corner language and behavior as it is played out in the classroom. This provided me with insight that I had not had before. However, the book is more than that. Indeed, he even has a chapter on dress and grooming for teachers. He argues that too many teachers dress slovenly when teaching black children. While many teachers think that this is a way of relating to black children, Foster argues that it is a sign of unconscious teacher racism. An excellent point he makes very well.
This book is also helpful to understand the black street corner language and behavior that appears to have permeated every aspect of American, if not international life. In addition to teachers, his book should be read by anyone concerned with or interested in comtemporary life.

This book illustrates successful teaching & gives insight into inner city school children, their language & ways of learning. The teacher must be flexible & enter the world of his/her students. Students differ & teaching methods must be flexible enough to accomodate these differences. This book illustrates that there needs to be more than one way of teaching for different students.

This book of essays had an effect upon me similar to that of the New Testament. It changed my outlook forever. (By the way, a total change of outlook is the actual meaning of the word 'repent'.)

This volume is an essential collection of the profound works of Auberon Herbert, the fountainhead of "voluntaryism." Herbert took Herbert Spencer's famous law of equal freedom, and extended it to its full extent. As a result, Herbert concluded, as Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, et al, have since, that physical force is evil, and that the only legitimate, or at least, acceptable use of force is in defense. Moreover, Herbert concluded that it was illegitimate for *anyone* to utilize force, even government agents. Therefore, all forms of government intervention beyond the basic protection of individual rights is both illegitimate and immoral, including taxation. In fact, he even offers a 29 point case against all taxation in one particular piece. In place of coercive government, Herbert proposed defensive services financed voluntarily, and indeed, this is the only moral method. Throughout the work, one is consistently delighted by Herbert's firm and eloquent advocacy of individualism, rationality, responsibility, and progress. Admirers of Ayn Rand and Objectivism should especially enjoy this work. Above all, Herbert's writings are delightful and often deeply moving pieces of work, and I can only hope that friends of liberty and reason become more acquanted with them in the future.

If I ever got around to teaching a class on Science Fiction, these books would be at the core of the syllabus, along with Brian Aldiss' Trillion Year Spree. James Gunn, more noted for his academic treatment of SF than what he's actually written (of which "The Immortal", which was turned into a TV series, is probably the most famous), puts together an incredible collection of the best that SF has to offer. The first 2 volumes are out of print, but White Wolf (bless 'em!) brought the 3rd back into print and continued to publish Gunn's latest efforts into what started out as a chronological exploration (the first two volumes covered Gilgamesh to Wells to Heinlein) into a showcase of international takes on SF. He prefaces each story with a short essay about its author, and the context which the author's work appears in the framework he presents in each volume. If you're a veteran SF reader you'll be delighted at getting some of the best stories ever written under one cover. If you're new to SF, this is an excellent introduction to the genre and the infinite possibilities of it.

You might remember me, from the other Road To Science Fiction review. This, like the other, is a good collection. I really enjoyed "The Dance of the Changer and the Three" and it was really good. It really makes you think about what is truly alien. Anyway, this is perfect for any Sci-Fi fan.

These guys really are great...
It was hard to find yet a great price, service, and arrived promptly and in great condition.
I write this to show them my appreciation.
Thanks

Saraha, an arrow maker, was a highly individualistic Indian yogi, one of the "drop outs" from Indian society who provided a poetic rendition of the philosophy of the mind. This book contains the root text and a commentary, as well as Guenther's articulate explanations. Saraha analyses perceptions, and of particular interest to me was what is said about memory. Memory is what comprises most of our thought processes, and what causes most of us much pain and discomfort. Conventional notions of memory assumes a past, present and a future, whose validy Saraha challenges. Each philosophical point is illustrated by a simile, which facilitates the reader's absorption of each point. So this is an excellent account of dealing with the status of our thoughts and feelings about our experiences.