This is a popular university textbook. I know this because I called several universities for recommendations before purchasing. I've used this book as a professional reference. It is very current on recent pronouncements. The book is well organized, has good examples and it includes many "real world" examples as well

This book inables the reader to creates, in their mind, an interesting and different look at the world around them. I would encourage younger people to reader this book, espialally none Native Americans. I believe it is a very important piece of Native American culture.

I used this text while teaching a World Literature Survey at the college level. The editors have done an excellent job of providing a truly international collection. Most anthologies try to include many different genres. By limiting themselves to one genre, the short-story, the editors have kept the size reasonable--I was able to cover enough of the stuff in here to not make me feel as though I was making students buy three times more book than they needed.

The selections are well thought out, with inclusions leaning heavily in favor of modern works. Some of European authors (Flaubert, De Maupassant, for example) go back a ways, but there aren't any classical or pre-renaissance texts except for a selection from Arabian Nights. The prefatory material (biographies/introductions) is brief but helpful, especially for some less familiar (to western readers) authors. If you are interested in world literature, this book is a great buffet, giving you a taste of Allende, Naipul, Borges, Achebe, Gordimer, Head, Akutagawa, Mahfouz, Fuentes, Flaubert, Camus, Kafka, Tolstoy, Langervist, and many, many others. There is a nice mix of old and new. Read a story by a master and discover which authors you like and whose books you would like to investigate.

I have always been wary of collections of stories written by multiple authors - I am afraid that they will be lacking in content as the editor attempts to create some sort of image of the type of author he/she is collecting. This is emphatically not the case here.
While I was initially struck by the alien nature of the cultures from which these stories come - I am a Brooklynite through and through - this did not stop me from devouring UNDER AFRICAN SKIES: MODERN AFRICAN STORIES. (Here I feel I should note that I read this book as part of a discussion based seminar this past year I spent at Trinity College. My classmates provided me with great insight, but most of the joy I found in reading this work stemmed from the superb quality and provocative nature of these stories.) Although it would be an over statement to say that every single story in this collection is great, some - including Alexander Kanehgoni's EFFORTLESS TEARS - are among the best short stories I have ever encountered. I say "encountered" and not "read" because you do not simply read many of these stories, you experience them both intellectually and emotionally. Buy this book, let it speak to you - do not be discouraged by cultural barriers - you will not be disappointed.
In a final note, I would like to concur with the "A reader from New York City" that this book should not be read in a single sitting. Each story should be read more than once: there are layers of meaning that simply cannot be grasped without careful reading and re-reading. This is not to say that the work cannot be enjoyed without careful study, but that it becomes more enjoyable the more time you devote to it.

Mr. Larsen's has skillfully selected a range of stories that covers the breadth of the continent, and of its voices. Each story--all are brief, all are powerful in their way--is preceded by an introduction to the writer and context of the work. The book is not long, but cannot be read at a sitting, not unless you're made of iron. These are unblinking stories of colonial and postcolonial Africa. Buy it for Birago Diop's story alone, or Ken Saro-Wiwa's.

Besides the excellent research, Larson writes a book that is readable. His conclusions are damning for those who claim that Joseph Smith had the ability to interpret the Egyptian language. Although Larson comes from a Christian perspective, I believe that he is very objective about his findings. A follower of Smith's might point to the author's Christian beliefs as a reason why this book is tainted, but this is ridiculous. Instead of attacking the messenger, the critics should go after the message...and I don't think this is so easy in this case. I especially like the fold-out color charts of the original papyrii--the book is worth its price just for these alone--and this makes it very easy to follow his explanations throughout the analysis. Visual learners will love it! I believe that this book is very important, for if Joseph Smith were a true prophet of God, and if he did indeed translate the Book of Mormon (the plates from this 1830 book are missing, so we cannot check his interpreting ability here), then we should expect the translation from the "Book of Abraham" to be very accurate. Alas, Smith did not know Egyptian (as proved by Larson); he was able to get away with so much because he lived when the science of translating the language was in its infancy. This is something every Mormon should think about.

As far as those reviewers who do not like the last two chapters where the case for Christianity is presented: Larson is not trying to give the definitive case for his faith. That's not what this book is about. Rather, he was trying to say, If Mormonism is not true, then what is? This is a legitimate question, and I think these chapters were very appropriate where they were placed. To the Mormon, Christian, and atheist alike, I give By His Own Hand my highest recommendation.

Larson has done a masterful job of presenting the full history of the JSP and its origins, up to the time of it's rediscovery in 1967, and the scrutiny that has followed in the last three decades. He quite clearly brings to light the correct translation of the document by many independent expert Egyptologists and the numerous fallacious responses by Dr. Nibley and other LDS apologists. After reading this book, the conclusions are right there in front of any intellectually honest person, plain as day... Joseph Smith did not come anywhere near a correct translation of the JSP in writing the Book of Abraham, and by extension his credibility has, at the very least, been seriously compromised. Despite what many church leaders endorse, i.e. faith takes precedence over all other things including facts, I strongly endorse the philosophy of "truth takes precedence over all other things (including long held beliefs)", and truth obviously includes facts. Facing truth is sometimes very difficult, but self deception is not an acceptable alternative. Regarding the final chapter that many here have complained about, I just want to point out that Larson's son, who has written a review here, claims that his father did not write this chapter and that he had to include it to get it published. This is very easy to believe as the last chapter takes on a completely different tone and while it may have some value religiously, it is totally out of place for this scholarly piece. It was most likely entirely written by Mr. McElveen mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, who is also very likely associated with the Inst. for Religious Research, which is not so sublty promoting itself at the end of this book. Hopefully future editions will be printed without this chapter as Mr. Larson's son says is likely.

A fundamental claim of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) is that modern-day prophets who receive revelation from God lead the Church. Accordingly, the Church lists as scripture (in addition to the Bible) several other books, including the Book of Mormon, The Book of Moses, The Book of Abraham, and the Doctrine & Covenants (D&C).

Charles Larson's book is the story of how the Book of Abraham came to be.

Each of Smith's creations has a story to tell. The Book of Mormon describes the ancient voyages of Hebrews to the American continent, and their establishment of a vast civilization that smelted iron, cultivated old-world crops, and used domesticated horses to pull chariots (see "Quest for the Gold Plates," by Stan Larson). The Book of Moses claims to be a direct revelation from God regarding the creation of the earth and some aspects of its early history. The D & C contains revelations pertaining to the day-to-day organization and operation of the Church, along with many important revelations about specific and unique doctrines held by the Church, such as polygamy.

Mormons claim that Smith translated the Book of Mormon from plates of gold that he acquired from an angel. After translating the Book of Mormon, Smith said the angel retrieved the plates. Consequently, the gold plates have never been available for skeptical or scientific examination. The other books came directly from the mind of Joseph Smith. So they, too, have no original text with which they can be compared.

The Book of Abraham stands unique among Smith's creations because Joseph Smith claimed to have translated it directly from ancient Egyptian scrolls that were purchased from a man named Chandler, who sold them to LDS Elders (along with other artifacts) for $2,400. Unlike the vanished gold plates, the documents from which Joseph Smith claimed to have translated the Book of Abraham actually exist, and Joseph Smith's "translation" can be compared with the professional opinions of modern-day Egyptologists.

The Book of Abraham thus stands as a unique and direct test of Joseph Smith's self-proclaimed ability to translate ancient documents "by the gift and power of God." The main thrust of Charles Larson's book is that the Book of Abraham, and Joseph Smith, fail the test.

Larson begins by describing how Joseph Smith and the early LDS Saints came across the Egyptian papyri, how they were purchased, and how Joseph Smith began and finished his work of translation. According to Joseph Smith none other than Abraham authored the writings on the papyrus. They tell of the creation of the world and the universe, as well as important information about unique LDS beliefs such as the pre-mortal existence. After Smith's murder, and the subsequent struggle for control of the Church, the collection of papyri became separated from the Saints, found their way to Chicago, and were presumed lost in the great Chicago fire.

Smith, however, included facsimiles of drawings from the papyri in the Book of Abraham. These allowed some measure of scientific examination which, unfortunately for the Church, resulted in early Egyptologists identifying them as nothing more than common Egyptian funerary documents. Although devastating from a scholarly point of view, the Church was sequestered in the Utah frontier and the Saints and their leaders simply ignored these scientific opinions with their typical disdain for "the learning of the world." Furthermore, since the papyri had been presumed lost in the great Chicago fire, apologists for the Church argued that, without the entire collection available for examination, speculation based on the reproductions in the Book of Abraham were premature.

That changed in the spring of 1966 when Professor Aziz S. Atiya found eleven tattered pieces of Egyptian Papyri that matched the description of the Joseph Smith Papyri exactly. On November 27, 1967 the Mormon-owned "Deseret News" announced that:

"A collection of papyrus manuscripts, long believed to have been destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871 was presented to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here Monday by the Metropolitan Museum of Art ... Included in the papyri is a manuscript identified as the original document from which Joseph Smith had copied the drawing which he labeled "Facsimile No. 1" and published with the Book of Abraham."

At first there was euphoria among Church scholars at the prospects of Joseph Smith's final vindication. This hope was soon dashed to bits, however, as it became almost immediately obvious that nothing written on the papyri resembles anything in the Book of Abraham. Undeterred, LDS apologists began a campaign of misinformation and apologetics. Their campaign was so effective that in 1974 (nearly ten years after their discovery) when I served a mission for the LDS Church in British Columbia, we were still telling converts that the papyri had been destroyed in the great Chicago fire.

Not only does Larson assemble an air-tight argument that the found documents are the very same ones Smith gazed upon when he translated the Book of Abraham, he does a good job of assembling various other apologetic arguments, and discrediting them one by one.

In writing this book Larson has provided perhaps the most comprehensive examination of the Book of Abraham available to the average reader. It includes the first published full color photographs of the Papyri collection in a foldout glossy photograph. It also has line-by-line translations by Egyptologists side-by-side with the "translation" given by Joseph Smith, an exhaustive appendix, notes section, and index. All of which make this an useful book for future reference after its been read.

For anyone who is honestly committed to the truth about the LDS Church, this is a book that simply cannot go unread.

Having recently finished reading the book, I wonder whether such debilitating attitudes still obtain in the African American community--attitudes that hold that dark skin is unattractive, even ugly. To answer my own query, my sense is that there are still elements of such thinking, born of self-denial and disafirmation. The character in Thurman's book, Emma, who was reared to think of herself as "too black"; was not suffering from a personal problem. Color consciousness is not a black invention; it is a product of centuries of white racism. This book will help black parents to understand their notions of beauty.

The Blacker the Berry is a truly classic novel and one from a great time period - the Harlem Renaissance. Wallace Thurman weaves an unfamiliar tale of a African American woman who struggles with her skin color, the acceptance of family members and racism within the black community.

At the time "The Blacker the Berry" was written, it was the first novel of its kind to address issues widely known among the black community, but never discussed.

It's about a young woman, Emma Lou, who's darker skin tone brings anguish and breeds hatred not only for herself but from her lighter skinned relatives. Set in the 1920s, the main character travels from Boise, Idaho to Harlem, New York in hopes of escaping her problems back home. However, she only runs into deeper problems in a new city.

The "Blacker the Berry" shares with us her journey for self love and social equality. Every woman of any race or background can relate to this book in some manner. After reading the novel, I encouraged all of my friends to examine their own views on skin color and share them with others in hopes of breaking down barriers and unwanted stereotypes. It was a wonderful book and I enjoyed reading it because it was very descriptive about Harlem - my original home town.

This Harlem Renaissance novel is a lost classic in African-American literature that must be reintroduced. My one and only complaint(and a slight one at that) is that sometimes the novel did not transition well between the two separate narrations of Emma Lou and Alva. This problem, however, is easily minisculed by the overall hard-hitting message of the book. At times I found myself getting infuriated by Emma Lou's seemingly silly and immature ways regarding color, but that is likely exactly what the author had set out to do--to make the reader realize the absurdity in being so color-conscious.
Though perhaps not as rampant as it was in the era that the novel is set, the whole light-complected/good hair complex is unfortunately an issue that still plagues the African- American community today. It is profound books such as this that will hopefully enlighten those practicing intra-racism that, light or dark, we are ALL considered 'black' by others, and that on a larger scale, regardless of anyone's race, we are ALL human. This is the realization that Emma Lou struggles with in the novel, and one that hopefully the reader will 'get'.

not gonna do back flips for a math book

I am a college student and the math book that was at the bookstore was $100.00. I went onto amazon.com and found the same book in new condition (looked like)for $56.00. I was kind of weary about ordering on-line for the first time but was pleasently surprised. This was a great first experience and plan on ording all my books through amazon.com.

"Ideas" is the key here as we have calculators, computers, and what not to do any real number crunching or comparing. This book carries you from zero to the edges of most any mathematical discipline. The information in the margins ties the theories back to reality. At the appropriate locations in the margin are postage stamps from around the works are shown commemorating the individual mathematicians and scientists relating to the subject being studied. There is a section in the book with the answers to all the odd questions.

Passing, written by Nella Larson, portrays the thoughts and feelings of a black woman dealing with inter-racial issues during the early twentieth century. The main character Irene Redfield, who has led a semi pleasant life with her husband and child finds herself dealing with issues brought upon by her past childhood friend Claire. Claire creates an intense and unstable environment for Irene and her family throughout most of the story. Towards the end a dramatic and suspenseful moment leaves the reader to create an ending in itself. I enjoyed Passing and found it to be an interesting book in relation to the early Harlem Renaissance years.

Readers who call Jean Toomer "black" or "African American" are totally in error. He rejected that racist "one drop" classification and deserves praise and admiration for doing so. Toomer's parents and grandparents were not "black middle class" but looked whiter than many Americans who call themselves "white."