This book is a great read. The sections are well defined to cover each topic, including measurements where applicable and even the definition of tracts and management of said lands. He has written other books too. I hope they reprint the translations soon.

This early work describes the thinking of early technologists and shows the development of materials technology and related engineering knowledge of the late 15th century. Of particular interest is the detailed research done by Herbert Hoover, former President and mining engieer. His research is detailed in extensive foot notes. The illustrations are exact copies of the originals. Some of the early chapters are the most intersting reading because of the insights gained into archaic thinking that extrapolates to modern times.

This is one of the great classics, richly illustrated with over 200 woodcuts, most full page. It was published in 1556 by Georgius Agricola. The English translation is by former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, and first Lady Lou. Virtually all of the equipment illustrated was current until a few decades ago. Agricola describes and illustrates such "modern" methods as amalgamation, and the use of spiral inclines for transporting heavy equipment from the surface to underground. The (unnamed) "books" (chapters) which compose the book could be titled: 1 The Social Impact of Mining; 2 Mine Management, Exploration, and Prospecting; 3 The Theory of Ore Deposits; 4 Mining Law; 5 Shaft Sinking, Drifting, and Surveying; 6 Mining Equipment, Haulage, Dewatering, Ventilation, and Hazards; 7: Assaying; 8 Beneficiation; 9 Smelting; 10 Separation of Gold from Silver and Silver Refining; 11 Separation of Gold and Silver from Copper and Iron and Copper Refining; 12 Industrial Mineral, Chemical, and Glass Production. The text is a bit dense, but is worth the trouble.

After spending literally thousands of hours reading true crime books, I can say that this is the real thing. I was absolutely thrilled to see that it is available because I am going to make it required reading for the students in my Criminal Investigation classes! They may grumble at first about having another book to read, but when they start on "The Evidence Never Lies", they'll not want to put it down!

As the spouse of an award-winning crime reporter, we found "The Evidence Never Lies" to be a compelling, thought-provoking analysis of the incredible career of Herbert MacDonell. For those whose careers focus on crime, crime buffs, and seekers of great reading, this is a must-buy.

I first found this book in 1992...and it changed my life. I am not kidding. Because of this book, I went on to studying serial killers, profiling and forensics...I was a paralegal major before that. The Evidence Never Lies is one of those treasures that should not be lost....never mind out of print!! I searched for it to see if there were a newer edition; I cannot believe it is out of print. Please Mr. MacDonell, write another like it. It is truly great

This is a great book for those who want to carry a concise reference on fishing. The book is easy to read and locating information is no problem.
I try to not leave home without a copy!

"Golden Books" were great for my children and grandchildren, and now their "Fishing", "A Guide To Fresh and Salt-water", book helps me with salt-water fish identification and tackle preparation. I have recently relocated to the S.C. coast and do a lot of salt-water fishing. With all of the rules and regulations relative to fish size and limits, "Fishing" comes in handy in identifying the fish caught so as not to run afoul of the "man" by having the wrong fish in the creel.

A powerful, pocket-sized introduction to the wide world of fishing. Excellent, extensive illustrations. I loved this book when I was a kid, and it still holds up well. I recommend it for anyone, child or adult, who is new to the angling arts.

Let's face it; most travel books are a glance-and-go proposition. Most of them do a passable job providing key information, but they aren't exactly a pleasure to read. Frommer's New England 2003 changes all that. Not only are the cititations clear, correct, and complete, many of them are laugh-out-loud funny or wickedly sly. At the end of a busy day on the road, I actually found myself reading the guide for fun (while happily settled in one of the recommended accommodations).A literate guide obviously written by folks in the know.

Great for a recent trip to Boston and Newport, RI.

The tips on what to see and what to avoid were dead on.

I have never bought a Frommer's Guide Book before, and now after I purchased this one, I am a loyal customer! I found it extremely insightful as to the most quaint New England towns to visit, which are the best routes to get there, practical information on the restaurants in town as well as their price ranges for any type of budgets - as well as advice on the many different bed and breakfasts that are available. This book caters to all travel styles, preferences and budgets. I planned most of my vacation with this book because it had phone numbers, prices, excellent directions... I could probably go on and on. Definitely a must for anyone who is traveling and not familiar with the area. It's like talking to someone who has lived in New England their whole life and is on hand to give you all the practical information you need to have a successful and fun/relaxing vacation. As if the book weren't great enough - they give you a wonderful full-sized pullout map that has all the towns marked on it which are mentioned in the book.

Generatingfunctionology is, in my opinion, one of the best mathematics books ever written. If you want to read one mathematics book that really makes a difference, this is it! I read the book twice, and I plan to read it again. I went from being rather inept at solving combinatorial problems to being a virtual "master" almost overnight! Wilf's writing style is clear, concise, and even humorous at times. Reading this book is like being blind and then having your eyes opened for the first time. Generating functions are an extremely powerful tool in number theory and combinatorics. Don't pass up this book! You may never become an Euler, but you sure can come close!

Wonderfully clear writing style. Thoughtful development of the subject. Engaging narrative and exercises.

This is a well-organized cookbook of generating function techniques. The emphasis is on combinatorial methods (breaking down the generating function into simpler, known functions). There is also a chapter on analytic methods (Lagrange reversion, contour integration, analysis of poles). The chapter on exponential generating functions is especially good; these are used when counting items that have "labelled components" in some sense. The book includes solutions of many difficult combinatorial problems by using generating functions.

I think generating functions are an under-appreciated technique. Studying this book is a relatively painless way to learn about generating functions and their applications.

One can hardly read any thoughtful analysis or
evaluation of art, artists, even poets, without
coming upon a quote from John Ruskin. Yet one
may read the quote, realize its acuteness, but
then proceed on -- without really knowing anything
about John Ruskin himself, or about his ideas
and works. That is a tragic loss. Ruskin was an
English art critic and scholar, as well as a
cultural and philosphical historian who
lived from 1819 to 1900.
He attended and graduated from Oxford University,
and in 1869 was appointed first Slade Professor
of Fine Art at Oxford.
John Ruskin seems to me to be a combination of
Plato, godly Greek sculptors, and Thoreau. His
own senses, apparently (just like Thoreau's) were
extremely acute...he has incredible sharpness of
vision. But even more telling, he has incredible
command of vision and the language to express it
with. He seems, at times, like a Homer of artistic
cultural and philosophical expression.
This volume is a compilation of excerpts from
Ruskin's major writings: MODERN PAINTERS I, II,
III, IV, and V/ THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE/
THE STONES OF VENICE/ THE TWO PATHS/ UNTO THIS
LAST/ THE CROWN OF WILD OLIVE/ SESAME AND LILIES/
THE QUEEN OF THE AIR/ FORS CLAVIGERA/ FICTION, FAIR
AND FOUL/ THE STORM-CLOUD OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY/
and PRAETERITA. There are multiple excerpts from
each of these works, and each excerpt is followed
by a very helpful citation of the volume, part,
section, and chapter of the work where the excerpt
is found.
Ruskin is not "merely" an acute analyzer and
evaluator of art and architecture, but he also is
an artistic and ethical philosopher. His philosophy
seems to have a strong dose of PAGAN GREEK (Plato)
underpinning, which interacts interestingly with
the Evangelical Protestantism overlaid when he
was young by his mother's strict Bible lessons.
His whole life seems to have been a struggle
between these two grappling forces, like the

statue of "The Wrestlers" from Hellenistic times.
Ruskin idolized and glorified the painter
Joseph Mallord William Turner [J.M.W. Turner].
He seems to have set out on a crusade while still
a teen-ager (17) by writing an essay defending
Turner and his art -- his admiration, esteem,
and idolatry continued even after he had gone
to Oxford University and began writing his art
criticism works.
Ruskin's topics sound like a role-call of
classical virtues and perfection seeking -- and
like Thoreau, he bemoans the fact that more
people do not wake up, see intently, and live
better lives. I personally find Ruskin's admonitions
to be inspiring, rather than merely preachy. He
obviously has a vision (like a prophet), a wondrous
sense of beauty and appreciation, and a fine mind
and expressive ability which create words of golden
glow. Yet he also has a heart of reproof towards
the mercantilism of his times (in one speech he
tells his audience that they have two religions,
one which they pay lip-service and tithes to,
and the other religion of their practicality,
the one they actually live by -- and he says:
"...but we are all unanimous about this practical
one; of which I think you will admit that the ruling
goddess may be best generally described as the
'Goddess of Getting-on,' or 'Britannia of the
Market.'")
Some of the topic titles in the various sections
give one the flavor of his insights and vision:
"Definition of Greatness in Art"; "That the Truth
of Nature in Not to Be Discerned by the Uneducated
Senses"; "Of Truth of Space"; and "Of the Naturalist
Ideal." In his works on architecture, there are
such topic titles as "The Lamp of Truth" and "The
Lamp of Memory."
The editor of this volume, John D. Rosenberg, has
done a masterful, insightful job of presenting
Ruskin and his views -- and the Univ. Press of
Virginia have done a masterful job of printing
and binding those valuable views in an attractive
and valuable volume.

Highly acclaimed anthology of John Ruskin, this book is made out of 39 vols Library Edition of John Ruskin's works, supported by 5 pillars--art, architecture, society, solitude and self and compiled chronologically.In the introduction, Herbert Tucker estimates this book as a classic anthology. It is followed by Rosenberg's preface, and before each section mentioned above is his own explanatory comment. This is extremely superb in style as well as contents. At the end of the book is a new bibliography, to some of which entries brief comments are added. As Ruskin's writings, especially those in early years, are not easy to read, this book is priceless. Among relatively rare entries are "Traffic" in The Clown of Wild Olive, "Athena Keramitis" in Queen of the Air, and "Essay I" in Fiction Fair and Foul. Compared with the previous anthology by Kenneth Clark, "Ruskin Today", this one is inferior in variety but far superior in amount. Now we have the Ruskin's Complete Works in one CD-ROM, but it cannot be read, say, in a train or bed unless printed out. Concisely selected, this book is, I think, quite valuable when kept by your side.

It is a great pity that the works of Ruskin are neither widely read nor widely available. One can only hope that the day will come when an affordable, comprehensive, multi-volume collection will become available. For now, we may be thankful for the work of Columbia University's John Rosenberg, who has given us perhaps as fine an introduction to Ruskin as can be hoped for. The selections are long and judiciously made, and they address Ruskin in all important aspects of his work: art critic, social heretic, autobiographer. This book is like a wise old friend, especially comforting in a world that has in so many ways departed from the values that this volume enshrines. A faithful rendering of an indispensable author.

A fascinating and meaningful book this is. I downloaded it several years ago and read it twice before having the good fortune of being able to purchase the paperback so I could read it again. It appears to me to have been a labor of love.

Do you like a good mystery? Then you should enjoy the sleuthing that the author has done concerning a long forgotten style of Christianity which revered Thomas. The author takes as a starting point an ancient book entitled the Acts of Judas Thomas. The book was preserved by the early church and describes a missionary journey of Thomas to the east, even to India. It was written in the 3rd century CE and though it does not describe literal history (it's a romance) it shows what religious ideas were important and yields other valuable information. The structure of Merillat's book is to describe a section of this Acts and then to explore relevant tangents. That way, in thirty short self-contained chapters, we learn about the history and geography of cities in the area and philosophical and religious viewpoints. Along the journey, for instance, we learn of a gnostic religious group that has survived into the 21st century. They are the Mandeans and have sometimes in history been termed "John Christians" because John the Baptist has a special place in their devotions. They might be descendants of his followers who never embraced Christianity, at least of the form familiar to us in America. The Manichean religion is weaved into the narrative. It was another gnostic-type religion which borrowed from both Christianity and Buddhism. (Elsewhere I've read that the religion of the movie "Star Wars" may be described as Manichean.) There is usually a connection between Thomas and gnosticism in the ancient literature. And, significant parallels exist between Thomas traditions and eastern religions, particularly Buddhism. We also learn about the history of the Thomas Christians of southern India. In their tradition Thomas established their church and achieved martyrdom there. While that is very unlikely, the evidence is that the church was established there in the very early centuries of the Christian era. It is further evidence of the importance of Thomas as a spiritual leader in that part of the world.

I am a southern protestant boy who can vouch that whenever the subject of "Gnostics" comes up in Sunday school, the cliche is that they claimed superior insight and knowledge. Such snobbery is easy to dismiss with a handwave. However, the reality of what they were like is more complicated. Gnosticism is a difficult subject and this book is an aid in understanding it. One text that Merillat uses in a particularly helpful way is the Gospel of Thomas. It was among a cache of mostly gnostic manuscripts discovered in the 1940's in Egypt called the Nag Hammadi Library. It is a gospel consisting of sayings by Jesus. Many of the sayings are identical or similar to those found in the gospels of the New Testament. Approximately one third have no counterpart in the New Testament. Taken in toto, the gospel can be read and interpreted in a mystical or gnostic manner. It is a witness of the viewpoint of some very early Christians.For instance, there is an emphasis on self-knowledge. "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you." (v. 70) There is emphasis on understanding what Jesus says, "whoever finds the interpretations of these sayings will not taste death." (v. 1) On being like Jesus, "whoever drinks from my mouth will be like me and I will be that person." (v. 106) On understanding our true nature, that we come from God and, if we are children of light, we will return to him. And, that the kingdom is here and now, "The Kingdom is inside you and outside you," (v. 3) and "The Kingdom of the Father is spread out on the earth, but people do not see it." (v. 112)

The author shows in this book, in my opinion, that a study of Thomas can provide a bridge which connects the East and the West. Christian apologists justifiably are proud that science is a product of western christian assumptions and culture. But it should be noted that a critical aspect of its development was the fact it was enabled by the rediscovery and integration of classical literature and learning. Perhaps, at the beginning of this millenium, in order to advance our understanding of human consciousness and to reconnect religion and science which are so often at odds, a similar synthesis can be made. This book is an aid to such a quest.

Herbert C. Merillat (Chris to his friends of whom I one) has written a number of excellent and important books,including two of the best about the campaign in World War II for Guadalcanal. His style is accessible, and he chooses his subjects with care. Yes, the book may have been available on the Internet, but don't we all prefer to have the books that we love nearby at hand? Merillat survived some of WW II's worst battles. He was there for us; we should be there for him in buying this excellent book.

Anyone who pays for this valuable treatise is a fool, since the author has made it available free online.

The book is a collection of articles by Herbert McCabe, one of the liveliest thinkers of English Christianity. It covers an enormous range of topics and all with McCabe's characteristic humour and elegantly simple presentation of deep topics. His essays on God, creation and evil with which the book begins, his debates with Maurice Wiles on the Incarnation and P. J. Fitzpatrick on the Eucharist and the beautiful extended sermon on hope are some of the finest examples of theology today.

Herbert McCabe writes great theology chock-full-o-profundity and surprisingly comprehensible: loftier then clowns like Swinburne and much more readable. There were actually times when I was laughing out loud; and one often laughs at theology rather than with it. In particular, the way he deals with the problem of evil, Chapter II I believe, is wonderful as he presents himself as God's barrister. Good read, would definitly reccomend to anyone studying or investigating theology.

Alexander J. Urbelis

McCabe is the godfather of all of those who read Aquinas through the eyes of Wittgenstein. The essays collected here -- covering everything from the doctrine of God to class struggle and Christian love -- are deceptively user-friendly. McCabe writes in an engaging and conversational style, but once the reader is engaged he or she will find ideas that bear repeated pondering. I highly recommend this book especially for those who think Aquinas is a boring and "safe" thinker.

This book speaks at many different levels. It could be called "adventures in synchronicity" or it could be a Jungian categorical excursion into the same type of regimentation-as-freedom found in, say, a monastery or a totalitarian paradise. The crystal, milky-white earth-beings found under the earth, as explained here by Read, find their final rest in the form of individual obliteration, as they lay down in neat rows, to become fused as mineralized pieces of a complex crystalline underground society, accompanied in the background by the racket of numerous initiates, tapping out certain patterns of sounds on various-sized hunks of crystal as a preliminary qualification to their own eventual obliteration.

Aha! Now we understand the ice cave scene in "Superman" a little better, as well as the scene in that Planet of the Apes movie where they manipulate crystal inserts in a control panel to cause something like nuclear reactions. There must be an analogous Star Trek episode as well.

The Plato's cave comment picks up on this. Just as Plato's Republic veers into totalitarianism, so does the Green Child. Unlike Plato, however, it is not clear that Read is trying to be prescriptive. It may be optional, as was the Heaven's Gate cult, where they all wore the same shoes, ordered the same food at the same restaurant, laid down on the same size beds, and took the same overdose, waiting for the same spaceship, to unify them with the great beyond up there somewhere. Read here describes an inversion, going down to the labyrinthe, rather than out into the abyss. Now he has become the brave explorer of the inner extreme. He thus gains a foothold in medieval thought, with Plato in the rear view mirror.

Hermann Hesse may have tried the same thing, with his "Journey to the East" but Hesse trapped himself in an obscure labyrinthine dead end. By the end of the book, you don't even care what he meant. Here, with the Green Child, you wonder....is this a vision of heaven? A fusion of the is and the ought? What you want equals what you get? For some people, I think it might be. In this book resides a vision they find beautiful and personally compelling.

It also operates as a cool story on its own. We'll see how "Lord of the Rings" does later this year. It would take unusual talent to make this book cognizable as a movie. For the record, this book makes a good companion to John Updike's essay "Augustine's Concubine," and if law completely falls apart, I may do a PhD dissertation on Augustine's rejection of regimentation as a starting point for freedom and responsibility. The opposite of crystal fusion.

I always assign my philosophy students The Green Child as an immediate follow-up to Plato's Republic. It is a beautiful novel in every respect, and a wonderful companion to Plato's Allegory of the Cave. I have been thanked by my students and friends for thirty years. Many have said that Read's The Green Child is the most beautiful piece of prose they have ever read.

This is one of the only, if not the only, pieces of fiction written by Sir Herbert Read (1893-1968), a British poet, critic and philosopher. He was a champion of modern art and a founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Sir Herbert Read's writings are used as textbooks in Art Appreciation classes and he is considered to be one of the foremost Art Critics of the twentieth century. His prose has the sensibility of a visual artist, the lines written almost as if painted with a brush. The beauty of the book is akin to a fine painting of an English Landscape. Since I was first introduced to this book, over 30 years ago, I have bought at least 30 copies to give as gifts to friends who I knew would enjoy really fine prose for the sake of the prose itself. The story is a wonderfull philosophical tale of adventure and the discovery of another race that live beneath the English countryside metamorphosing into crystalline beings. A definite MUST READ for fans of FINE prose.

A reviewer, a Professor, June 9, 2003,
The education you were afraid to ask

Marylin Ferguson, The Aquarius Conspiracy, June 3, 2003,
E-ducation, at last!!!
' This is a landmark book for those who care seriously about learning' From Brain and Mind Bulletin

Keith Burkum, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, June 2, 2003,
A revolution in education
(This) is a revolution in the form of a book. The author provides both a radical re-imagining of the nature and goal of education and many of the materials with which to implement this project.The author concurs in the view that our universities are in trouble, but offers a very different diagnosis, and coinsequently a unique treatment. This (book) is not just an armchair critique of the state of modern education. It alsxo offers a creative and stimulating look at the sources of Western culture as a way to broaden our conception of education. He offers clear guidelines to turn education into an experience linked to the dramatic presentations in the classroom of the classical materials by the students. A great diagnosis with a unique treatment.

Also recommended: AVATARA:THE HUMANIZATION OF PHILOSOPHY THROUGH THE BHAGAVAD GITA. ALSO: Moksha Smith: Agni's Warrior-Sage. AND Meditations Through the Rg Veda

Prof. Viacheslav Stiopin, Director Russian Academy of Science, June 2, 2003,
Revolution in Russia
'In our Country this book (Habits of Mind) was highly evaluated by specialists and I would think it very important and useful to acquaint our teachers and students with this book. I would ask your permission to publish this book in Russian...This edition could be our joint contribution to the improvement of humanitarian education in Russia and to maintaining cultural cooperation between our countries.'(In a letter to the Publisher)

The purpose of Philosophy is to elicit from individuals the readiness, willingness, and ability to perform free acts - acts independent of conditioning, not driven by reward-punishment motivations, and free of the desire to project ones personal will upon people and events. Free acts, then, are those acts which are not borrowed from without but which emerge from within.

The author does a superb service in revisiting Plato and Aristotle permitting us to see them and their work as if for the first time and to see them in relation to the historical acts which set the stage for western education yet which were seldom, if ever, called upon to play out their potential therein.

MASTERFUL! The author's text on San Juan De la Cruz is also immensely valuable and warrants close attention.

I am the author. The subtitle of the book is The Practice of Philosophy as Education not eduaction. Please correct. This is, after all one of the best selling books on education in the market place! Five States have implemented its guidelines for schools, and it has been translated into Russian to update Dewey in education.